Quote Originally Posted by mdwyer View Post
I got one of those Roku Netflix boxes, and I think it is the best $100 I've spent in a LONG time.

One question, though: How do you get your internet? Here in Comcast country, if you use a cable modem but DON'T subscribe to TV, they charge you an extra $12 a month or some BS like that... Their most basic cable package is only $15, so it almost makes sense to do it that way.

On the other hand, the slowest DSL is just a little bit too slow to use with the Roku box. It works, but you get their most-compressed video, which is nearly unwatchable.
I've been without cable TV since 2000 (nine years) and have been fine with analog broadcast TV. However the digital broadcast antennas are in a different location and my rabbit ears are not good enough any more. I would put up an external antenna but I rent and don't want to hassle with it.

I do have a quite the movie and TV DVD collection though. The way I figure it, I spend the money that I would have spent for cable on DVDs and at the end of the month I have something to show for my money.

Cable and satellite both encrypt DVRs and prevent off loading content to other formats. Also DVRs have expiration dates that will erase your content at the content provider's choice.

Also for those of you, like me, that use your DVD-R as a VCR to record shows while you are away from home. My friend informed me last week that Comcast is now using security settings available with the digital signal to prevent you from recording your favorite shows.

So if they are going to make it expensive for me to watch TV, bombard me with adverting while watching TV, and not let me watch my TV shows when I want to watch them, why would I pay for cable/satellite?

Buy it on DVD, watch it when and where you want to watch it, commercial free. And you own it!