Cable TV Revolution – Part 01: An Introduction

Well, I wanted to make this post earlier, but I’m insanely busy with work, and moving, so it’s going to be cut shorter than I want it to… but I’ll dig right in.

Currently I’m paying $109 and some change for my current Comcast “double play”. It includes their HD Digital Preferred service and 6.0Mbps broadband internet connection. This is considered a promotion by Comcast…

When I told them I was moving in the beginning of September, they tried offering me their “triple play” which includes home phone for $120 and some change. I told them I was going to cancel my service because of the insane amounts of money they charge for their services… and of course they wanted to cut me a deal then. They offered me the same package I have now for $69.95… plus HD service, plus DVR service, plus taxes, plus fees…. and it turned out to be almost exactly what I’m paying now, maybe something ridiculous like saving $2.50 a month.

I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time, and I decided now was the time.

I WAS/AM GOING TO CANCEL MY CABLE SERVICE.

I contemplated keeping Comcast and their 6.0Mbps broadband connection, but ultimately also decided against that. AT&T has “Direct DSL” with no home phones required at 6.0Mbps for $19.95 a month, sounds like a great deal to me. Comcast wanted nearly $70 for the same speeds… No thanks. I’ll effectively be saving about $90.00 a month on my cable bill after the switch, and you really can’t beat that.

So you might be wondering what I plan to do without cable TV?
Well… I really doubt I’ll miss it too much.

I currently have a MacMini functioning as an HTPC (Home Theater PC) running Boxee. As of right now I’m testing a way to automate downloads of TV shows that aren’t available on Hulu. I’ll likely need about 5 to 7 days to work out the little kinks, but I mostly have a system in place. I’ve built a flowchart for those interested, but I’ll have to save that for my second post on this topic…

Here’s what Boxee looks like if you’re unfamiliar with it:

That’s right, infinitely better than anything Comcast provides for their GUI on their cable boxes.

I’ll have alot to say about this in the future, and keep this updated on how the process goes. As of today I still have Comcast service, but I’ll be totally switched over to Internet-only streaming and downloading for TV entertainment on Monday, September 6th, 2010.

Keep an eye out for the second post in the series.