Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you're not into sports or classic movies like I am, I say go for it. A lot of programming on TV is garbage, and there's so many things to do nowadays other than watching TV. You'll be saving a lot of cash too!
Netflix is all about classic movies because their selection is crap. I hate what I pay to my cable company but it's better than what everyone else provides when trying to go cheap.
The only issue for me is seeing new stuff sooner than later, because it does take a while for Netflix to get things. However, I guess that is a small price to pay for saving a bunch on cable. Though I don't know much about it, Hulu Plus seems great too.
HuluPlus has a lot of current shows! Amazon Video, too, if you don't mind paying extra.
Quote:
Originally Posted by American Luxury
If you're not into sports or classic movies like I am, I say go for it. A lot of programming on TV is garbage, and there's so many things to do nowadays other than watching TV. You'll be saving a lot of cash too!
Amazon Video has LOTS of classic movies, many of them included as part of Prime (no extra cost). Most of the classic ones that you pay to rent are only a couple bucks. (Newer ones are more - we rented Looper in HD for $5.) It can add up if you aren't careful, though! But I have to say, adding up the annual cost of Prime, the cost for the series we subscribe to, and the movies we rented when we weren't so careful, was still cheaper than one month of full-cost cable!
You can stream a lot of sports..... for free............ however, the quality is always crappy, but it's FREE.
Streamin "a lot of sports" does not mean its quality sports, or relevant to what many average sports fans want. I've researched this issue a lot and my only advice would be to do the same....one size does not fit all for everyone.
We recently bought a smart TV. It has wireless internet. We can access hulu and Netflix directly through the TV. We can browse the internet via the TV too. Although we still have cable, I've been spending more and more time utilizing the other features because I typically like to view programs "on demand."
Watching Netflix (and hulu) via the TV comes through perfectly. I get sucked into multiple seasons of series I have never watched. I love it.
Watching a program via the internet browser feature doesn't work as well though. For example, I tried to watch the latest episode on FX's website for The Americans. It kept slowing down and blurring and freezing. So, I hooked my laptop up directly to the TV and we watched The Americans that way. It came through perfectly and it was easier to set up than using the browsing navigation feature on the TV.
I anticipate cable will be in the dark ages similar to AOL. Unfortunately, cable companies are also internet providers and they are starting to charge for the amount of streaming we do instead of a flat rate for internet access. One way or another, they're going to get our money.
HuluPlus has a lot of current shows! Amazon Video, too, if you don't mind paying extra.
Amazon Video has LOTS of classic movies, many of them included as part of Prime (no extra cost). Most of the classic ones that you pay to rent are only a couple bucks. (Newer ones are more - we rented Looper in HD for $5.) It can add up if you aren't careful, though! But I have to say, adding up the annual cost of Prime, the cost for the series we subscribe to, and the movies we rented when we weren't so careful, was still cheaper than one month of full-cost cable!
That is certainly something to consider in the future. However; I like being able to turn on TCM and if there is something on that I like, great, and if not, I can turn the channel or simply do something else. Renting movies IMO put you in a corner of possibly not liking the movie and thus throwing a few dollars down the drain for nothing.
So what exactly is it regarding Netflix which infuriates some of their subscribers? Are their available movies bottom-of-the-barrel stuff a la 'Ishtar' or 'Police Academy 5' as opposed to Oscar winners and/or classics?
I'm considering 'cutting the cord' as well, and I'm currently soliciting opinions on the pros & cons of Netflix, the Roku box, and other possibilities.
Netflix isn't the greatest at having the most up to date film releases, and not everything they have streams. I wish more did. But I don't think the quality of what is available suffers. There's more than enough there, and enough quality to satisfy me. You just can't count on something you maybe really want to see being available. Though for $10 a month, really, how much does it need have to be a better bargain than cable?
So what exactly is it regarding Netflix which infuriates some of their subscribers? Are their available movies bottom-of-the-barrel stuff a la 'Ishtar' or 'Police Academy 5' as opposed to Oscar winners and/or classics?
I'm considering 'cutting the cord' as well, and I'm currently soliciting opinions on the pros & cons of Netflix, the Roku box, and other possibilities.
Thanks!
For the first month of so, you might find you enjoy the selections, but after you've seen those few semi- new releases from last year the feeling here was meh.
If I want to see a bunch of random movies I wouldn't otherwise generally consider seeking out, I could just pick them up at my local library for free. Most of the movies on Netflix, I had seen via holds at my local library, at present I had been holding out for a couple of movies that are way past their release dates, that still aren't on netflix, I finally just put them on hold this week. I should have the movies I've been wanting see shortly since I'm next in line on at least three of them on the hold list at my local library. Some I thought would be available by now and will be picking up at the library Bridesmaid, Prometheus, Samsara, Dark Knight and so forth.
They do have a great selection if you want to sit for a half hour thumbing through titles you've likely not heard of, but by the time I find something my eyes hurt. The point of getting it for me was to get movies I didn't want to have to go out to pick up at the store and to save movie by cutting the cord by also adding Hulu, which is another joke. Call me cheap, but cutting the cord to save money, this isn't the deal I sought. Honestly, I can get a lot of the same selections for free on other channels on my Roku box.
If money isn't an issue, go for it, I happen to like a number of network shows, so as soon as I figure out a better antenna solution or move where I get better reception, I will likely ditch my basic cable completely. Keep my roku for the obscure free movies and other entertainment selections. But of course they'll just double my internet price.
Actually just checked my holds at library and two are ready for pick up, one in transit.
I haven't had cable in years, and really don't miss it. I love Netflix and the way you can have a Marathon and watch a series in a matter of days or weeks. Much better bargain than cable.
I dumped mine over three years ago and I haven't missed it a bit. It's just a matter of what you like. I don't really mind that I don't have access to recent box office movies but they end up on Netflix or Amazon, sooner or later. I do enjoy watching a lot of the International films and British shows. My Roku box allows me a lot more channels than just Netflix and Amazon, too. There's so much TV to watch, a person could become a vegetable and never move off the sofa. As for old films, I watched all the original Star Trek movies this past week. Rather fun to go back and see a young Capt Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Bones. I especially liked IV.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
