I once made a claim that I wanted to be the last man on earth to 1) get a facebook account and 2) upgrade my 'big box' television. Sometimes life just doesn't work out the way you plan--I somehow ended up with a facebook account and I hear there's a guy in Botswana that still has not joined. Crazy man in Botswana-1; Ken-0.
Let's talk cable TV--I was paying $142/month for phone, internet and cable tv/dvr. Then Comcast reinstated my contract at the rate of $189 per month; this, I believe, is a prelude for their own destruction, particularly when a-la-carte internet TV is finally catching on. I responded by cutting the cord.
So what now? I bought a TV. I held-out long enough that four generations of television sets have been sold in the U.S. since my television rolled off the showroom floor. You know the type, a tiny 27" screen stuck inside a box the size of most cars sold in Europe. My friends brag about the size of their television screens; I, in turn, bragged about my television's girth.
The new one is an LED TV that is connected to the Internet (yes, the Internet that Al Gore invented). Local television channels (like "the Office") come in HD-format via a digital antenna. Free movies are coming from Youtube and Hulu with additional movies coming from a $8.99/month instant streaming Netflix account. All of the programming I was watching through Comcast is available from one or more of the above sources. No PC required, it is all available on a menu built into the TV. Depending on what programs you watch, this setup might not work for you, but it works for me and saves me a huge amount of money every month.
A few other things I like--the TV has USB ports that allows me to view photos, videos or listen to MP3s via flashdrive or external harddrive. (This is great when friends come over and want to share photos.) I can turn on a Yahoo widget bar at the bottom with stock quotes, weather, number of unread emails, etc. I can view my Picasa online photo albums, as well as albums shared by friends, use Skype and it even folds my laundry.
My $142 Comcast bill (renewed at $189/mo.), was replaced with a $42 Surewest Internet and phone bill and an $8.99 Netflix Instant Watch account. My old TV is up for grabs, I will let it go for 80 cents per pound. You carry.
In the past 2 years or so I have become very experienced in the moving of Sony WEGA flat screened monitor televisions. These things are no joke. $0.80/pound sounds like a deal but only if you have a pallet dolly, flatbed truck and very strong back.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Adam have an even larger Sony WEGA? Mine is 109 pounds and it's only a 27". The new TV is 36 pounds and the screen is almost twice the size. So pound-for-pound, the old TV is a better value. :)
ReplyDeleteI think Jen and Joe are taking it since they have two houses now. I hope they have a sturdy armoire.
Adam will be quick to tell you it's Erin's TV. If I had to guess I'd say it's every bit of 109 pounds. The heaviest TV I ever moved was a 32" tube tv. My buddy Frank and I had to set it down 3 times between his front room and garage when I helped him move it. For all I know it's still sitting there.
ReplyDeleteSo you have heavy TV moving experience. You just signed yourself up. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe had about a $150 bill with Comcast and I got it reduced recently. I explored options of cutting services but they said doing that would break our "package" and not save any $. So what do you do if you don't really need the cable, but you need the home phone and fast internet and you can't afford to buy a new TV?
ReplyDeleteI tried three times to cut my bill down and Comcast gave me what boils down to two options--cut my package down $10 by removing HBO and STARZ (which I had to buy to get a price break before) or get just internet for $95/month. I didn't check on internet + phone. So you're right, breaking the package means they really gouge you.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few options I explored. (1) Get a cable to connect your computer to your TV to stream anything you want. (I know that's a problem based on where your computer is relative to your TV, plus I think the quality is sub-par.) (2) Buy an Xbox 360, PSP or Wii and you can stream Netflix HD just like my TV. (3) Buy a 'nettop' computer--a $300 computer that is dedicated to your TV that does everything my TV does plus acts as a DVR. Keep in mind there are around 20 digital channels available through a simple digital antenna connected to your TV.
Really where you're out of luck is live sports. I don't think those are available streaming online and you would have to rely on what comes in on the digital antenna.
Before you pull the plug, check hulu, netflix, etc. to see how much of your content is available. I can get everything I care about either through antenna or streaming but that won't be the case for everyone.
Oh, and only AFTER my cancellation order was in place Comcast finally broke up my package. Suddenly that $95 internet connection by itself became $48, so that's what I did instead of Surewest.
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