Cutting the Cord – One year later…
It’s been almost exactly one year since I cancelled my subscription to cable TV. It’s taken some experimentation, but at this point, I can honestly say that I don’t miss cable. At all. It has definitely been an interesting transition, with some pretty great benefits (not the least of which is the fact that I’m no longer paying Comcast a ton of money).
I actually never realized just how much garbage TV I watched back when I had cable. Channel flipping through several hundred channels inevitably results in watching some pretty random stuff. Now, on the other hand, nearly everything I watch is of the on-demand variety… which means I’m putting some thought into what I watch instead of watching whatever happens to be on.
You’d think that paying for individual shows (when they’re not on Netflix or Hulu) would get to be a pain, but it’s really not. If anything, it’s improved the quality of my viewing experience (no commercials!) and made me more involved in the shows themselves (since if I’m specifically paying for it, I’m going to be watching it… not just using it was background noise).
My setup has evolved a bit, too. I started out with one Roku set-top box and an HD antenna. I have now upgraded the antenna, added a second Roku (and am considering adding a third), and built a media server that can stream to my Roku boxes. I’ve also ripped my entire DVD library for home-streaming, which has been an incredibly convenient way to watch movies I own.
All in all, I’m glad I made the switch.
