Hulu - am I missing something?

[sweetcell]

Group hug?

yes pweaze.

sorry about that, T, t'was late...
 

Let it be known that I didn't call him a name, I just called him out on his obsession with Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

that's what hurt the most.

[James Ford]

Is it really $80 a month?

What if you already have DSL and landline phone, how much extra does it cost to have cable added to the package?

Personally, I'm with you. I get my share of packaged entertainment via Hulu, Netflix, and other websites. And if I can't get it right away, I wait until I can.

But my wife is a bit more of a junkie, and she argues that getting her fix will actually SAVE us money for awhile, then the cost of cable won't be more than $40 extra when piggybacking with DSL and landline. Anybody have numbers that confirm or refute this?

Yeah, it's not accurate to say Hulu is "totally useless."  If it doesn't have the shows you want, then it's totally useless *for you*.

As far as movies -- it's not free, but so far my experience with Netflix's streaming video has been great.  At the most basic level, one DVD at a time, you can watch unlimited streaming videos for $8.99 a month. 

I think between Hulu, Netflix, various websites, and good ole fashioned broadcast television, you can probably get very well without cable unless you're a serious TV junkie.  I'm certainly never going back to sending $80 a month to Comcast.   

For premier shows like "The Wire" you've just gotta shift your viewing habits -- ie, wait for the last season to come out on Netflix.   So worth it though, when you consider what cable costs.

[thirsty moore]

Personally, I'm with you. I get my share of packaged entertainment via Hulu, Netflix, and other websites. And if I can't get it right away, I wait until I can.

You would, considering your favorite show is Major Dad.

[James Ford]

Personally, I'm with you. I get my share of packaged entertainment via Hulu, Netflix, and other websites. And if I can't get it right away, I wait until I can.

You would, considering your favorite show is Major Dad.

Did I ever tell you guys about the time I was standing outside the sold out Gerald McRaney celebrity bowling event in Biloxi, Mississippi back in 1991 and this green teethed girl came up to me out of the blue and offerered me free tickets, backstage passes, and a tub of nachos?

One of the most underappreciated actors of his generation, or any generation for that matter. And a Christian. Too! Though I actually preferred Simon and Simon to Major Dad. Not many people know this, but Gerald actually tried out for the role of Luke Duke. Damn shame he was turned down.

[thirsty moore]

He played a mean SOB in Deadwood. Didn't know he tried out for Luke Duke.

[eltee]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194766/report_hulu_to_offer_10permonth_subscription.html

Hulu to offer $10/mth subscription

[vansmack]

Did I ever tell you guys about the time I was standing outside the sold out Gerald McRaney celebrity bowling event in Biloxi, Mississippi back in 1991 and this green teethed girl came up to me out of the blue and offerered me free tickets, backstage passes, and a tub of nachos?

Nope, but my old friend Rhett Miller once did.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

I don't know what it costs to bundle cable with everything else.  I do know it's still a lot of money, and the prices you'll be quoted are introductory costs that eventually go up.  I suppose you could just keep canceling and re-upping, although there's also a startup fee.

The last piece of my TV setup is in place -- I have hooked a Hauppaage USB TV receiver to my PC, which now acts as a PVR, and I can access live and recorded TV, internet video, and Netflix all through the same interface (Microsoft Media Center, which is pretty good).      At this point I'm not missing cable at all.

   

[James Ford]

And the number of manhours you spent rigging the whole gig up is equivalent to paying for three years of cable for those with real jobs...

I don't know what it costs to bundle cable with everything else.  I do know it's still a lot of money, and the prices you'll be quoted are introductory costs that eventually go up.  I suppose you could just keep canceling and re-upping, although there's also a startup fee.

The last piece of my TV setup is in place -- I have hooked a Hauppaage USB TV receiver to my PC, which now acts as a PVR, and I can access live and recorded TV, internet video, and Netflix all through the same interface (Microsoft Media Center, which is pretty good).      At this point I'm not missing cable at all.

   

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Although it took me some time to decide how I wanted to set this up, the actual setup time for all of it was probably under an hour.   And using it is easy.     I can see how it might take longer though if you're not very bright.

[sweetcell]

And the number of manhours you spent rigging the whole gig up is equivalent to paying for three years of cable for those with real jobs...

wow, you must have really, really cheap cable.  i'm paying about $50/month for cable on top of internet.  no way teh doomz paid $1,800 for his set-up.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

He is assuming my time is valued at hundreds of dollars per hour, which I wish my employer agreed with.