True Blue Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Since my Lao Po came to USA we watch less and less cable TV. I pay $90 a month for cable + internet bundle so here is a big monthly bill we could reduce. There are no Chinese channels or premium (e.g. HBO) channels in my bundle. To go there would put us in the $150 a month range. Lao Po likes American movies and I know Net flicks has some sort of $10 a month all you can eat deal. Also she will like Chinese TV (mainland, much more than Taiwan). I like NFL football, CNN and nature/history/science channels like the Discovery channel, the History channel, the Travel channel.Has anyone found a better solution? I was thinking that with a fast internet (might cost $50 a month unbundled) + Net Flicks ($10 a month), I could cut this bill from $90 to $60 (a 50% reduction) and perhaps actually end up with better service.I know I need to cut expenses but I'm a little afraid of long term commitments for Satellite TV.Experiences? If you went the satellite route please include all your expenses (e.g. we have 2 TVs so if you need an extra decoder box or installation charge please include that) and the length of commitment.I'm leaning toward a computer based solution though as it may be cheaper (cheap = good) and involve less long term commitment.Thanks in advance.True Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilton747 Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 We don't have a TV. The wife watches all of her Chinese TV on the internet. I do not watch TV so that is as cheap as we can get by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedbored Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 If you want to get Chinese programing then Dish network is the way to go. If you want movies Netflix is a bargain. For $8.99 a month you can watch all the movies you want. You will need a device that will allow you to plug into the internet and watch live streaming video. Some Blu Ray players are net ready or you can buy a box like Roku http://www.roku.com/roku-products I found one of the XDS on Ebay for $70.00. The HD quality is pretty good. There are tons of foreign films including Chinese. IMO Netflix is the best deal out there in subscriber TV. We have cable internet and I-TalkBB VOIP phone which eliminates a local phone bill as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george lee Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 i took out cable tv last year and stay on high speed internet only. the cost is 45 dollars per month, 7Meg down, 3up. i use netflix for my american programs and my wife uses the internet to watch her chinese programs. there is a media device called o play from asus, http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/media-players/2010/03/24/asus-o-play-air-hdp-r3-media-player-review/1, where the device connects to the internet and searches internet tv, such as china, hong kong and other international internet tv. the device can play other medias as well, but the internet tv is the best features of the device. i also have an antenna on the roof to receive free HD local channels. here is a link about canceling cable, http://www.cancelcable.com/watch-your-favorite-cable-shows-using-hulucom-netflix-and-itunes/16/, it was show on abc news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoblett Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 We have Direct-TV for our domestic broadcasts, our big problem is a monster tree in our neighbor's yard that blocks all satellites except 110w 119w has additional content and the Chinese broadcast needed an additional LNB and satellite unreachable where we live with that damn tree. My wife watches all her shows using PP-Live over the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuanyang Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 We just dumped DSL and installed 15Mb cable internet (periodically clocks at 30Mb). We're dropping the DishTV down to the basics (due to contract) and have connected laptops to the 2 TVs.Anything played in China can be seen via a website. For American TV consider Hulu or others.Netflix with $10-$12/mo subscription for all the movies you can download is a great bargin especially when you consider what you pay for HBO/Starz, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnxiaoying Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 (edited) Don't miss out on http://www.ppstream.com/ . Lots and lots of movies, some nearly first run US movies for free. Edited October 21, 2010 by dnoblett Link added (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S. Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 i took out cable tv last year and stay on high speed internet only. the cost is 45 dollars per month, 7Meg down, 3up. i use netflix for my american programs and my wife uses the internet to watch her chinese programs. there is a media device called o play from asus, http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/media-players/2010/03/24/asus-o-play-air-hdp-r3-media-player-review/1, where the device connects to the internet and searches internet tv, such as china, hong kong and other international internet tv. the device can play other medias as well, but the internet tv is the best features of the device. i also have an antenna on the roof to receive free HD local channels. here is a link about canceling cable, http://www.cancelcable.com/watch-your-favorite-cable-shows-using-hulucom-netflix-and-itunes/16/, it was show on abc news.It sounds like you have more choices than anyone. Your antenna on the roof to receive free HD local channels made me do a search to see what was available to possibly be picked up where I live, and the only thing was one channel from the Ion networks, which obviously was not worth the effort. I don't have a TV anyway. Quit paying for cable years ago. I love the Zatoichi movies on Hulu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george lee Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 i took out cable tv last year and stay on high speed internet only. the cost is 45 dollars per month, 7Meg down, 3up. i use netflix for my american programs and my wife uses the internet to watch her chinese programs. there is a media device called o play from asus, http://www.bit-tech....player-review/1, where the device connects to the internet and searches internet tv, such as china, hong kong and other international internet tv. the device can play other medias as well, but the internet tv is the best features of the device. i also have an antenna on the roof to receive free HD local channels. here is a link about canceling cable, http://www.cancelcab...-and-itunes/16/, it was show on abc news.It sounds like you have more choices than anyone. Your antenna on the roof to receive free HD local channels made me do a search to see what was available to possibly be picked up where I live, and the only thing was one channel from the Ion networks, which obviously was not worth the effort. I don't have a TV anyway. Quit paying for cable years ago. I love the Zatoichi movies on Hulu. yeah, one of the advantage of living in nyc is the free HD over the air. i brought a 52 samsung HD and connects to a grid type antenna on the roof, the reception is much better then cable tv, so clear that you can watch programs from PA on a clear night. of course, the wife threw a fit and the mop was flying everywhere when i brought the 52 incher but that is another story. netflix, asus o play media device, roku media device and internet tv connect to my HD tv is so so much better than cable. all i need to do is buy a home theatre system and connect my blue ray, HD tv and wii player and i am set but i need to prepare myself for another mop job from my wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuanyang Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 (edited) Don't miss out on http://www.ppstream.com/ . Lots and lots of movies, some nearly first run US movies for free.Thanks John. That's the one, PPS, that wife and mother are glued to. Edited October 21, 2010 by dnoblett Link Added (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
credzba Posted October 21, 2010 Report Share Posted October 21, 2010 Don't miss out on http://www.ppstream.com/ . Lots and lots of movies, some nearly first run US movies for free.Thanks John. That's the one, PPS, that wife and mother are glued to. Does O!Play play ppstream movies for certain?If so, I'll go order one today ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleepyGuy Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 You should have bought the surround sound system along with the TV, that way you get beat up only once instead of twice. ...all i need to do is buy a home theatre system and connect my blue ray, HD tv and wii player and i am set but i need to prepare myself for another mop job from my wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoblett Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 Don't miss out on http://www.ppstream.com/ . Lots and lots of movies, some nearly first run US movies for free.Thanks John. That's the one, PPS, that wife and mother are glued to. Does O!Play play ppstream movies for certain?If so, I'll go order one today ! No, O!Play is not meant to play streams originating over the internet, it is meant to access a media share located on your home network, like a shared folder located on a PC, or other network attached storage device that has video files located in the media share. For example I have a NAS device on my network with about 2 TB of storage, and a folder with hundreds of AVI, MP4, and FLV files located in it, the O!Play can access these files and play them on a TV over my Wireless network or over a hard wired network. MORE: http://techgage.com/article/asus_oplay_air_media_player/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george lee Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 you can't play ppstream using o!play. o!play provides internet tv/radio from all over the world. internet tv/radio are not like ppstream and others, its very basic. i'm watching cctv before and watching hong kong news now as i type. preview before you buy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
credzba Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 No, O!Play is not meant to play streams originating over the internet, it is meant to access a media share located on your home network, like a shared folder located on a PC, or other network attached storage device that has video files located in the media share. For example I have a NAS device on my network with about 2 TB of storage, and a folder with hundreds of AVI, MP4, and FLV files located in it, the O!Play can access these files and play them on a TV over my Wireless network or over a hard wired network. MORE: http://techgage.com/article/asus_oplay_air_media_player/ Oh, Thanks, my tivo or ps3 can do that. I really want to watch pptv on the big tv instead of my computer. There is a hack to make the ps3 do it, I guess I'll do that this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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