Getting rid of cable...

Okay, not cable but Direct TV. The bills have gotten a bit ridiculous, and still there's nothing on. I know the tech is out there, but I'm ignorant of what exactly it would take. I still want the shows I want, when I want them, and I love my DVR. Not too mention sports, I will need ESPN.

So, assume all stupid questions, how do I go about it? Streaming, Hulu, Netflix? Do I need a wifi capable TV? Doctor Who is a family event in this house, really don't want to huddle around the ipad to watch the latest episode.

Here's the tech currently in the house...

iPad
Kindle Fire
Laptop
Netbook
Wii (wifi w/netflix)
Direct TV w/ DVR

I can of course get over the air HD no problem, so that takes care of the locals. I'm currently paying $100 per month, without a premium movie channel, what's out there?

Hulu Plus and Netflix should cover most of your needs for under $20/month. There are other streaming services (Amazon I think?), and I think iTunes still sells TV episodes the day after they air for certain shows. You already have a Netflix capable Wii and an HD antenna so you're more than halfway there, but I don't know if you can get Hulu on the Wii. I usually run both Netflix and Hulu on my PS3. You don't need a Wifi capable TV--if your TV has an ethernet port you can hook it up directly. Otherwise, look into finding the right cables to hook your laptop up to the TV. If your laptop and TV both have HDMI ports, use an HDMI cable. Otherwise you will need a VGA-to-Composite cable and an audio cable or VGA-to-Component cable and an audio cable.

Don't buy the cable(s) in a store, buy it from Monoprice.com. Waaay cheaper.

We've been without cable since April, no big deal. We don't watch much TV and what we did watch was covered by Amazon Prime.

A couple months ago, my brother got me this. I have it hooked up to my TV and it's great. Thought I would never have a desktop again, but it is really nice actually.

As for sports, PM. I figured out how to stream any live sport you want. It won't be HD, but it's decent.

Hulu is available on the Wii now.

We got rid of satellite TV several years ago for the same reason. Hulu will get you most of the first run TV shows either a day, or a week after it is first aired. For the shows that aren't, I suggest: http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/internet/ for free streaming TV, I've been using them for a couple years now and I've never gotten a virus, or even malware. Use either "Putlocker", "Sockshare", or "Gorilla Vid" for the best results.

Awesome! In that case, evenflow, all you really need is your Wii running Netflix and Hulu, plus whatever secretive fix Ancalagon is suggesting in order to get sports. Plus I'm sure your local broadcast channels carry plenty of sports.

I'll mess around with it this weekend then. Thanks.

Let me know if you would like a subscription to the Ramen's Online Penis Escapades (ROPE) channel.

That's our list as well.... minus lifetime.

I thought the biggest problem with Netflix streaming with the Wii is that the Wii can only output 480p, whereas with other devices you can stream at least up to 720p or 1080p. It would seem the picture quality would lack with the Wii compared to 360s, PS3s, PCs or a Roku-like device.

So while not all shows are in HD, you'll still lack the HD option with Wii video streaming.

Just something to keep in mind, not sure if it matters to you or not.

What kind of internet connection do you have?

Wow.....a few decades ago I was watching three channels (four counting public television) and I needed plyers to change the channel knob, the television costing two week's wages.

Not sure what it will be when we move in a couple of months. But I think DSL at the moment.

There is a reason we don't know. We were the last on this hub 8 years ago and they haven't put in a new hub. So we aren't sure what will happen when we move.

You could always use an aerial for local news and just get high speed internet & netflicks for the rest.

I added Hulu Plus a few days ago, honestly I'm not seeing any real advantage on that one vs regular Hulu. I'm going to use it for a month and see how I feel.

I actually have Amazon Prime because I use the 2 day shipping a lot but haven't tried the video service yet. So I need to play around with it too.

I also have Netflix which has a great deal of content. In fact I still have a Slingbox hooked up to my parents cable from back in my Shreveport days and access to their HBO Go account.

I haven't done the research on it but if a Roku or Boxee Box has access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus I'll probably pick one up. It would be a bonus if they could also access the Slingbox and/or HBO Go.

The only reason I'm not just hooking up a computer to the living room TV is that the simple interface of our current Apple TV (and future Roku or Boxee) keeps me from having to be the over the phone IT support when something goes slightly wrong for whatever reason when I'm not home.

I'm thinking that after football season I'll get rid of cable again.

Roku has Netflix & Hulu+. Not sure about Amazon.

Amazon has mostly old stuff, and a lot of stuff for sale at a "discount" to Prime members. You'll have good luck with stuff 10 years or older, anything else is hit and miss.

I actually brought home a Roku. It worked as advertised, but the problem was that certain channels like ESPN and Hulu will only work with high-end boxes like an X-Box.

ESPN and Hulu won't come through the browser on the Hulu. Check the label on the box carefully, because if it doesn't show the channel you want, you won't be able to see it.

There is a place that has pretty much every sport channel streaming. Hit me up over PM if you want the link.

IIRC, Hulu+ will work with a Roku, but not the free version of Hulu. The ESPN/X-Box requires, at the least, an X-Box Live membership ($12/mo., IIRC) and may require paying ESPN some $$ as well. For the widest variety of content, your best bet is a PC hooked up to a TV, Roku is the second best option. Clicker.tv has listings for most movies and TV shows on which service.

Raspberry Pi, $25.

Can't watch Netflix on a Raspberry Pi, though, as it doesn't support Silverlight, which is what Netflix is currently using.

frontline, it all depends upon what you want to do. For example, if you want to make sure kids can only see "kid friendly stuff," then you can probably get away with a Roku box in their room, since sites like Netflix have "Just for Kids" sections, while sticking a PC in the family room/den/your bedroom.

There might be away to set up a media center PC and have it stream to the other TVs in your house, but I don't know for certain. If you do go the PC route, you either want a fairly powerful PC, or you want one you've got stripped down to little more than the OS and the browser. I used an older PC with XP on it, and didn't have too many problems (until the PC died, that is), so you wouldn't necessarily have to spend $500. The big issue is going to be the amount of RAM you have available, not the processor or video card specs (though you don't want something completely ancient, either).

I'd stay away from Google TV devices for a while, however. Everyone hates the UI on them, even though the current version is better than the previous versions.