Hulu more began yesterday on the Xbox 360, and HBO has launched its app HBO go for iPhone and iPad. It is faster to the point where something you can look at the traditional cable or satellite TV can also be viewed via streaming from the Internet, but for now the options can be a little confusing and intimidating.
Between services such as NetFlix and Hulu Plus and the range of streaming for content of sites, specific channel and apps such as ABC, CBS and HBO it seems that you can get almost all of your Visual Entertainment streamed on the Internet and abandon any traditional cable and satellite TV. But choose carefully because no single media streaming option has everything.
I currently have AT & T Uverse for my television home entertainment. The ultimate package uverse has to offer - the U450 pay astronomical sums of money (as almost $120 per month). For my $120, I get about 370 channels to choose from, including 50 channels or so premium. Granted, many of these 370 channels are just HD duplicate channels of standard definition, and most of the premium channel options are just variations of Starz, Showtime, HBO and Cinemax.
When it comes down to it, it is probably really less than 300 unique channels. But, you know how many strings I use on a monthly basis? I do not know with certainty, but I would say that it is less than 10.
I could save me a ton of money by ditching cable and just using the streaming options, right? Well, yes - except that I have first know what services need to see the shows and films, streaming I want, and some of the shows I love may not available to all that could make me regret waive my former cable TV.
Netflix seems to be everywhere and emerged as the leader of de facto streaming media. You can watch Netflix content on practically anything decoders units as Apple TV, to TVs that are enabled by the Internet to mobile devices such as an iPhone or iPad, such as the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii game consoles.
Netflix service starts at only $7.99 / month and allows access to a massive library of film and TV show content. But Netflix does not offer content this season and it was avoided by some networks HBO and Showtime original as content.
Enter more Hulu. Where Netflix is the King of films and television show legacy streaming, Hulu more fills the void of current TV content. With more than Hulu, I can still watch that my favorite programs like The Office. The catch is that I cannot watch it until the next day, it is broadcast on television, though.
I have a problem with the fact that I must pay a subscription and yet always monitor commericials. In contrast, the "free commercial" pay channels such as HBO and Showtime actually display advertisements more it seems - they are just all for their own content. There is also a problem with the fact that, although Fox is supported on more than Hulu, American Idol episodes are not available, and CBS does not play with Hulu than all if no Big Bang theory.
So, now I have $7.99 per month will Netflix to watch movies and another $7.99 is Hulu more so I can look at current performances, but still, I do not see American Idol, the Big Bang theory or current original HBO content as a game of Thrones.
The HBO app go lets me see current HBO content, but only if I am a subscriber to the traditional HBO network, which means that I must keep my cable TV subscription in order to obtain access to streaming HBO content. And, there is an app of film for iOS which provides content CBS - 60 Minutes and Hawaii Five-O - but still has no Big Bang theory.
I am certain that I could save a ton of money by abandoning my subscription Uverse and just using streaming media. But, I do not with my former cable trying to guess what service or application to use to get the film or show I want or not completely miss on some content. I just pick up the remote control and that is all.
Still, I could cut the package Uverse database to subscribe to HBO, then subscribe to Netflix and Hulu Plus and have access to the vast majority of what I want to look for less than half of what I pay now.
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