How Can I Ditch Cable and Watch My TV Shows and Movies Online? [Ask Lifehacker]
I'd love to get rid of cable and stream all my favorite TV shows right from the internet. What do I need to know before I take the plunge?
Signed,
Ready to Cut the Coaxial
Photo by sociotard.
Join the club! Some of us at Lifehacker HQ have already left or are ready to leave the cable company for 24/7 live TV streaming, too. We get this question all the time, and we've examined ditching the monthly bill in favor of watching programs online occasionally in the past, and we've also looked at ways to get your TV fix with apps like Boxee and Hulu, plus there are cool set-top devices like Roku and TiVo, but this is a good opportunity to get exhaustive. There are so many great options for catching a show here or there, but can you rely on them to replicate the cable TV experience? Well, yes and no.
If you're going to unplug from the cable company, prepare to exercise some patience when it comes to watching your favorite shows as soon as they air—it can take anywhere from a day to a week for them to appear online. Also, be ready to do some digging around to find who's streaming special events, sports, and other programming outside of the drama/sitcom variety. Let's take a look at ways to find certain types of programming without relying on your cable company.
Watch TV Online
- Clicker – Bookmark this site to help you figure out where your favorite shows are airing around the internet. It combs through what's available on Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming video sites, and is searchable by show or topic.
- Hulu – This video streaming service offers the five most recent episodes of dozens of many of the most-watched shows on television. Episodes are available for 30 days after their air date, so this is a great way to catch up on any shows you've missed. It's also full of full seasons of older TV shows
- CBS – Episodes from lots of current programming, as well as some oldies but goodies (MacGyver!)
- NBC – Check out new episodes of current primetime, daytime, and late night programming, and some original online-only series like Office parody show Ctrl.
- ABC – Episodes of current shows, including daytime programming and archives of specials like the American Music Awards
- FOX – Full-length episodes of many popular shows, including Family Guy and Glee.
- Netflix – Best for catching episodes of your favorite shows from last season or from the last decade. While Netflix doesn't typically offer recently aired episodes of popular shows, it's perfect for streaming episodes from previous seasons, or for getting your "Murder She Wrote" groove on. There's a monthly fee to subscribe to Netflix but once you're signed up, you can stream an unlimited amount of shows.
- iTunes – You can pick up new episodes of shows on iTunes hours after they air on television, but be prepared to pay for the privilege. They'll usually set you back $1.99 per episode, or upwards of $30 per season. On the other hand, buying through iTunes means you can drop the shows on your iPod and watch them on the fly.
- Amazon Video On Demand – Like iTunes, you'll pay for most of the television shows you get from this site. The upside is, you can watch programs on your computer or convert them to a format that's playable on a mobile device.
- Gawker.TV - Okay, so our association aside (Gawker.TV is the all-video site of our blog network's namesake, Gawker), Gawker.TV was the go-to online destination we fired up every day during the recent Late Night debacle for comprehensive coverage of all the drama—and we didn't have to stay up all night to keep up with the latest. Gawker.TV isn't the only site out there that posts clips and synopses from shows and news events, but it's got a quick turnaround and can really fill a gap you miss when you don't have access to the regular cable lineup.
If you're nuts for Psych, The Daily Show, or other cable TV shows, Hulu's got you covered. Some programs take a week to turn up on the web site, though, so you'll have to exercise some patience and avoid spoilers for a few days. On the other hand, Hulu has a bunch of nice features that let you organize, queue, and search shows. There's a desktop app that works with standard Apple or Windows Media Center Remotes. If you're sporting Windows 7 on your computer, don't forget to check out the Hulu Integration app for Windows Media Center.
Watch Movies Online
- Hulu – Unlike television shows, current popular movies generally will take a while to turn up on Hulu. If you like to channel surf for movies until something catches your eye, then this is a great place to start. There are zillions of flicks to choose from and they're all searchable by name or genre.
- Netflix – Although much of the Watch Instantly movies at Netflix are titles that date back six months to a decade or more, there are a few newer movies if you hunt around a bit, and they've been improving their Watch Instantly service regularly. With unlimited streaming for subscribers and a handy queue feature to remind you of what movies you want to watch, this is a great substitution for paid movie channels from your cable company.
- iTunes – As with television shows, you'll pay per movie at iTunes. Buy a flick for about $15 or rent it for 24 hours for about $3 ($4 if you want it in HD). Most movies are available at iTunes the same day as the DVD becomes available in stores.
- Amazon Video On Demand - Like iTunes, Amazon's offers lots of newly-released movies for purchase or rent. You'll find lots of independent and niche films here, as well as the option of pre-ordering flicks a few weeks before they become available.
Watch Sports Online
Watching professional sports without cable is a tougher nut to crack and, depending on the event, you may have no choice but to head to your local sports bar. Even with cable, however, there's no guarantee you'll be able to access your favorite team's game. Fortunately, professional sports associations are getting in on the online action and streaming some or all of their televised games via paid subscriber network.
- MLB.TV – Baseball fans can watch every regular season game live or on demand, and more than 150 spring training games with no blackouts. Viewers also get access to game day audio, game archives, and real-time stats.
- NFL Network – Though this is actually the National Football League's official cable channel, its website has a ton of post-game video footage for fans to check out. Due to licensing and TV restrictions, finding a legal way to live stream NFL football is next to impossible unless you live outside the US, but at least you can listen live to every game of the season with an NFL Field Pass.
- NHL Game Center Live – Watch up to 40 live hockey games, including some of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with a subscription to this service. It streams live in HD (when available) and includes DVR functionality so you pause, rewind, and fast forward during games.
- NBA All Access – Basketball fans can choose from two types of season passes: unlimited for access to all teams, or a league pass to follow only seven teams. Watch three games at once, and control the live action with full DVR controls.
Yes, subscriptions that let you watch professional sports still cost you some coin, but a one-time fee of $50 - $150 per season to catch your favorite games is better than paying $50 or more a month all year for cable. Of course, some events, like the Olympics, will have several viewing options to choose from.
Set-Top Boxes and Gadgets
Set-top devices like Roku and TiVo let you stream movies and some television shows directly from Netflix, Blockbuster, and similar subscription services. They're great options for scratching that movie itch, and perfect for times when you feel like browsing viewing options until something strikes your fancy.
- Boxee Box - Whether you build your own cheap but powerful Boxee box or buy the pre-built Boxee Box once it's available, Boxee integrates a lot of the online TV sources listed above into one TV- and remote-friendly interface.
- TiVo – The granddaddy of DVRs, a TiVo device is great for streaming programs from Netflix, Blockbuster, and Amazon Video On Demand. It connects to your home's TV antenna so you can watch free network programming, and the HD TiVo units will even pick up your local high-definition channels. The drawback is that on top of the price of the device ($200 and up), you'll need a monthly $12 subscription to access TiVo's best features.
- Roku – This nifty little device streams a batch of different free internet channels like Blip.tv, Twit.tv, and even your Flickr photostream. You can also use it to access your Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand Accounts, making it a great alternative to a TiVo or other DVR. A new Roku will set you back anywhere from $80 - $120, depending on the model you choose.
- AppleTV – This somewhat limited device lets you easily stream your iTunes media library right to your television. The $229 device will also stream content from YouTube, Flickr, and MobileMe. If you're willing to hack your AppleTV, you can put Boxee Media Center on it for some added functionality like view torrents fresh off the net.
- PlayOn – If you've got an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, this software download lets you wirelessly stream internet video content from Hulu, Netflix, and more right to your game box. It'll also pick up content from ESPN.com and CBS.com, or grab a free plugin to stream programming from The Weather Channel, Adult Swim, The Food Network, and more. PlayOn has a 14-day free trial, then you'll have to pop for $40 to keep it.
The Antenna Option
Finally, though you probably already know this, you can watch your home teams, local news, and, yes, even LOST without cable. In fact, these are the easiest types of shows to get because they're free and just require a TV antenna to capture. If you have an HD-ready TV, you can even pick up high-def channels. Not sure what kind of antenna gives you the most bang for your geographical buck? AntennaWeb will help you figure out which antenna works best for your house based on where you live, and even tell you which way to point it. But you're here to watch TV online, so let's get to it.
So, Coax, here's a few ways to get you started on the road to cable-free living. We'd love to hear more ideas from readers who've axed their cable, and we'll update this post as tips roll in.
Love,
Lifehacker
Rejoice, owners of netbooks with Intel GMA 500 graphics: Flash Player 10.1 Beta 3 is here, complete with hardware video acceleration for your machines. That should make Hulu and YouTube HD usable on machines like the Sony VAIO P and VAIO X, the Nokia Booklet 3G, and the previous-generation Dell Mini 10. The new build also bring support for the Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator found in Pine Trail Atom machines like the 
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