The easiest way for a cord cutter to catch up on their favorite TV shows is by buying the DVD or digital file on iTunes or Amazon. It's legal and you feel good that you are giving back money to the people who create great content. The tough part about buying shows is that you do not want to pay more for shows then you would for cable. It's true you get to keep your DVD's and will own them forever with cable if you miss your show you have to wait till it airs again or check the on demand system. The DVR service might work out well, but their is a cost for the service. What I like to do is figure out how many hours I will be free to watch TV I take into account my Netflix viewing and Boxee Box. In an average month I might have about 5 to 10 hours free to watch paid content. This means I can buy or rent a few TV episodes which I budget about $15 to $20 a month. It is still a lot less then what I paid for cable. When you buy TV box sets a season of a popular show will cost about $30 to $50 depending on the format you pick. The nice thing about DVD's is that after you watch your show you can sell the box set and get some of your money back. If you prefer not to have a clutter of discs and the hassle of having to sell them then just rent your shows. There are very few shows that I will want to watch more then once unless it's the Family Guy chances are one time is all I have time for.
If you buy digital copies then you will be able to watch the show as much as you like. The cost of a show on iTunes is almost the same as the DVD sometimes it even costs more. The prices for a season of a show can vary by format. The digital price also can be different from one marketplace to the next. It's a good idea to compare prices and make sure you are getting the best price for your show.
If you budget your time and money you will still be able to catch up on popular shows without having to pay for a cable subscription.
I cut the cord in Nov. 2008 and I have saved $2,400 in cable fees since. I only pay $20 a month for AT&T's 1.5 Mbps DSL. You can buy a Channel Master 7000 dual HD tuner DVR for $300 with no monthly fees. If there is anything on cable you must see you can either find it online, rent it from Netflix, or take the $100 a month you are saving by not having pay TV and buy it on DVD.
ReplyDelete