Xbox 360 Update

If you haven't already downloaded the Xbox 360 update it is now ready. This update brings a clean new interface that fits in with the new look of Windows phone 7 or the Zune HD interface. It looks slick and very easy to get around. The new update will also bring an app market place and video service. As a cord cutter some of the video app updates will bring the Xbox to a new level. With the Canadian update I can see myself using the Xbox a little bit more to find online programing. The Canadian update will get Rogers On Demand and Leaf TV for Toronto Maple Leaf fans live games can be purchased on demand.

With voice command via the Kinect you can ask Xbox to bring up shows to watch and control the action. The app market will bring a new level of functionality and there is also a new social link. As the services were not up and running when I did my update I was not able to test Rogers On Demand I will have a review as soon as that service goes live. In the meantime go get your update.

Boxee Box Live TV With USB Tuner Stick

The Boxee Box is getting an update that with the purchase of tuner card will bring live television to the Boxee. The additional $49.99 usb tuner will bring your local stations through the Boxee and also add a social element that you can share which live show you are watching. Why would you want to watch live TV on the Boxee Box? The live shows add programing that other wise might not be online like local news. It an exciting addition that makes the Boxee even better than it already is. If you like sports than you will never miss a live sporting event from your local stations. The Boxee Box will get the live television signal from your local station by connecting to an HD antenna. The tuner will feed the signal to the Boxee through the usb tuner. Once you have scanned for the local stations you now can flip between web content your local network or live TV. As the cord cutting movement grows we will find more device manufactures trying to incorporate different content source to compete with cable. The Boxee Box usb tuner is available now for pre-order and will ship in January 2012 in time for the season of many network shows.

Red Box Price Increase

Red Box users will be paying an extra $0.20 for a DVD rental. The slight increase in price is not going to break the bank and considering the vast choice of titles. If you are an avid Red Box users it might seem unfair to raise the price, but considering how much a pay per view movie cost or other rental stores it still a great value. If you want to watch the newest titles Red Box does provide a large selection considering it's all stored in a vending machine.

Steve Jobs Thank You For Apple TV

The passing of Steve Jobs this week made me appreciate my Apple TV 2 even more. The device was Steve's little project, but it has turned out to be a great device. With Netflix and podcasts each month the Apple TV 2 provides countless hours of entertainment in my household. We might never know what other ideas Steve might have had for this device, but I am sure it was going to get some amazing updates once content rights had been worked out. The Apple TV 2 might not get the same respect as other Apple products, but it is a worthy product and a very easy to use device. In minutes a user can connect the device to the Internet and be watching a variety of programing easily with the simply remote include with the device.As an Apple TV user I hope the product will become even better and that whatever vision Steve had for the product will continue even without his presence at Apple.

Thank you Steve for all the magical products and for making products that people truly love.

LG TV Upgrader $89.99

If you have been looking for a streaming media box for your HDTV look no further. The LG TV Upgrader is on sale for $89.99 at Canada Computers. The local computer shop is stocking this item in store or online at this price. If you do not know much about the device it's like a Ruku or Apple TV 2 where you can connect to the Internet and watch streaming video like Nerflix. The LG TV Upgrader also has the abilithy to add apps and connect to your video files. At this price this can be a great media streamer for just about any room in the house. We don't have a streaming device connected to the TV in the bedroom at this price I think I will pick one this week. One more feature of the device is that it can also browse the Internet at this point I am not sure if it supports flash video sites.

Once Again Reports Show Cord Cutting Number are High

The report from the cable industry shows once again that cord cutting is real. As more people find out about alternative ways to watch their television shows the cable industry is losing subscribers. The economy and a large number of tech savy consumers are proving they don't need broadcast TV or cable they want to consume content when they want it. With new TV's filled with streaming apps and cheap set top boxes that bring an amazing number of program choices cable television seems like a soon to be dead industry. Will a new generation of consumers used to watch Internet television and show when they want ever pay for cable again. Like we have reported before on this blog unless you need TV for live events like news or sports most people can live with picking show they want to watch without access to live television.

The numbers are tell sign that more people prefer not only to save by not paying for cable, but enjoy the large amount of content online.

How I Got Netflix for Android On My Phone In Canada

As many are aware the Netflix app is now out for Android on select phones. The Galaxy S was on the list, but for some reason I could not find it in the market. Well today I went shopping across the boarder and tried the Internet connection at McDonalds with a US WIFI connection I loaded the market and searched for Netflix. There it was ready to install. After a few minutes of downloading the Netflix app installed on my phone with no problem.

When I got home back in Canada I logged into my Canadian Netflix app and it worked all the recent watched list was there and I can start streaming content.


Not sure why the app can not be downloaded in Canada, but if you live near the boarder this might solve your Netflix problem on an Android phone or tablet.

Crackle Video App for Android

If you want movies and TV shows on the go try downloading the Crackle video app for Android. The collection of movies from Crackle might be a little older, but at the cost of free it's got enough content to keep cord cutter happy. If you do not have an Android phone or tablet you can watch videos direct from the Crackle video web site. There is also good news for Canadians there is a selection of TV shows and movies that will play in Canada.

It's nice to see more online streaming sites offer content to more countries. The viewers in the US have been very lucky to have sites like Crackle and Hulu, and it's nice to see some of these services make it to Canada.

The Crackle app for Android is free and there is no monthly subscription. You will need to search for the Crackle app in the Android market if your device is supported it should show up.

Apple TV 2 Update Download Now

A nice surprise for us today the Apple TV 2 got an update. This update allows support for purchased cloud stored TV shows and the video site Vimeo. The Vimeo site is sort of like YouTube, but I find that they do have a great selection of high quality videos not found on YouTube, When I did the update and brought up Vimeo I was hooked for a good hour watching video after video.

As far as the update goes it's a small step for Apple adding content to a great device. If you have not bought an Apple TV as a cord cutter I can honestly say it is one of the most used devices in out cable free home. With time we hope Apple will add more content partners, but for now there is plenty to keep us busy.

How To Manage Your Bandwidth Caps

If you are on a Internet plan that places limits on your bandwidth make sure you are getting everything you pay for. As an example last month I still had about 25g on my plan. If I did not use this bandwidth by the end of the month it would be gone forever. What I have been doing is checking the week before my new billing cycle to see how much bandwidth I have left for the month. If I have a lot left I will try to download as much as I need to use up my bandwidth cap for the month. This month I downloaded a few shows from iTunes and updated my smartphone to update the apps with my home WIFI. Keeping an eye on your usage you can avoid going over and getting charged extra or not taking advantage of what you are paying for. If you download torrents the end of the month is a great time to start the download as you will be using up the bandwidth left for the billing cycle and will have something to watch the following month without wasting next months caps. It pays to keep an eye on your usage.

LG Smart TV Upgrader Media Streamer

The LG Smart TV Upgrader is a media streamer that failed to get much press. If you never heard of this product if is simmilar to the Apple TV or Roku allowing Internet content to be accessed on your television screen. The new line of HDTV's from LG have the Smart TV interface pre-loaded giving buyers a connection to the Internet right out of the box. The LG Smart TV Upgrader give consumers who do not have one of the new LG TV's a simple solution to adding these apps to their exisiting set up regardless of televison brand you already own.

The Upgrader has a Twitter and Facebook app and access to Netflix. The box will also let you access your media files and play them on your TV. As more televison manufactures incorporate some sort of app store in their TV's more functinality is brought to your television screen.

It was smart of LG to bring this box to market which will add more users to their app store and they can profit by offering video on demand or other paid services. The new Samsung televisons also have a built in app store, but Samsung has yet to bring out it's own media streamer.

At the current price of $120 it's not a bad buy, but with Apple TV and Roku on the scene will have to wait and see what apps are going to make their way to the LG Smart TV Upgrader.

Report: Hulu offers potential buyers guaranteed access to programming for 5 years

Online video service Hulu, which is seeking an additional owner, will offer suitors five years of access to shows from its current media-company owners, according to a report in Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the situation.

Hulu plans to include two years of exclusivity. That means the new owners would have continued access to programs from Walt Disney Co. , News Corp. and Comcast's NBCUniversal. The move is important as companies like Amazon.com and Microsoft are not likely to bid without guaranteed access to this programming.

Hulu plans to offer suitors five years of access to shows from its media company owners, including two years of exclusivity, two people with knowledge of the situation said. According to Bloomberg's sources, TV networks would still be allowed to post shows on their own sites during the exclusivity period, and there would be exceptions for on-demand services.

Canadians Going Digital in September

The change from analog to digital will take place in September and viewers with older televisions will need to get the right equipment for the change. If you have a newer television set you should be able to continue to watch all your local stations in HD. If you have an older television set you will need a digital converter box. When the digital converter box is connected it will allow you to view the digital channel with your older television.

The cost of the converter box is anywhere from $50 to $100 (you can find them here!). The local stations in Canada are running television commercials to announce the change as per CRTC rules. These commercials are little misleading as many local stations are owned by cable and satellite companies. The commercials make it seem that you need a cable subscription to continue to watch over the air television.

In communities where a direct line of site is not possible you might lose the signal. The technology that makes digital signals work requires your antenna to point towards the broadcast tower.

As Canadians prepare for the digital change over this site will feature information to help those who are not sure what will be required to continue watching over the air television.

Sports Fans Please Comment

Just a quick post for the sport fans. Please share with other readers in the comment section how you are getting your live sports. Just want to get an idea of some of the best methods used. If you subscribe to service like NHL.com or MLB let us know your experience with these services. If local stations air games how do you find the selection. Please share you cord cutting tips as sports has been one hold out point for some trying to cord cut cable.

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Antenna Troublshooting When HD Channels Drop

If you are having trouble getting certain channels with your antenna there are few things you can do to improve the signal.

The web site AntennaWeb can help locate the signals in your area. Just enter the information requested and point your antenna the right way. The AntennaWeb site also has some great resources for cord cutters.

If this dose not bring in the signal then it might take a little playing around with your antenna. The new digital HD signal can be a little more fussy then the old analog signal. With analog you got the signal through walls even if it came in blurry. This not the case with digital the signal needs to be strong with out being blocked by walls antenna should be placed by your window. If you play around with the position of the antenna near a window it should help maintain a solid signal. The surrounding buildings or trees can have an effect on the quality of the signal.

The type of antenna used can also provide mixed results. With the channels in my area one antenna brought in some channels, but failed to find others. Then I bought a new antenna with a different design and it picked up more channels then the first one, but missed a few that the first antenna has tuned in the first time. The only way I could keep all the channels found was to run an A/B splitter and pick the antenna I wanted to use. This allowed all the channels to tune in, but with a little extra effort as I have to switch the antenna every time I need to get a channel not on the first antenna.

If you have the option of being able to place an antenna outdoors on a pole it might work out better when tuning station at a greater distance, plus you can set it up high and avoid building or trees that might be blocking the signal. The cost of an outdoor antenna is fairly cheap and they make them in many different configurations. There are the typical bow tie design and more up to date designs that look like a gun. Once you decide what type of antenna you want to buy do some research and see if other users have had success bringing in hard to get signals. It will give you a better understanding of what you might be able to pick up in your area.

As each area is different the general rule is to play around with antennas until you find the right one. The majority of stores that sell antennas will take it back if it does not work. With testing antennas in my area it took 23 antennas to find the ones that would pick up the most channels. There build and quality from different manufactures can impact the signal. If you have friends that are cord cutter or neighbours with outdoor antennas ask them if they find that the model they have is working well.

Setting up an antenna have seem a little troublesome for some and remember you can still cord cut using the Internet. All you will miss if you can't get an antenna to work in your area is live shows. There are not to many live streaming stations online, but you can find most shows and the evening news as a video stream from your local station.

Once you get the right antenna and everything is set up properly HD just comes in great from over the air stations.

Skip Live Streaming Pay per View

If you watch streaming sporting events online you might be at risk. It seems the government is targeting sites that offer streaming of pay per view events. The sites are taken off line and it might be possible that your IP address can be tracked. If you want to watch an event you are better off going to a local bar and watching there. If you have a friend with cable why not go half and get the stream in a legal way.

Cord cutting is about getting free legal content or paying for content to alternative companies to cable. Follow the rules stay out of trouble. If anyone has any tips or advice about pay per view events share in the comments.

The information for this post was from a recent episode of Diggnation.

New TV Season Free for Cord Cutters

The networks have announced the fall schedule and it looks like we are going to get some great show. The two show I am looking forward to watching is Pan Am and the Playboy Club as a fan of Mad Men I was hoping for something similar. The nice thing is that I can watch these show with my over the air antenna or if I miss an episode I can purchase it on iTunes. There are a few more shows that look very interesting here is the list of fall shows.

Fall TV Shows

Pan Am

Playboy Club

Terra Nova

Hart of Dixie

Man Up

Unfogettable

New Girl

Suburgatory

Revenge

I Hate My Teenage Daughter

Up All Night

Free Agent

Charlie's Angels

Person of Interest

This is just a partial list of shows on the major networks that you can watch for free with an over the air antenna.

 
Looks like cord cutters are going to have a busy fall season keeping up with all the new TV shows.

TV Show Budget

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.

How to Get the Most of Airplay on Apple TV and iPad

If you own an iPad and an Apple TV 2 then you are all set for Airplay the neat little feature many people don't know about. The Airplay feature can send video or audio from the iPad to compatible devices like the Apple TV 2 which will allow you to watch a video clip full screen on your television. The sites that allow Airplay video streaming are still low in numbers. The CNN site for example will only allow me to stream the audio from a video clip I wanted to watch. There are clips embed in web site from vimeo and other YouTube type service that I had no problem streaming to the Apple TV 2, but I guess content providers want to keep users on their sites or just haven't seen the value of allowing streaming with Airplay. It's a neat feature and you should try it out if you get a chance.

Have You Called the Cable Company

If you are still paying for cable television and are still on the fence about canceling your service you can barging for a better price. It pays to call your cable provider and let them know you are thinking of canceling your service. Tell them that there are so many options for television viewing that you do not know if you really need cable anymore. Wait a few seconds before you speak another word and you should hear the rep make you a better offer. There is only so much the cable company is going to take off your bill, but any savings is better then paying full price. If they offer you a discount and you feel it's the best you are going to get then take the offer.

This works for your other services like phone and Internet you can always ask for a better deal. If you bundle your service with one provider the savings might be much better then having services spread out with different companies.

The ideal situation would be for you not to have to pay anything at all for cable, but if you must then at least get a fair deal.

Legal Pay Per View without Cable

The movie fans out there in cord cutter world might want to know that they can get new release online. If you had a cable subscription and rented movies on demand you can still get your fix. The quality of the video depends on what service you use and what equipment you connect to your television.

If you own an Apple TV 2 then you know it's easy to just rent HD content through your iTunes account. The price is about the same as what the cable company charges. There are also some other services online that allow the rental of new movies. You will need to check the device you have to see if any services are pre-installed. The Boxee Box uses VUDU and many other devices also connect to VUDU.

If you rent a few movies a month through the local video store or on demand then the convince of renting through a media streaming device can be super easy. You can also find large selection that your cable provider might not even carry. On average I have rented a couple of new releases each month through my Apple TV 2 and the experience is excellent. Keep in mind this is not about saving money as the rental costs are set by the movie studios and stay about the same through the different services. It's more about convenience and finding new content online without a cable subscription. It's also away for those who do subscribe to cable to pass the cable company and go somewhere else for your entertainment needs.

Netflix Now Running on Android

The long awaited Netflix app is now on some Android devices. It looks like Netflix decided to allow only certain Android smartphones and tablets to run the app. There has been online buzz that some Android users have been able to get the app to work on unsupported hardware. It a nice addition for those with tablets to be able to get their Netflix fix.

The previous stand from Netflix on Android was a concern for copyright protection. That might be a reason that they app is running on selected hardware, It could also be that Netflix wants to make sure the app runs correctly and the more hardware it's on the more chance of getting customer service calls.

What ever the reason for the limited release of the app it's a great step forward for the Android community.

Home and Garden For Cord Cuters

The Home and Garden channel is one of those rare channels that cord cutters miss. It's not the end of the world cord cutters you can still find many of your favorite H&G shows online. If you visit the Home and Garden web site at www.hgtv.com you can find many full episodes and some exclusive online content only available on the web site.

You can get the episodes to your TV with your laptop or Boxee Box. There are also many other home renovation shows online. You can find more content through podcasts and YouTube videos. If Home and Garden is important to you then no worries you can find alot of content online to satisfy your renovation needs.

Over The Air TV Still A Great Choice for Cord Cutting

There are many ways that cord cutters are getting free TV, but over the air TV is still he most used. The Internet might let people watch almost any show like a DVR on steroids and it works well. The problem with Internet TV is that getting a live stream is difficult or not legal. This means that to watch the American Idol final you either wait till it's online or you need to find it on a local station. There are some small upfront costs to getting your antenna and maybe a digital box for those with older TV's. If you have not played around with an antenna since the Nixon administration things have changed.

The first thing you will notice is that the signal is now in HD and not he fuzzy picture you got in he old days. There is no need to have your little brother holding the antenna every which way until you got a good picture. In the modern age you either get a great HD picture or nothing at all. The picture also depends on where the antenna is placed and you want to make sure you point your antenna towards the broadcast tower.

Once you get that signal now you can watch sports news broadcasts live. As much as I love all the content online there are many times that I want access to live television. This holds true for season finales of shows and when an important news story breaks. If you have not tried over the air TV and have a newer television that cost is about $50.00 to get an antenna. There are many indoor antennas that do a great job of bringing in over the air television. If you live in a rural area you mighty need an outdoor antenna. The channels that the antenna will tune is mostly network television and local channels. You might also get sub channels that bring in more content. In my area one channels runs regular programming on the main channel and movies and kid programs on the sub channels.

The change in technology has improved over the air television and the HD signals look great. When I have guest over most of the time they do not know that they are watching free TV through an antenna. It's always a surprise when I tell my guest that I do not have any cable and get most of my TV viewing from over the air channels or the Internet.

Give it a try you will be surprised how improved that signal is over antenna.

Tablets and Free TV

With the growing number of tablets out be it an iPad or one of the many hundreds of Android tablets TV on a tablet is hot.

You can find many apps that stream live TV from all over the world. These apps with a good WIFI connection look amazing on tablets. On my iPad I have installed apps from Netflix, Global TV(Canada Only) and City TV(Canada Only). There are also apps for watching YouTube and Vevo for music videos. These apps have provided hours of free entertainment. The nice thing is that most of the apps are free.

As new devices like the BlackBerry Playbook with support for Flash, more of us will be consuming television shows and movies on tablets.
With prices getting lower and more selection of tablets on the market we will see more consumers getting a daily dose of content on these devices.

In a future post I will be testing a low end tablet and seeing how far I can go to make it a great media tablet on a budget. There are a few brands under $150 that can handle my media tablet ambitions. The tablet that seems to be getting great reviews for the price is the Coby tablet. If I can pick one up I will use this as my test subject for a media tablet.
Are you using a tablet for media consumption?

Watching Sports without Cable Television

Many sports fans are a little reluctant to cancel their cable subscription, thinking they will not be able to catch any sports without cable. It is true you might get less choice when it come to sports, but there is more than enough alternative choices to keep any sports fan happy. Here are a few choices for getting sports without a cable subscription.

Football - Watch games being aired over the air on local stations and networks using free high definition antenna. You can get college and professional football and bowl game coverage. Not sure if NFL games stream live online as they have sold the rights to big media companies.

NBA - You can watch streaming NBA games with a subscription online. The service has been added to Apple TV 2 in the US still not an option for Canadians. You might find some games on free network television.

Major League Baseball like the NBA you can also watch online streamed games with an Apple TV2 or Roku box. You will need a paid subscription.

Hockey The NHL also offers a streaming service for computers or the Boxee Box. You can also find many games through local station with an HD antenna.

There are many choices for getting streaming sports online along with over the air broadcasts. If you are a diehard sports fan it might take a little experimenting with different online service to find the right mix of sports. As I am not a sports fanatic what I can get for free is more than enough for what I want to watch.

Podcasts Great Source For Free Content

When people think of podcasts they think of low quality programs made by people talking into a web cam. This is not the case its true there are many homemade podcasts and many are very informative and I love watching them, but there are many podcasts from major content providers.

One show I missed when I gave up cable was Mad Money with Jim Kramer as it turns out the full show is available as a podcast. There are many shows that put out a podcast some are full versions of the show others are just highlights, either way it free content. When I want to catch up on the daily news I find the podcast from the major networks or my local station. It’s all there I can take the news with me or watch it on my Apple TV. A few weeks ago I had a friend over and was playing news podcast my friend thought I was watching the live broadcast. The quality is very good some podcast are available in HD.

You can find podcast b y downloading the free iTunes program for Mac or PC or you can watch on your HDTV with the Apple TV2 box. There is so much content available as podcasts that you will have more TV to watch then time. The nice thing about podcasts is that you will see show that perhaps you would never have found on cable. Many podcast cater to certain tastes and genres. Start exploring the selection on iTunes and you will quickly be hooked to podcasts.

Note:

Podcast can be watched on many different formats. The most popular format to watch podcast would be on home computers and iPod or iPhone. You can also watch podcasts on iPad and other tablets. There are also many streaming boxes like Apple TV2 and Boxee Box that let you watch podcasts on you big screen TV.

What I am watching through podcasts:

Digg Nation
Mad Money
City Pulse News
CBS News
TMZ
CNN
Geek Beat

Netflix Signs Deal With Paramount Pictures Canada

Netflix announced this week that Paramount Pictures Canada will provide movie content in a multi year agreement. Netflix now has the rights to show all of the studio’s new releases in Canada before any television channels. It’s the first exclusive deal for newer content on the streaming-video subscription service, best known for showing movies and television shows well past their initial airing date. The addition of this deal makes Netflix and even stronger competitor to the cable and satellite operators in Canada. With new titles like Iron Man 2 more Canadians will join Netflix and with more subscribers comes better content.





The other news from Netflix Canada is the ability to change video quality setting. In an effort to combat bandwidth caps in Canada there is now a setting to reduce picture quality. This will allow more hours of video playback without going over bandwidth caps.

The service keeps expanding and this year Netflix will be available in even more countries. As Netflix grows and keeps buying and creating original content it looks like they are here to stay.

Directv Alternative to Cable

Directv is offering over 6,000 free movies and television shows downloaded through their HD DVR receiver. The download service does require a high speed Internet connection. If you are not ready to cord cut or live in an area not serviced by a high speed Internet connection then satellite TV might be the only option. When you sign up for Directv you must make a commitment for 2 years on a contract, but service cost might still be cheaper than for cable television. If you need live TV for local news in an area that does not get a good over the air coverage satellite television might carry the locals. As this is a cord cutting blog I hate to review a paid service, but there are many users that might find this to be the only choice. When picking equipment make sure to get the HD DVR package as it can be used for the whole home service that allow sharing recorded content on receivers in another room. As an alternative satellite TV might work for some users. The cost of service might not be the issue for those living in areas that cannot get high speed Internet or over the air TV. Think of satellite TV as an alternative to cable.

Joost Review

The same company that created Skype is also behind the successful video content site Joost. The site started as a computer app which was a sort of video player and was made available for PC and Mac. A few years ago they dropped the computer media player and started using Flash video on their web site. There is an iPad app that work very well. The content on Joost is mostly older movies and TV shows. there are also many links to entertainment news and music videos. The content on Joost would be mostly viewed to kill time. Since Joost does not have any agreements with major content providers as a result it might put some user off. If you like YouTube then Joost might be a nice source for some video content. At this point Joost is not my major source of video content, but it fills in for those times I just want to watch random stuff on my iPad. It would be nice if Apple would make Joost an app for Apple TV 2 or add AirPlay to the iPad app. If you want a new source for video content then give Joost a try.

What it cost to watch TV online

The most asked question from would be cord cutters is what is the true cost of cutting cable and using the Internet for content. There is a small cost in getting online content, but it is not anywhere as expensive as a cable subscription. Here is a break down of the monthly cost of getting online video.

Costs:

Internet access $70.00 for 16mb fibe on DSL (I would be paying this regardless as I would need Internet access.)

Netflix $8.00 a month (The price is well worth it and I get much of my content from this service.)

iTunes $15.00 a month (I use iTunes for new movies and a few TV shows that I can not find online for free or in a legal way.)

These are the only cost I have with watching video online. The majority of the shows I watch are free and the Netflix subscription fills in a great number of hours. The total amount I pay for online TV should not include the cost of Internet access as I would be paying for this service anyways. If we do not take the cost of Internet access into account then my total is only $23.00 a months and I am getting pretty much all the shows that matter to me. If we take into account that I was paying $100 a month for cable going down to $23 has saved a nice chunk of change. The amount of free video content online has kept my TV habit going. There is so much to watch online that it would be impossible to run out of content.

Apple TV 2 Now with MLB.TV

If you have the new Apple TV 2 the most recent update brings an MLB.TV app. This was a nice addition for those who enjoy sports as it brings live games to the Apple TV. If this is a sign of things to come then the NHL and the NBA can not be far behind.

The MLB.TV app does require a paid subscription to watch live games, but it seems that you can access scores and stats for free. The premium MLB.TV package costs $119.99 and the regular package costs $99.99 if you miss live sports or baseball from cord cutting then this is a great solution. The price of the MLB.TV is still way less then paying for cable and the quality of the service has had great reviews on all devices that the service is available on.

Netflix Canada Getting More Content

The selection of titles for Netflix Canada has been growing steadily. It seems that show that aired on the CBC network are now available on Netflix. The selection of movies has also seen a great improvement from what was available at launch.

As more people sign up for Netflix Canada It will provide the sources need to buy more titles.

The Netflix service is at a great price and you can't go wrong with joining this service. There are so many titles already on the service that these titles alone would take months to get through.

The Netflix collection now also has many popular cartoons from the 80's and I am sure there is a great fan base for these titles.

Would be nice to get some older shows like the A-Team or Alf to revisit some of the classic shows.

The list of devices that support Netflix streaming has also grown for Canadians. All the games consoles now have Netflix and many brands of Blu-ray players also have The player built-in. It looks like Canadians are getting some love from Netflix and for that we say thank you to our friends at Netflix Canada.

How Many Netflix Player Do I Need

As I was cleaning up my media center I noticed that almost every device I have connected to my TV now has Netflix included.

Here is a list of the devices I have with Netflix built in.

Boxee Box
Apple TV 2
Blu-ray player
Xbox 360
Netbook

I now have the choice of playing Netflix content on any device I have connected to the television. As more and more device come preloaded with Netflix it seems people just can't get away from this service. As many readers already know I love Netflix and watch many hours a week, but do I really need every device to connect to Netflix. Since it's just a free app on these device and it did not cost me any extra I guess it nice to continue the Netflix experience as I mover from on device to another. When I watch a Blu-ray movie I do not have to change devices once my movie is done I can just watch another movie through Netflix that's not a bad thing. When I am away from the device connected to my television I get Netflix on my iPad and netbook my Android phone seems will never get an Android Netflix app due to copyright issues on this platform, but I still have access to Netflix every time I am on the go.

Now to find more time to enjoy my Netflix content.

Boxee Box Gets Netflix

The good news this week fro Boxee Box owners was the addition of the Netflix app. It is a welcome addition to this great media streamer and will add much need content to the Boxee Box. The app is not at the same level of appearance or usefulness of the Apple TV 2 version. If I had to pick between watching Netflix on the Boxee Box or on Apple TV the Apple TV would be the clear winner. The app looks and feels a little raw maybe an update will fix some of the issues. The movie and TV show cover art does not look as detailed as on the Apple TV, but getting around to find something to watch was not much of a hassle. The only real problem I had was not getting sound from a few shows I tested. Not sure at this point if it was just a glitch with Netflix or there is a problem. When I get a chance I will have to visit the Boxee forums and see if anyone else has had this problem.

The Netflix app is a much appreciated effort and I think the Boxee Box community is very happy to have this amazing service added to their units.

I also added a live TV app via repository and have been able to get some of the top cable channels to work. The video quality was not the greatest, but getting live TV on the Boxee is also another great use for this device. Look for a future post on getting live TV on the Boxee Box, I am in the process of getting the list of links need to make this work.