30 Days Without Cable: Day 27
I haven’t blogged recently on my cable-free lifestyle, but I have checked out a lot. I’ll try to do a quick run-down of what’s good, what’s OK, and what’s left for me to try.
The Good: According to their site, they offer up “more than 20,000 shows, with more added daily.” Joost has something for everyone.
The Bad: You have to install Yet More Software, and while it has something for everyone, that something is not in HD.
Everything Else: Don’t try this on an older computer. I’m sure it has improved from its initial days in beta, but you definitely need a solid new computer to get the most out of Joost, in addition to a steady broadband connection. But it’s free.
The Good: Great selection of TV shows and movies, super easy to buy and download, fantastic video quality.
The Bad: The biggest pitfall here is the cost. Movie rentals are great, but the price of a TV series for a season rivals that of the DVD boxset (without the pretty packaging) — you’d be better off paying for cable if you want more than a series or two.
Everything Else: Super easy to put on your iPod or iPhone… but if you’re a Zune user, you’re out of luck.
The Good: HD quality streaming if your connection speed is good enough — Lost looks better on my computer than on my TV!
The Bad: Restricted to ABC shows and you have to sit through 25 second long ads at every standard act break.
Everything Else: By far my favorite official way to get TV. The quality is absolutely stunning, and even though it is ad supported, the ads are usually pretty good and only 25 seconds long.
The Good: Very similar to ABC’s Full Episode Player, but for FOX shows (including Sarah Connor Chronicles, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and American Dad).
The Bad: It takes a few days for episodes to become available.
Everything Else: Again, I am astonished at the quality. You have the option of three different video sizes when watching a show (the largest is not full screen, but close). And there are (from my experience so far) no ads during the episodes. I just hope they serve up the next season of 24 this way!
The Good: Huge variety of shows, with the ability to grab RSS feeds for any of them.
The Bad: Not totally keen on the navigation.
Everything Else: I need to play around with Hulu more to do it justice — the navigation quirks have turned me off in the past. Yes, when you take the time to get used to sorting out clips and episodes, it’s great… I just haven’t taken the time to do that. I think that the UI and search functionality could be improved, but it’s a great start.
What’s Next?
With 3 days to go, I still have Miro and the world of torrents to explore. The past month without cable has flown by — I don’t think I’ll be getting cable again anytime soon, even with end of the writer’s strike on the horizon, and I would definitely encourage everyone to try 30 days without cable. You would be amazed at how easy it is these days.
