Cord cutter strut (Fuck Cable TV-R)
JectWon
(@_@) 1,654 Posts
My wife and I decided to kick the crack dealer out of our house. The simple fact is that we can get whatever we want to watch on the web (with HD sports being the only real challenge). I assume there are other Strutteurs who have abandoned cable television and I was curious to see what your media setup is.
tl;dr:I'm a goddamn nerd. If you are a nerd too, I'd love to hear what your setup is for saying 'fuck you' to cable tv. Here is mine.
1 - 5 year old 47" HP Mediasmart flatscreen mounted above the mantle of a brick fireplace (with power and a/v wires run through the molding for total concealment of ugly cable/cords/etc. The TV was cheap bitd and still serves it's purpose now. I use NONE of the media smart capabilities of the TV because the wireless NIC card is a piece of shit.
2 - Old Toshiba laptop connected to my TV via VGA and 8th inch audio cables (which are tastefully hidden) this is controlled by a really cheap and functional wireless media keyboard and a built in mouse. I use this to surf the web on the TV, play chess games, old NES games, etc and watch shows directly from the channel's site (60 minutes, PBS shit, the occasional nefariously obtained movie, etc).
2(a) - XBMC (http://xbmc.org/) installed on my laptop. It's a great and free media player that does more than just play movies. From what I can tell it's kind of like a media aggregator that finds media on different sites and subdivides them like channels. Documentaries, sports, lectures (LOTS of dope lectures you could probably teach yourself anything via the lectures that are available), etc. There are alots of add on's you can use to customize it. I've heard of people using this to watch pretty much anything they want....with various levels of legality and media quality involved.
3 - Xbox 360 with an Xbox live account. This has paid off in spades. I use it to browse youtube (VICE chanel FTW), watch netflix, watch ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN 360 via the ESPN app, cut heads in StreetFighterIV, play FEZ hella stoned, purchase UFC fights via the super cool interactive UFC app, etc.
4 - Microsoft SmartGlass app on my phone which allows you to control your xbox via your phone....no more using the annoying controller to select letters off a keyboard one by one...this makes the whole Xbox media experience a lot easier.
5 - Old Dell Optiplex 620 running Ubuntu Server. I hardly use it honestly. I thought I'd want to keep lots of movies on it and use it to stream to any other computer on my home network. It's there and it works but I rarely find myself using it.
NOTE: In order to pull this off, I moved my cable modem (from my office) to my living room and have a cheap linksys/cisco router connected so that I can hardwire both my laptop and my xbox.
Lemme know what you're working with Strut geeks. And if you'd need any help doing any one of the above methods, hit me up.
tl;dr:I'm a goddamn nerd. If you are a nerd too, I'd love to hear what your setup is for saying 'fuck you' to cable tv. Here is mine.
1 - 5 year old 47" HP Mediasmart flatscreen mounted above the mantle of a brick fireplace (with power and a/v wires run through the molding for total concealment of ugly cable/cords/etc. The TV was cheap bitd and still serves it's purpose now. I use NONE of the media smart capabilities of the TV because the wireless NIC card is a piece of shit.
2 - Old Toshiba laptop connected to my TV via VGA and 8th inch audio cables (which are tastefully hidden) this is controlled by a really cheap and functional wireless media keyboard and a built in mouse. I use this to surf the web on the TV, play chess games, old NES games, etc and watch shows directly from the channel's site (60 minutes, PBS shit, the occasional nefariously obtained movie, etc).
2(a) - XBMC (http://xbmc.org/) installed on my laptop. It's a great and free media player that does more than just play movies. From what I can tell it's kind of like a media aggregator that finds media on different sites and subdivides them like channels. Documentaries, sports, lectures (LOTS of dope lectures you could probably teach yourself anything via the lectures that are available), etc. There are alots of add on's you can use to customize it. I've heard of people using this to watch pretty much anything they want....with various levels of legality and media quality involved.
3 - Xbox 360 with an Xbox live account. This has paid off in spades. I use it to browse youtube (VICE chanel FTW), watch netflix, watch ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN 360 via the ESPN app, cut heads in StreetFighterIV, play FEZ hella stoned, purchase UFC fights via the super cool interactive UFC app, etc.
4 - Microsoft SmartGlass app on my phone which allows you to control your xbox via your phone....no more using the annoying controller to select letters off a keyboard one by one...this makes the whole Xbox media experience a lot easier.
5 - Old Dell Optiplex 620 running Ubuntu Server. I hardly use it honestly. I thought I'd want to keep lots of movies on it and use it to stream to any other computer on my home network. It's there and it works but I rarely find myself using it.
NOTE: In order to pull this off, I moved my cable modem (from my office) to my living room and have a cheap linksys/cisco router connected so that I can hardwire both my laptop and my xbox.
Lemme know what you're working with Strut geeks. And if you'd need any help doing any one of the above methods, hit me up.
Comments
Got wired ethernet through the house. Laptop is on that, with a 2TB external disk. That's where everything comes in, in the other corner of the room.
"Viewing" stack in corner is like this (top-bottom)
1) Sony Telly :: Dedicated direct Ethernet Feed
2) 4-channel Octava HDMI/Optical Switch
3) Popcorn Hour Networked Media Tank :: Dedicated direct Ethernet Feed
4) Sony DVD/Home Theatre Amp
5) Virgin Media Cable box
6) Nintendo Wii around the back
3) and 5) feed 2) by Optical and HDMI (Sound and Vision)
2) Feeds 1) via HDMI out and feeds 4) via optical out
4) feeds woofer and front LRs via wires and rear LRs via wireless.
There's also an optical out for sound from 1) into 2) so I can put the youtube app on the telly out through 4).
They all come online/power down with one press of the 4) remote power button.
I can download whatever I want from the laptop, I check it's good, and then xfer it to 3) over the network (via ftp).
Telly is always on SOURCE > Octava switch, and you use a remote to tell the switch what source you want to see on the telly.
Tried a few media interface apps but really, I like being able to browse the folders on the Popcorn Hour. I also back up all my photos on it and it can slideshow them full screen to bore everyone in time-honoured fashion.
TO DO:
Getting every wireless device I have to see what's on the Popcorn Hour via DLNA or somesuch. It's very hit-and-miss. Very frustrating to a "It's either a ONE or it's a ZERO" guy like me. Sony and dey cray proprietary standards and ting. [kisses teeth]
Aw yisssss....thats what I'm talkin about. :beerbang:
Whatsup with that popcorn hour media tank? Is there anything cool about it that separates it from any other physical rig that connects you to whatever media you are trying to look at (netflix, youtube, hulu, pictures, music, etc)?
The audio is going to be my next beast to deal with. The crawl space under my house is really tiny and I've been dreading running wire through it.
THIS is where that Ubuntu server rig comes in handy for me. I have samba file server on it and that made it really easy for my wireless devices (PC/MAC laptops) to be able to see and deal with the media on the server.
It deals primarily in depression and diversion.
There are way too many better RW things to do.
Occasional pub nights watching baller Euroman soccer in the midst of clashing team colours and the cacaphonic tumult of Latinate babble fervour. With beer. What's not to like?
Occasional back-row sojourn to the kinema to luxuriate in 3D shades, popcorn and romantic embrace set against the hilarity of Hansel & Gretel parodic fear-fest and them.
That is all.
My PS3 has Netflix and handles my Bluray collectron. My IPad has Netflix.
I have an NBA TV account. After that, Food Network and some random local news I dont really need regular tv.
I can stream my music through my Airplay Denon from my Macbook Air & IPad.
Still got DVD & VHS player connected to my 48" Toshiba along w/ the cablebox.
My co-worker loves his Apple TV. Im not sold on it.
I think this will ultimately be how I handle sports, as well. You can rack up a pretty hefty bar tab while watching a game at the local sports bar and not come CLOSE to the amount you'd spend on cable TV.
BTW, there is one big fat 'jugad' lurking within this thread, IMO. Something about utilizing free and legal resources to get what others pay $100+ dollars a month for...
Comcast was my provider for both TV and internet. When I called them to cancel cable they made it sound like it's a big bundle and you can't just cancel one or the other without disrupting service and cost. Essentially, that (in my case) was total bullshit. Comcast makes it look like your bill will go up after you cancel internet but they are full of it. They said, once the dust settled, that I'd only save 10 bucks a month because the cost for my internet would go up after the bundle pricing ends....I save $80 dollars a month....$960 a year.
You might want to look into it.
old computer w/hdmi capable video card + Xbox 360 + ps3 --> TV
Sure. Which is why I hardly watch it. My eyes are not dustbins, please to not fill them with your doom-mongering, brain-washing and tat-hawking.
The kids use it more than me. I'd rather play bass or get better at something in the few hours I get between them clocking off and me having to clock off. They got Regular Show and YouTube on demand, HD-stylee. I think for a ten year old, that makes life pretty sweeeeet. I don't pay much (heh heh) for the content. (p2-1080-p, baybee!)
I'd rather be in the pub too. That time will come. Once #1 son can ferry me there and back
The deal-sealer for me was that it was networkable - so no need to keep twatting about plugging/unplugging media to it.
You can put a disk inside it and off you go, the content management can all be done remotely over the network. Runs Samba etc. It also plays just about every format and you can upgrade the firmware directly if it's online. It also runs apps like internet radio, YouTube and iPlayer, and there's a torrent client for it, if you really want to get your hands dirty. Good piece of kit.
http://www.cloudmedia.com/
Exactly this.
In my case without the Eurosoccer. But definitely without the TV. Plus I've discovered cinemas with sofas, food and alcohol. And waitress service.
I have a small flat screen TV with rabbit ears - I get the all the main network channels, but don't watch it much.
I could plug it into my stereo, located right beneath my TV, but don't want to. Hi fidelity TV bothers me (as does watching TV shows on giant screens), I prefer the little speakers that are built into it.
Mac Mini running Plex (Tho, I have been using XBMC quite a bit. Some great features as of late). With all my media (Movie, TV Shows, Music, Photo's) on a NAS.
I find with Hulu, Netflix, firstrowsports and streaming direct from the networks web sites. I get most of the tv stuff I wanna watch. Also I use one of those indoors HDTV antennas which gives me about 7 HD channels over the air.
I got a great deal on a Yamaha receiver at Christmas that I'm running the audio.
Oh and a playstation hooked up as well.
LMSYRT
I love tv and watch it when i can. I also do a lot of other shit that doesnt involve watching tv.
Haha, no idea what LMSYRT means...googled it and it suggested Walmart.
LET ME STOP YOU RIGHT THERE
ACT LIKE YOU KNOW BRO
Sure wish there was a (legit) way of watching shows on FX though.
Sports is the only thing that would make it worth it, but seems like there are decent alternatives for NBA and such. For a soccer fan like myself the only alternative is shitty illegal internet streams, but it's only a matter of time until real options are offered. When I lived in NYC I always went to bars to watch football. At first I did it out of necessity, since a lot of it wasn't even on regular cable, but after a while I had my regular spots and friends who would meet up with me, basically all the social stuff you don't get from sitting in front of a TV in your living room.
DUDE!!!! IT ISN'T 'ACT LIKE YOU KNOW BRO', BRO....IT'S FUKKIN ALYKB! JFC #420BLAZEITALLDAY!!!!!
i also go outside.
I don't watch live tv much any more, adverts are a bitch and there's little on worth watching when I want, but there are a few shows I throuroughly enjoy and mostly watch on catch up or download.
I have a HD Samsung flat screen Tv and a Hitachi HD projector.
Fairly recently I got a Raspery Pi mini computer (they're only 25$) which is running Raspbmc, a version of XBMC. It plays media, films, tv, music, either over the network or from the attached hard drive. It catalogues and organises all your movies etc and makes them accessible easily searchable, with show info and pretty pictures. It's not perfect, but considering it can do full HD, for the price it's quite incredible.
I also have XBMC on my Xbox. (The XB stands for Xbox, if ya didn't know)
I have a pretty good XBMC app on my ipad that links to the media catalogues, so you can search through your film library or what ever, on the ipad, select it, and then XBMC will play the file on my tv through the Pi, or projector through my Xbox.
XBMC also has AirPlay, so I can stream practically any video from my ipad to my tv screen, so YouTube or any online videos playable on my ipad can be streamed at the push of a button. Not to mention there's also a bunch of add-on apps that make services like 1channel, Youtube, JustinTv, SouthPark.de, iPlayer etc all available to my tv. And these are all controllable/searchable though the ipad app, which takes so much of the frustration out of taking online services off the PC and on to your Tv where they don't really work well yet.
I don't have cable or anything like that. I wouldn't mind having a decent movie streaming service but Netflicks in the UK sucks and my line speed is way too shitty for stuff like that really.
I have a decent DVD player and a Blu Ray player, but tbh they barely get used. I Think the Blu Ray player was kind of a waste of money, as good as movies do look with it, I'm just not that bothered about buying most movies again just to watch them in HD and little is coming out that makes me really need to see it in HD. Although I did buy the GoT Blu ray box set the other day, even though I'd watched them all already on download.
That's about it.
Oh yeah. UTorrent + eztv rss + smart feed searches = win. Now I just need to find the time to figure out getting my media manager to; file, catalogue, rename torrented files and the whole process will be completley automated.
who when what why how i need this
I was going to cut the line on the premo cable package but figure I'll watch the new Game of Thrones first and then probably downgrade once again when the NBA and NHL season is over.
Just walked over to dude and he tells me the foundation is Windows Home Server 2011 and an app called SickBeard. I'll have a look tonight.
Nice. I'd be very interested. I believe that SickBeard contents requires you to have a Usenet account. Which is something I was thinking about getting. Do you already have a usenet account?
Just wanna give a heads up for people wanting to stream from other regions. To watch things like Hulu, BBC, etc etc etc.
Check out a firefox add-on called media hint.
www.mediahint.com
I've been using it for awhile. No config. It just works!
Personally, no, as I've always been able to find what I wanted with torrents. But I am aware the nzbs are the best source, and easier to point a client at. Basically SickBeard puts his content on the server, and the server passes it to a revo box which preps it into the TV. His server also runs an airplay client so his apple devices can see the content wirelessly. His RasPis are connected to flatties in other rooms and run xbmc back to the server.