On today’s show we talk about how you can watch TV without having cable or satellite service. After we were done recording, our engineer Rob Byers told me he’s quit cable twice before. Here are some links he recommends:
Plex - This is what I use at home. Mac only. Once you get the software installed and the mac hooked up it’s uber-simple to use (when it doesn’t crash). Users create the apps, which is hip. It has everything from iTunes to Hulu to Netflix to Pandora (FREAKING AWESOME) to NPR to TED talks to….. you name it. Obviously, it’s just a front end for all of those services.
Â
Boxee – Service that coordinates various online content and incorporates social media sites as well.XBMC - VERY techy-geeky stuff here, but cutting edge. Stuff that happens here leaks into other projects like Plex and Boxee. Project just changed to a Sourceforge project which might bring it new life. Originated from the XBox interface I believe.
Hulu Desktop - Very easy to use, multiplatform. Hulu content only, obviously. (Boo to that, I want my Netflix too!)
Here are some other stories we found about cutting the cable:
8 Ways to Watch TV and Movies Without Cable – (PC Mag, November 2009)
Bringing web content fully to the TV (Betanews, May 2010)
How Can I Ditch Cable and Watch My TV Shows and Movies Online? (Lifehacker, February 2010)
We’d love to get your thoughts as well!
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
