So I finally got around to writing this blog about getting rid of those nasty satellite /cable TV bills but still having lots of options for viewing. So I will tell you my setup and it may sound a little complicated to setup it really isn't and although there is a little bit of money to put out in the beginning its well worth it in the end.
So things I had to buy or already had.
1. So we have two tv's so I bought two Roku boxes on XD and one XS the only real difference is the higher prices one the XD has an ethernet port and usb port so you can put a usb stick directly in it to view Pictures/Videos directly on you TV.
Cost = 109.99 for XD and 89.99 for XS one time cost.
2.You will need a wireless router for your Network an N would be preferably for speed of video files and live streaming service such as Netflix.
3.Most important piece to the system working is your ISP you need one with an unlimited cap or a very high usage cap as you don't want to incur nasty overage prices. The one I have is Nexicom DSL which is 6mb download speeds and NO CAP.
Cost = 39.95 / month
4. Now in order to expand your viewing experiences and channel option you will need to add a laptop or desktop computer attached to your network somewhere preferably something with at least dual core chip as you need the processing power for videostreaming.
5. So now comes to the option channel wise. With the Roku it has a built in Netflix app so I pay 7.99 for Netflix a month which gives you lots of options to watch. But I also wanted more options so thats where the laptop comes in. I also installed a service called http://www.unblock-us.com/11133.html/ it installs directly on your router a slight modification and this allows you to switch your netflix to any netflix feed around the world therefore giving a ton more content options. Also this allows you access to a bunch of US services other wise unable to access you can even just go to US network sites on laptop to watch shows or ipad or smartphone as long as you are on homenetwork.
Cost 4.99 / month
Now Final piece to the puzzle has two options. The free or the Pay option.
The roku allows you to use a channel called PLEX which you run a server portion on the laptop or desktop on your network (which must stay on in order to do this) you can add various plugin (channels) to Plex in order to watch different networks eg. City TV/CTV/Global these are all non-live programs but appear the day after live broadcasts. OR you can install a different service call Playon which is a 49.99 lifetime cost but the channel options included are huge and you can get plugins for it such as Veetle or Justin.tv that allow you to watch first run movies. Also there are plugins available that give you 100's of Channels of LIVE TV from all over the US and a few Canadians plus tons of international and loads of sports.
So now does this save money. So in my breakdown of cost goes like this.
Previous Cost of TV watching
Starchoice service = 65.00 / month
Internet (Explornet) =55.00 /month with cap of 20gig
Total cost per month = 120 /month
Yearly cost = 1440 / year
New Cost after inital output of
Roxu boxes = 189.00
Playon.tv 49.99
Monthy costs are
Nexicom 39.95/month
Unblock-us 4.99/month
Netflix 7.99/month.
Total Monthy Costs = 52.99/month
Total Yearly cost = 635.88 / year
Even if I add the 1 time Cost of Roku/Playon in of so 873.88 I am still saving over $566 a year and Have a ton more viewing options at my fingertips.
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