First, subscribe to Netflix. As a Netflix subscriber you can watch anything available for instant watch on your TV with your Xbox. You can also get DVD's in the mail if there is anything that isn't available instantly that you want to watch. I'm sure if you are a 360 owner, you know this already, so lets move on.
Next, download PlayOn and install it on your Windows PC. With PlayOn you will be able to watch Hulu and streaming videos from other sites such as youtube with your Xbox via your home network. PlayOn comes with a 14 day trial, but costs $40 dollars if you choose to buy the program. Many of the shows that are not available on Netflix are now available on Hulu.
Finally, buy HDHomeRun for $150. With HDHomeRun you have two tuners to record local HD channels on your computers harddrive and then stream to your 360 via Windows Media Center. Netflix and Hulu supply you with movies and TV shows while HDHomeRun will come especially handy in football season.
My setup looked something like this.
Cable + Internet = $100/month
- Cable = $40/month
+Netflix = $50/month
+PlayOn = $40 single installment
I am saving $50/month and do not miss having cable at all. You do not need all of the things above to get rid of that rediculously expensive cable. I cancelled my cable and am happy with only Netflix and PlayOn since my HDTV has a digital tuner and I can pick up the local channels for free. However, a friend of mine does use HDHomeRun and he loves it.
4 comments:
My setup mimics this and it works fantastic.
Xbox Pro: $300
Xbox Live Gold: Less than $4/month
7mbps internet: $44.50
Netflix: less than $15/month
Hulu: Free
Total cost: Around $65/mo.
I'm on a Mac, so PlayOn won't work for me, but I'm certain there is a similar program for Macs.
My DirecTV was around $60/mo, and I don't miss it at all!
netflix is fantastic.
So you were paying around $100/month as well when you had DirectTV and Internet both? That's quite a savings. On top of all of that, you also get the satisfaction of utilizing the technology that you paid $300 for.
Exactly, over $100 a month. And DirecTV was mainly used as background noise!
Using my Xbox for more than just gaming really makes it a more enjoyable multimedia experience, and a good investment.
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