TV & off the cable grid!

Yes, you read that right- Emily and I have taken the plunge- we canceled our crappy Charter cable service and purchased an AppleTV.  We're no longer beholden to the draconian limits and restrictions of a cable company- we're the arbiters of our fate; we now have complete dominion over what we watch!!  Well, OK, maybe that's getting a little carried away... but it is nice to now pay à la carte for what we watch rather than paying a blanket fee for the many, many shows and channels we didn't watch.  Besides the fact that we're not huge television watchers anyhow, all that we really miss is live sporting events (ie. Pats, Sox, Celts)- especially since we watched almost all of our shows time shifted.

So, welcome TV and goodbye Charter.

So far it's been damn nice- we have more options of what to watch, when to watch, and how to watch.  Aside from This Old House and Sports, we're not missing any of our major interests.  And besides, this frees up our night times for more reading, video games, hanging out, chatting, etc... which is always a good thing.  We definitely watch far less TV now than before, and when we do watch, we're totally committed and not just using the TV as a third companion in the room.  And surprisingly, in a short period of time we will also save money.  No static monthly amount to be charged anymore- if we watch zero programs then we pay zero dollars for that month's service.  I remember many months in the past where each of us were busy enough where we didn't watch much (or any) TV and yet still had to fork over a ridiculous amount of cash just for the "chance" to watch.

In addition to TV programming, we also have the opportunity to rent/ buy movies.  While we're also not huge movie people, it's nice to have the opportunity should we want to settle down with a good movie.  And the prices are no worse then a video rental from the local conglomerate of a video store.

May favorite aspect of the TV is the ability to download and watch/ listen/ to audio and video podcasts directly through the device.  There's access to hundreds of FREE (yes, FREE) podcasts- which we enjoy just as we would a television program.  I love podcasts- as you all know- so it's no stretch to imagine my excitement for this feature.  While most podcast video quality is less than great, it sometimes is superior to that of mainstream broadcasters or cable providers.  Either way, it's the content that matters, and my tastes tend to align more with the podcast community than those of pop programming anyhow!!  Bring on the p-casts!

The first show to hook us thus far has been The Wire- an HBO orignal series that began in 2001.  We're totally into this show, and owe the opportunity to the AppleTV- because with cable the cost to order premium channels was uneconomical and wasteful.  We now pay for each show we watch, which makes us think to ourselves, "do we really want to watch this now- or even at all?".  It adds an element of existentialism to our viewing habits- which is absolutely a positive sign!

And the device is smaller than an ordinary cable box-  so we're saving space to boot!!

Check it:

[caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="AppleTV unboxing"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_194" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="ATV's new home!"][/caption]

Just over a week off of Charter- and loving it!!

Now off to get some reading in!

Peace

AM Son

**written while listening to the mountain goats/ jason collett/ and john mellencamp**