Wait…What?!
Yep – you heard me; I. Got. Rid. Of. Cable. It was a long time coming and I was mostly waiting to see if Netflix Canada would improve before the making the switch (now they have Breaking Bad and Dexter, so we’re good), but I’ve found a lot of networks now have their shows online as well.
What I Did:
I knew that I didnt want to watch TV on a laptop all the time, but did want to stop paying a ridiculous amount of money just to watch Real Housewives (don’t judge; you know you watch it too sometimes). So my boyfriend and I decided that our joint holiday presents to ourselves this year would be to get a top of the line computer and speakers to connect to our existing TV in our living room.
We got a MacMini and set of Bose speakers, a wireless mouse and keyboard, and an HDMI cable.
Since we got a Mac, the install and set up was all of ten minutes. 
Seriously, I went home on my lunch hour and set it up after UPS delivered the pieces. By the end of my sandwich I was streaming with the best of them.
The picture and sound are amazing. Because we opted for the better Bose speakers, the computer is now our sound system too where can play music from any of our other computers, or stream from online or iTunes.
What Is There To Watch:
I know that if you really want, anything is available on the internet, but for the sake of this post I am only looking at easy to access, legitimate, ways to watch TV online.
First, Netflix. Netflix is still in its infant stages in Canada. For people willing to watch older content or discover new shows, this is a great site. You get quality picture and hours of entertainment for $8 a month (MUCH cheaper than my cable!).
Next, Rogers on Demand: Did you know that you only have to have ONE Rogers account to still be
able to use ROD via the internet and rent videos, etc? Yup. And since that’s who my cell phone is with, I can still watch all their free content and rent videos any time I want.
SLICE Network: OK, this one may not apply to everybody, but for me, it’s game-changer. Slice is one of the best at having all their content (including full past seasons) available online and easy to find. That’s right, I get my Housewives, my Matchmaker, and my Tori & Dean (love those guys!) all online free. AND I get to watch on my schedule. Score!
Finally, Global. As far as broadcasters go, Global has some of the best quality streaming for shows and they are easy to find. My only qualm is the amount of episodes they have up. Unlike other stations (like Slice), they only keep up the most recent 2 or 3 episodes from a show. So if you’re behind on an episode of House, make sure to watch it right away, because after a couple of weeks it is gone. Bummer.
Overall I have been extremely happy with my decision to ditch cable. There are times when I wish the picture was clearer. Or I didnt have to watch the one really annoying ad that plays before each episode (I’m looking at you Global). But all in all it’s been a great change. And I know the picture quality online from broadcasters is only going to get better.
Watch out cable – your days are numbered.
xo,
dg
