r/Cordcutters Starter Guide
So, you’ve finally decided to give up on expensive cable or satellite! You’re joining a steadily growing community of consumers who don’t want to pay upwards of $70 dollars a month for content they don't watch. There are literally dozes of devices, sources, and delivery methods at your disposal.
Basic Users
For Basic users, start here:
For streaming from the internet, buy a Roku. It's easy, cheap and it just works. http://www.roku.com
For watching videos that you have downloaded, buy a WD TV. http://www.wdc.com/en/products/wdtv
Want to do both and feeling adventurous, buy an 'Android on a stick'. G-Box Midnight or MK808. http://www.boxtoptheater.com
Want to watch Live TV? Buy an antenna and get over-the-air HD channels for free.
If you want to do more, be warned, you are about to go down a deep rabbit hole full of endless options and customization.
Set Top Boxes (STBs)
Roku
The Roku is kind of the grandaddy of the streaming boxes. It has a very simplistic interface and a channel store with wide network adoption. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Amazon (On Demand / Prime) are all available, as well as some paid specialty channels. Plex also has a client that runs solidly well, using the Roku UI Experience. This device is easy to setup, uses very little power, cheap ($50-$100) and simple for use. Easily the Honda Civic of the bunch - the cheap little car that works for almost everyone. Also, Roku has a PLEX plugin, see below.
WD TV Live
If the Roku is the Honda Civic, the WD Live is a lot like a Swiss Army Knife. It reportedly plays most, if not all, formats that are thrown at it as well as streams from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Spotify, YouTube, Vudu as well as various other services that are a little more niche or specialized. This is a good choice if you have a lot of downloaded files, in varying formats, and don’t have/want a media server running through Plex.
Apple TV
The Apple TV, long considered a niche device, has taken to the forefront. If you’re very invested in the Apple ecosystem, it’s a great choice. You have access to many streaming options like Netflix and Hulu, as well as the ability to purchase episodes and movies for streaming. The problem here is the walled garden: if you live within the Apple ecosystem, it’s a great choice, but you’re going to have to buy your episodes if your stuff isn’t available via streaming services.
Game Consoles
Consoles are extremely common for streaming and often have the basic services on board (Netflix, Hulu, various other streaming services). The downsides: high cost to entry (a new XBox is around $199, so around this price point), may require a separate subscription (in the case of XBox - XBox Live Gold @ $59 per year) and high power usage. However, you are still able to use Plex via the Xbox and PS3, as the Media Server software will still stream content to the console without having to use the Plex Client. This is a good choice if you’re going to have a console (with a subscription to XBox Live, if on Xbox) already and just need to yank the plug - and don’t mind that you’re not getting the same bells and whistles.
Google TV
The cool thing about Google TV / Android TV boxes is that they come in varying shapes, sizes, colors, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. A good example of one of these boxes is the Vizio CoStar: you will have access to many Android apps, such as Netflix and Amazon, as well as the GoogleTV versions of Plex. However, your mileage may vary. HBO Go and Hulu Plus seem to not currently work with the CoStar, but you may have luck with other Android boxes with these apps - I would recommend this for the tech oriented folk, rather than a mainstream consumer.
Boxee Box
The first Boxee Box was amazing, the new one not so much. Boxee is an interesting concept with a subpar function. The older Boxee Box functioned a lot like the WD Live Hub - ability to stream as well as play external content. The premise is simple: OTA channels and a cloud DVR feature, as well as streaming services. The Cloud DVR service costs an extra $9.99 per month. However, the newer Boxee TV (according to recent reviews as of 12/2012) leaves a lot to be desired - reviewers claim it is buggy, unfinished and won’t even recommend buying it. If you’re feeling like a challenge, be my guest - but I would probably stay away if I were you.
Android
2013 seems to be the year of Android TV appliances. There are a few on the market now and many new emerging players.
HTPCs
Generally this is a PC plugged into a TV, also called a Media PC. You can build one yourself or buy one for under $300 from Fry's, Newegg, Amazon, etc. Make sure it has HDMI and low noise. The sky is the limit as far as HTPC customization goes.
XBMC
This is a tinkerer’s paradise. XBMC installs on an HTPC. Boom, you’ve got a media center that scrapes your local files, download movie clipart and metadata, and subtitles, and looks fantastic. However, things don’t work that easily all the time - Netflix and Hulu can be a frustrating thing to setup, as they rely on external plugins, and inevitably, you’re going to find some bugs. My advice: if you’re the kind of person who likes to tinker and mess with your media center, changing parts, scanning for optimization and hobbying the shit out of it, it’s worth a try, but be aware that the price of admission isn’t always simple. Supports a number of awesome plugins, including PseudoTV. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=90738
Plex
Originally based on XBMC, Plex is both a server and a client. The server installs on your media server, scans your downloaded media collection and the serves it out to a client. The clients can be an HTPC or a Roku, iPhone/iPad, Android, etc or combination of devices. MyPlex is a free service that allows you to make your server discoverable and accessible from the public internet (for example, via a cellular network) without mucking around with port forwarding. You can also use it to share your server with your friends.
Windows Media Center (WMC)
Runs on Windows. Similar to XBMC but not as customizable. Good for watching Live TV (via TV Card or HD HomeRun) and watching local media via Media Browser or similar plugins.
Android
G-Box Style Devices
This is a little black box about the size of an AppleTV. Runs Android, XBMC, has multuple USB ports, etc. Usually $80 to $100.
Android on a Stick
About the size of a thumb drive, this includes devices such as the MK808. Usually has 1 USB port. Priced around $60 to $80.
Android Media Apps
XBMC has been ported to Android. Also check out Mizuu.
Streaming Websites
Other than Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, Youtube, and Crackle there are tons of websites offering free/cheap legal content.
TVTIMES.ME http://www.tvtimes.me
CLICKER http://www.clicker.com
CANISTREAMIT http://www.canistream.it
OTA and YOU
Antennas
You are probably in range of many over-the-air broadcast channels, whose shows you watch often via antenna or can receive them over your cable wire via Clear QAM. This is ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX/CW/PBS and other smaller networks like ION or PBS. Just with an antenna, you’re getting most local sports games (depending on your market) as well as local news, as well as some more popular shows like American Idol, Family Guy, Parks and Rec, Saturday Night Live, etc.
Antennas are often quite affordable and the picture quality - since you’re getting an unprocessed signal, rather than one processed over a cable box - tends to be pristine.
Antennas range of anywhere from $20 to $150.
TV Fool
Enter your address on TVFool and see what's in range. http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
Other Antenna Resources
While TV Fool gives a very thorough analysis of what OTA reception one can receive from one's location, sometimes it's too technical for beginners, especially when it comes to differentiating between UHF and VHF channels. Try this instead: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/
Antenna Web
Everything you wanted to know about OTA antennas. http://antennaweb.org/Info/Resources.aspx
Basic Cable
Do you have cable internet? You may be getting basic cable for free. This is called Clear QAM. It will require your TV to have a digital tuner, or to at least have a digital tuner box that can scan the networks for you.
HD HomeRun
HDHomeRun is a device you plug into your cable/antenna and home ethernet network. You can then watch TV over your network via Windows Media Center, EyeTV, MythTV, etc. There are 2 models of HDHomeRun, the Dual and the Prime. The dual is for unencrypted (ClearQAM/ATSC) channels and the Prime is for premium channels (via CableCard). The Prime does NOT support ATSC broadcasts.
CableCard
CableCard is a card that plugs into a Tivo or HDHomeRun Prime that allows you to decrypt premium channels without a cable box. Without CableCard you can only get basic cable channels. CableCards are rented from your cable provider.
ATSC and ClearQAM
ATSC signals are the unencrypted digital television signals broadcast over the air (OTA). They can be picked up with an HD Antenna and fed into an ATSC Tuner (such as the one built into your TV). ClearQAM is the unencrypted digital signal broadcast over CableTV, also readable by most TVs/Tuners. HDHomeRun Dual can read both ATSC and ClearQAM signals.
NAS and DLNA
Network Attached Storage
NAS is a server or appliance that stores media files and serves them up to clients on your network. NAS Servers come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from dedicated NAS appliances such as DroboFS (link here) or Synology NAS (thread here) to NAS built in to WIFI routers, or you can build your own NAS server. If you want to build your own there are a million different software packages and options available (FreeNAS, unRAID, etc). See these threads.
NAS Clients can be a Media PC, WD TV, PS3, Xbox, etc.
The most common NAS Protocol is CIFS which is built into Windows, Mac, Linux, and XBMC and is supported by most HTPC-style devices.
DLNA
DLNA is a streaming protocol, similar to CIFS but optimized for media streaming. Generally, you will find DLNA streaming support in devices such as SmartTVs, PS3, etc.
Ripping DVD and Blu-Ray
So you have a huge collection of DVDs/BDs and you want to make digital copies and serve them on a NAS. Lifehacker put a guide together which outlines this process.
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me 2!! my lady just doesn't get it, so still pay 
