Thinking of kicking my cable TV addiction, sort of. iTunes = my Nicotine Patch?

[Jeff7]

I hear that TV shows, like South Park and perhaps Robot Chicken, can be bought online, specifically through iTunes.

How is this done? Is there any way I can get prices at iTunes' website without downloading iTunes? Are there competitors?



I'll be moving out mostly on my own soon (not to Boston, off-campus apartment), and the options for cable are:
Basic (really damn basic): $12/month
Extended: $50/month

That's a heck of a difference. Basic is Time Warner's "Lifeline" service, which provides less than 20 channels. The only channels I want in addition are Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, and Discovery. (The Science Channel would be nice, but I don't have a digital tuner card for my PC. Yet.)
Those few channels just aren't enough to justify such a significant increase in price. That, and the fact that an hour of programming only contains about 40-45 minutes of actual show, means that I'm paying about 25% of that money for the privilege of receiving commercials.

So that's why I'm looking at just getting the Lifeline service, and then if I feel like killing time on TV shows, I'll pay for them, either through some online venue, or else buy the DVD set.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Not sure, but I just noticed your explanation on how "should of" is not how you say "should have" and I want to thank you for putting that there, tons of people could learn from that.

 

[imported_Mike]

um, buy a slingbox and bum a friend's connection. Oh, and the best way to kick a TV "additicion" is not to dive into some other media source. Go get a GF.

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: Mike
um, buy a slingbox and bum a friend's connection. Oh, and the best way to kick a TV "additicion" is not to dive into some other media source. Go get a GF.

Yup, get a GF. They'll take all your time so you won't have time to watch TV... but in the end, a girlfriend will cost you more than $50/mo. Getting cable will save you money. Think of it as an investment.

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Mike
um, buy a slingbox and bum a friend's connection. Oh, and the best way to kick a TV "additicion" is not to dive into some other media source. Go get a GF.

Yup, get a GF. They'll take all your time so you won't have time to watch TV... but in the end, a girlfriend will cost you more than $50/mo. Getting cable will save you money. Think of it as an investment.

haha, well if you're going to think of it as an investment then for fvck's sake, look at the return! $50/month nets you cable TV, while spending time & money on a GF nets you.....

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Not sure, but I just noticed your explanation on how "should of" is not how you say "should have" and I want to thank you for putting that there, tons of people could learn from that.

No kidding. I did have similar issues though when I was younger. In elementary school, I always heard "round of a pause" when you were supposed to clap. I never got it though, it just made no sense. If we were told to pause, why did everyone clap? So I tried to figure out what the heck was up with that statement. Then I learned a new word: Applause.

Similarly, "should of." Should of what, exactly?
I am Sir Should, of Pennsylvania.
That's some tasty Should, it's made of chocolate.

Originally posted by: Mike
um, buy a slingbox and bum a friend's connection. Oh, and the best way to kick a TV "additicion" is not to dive into some other media source. Go get a GF.

1) The apartment is kind of by itself. The "connecting" building is a small general store without a cable hookup, thus no one to bum it off of.
2) I don't intend to steal cable.
3) Never heard of a "slingbox."
4) Ok, maybe this is a way of paring down the expense of paying to receive commercials.
5) Girlfriend is.....unlikely right now. They take a great investment of time, and, well, thus far I haven't met anyone who is both available, and makes me want to put forth that kind of investment.


So, um, anyone then with info on iTunes?

 

[RossMAN]

Slingbox: http://us.slingmedia.com/page/slingboxinaction.html

 

[Turin39789]

rabbit ears for the local channels.


the library or a hobby for your free time.

 

[Jeff7]

Hobby - I am considering taking up woodturning again. My grandfather let me use his lathe and woodworking equipment when I was younger. Now following a stroke, he's not able to go up and down stairs so easily, nor can he stand for long periods of time, so he says that I can take any of the tools or machines that I want. The new apartment I'm getting has two bedrooms, so I could conceivably turn one into a small workshop. And heck, I might be able to make a bit of money on the side. I've made Christmas ornaments and wine bottle stoppers in the past that were quite popular at small craft shows.

RossMan, thanks for the link. Looks like a basic Slingbox is just an external TV tuner for the PC, which I don't need - I've got a WinTV PVR-150 and SageTV.

Other free time: maybe spend more time on homework, maybe finally get a straight 4.0 semester. If I get bored enough with a lack of TV, I might actually spend the time on the schoolwork, which is generally somewhat less interesting than vacuuming.

 

[imported_Mike]

I would really look into the slingbox. It isn't an external tuner really in the way you're thinking about it and it isn't stealing cable either. You could have it anywhere in the country, at your parents house, brother/sister, or a friend's house. At least check out what it does before you throw it out as an option.

 

[Goosemaster]

tv isn't worth managing....find something else...


watched about 20min of tv this week...and that was tonight....friends and movies tomorrow..finalyl ahve the time

 

[montanafan]

I get some shows from itunes. It's $1.99 an episode regardless of whether it's a half-hour or hour episode. I missed a lot of The Office last season and downloaded most of the shows each weekend.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
tv isn't worth managing....find something else...


watched about 20min of tv this week...and that was tonight....friends and movies tomorrow..finalyl ahve the time

My schedule is going to have me away from the apartment for around 12hrs for up to 4 days out of the week. There wouldn't be time for much TV during those days anyway.

Montanafan, thanks for the info. $2/episode seems a bit steep at first, but then a season of Futurama has what, 20 episodes per season, and the DVD set is $40.

I'm looking forward to what will likely be my first purchase in the new apartment: Animaniacs DVDs, maybe the first 3 volumes right away. I did some home improvement work for my parents this summer, and they were quite pleased with the work, judging by the "tips" they have given me, in the form of checks.

Ok, I just checked Amazon. $90 for Vol 1-3. Works for me.

And then I guess I'll have to download iTunes and check that out, once I get the Internet connection all hooked up and running in the apartment.

 

[montanafan]

If you buy the complete season the price is a little lower. I just looked up South Park and it's $23.99 a season. You can also pre-order a season and the shows are automatically downloaded when they become available, which is the day after they air.