How to Replace Charter Cable/Internet

[m2244]

Hello all,

I would like to replace our cable/internet bill with something less pricey. It's ridiculous how much my family spends on that crap. I've heard a lot about Hulu but would like to know if I can replace internet as well. We are currently using Charter for both. A decent internet service is fairly important too me.

How does Hulu work, do you need a computer for it?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

[kork13]

You don't need a desktop/laptop computer to use Hulu, you can also use it strictly on a smartphone/tablet. Theoretically, if you don't need a more full-featured computer, you could pretty easily move to tablet/smartphone-centric entertainment, and just get one of those newfangled unlimited data cell plans for them. That would allow you to fully eliminate Charter while maintaining functionality, and the cost of the unlimited plan may be cheaper than your current setup of cell phone + Charter.

Alternately, look into the "competition" for Charter. Perhaps AT&T has U-Verse or DSL available. Verizon FIOS or Google Fiber are available in some areas. Certain areas also have local ISP's. It's expensive, but you can also get satellite internet, though that's generally only a last resort, typically in remote rural areas.

[msomnipotent]

Newbie question. You can't use Hulu on a tv?

[m2244]

Newbie question. You can't use Hulu on a tv?

A smart TV could, basically a television with an IP address

[QuarterMillionMan]

I tried and lost, good luck to you!

[m2244]

I tried and lost, good luck to you!

How did you lose? Do you mean you missed having certain channels, internet quality, or you didn't end up saving any money?

[phantom]

Newbie question. You can't use Hulu on a tv?

A smart TV could, basically a television with an IP address

You can also do it if you have a device connected to the TV that can play Hulu like a Chromecast or a Playstation.

[disneysteve]

You can also do it if you have a device connected to the TV that can play Hulu like a Chromecast or a Playstation.

Yep. A "dumb" TV with an HDMI port works just fine. We have Apple TV on ours. There is also the Amazon Fire stick, Roku, and others.

[rennigade]

Yep. A "dumb" TV with an HDMI port works just fine. We have Apple TV on ours. There is also the Amazon Fire stick, Roku, and others.

We have an older 40" tv with 1 hdmi port. We had to get an hdmi splitter. One for the cable and one for a desktop computer. I download a lot of content (I dont stream.) I use the desktop connected to the splitter to watch hi def movies/tv shows on the tv.

[disneysteve]

We have an older 40" tv with 1 hdmi port. We had to get an hdmi splitter. One for the cable and one for a desktop computer.

Your cable connects via HDMI? Ours is coaxial cable. I don't think I've ever seen cable connect that way. Interesting.

[rennigade]

Your cable connects via HDMI? Ours is coaxial cable. I don't think I've ever seen cable connect that way. Interesting.

No the cable box has a coax...from the cable box the hdmi goes into the splitter box. HDMI from desktop computer goes into the splitter box. 3rd port on splitter goes into tv...then its a press of a button to toggle between cable and computer.

Most tvs now have multiple hdmi ports...or a lot of people have av receivers...so hdmi splitters arent used too often.

[AJ444]

In so many places you are handcuffed because there isn't much internet competition.

PlayStation Vue is what I use for TV, it is a no contract, best price right away month to month offering by Sony that has typical channel packages. It is completely over the internet and can be accessed through Sony TV's, PlayStation 3/4, Apple TV and other devices.

[QuarterMillionMan]

How did you lose? Do you mean you missed having certain channels, internet quality, or you didn't end up saving any money?

It's a long story but you could read about my attempt at cutting my internet here;

http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/general-discussion/80752-congrats-cutting-tv-cord-internet-next.html

[thestrongprofessional]

Hey M2244,

Cutting your cable and internet bill is a great way for you to save a little extra money each month. I've been using Roku and Netflix to stream content that I want to watch. I did a quick search on the internet to find cheap internet providers and came across this list:

http://www.reviews.com/internet-service-providers/cheap/

I can attest to Verizon Fios being great. I had it when I lived in DC and it is blazing fast. It's a little pricer than the other options so if you're looking to cut back, you may want to look at the other two. Hope this helps.

Raphael

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I have HDMI splitter for our TV. We have basic channels and roku. But the truth is that our internet is just so pricey because we only can get comcast and at that they had to come out and install it. Sucks. We are trapped for pricing of $70/month.