i would like to stop paying for tv, but if you connect laptop to tv, then you cant use it, am i right? i dont like to just watch tv, i multitask and get on computer. and how do you connect them?
The 2nd TV has something called Roku (I think) which my wife put on the TV, with it's own remote. So only the rare program, such as Sons, are run off a computer.
Some older laptops have what I believe is called an "S video out" capability or a lot of the newer laptops have VGA/HDMI hookup-it basically turns your tv into a computer monitor. That is what we use on ours. Between mine and hub's work laptops and our personal laptop at home, we always have a laptop that can be used for internet while another is hooked up to the TV if we choose. As far as an antenna goes, ours is a small flat white box, about the size of a Wii, but the thickness of an Ipad that sits under our TV. It cost us $30 at Best Buy and with it, we get the clearest picture on our TV than we ever got with DirectTV. Our TV is a Samsung, flat screen and I believe it is only 720p as we've had it about 6 years. People constantly remark about how clear and crisp our picture is for just basic tv!
Ok... so if I can find this VGA/HDMI on my laptop (there are 5 spaces on the right side) where do I plug it into my tv? and what king of cord/cable do I use?
For Hulu, for the longest time we have put the laptop on the ottoman and the entire family watches. Recently we got a TV where we can run a cord from the computer and watch anything from the computer on the TV. We watch Netflix on the TV through the Wii.
I asked DH when he got up this afternoon if he could do without his Alabama games, he couldn't say no fast enough. .... Still... worth looking into dropping back to basic cable. Our contract is up in March.
Nsanemom, it is basically a "monitor" cord and it will plug in as if you were hooking up a monitor. It is one of those plugs that has a bunch of tiny "pin p r i c k" holes, for lack of a better explanation:lol: It connects to the underside of our tv with the same type connection. We change the "source" for the television to "PC" and voila, the computer screen shows up. I hope this helps.
IF you go to a store that sells cables, just tell them what you need it for and they will show you the item... That's what I do>>>>
We dropped our cable ($70 a month on Dish Network) and now just use Netflix for $9.99 a month, which gives us the streaming and one DVD at a time through the mail. The streaming selections are decent and so far everyone, including my two kids, are happy. I like that I can also use it on my iPad when I travel. We have been doing this for several months with no complaints. I love watching episodes of TV shows with no commercials. In addition, my husband watches Hulu on our laptop. We can hook it to the TV, but so far haven't bothered. If we get bored with Netflix, we may sign up for Hulu Plus ($7.99 a month) for the full season access to shows on there and set up a dedicated computer for the streaming to the TV. We may also upgrade our Netflix so that we can watch on two devices at the same time. All of which is still cheaper than cable and we're just as happy.
depending on what kind you need - I might have one u can have. we bought the wrong one and they wouldn't take it back for a full refund.. :x
http://atdhe.net/watchtv.html Use that link and thank me later. As for OTA antenna, I have one in my attic and can get channels from the Ral and Greenville markets. Most are duplicates but it helps to have both in the event there are different NFL games in each market. I also have Direct TV so I rarely use the OTA.
That's a good option. I was able to catch some of the Pats games this year that weren't broadcast locally.
Nice article on almost all your options http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/08/01/1382399/tv-without-cable-or-dish.html
Great thread with some great ideas, everyone! We are getting ready to ditch our cable as soon as the kids go back to school. Between school, homework, sports, and other activities none of us have time to watch TV anyway and it is so expensive. When we do watch, we usually watch from Hulu, Netflix, or my Amazon account. I have free shipping with sign up to their program. The free movie selection isn't great on Amazon but the sign up is paying for itself with school starting, birthdays, and Christmas coming. I've found it is much easier now to just order exactly what I want from Amazon if I have time to wait a few days for it, than to go drive around to brick and mortar trying to find something. We are also trying to make an effort to get outdoors more, and try some other activities to get a little healthier. I do like the Discovery Chanel. We've been mesmerized by Shark Week lately, but it is a small sacrifice. Can't wait to cut the cable.
