How do cord cutters supplement non-premium cable channels like USA Networks, Food Network, TNT, etc.?
RossssssMan, we started a slow and steady cord cutting process years ago, probably starting in 2007.
First was setting up an HTPC. This went through several variations over the years. We also dumped cable completely (antenna only) then went back to the Limited Basic cable tier (local networks only, mostly) because it was actually cheaper than just internet. Had it all rigged up with commercial removing, dual networked tuners, Netflix/Amazon plugins, single remote for TV/Media Center (never saw Windows), everything on the server available and cataloged (used MyMovies).
[total aside: one really sweet aspect that I hadn't planned was that everything was basically networked -- at a certain point the cheapo eBay motherboard I had crapped out, company was coming, what to do?! Slapped the laptop in on top of the HTPC case, plugged the remote IR receiver into it, and never missed a single beat -- tuners were networked, the WHS stored everything, cloud services of course, was pretty impressive.]
Also set up a server over those years. Somewhere around 20TB of DVD's and CD's ripped to it, all our photos, etc. Right now my main problem is a migration plan -- it's WHS v1, and my DVD rips are straight TS folder rips (Plex has no love for images...boo).
Last couple years have been *interesting*. We moved a bunch and are finally settled. I could probably set up an antenna rig again, (have an HDHomerun) but really don't give a damn about TV anymore. We subscribed to Aereo when it was live in the Detroit area, but after the SC decision in the summer my opinion towards TV has um, plummeted.
More importantly, between kids and fixxer upper, dinking around with electronics is about 856,487th on my list of things to do right now.
We have a Roku in our living room and a Fire TV Stick in our bedroom. Amazon Prime, Netflix, PBS...that's pretty much it right there. We have (young) kids so we try to limit screen time, though in winter that seems like a lost cause.
We picked up an Amazon Echo also, it works pretty well. What's funny is seeing kids and how adapted to modern life and thinking they are -- touchscreens, talking to the house, magic boxes full of entertainment, sure.
But more than that is the idea of wanting to watch what they want, when they want, without commercials. Took our 4 year old with me to the dentist a few months ago. They have TV's in the rooms. He was like, "yeah, whatever, how about Mighty Machines?" The whole concept of flipping channels and waiting for the next show to come on is foreign to him. I ended up just giving him my phone and letting him watch on there. :hmm: