CC#2 - Cord Cutting TV Items I Can't Do Without

I have been analyzing the minimal TV channels on Verizon FIOS TV that I have to have prior to cord cutting.  This is pretty easy since my wife is the one who watches TV the most.  As long as I get her the channels she wants to watch, along with the services that she wants, I am in the game.  However, women are fickle; especially my wife.  For example, even though I have a Windows Media Center setup she will not use it because of the way in which the channels are accessed (i.e., she doesn't like the interface or the remote that I have).

First of all, I don't mind spending money on technical items if in the long run it saves me money.  As I said in a previous post, I spend above $2400 per year on Verizon FIOS and I have to cut that amount in half.  I have a lot of the technical items that I have gathered in the last few years that should give me the ability to do just that.

But, back to the minimal channel thing.  These are the channels that I need (preferably with an HD offering).

Absolute must haves:

• ABC over the air
• TCM
• Food Network (she tapes this one)

Nice to haves:

• Other over the air channels like Fox, CBS, NBC
• Hallmark channel
• SyFy channel

Hmmm.  So what do I do with this information?  Fortunately, I am intelligent enough to put together some of my own solutions to resolve the issues with television signals and ethernet cables and devices that use them.  I have a working Windows Media Center (Windows 7) in the house; complete with connection to a HDHomeRun Prime with a Verizon FIOS cablecard.  In addition, I have a couple of Ceton Echo WMC extenders.  If I can get what I want to come up on the WMC, I will be able to control the same from anywhere in the house as well as afford myself the DVR capabilities that WMC provides.  I did pay out money for this equipment, but if I save $1200 per year I will recoup the cost rather quickly.

Some streaming solutions come to mind as well.  I can stream via Hulu, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or SlingTV.  I could put up a server for Plex, MythTV, XBMC, etc.  I have the hardware and the connections throughout the house to accomplish this.  So what do I do?  First up, how do I get to tape the Food Network stream?  Or, do I really need to.  Maybe the first question should be how to get the Food Network stream itself.  I know that I don't have the Food Network over the air.  There are pre-taped Food Network shows on each of the services above.  At last count the costs were:

• Hulu: $7.99 per month
• Hulu Plus: $7.99 per month
• Netflix: $10.99 per month (I have streaming and 3 DVDs plan)
• Amazon Prime: $90 per year (use it a lot for no cost shipping)
• SlingTV: $25 per month (given the shows that I want to watch)

To be continued ...