R.I.P., cable TV?

By Erin Burt, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine

I canceled my cable subscription a year and a half ago, and I honestly haven't missed it much -- especially considering that by cutting the cord I've slashed the $60-a-month bill and saved more than $1,000 so far.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy vegging in front of the TV as much as the next person, and I have favorite shows I regularly watch. But as I weighed the cost against what I was getting out of a cable subscription, I started to see it as a luxury instead of a necessity.

I'm not alone in my thinking, especially among young adults. In fact, only one in four people age 18 to 29 says cable or satellite TV is a necessity, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. (Americans age 50 and older, incidentally, are much more attached.)

Members of the YouTube generation are open to getting entertainment in nontraditional ways. And thanks to the Internet and other resources, it's easier than ever to get what you want without a hefty price tag.

Since ditching cable, I've discovered plenty of places to get free or supercheap TV shows and movies -- many of the same ones I had watched before -- but for a fraction of the cost. Here are some of my favorites:

Go digital. TV's conversion from analog to digital has been a boon in my house. I used to get only two fuzzy channels using my set's rabbit ears. But with a new digital converter box ($50 retail, but I used a coupon for $40 off from the government), all the basic network TV channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW) come in crisp and clear -- just in time for me to heckle the contestants on the latest season of "American Idol."

Hulu. Online video has come a long way from the days of jerky motion and pixelated pictures (buffering . . . buffering . . . ). Nowadays, a broadband Internet connection is a portal to free (and 100% legal) online programming of decent quality. And at Hulu, you can watch full episodes of more than 300 shows from NBC Universal and Fox stations.

For instance, one of the things I missed most about dropping cable was getting my satirical fix from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. Hulu to the rescue! The episodes online are a day old -- but I usually recorded the shows and watched them the next day anyway. You can even watch past shows, new and old, from "Arrested Development" to "The Simpsons" to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." And if I miss a new episode of "Chuck" or "30 Rock," I catch up at my convenience online.

Hulu also has a decent collection of full-length movies, though most are a few years old. But with titles including "The Karate Kid," "A League of Their Own" and "Muppets From Space," there's something for everyone.

Network Web sites. If your favorite show isn't on Hulu, you can check individual Web sites of networks, such as ABC and CBS, which increasingly are posting full episodes online. You'll find current programming, such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI," as well as classic episodes of "Beverly Hills 90210," "The Twilight Zone" and "Hawaii Five-O."

Even cable channels offer freebies, including breaking-news videos at CNN.com, live sports at ESPN360.com and "Hannah Montana" episodes at the Disney Web site.

Continued: Why you might not want to cut the cord

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