It’s been more than 1-2 years and my over-the-air antenna, AppleTV and Netflix configuration has helped me to save a substantial amount of money. To be perfectly honest the experiment started when I began to observe that family members were not watching the TV; opting to go online to get their content. Paying for a monthly plan just did not make sense. There were really only two issues. How do I get my news and what about entertaining guests from time to time?

Starting with cable, with over-the-air HD quality signals I cut the cord. My plasma TV already had a built in tuner. I purchased a Digiwave yagi antenna and 2 regular HD antenna’s; running them into my attic. The results, after going to TVFOOL.COM, was approximately 20-25 channels.

What about additional content? Well, since we were avid podcast followers the Apple TV seemed to be the perfect fit. We researched many others, but devices like the Roku and Google TV unfortunately were not available in Canada. I loved the Boxee, but not it’s price. I believe it was an error to sell it for so much. In any case I am happy with the ATV2. I can rent movies with ease, use the iCloud for my pictures, connect with YouTube, use Vimeo, the Wall Street Journal and a host of other items from one device.

My Netflix experience is extremely positive. I have no complaints. Content is fine, albeit it would be nice to get more British media. Integration in the Apple TV is seamless. There are a few other features available with the AppleTV, which I have not used; in particular iTunes Match. Other bonuses are online radio and the ability to purchase movies and TV from iTunes and have it available from iCloud.

All in all the Apple created a simple and easy to use experience. There were a lot of nay-sayers, in regards to my over-the-air antenna. However I can happily say that I have found other uses for the cash. Ironically Netflix did not affect my 60 GB limit as much as I thought it would. Online, through a browser, radio seems to use more bandwidth and bytes. If you want to cut the cord first evaluate what is important to you. It’s not for everyone. However, if you find, like me, you are doing more online it maybe time to look at spending a bit more on bandwidth and cut the cord.

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