Who Needs Cable?

Somewhere along the way, cable TV was elevated to the ranks of electricity and water — a necessity, not a luxury.

But as cable companies pump up their fees and household budgets tighten, some people have begun to ask: Is cable really necessary? Might there be a way to watching great programming — minus that ghastly monthly bill?

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

The answer: There could very well be. It all depends on your list of must-see programming, your comfort with the Internet and comparative prices of broadband Internet access and online gadgets. But the rapid growth of streaming services that deliver video over the Internet makes the question worth investigating.

The key question to begin with: How much will you save by dropping cable (or satellite) TV service while still maintaining a broadband Internet connection to your house?

A high-falutin' TV-only package, including a few premier movie and sports channels, can easily cost you upward of $150 a month. And that's before all manner of fees and taxes have been packed on.

One major cable company charges about $80 (before the fees) for an Internet-only connection service that's fast enough to download a two-hour movie in 13 minutes. That would work out at a $70 monthly saving over the full-featured TV package.

Now you've got to add in the new expenses you might incur: monthly subscription fees to online video services and the one-time cost of special hardware you'll need if you want to watch on your big-screen TV rather than on a computer.

For instance, a Roku device, which can connect your TV to many online video services, costs between $50 and $100, depending on its capabilities. But if you already have a Blu-ray player that can do the connection job as well as play discs, you're set.

Numbers aren't adding up how you want? Consider using a slower but cheaper Internet connection. These may be fine if you can wait longer for a download to finish or if you just watch video as the bits come streaming in, rather than downloading in advance.

Before you choose a particular Internet connection service, see whether you can find a friend or neighbor who already has it. Ask how it performs with video.

Finally, you'll need to consider a non-financial issue: Although Internet video has come a long way in the last few years, some shows you just can't watch online. The Super Bowl? Forget it. If you're an avid fan of certain shows, you may find that cable is really your best option.

Below we explore six alternatives to cable or satellite service, some of them drawing on new Internet technology, some on old-fashioned stuff that can still give you a good run for your money.