From: super70s@super70s.invalid   
      
   Looking over my TV/internet/phone bill, I saw I was paying $145/mo. for   
   the video package alone. Beginning Jan. 1 I downgraded to basic cable   
   which brings it down to $67/mo.   
      
   As far as the expanded channels go, I found I was spending most of the   
   time watching CNN, MS NOW, TV Land, Sci-Fi, TCM and ESPN from their 100+   
   channel package.   
      
   CNN - I have subscribed to the Roku CNN app for $45/yr. ($69/yr. after   
   the first year) to stream this channel live. One benefit is I no longer   
   have to endure the hokey local commercials that my provider would show   
   on the Expanded package (just a message that says "CNN will resume   
   shortly"). CNN does show their own commercials but it's just for their   
   other programming.   
      
   MS NOW - This channel doesn't offer an app to stream the channel live   
   (yet), you have to connect it to their expanded package channel. But you   
   can stream the "highlights" of all their shows with a delay of a few   
   hours. This is just about as good as getting the channel live, and you   
   don't have to endure any commercials between the segments.   
      
   TV Land - I would watch some of my favorite sitcoms on TV Land, but all   
   those shows are also offered by MeTV which is included in my basic   
   package.   
      
   Sci-Fi - I only watched this for Twilight Zone reruns, which MeTV also   
   shows every evening.   
      
   TCM - I have found a good substitute for this is the "Cinevault   
   Classics" channel on the Roku Live app. Of course you have to endure   
   commercials unlike TCM. I'm not that crazy about movies from the '30s   
   and '40s anyway which is what TCM devotes a whole lot of their   
   programming to.   
      
   ESPN - I would watch this (and their sister sports channels) often   
   during college football season, but most of the "must see" major sports   
   events are on the major networks which I get in the basic package.   
      
   To sum up, I think it's going to work out and save me a lot of money. At   
   some point in the not too distant future I think all of these channels   
   will be forced to let people subscribe them individually -- people are   
   sick and tired of paying for a lot of filler channels they never watch.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)