Buy or Build?

Buy or Build ... THAT is the question
One of the first questions you need to answer as you begin the cord cutting experience is 'Do I build or do I buy?'. Honestly this question can be asked across a wide variety of topics including houses, PC's, etc. So to answer this question as a future cord cutter you need to know yourself and your skill set and comfort level. Could you comfortably build a PC with some parts and YouTube videos as a guide? If the answer is 'no', then building is not for you.

I'm a Buyer, now what?
So you've decided you're a buyer and not a builder. OK. No problem. You still have choices as a cord cutter. You can purchase a TiVo system that's compatible with over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals and be quite happy. You'll still be leaving the expensive world of cable & satellite TV far behind. And you'll get a pre-built system that's been at the forefront of DVR technology since day one. You'll also get a bundled program guide to assist you in selecting free TV programs from the vast array of broadcast options you'll now have. And you'll also have access to Netflix and other streaming options as well.

I'm a Builder, now what?
In a nutshell, the world is your oyster my friend. You are about to find out there is an amazing array of streaming choices available to you solely because you opted to do all the work yourself. So here are some options you'll have to select from.

First you'll need to settle on a Home Theater PC (HTPC) set up, and there are loads to choose from. You can start with a barebones systems like a Zotac ZBOX Nano or an Intel NUC, or you can opt to go all the way and buy a case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, etc. and go for the entire experience. I opted to use a ZBOX Nano AD12 system as my base platform (more on that later).

Second you'll need to select an operating system (OS) to run on your new HTPC system. There are Linux options ... and of course there's Windows. After much thought and research I opted for Windows 7. Not because it's inherently superior (to be sure) but more because of it's huge market presence and large support base of hardware and drivers. And since Netflix relies heavily on Microsoft Silverlight, you'll find Netflix easier to inegrate on a Microsoft OS (sorry Linux).

Third you'll need to select which HTPC software you want to use. Of course with a Windows OS there is always the included Windows Media Center (WMC). But after a few minutes with WMC you'll soon realize that package is worth just about what you paid for it (nothing). A much more expandable and supported option (IMHO) is the freeware XBMC. XBMC has a huge following and there are an almost endless array of AddOns that can expand the "channel" selection by snapping in new streaming options.

Fourth, and lastly (for this post) you'll want to explore what streaming options you want to include. Of course you'll probably want the standard options like Netflix and Hulu Plus and possibly also Vudu or Amazon Instant Video. All these options are possible inside XBMC, but some may require an additional product like PlayOn (more on this product later).

What you'll also find as you read and research is the vast array of lightly or never advertised free streaming options on the web. These include PopcornFlix, Crackle, and others. What you'll find in short order is the truly vast array of video options that are now available on the Internet. A list which grows every month. In a future post we'll explore all the options and discuss each one briefly. For now ...

Welcome to the future ... the journey continues ...