So, you’ve installed the Plex Media Server and you’re streaming all of you’re DVDs, photos, and music to you’re media devices in your house. Awesome, but, are you really taking advantage of everything the Plex Media Server can do?

Related: Plex Media Server and Backing up your DVD collection.

Plex has tons of Channels of high quality TV shows, movies, photos, podcasts, etc. They can help you get around any weaknesses your  cord cutter setup may have. Here are the essentials to get you started.

Broadcast TV Networks

Watch full episodes of the most recent shows on the Big 3 TV networks and PBS. Sure, you can pick these guys up over the antenna and get great HD signal, but If you’re coverage is spotty or you just want to watch these show on your own time, then these channels are the answer.

Cable TV Networks

Even with Hulu and Netflix, there are shows that are hard to find anywhere else but streaming from the network websites. All of these channels will let you watch the latest and greatest TV Shows or catchup on old episodes without having to pull out your laptop.

Web Content

Discover great music using Pitchfork or find the YouTube videos everybody is talking about with Devour. These channels will get you started with finding great content that you don’t normally find on your TV.

These channels should get you started. There are so many other great channels out there, like us on Facebook so you don’t miss our next Plex article.
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Related: Plex Media Server and Backing up your DVD collection.

If you’re a real Downton Abey fan, you’ll love this.

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This is the final article in a 3 part series entitled, Television on the Web.

Be sure to checkout Part 1, “Is it Right for Me?” or Part 2, “Streaming Services” for more information.

Ok, so you’ve decided that cutting the cord to cable is right for you. You’ve picked the services you’d like to use. Now it’s time to find the right device.

There are a few factors to consider here. What you want to watch and how you want to watch it. Also, what ecosystem you use and finally price.

The list of which services play on which box is changing so fast that adding it to this article would risk putting outdated information. Instead, I recommend looking through the list of devices and deciding which ones support the way you intend to view your content and then doing further research to see if they support the streaming services you’re that interest you.

Some commonalities, with the exception of some low end budget boxes, expect to see HDMI and 1080p HD video. Also, wireless is the standard for these digital media devices. With the exception of the Boxee Box, they are all pretty small and unobtrusive.

Apple TV
Cost: $99

Odds are, you already have a bias to Apple products. Either you love their design and services and already own several Apple devices, use the iTunes store and generally like them, or you think they’re pricy, pretentious and have no intention of buying anything with a half-eaten piece of fruit on it.

Honestly, let that be your guide. Even if the services fit your need, if you don’t like the company, don’t invest in their products. To really get the full experience, you need to be part of the full Apple ecosystem.

That said, Apple TV has many of the popular services and also will allow you to play TV shows, movies and music from your iTunes library. You can also make purchase from iTunes directly from the devices and also stream content from your iPad and iPhone via Airplay.

The apple TV is definitely one of the strongest in this category.

Roku
Cost: from $49-$99 depending on which one you choose.

So, if you’re not interested in the Apple TV, then the Roku XS deserves a strong look. There is an active app developer base and new apps are appearing here all of the time. Nearly every service except for iTunes and Youtube are available on the Roku.

The interface is easy to use, if space and the system is overall solid and stable. Even the non-tech folks in your house won’t have any challenges using the Roku.

WD TV Live
Price $99 – $200

If I was starting from scratch, the offerings from Western Digital would be a compelling choice. You have two serious options here. The WD TV Live and the WD TV Live Hub. The first is more of a player but can also playback movies stored on an external drive. The second has a 1 TB drive that actually stores those shows and movies to the internal drive. This is a great option if you want a nice seamless setup and also plan to backup all of your DVDs.

Of course, you also have the streaming services like with the other devices in this article.

I like the $99 WD TV Live here. I don’t want to limit myself to the 1 TB in the Hub version.

The Boxee Box
Price: ~$165

Boxee started as a program that you could install on a home theater PC. They have since switched to the external box in your living room concept. To call it a box is a bit of a misnomer. its more of a pyramid-like thing. You’ll either love it or hate it.

The Boxee Box does a lot of things. Media server, streaming services, social media integration, a lot. What it doesn’t have is Hulu. Without that, I’m not interested. If you can live without it, well then this might be a good choice if you can get past it’s looks.

Smart TVs
Price: $500 – Sky’s the Limit

The segment of smart TV is large and growing. In fact, it’s hard to really find a “dumb” tv anymore. You might even already have one and not know it.

The smart TVs are great if you are already in the market to upgrade your TV. I would not, however, go out and buy a new TV just for the so called smarts. How smart is it to pay a several hundred dollar premium for a smart TV when you can easily add the same functionality with a little box sitting under your TV for $100.

Also another consideration, how often do you upgrade your TV? If you plan on holding onto your TV for 5-10 years will you have access to the next big unannounced service coming down the road?

If you like the idea of having the whole solution integrated into one device, then take a look at the offerings from Samsung and Panasonic. They really have some great looking TVs.

Gaming Consoles
Price: Lots

If you’re a gamer, you’ve got a way to watch most streaming services in the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. If you’re not a gamer, don’t go buying a gaming console just to watch Netflix.

Well, that’s it. Three articles get you closer to freedom from the cable company and freedom from a ridiculous cable bill.

What do you think? What did I miss? What questions do you have? Please comment.

Checkout Television on the Web pt. 1 “Is it right for me?” if you haven’t already.

So what do we replace our hundreds of cable channels with? There are several on-demand Internet streaming media services out there. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Netflix

Cost: $7.99/month streaming or $15.98 streaming + DVDs

Available on: Apple TV, Roku, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, Smart TVs, various tablets, phones and internet connected DVD players and devices

Commercials: No

This is the most well known service out there. They offer complete seasons of TV shows and an immense number of movies. Netflix just recently added Disney movies and TV shows.

Netflix doesn’t add TV shows the day after they air on cable. Generally, their shows are already available on DVD. They also offer a larger DVDs by mail service for an extra 7.99.

They do offer a 30-day free trail.

You can checkout their catalog at Netflix.com

Hulu

Cost: Free on computer, $9.99/month for Hulu Plus which allows access from other devices and a larger catalog

Available on: Apple TV, Roku, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, Hulu, various tablets, phones and internet connected DVD players and devices

Commercials: Yes, even with Hulu Plus

Hulu is a joint venture between NBC, Fox and Disney. Hulu offers free viewing of a good portion of their catalog including next day TV shows. If you want to stay current with TV shows from NBC, Comedy Central, Fox and others, this is your service.

One unique feature of Hulu Plus is the addition of the Criterion Collection. This is a nice feature for cinema fans because you’ve got a lot of great, critically acclaimed movies here.

Hulu Plus is free to try for one week.

Amazon

Cost: Depends

Available on: Kindle Fire, Roku, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, Smart TVs, various tablets, phones and internet connected DVD players and devices

Commercials: No

This one can be a little confusing, so bear with me.

With Amazon, you can buy TV shows and movies by the episode. This is much like iTunes. In order to buy shows and movies, you don’t have to be an Amazon Prime member.

If you want to watch unlimited streaming TV shows and movies (think Netflix) then you need Amazon Instant Prime Video. This will also give you access to free two-day shipping on a lot of Amazon.com items and access to the kindle lending library.

The Instant Prime catalog is very much like Netflix, but not as extensive.

Amazon is great for those shows that aren’t offered on streaming or the if DVD hasn’t come out.

For instance, my wife and I watch “The Walking Dead” the day after it airs. It isn’t offered on Netflix or Hulu, so we just buy the $1.99 episodes. Your purchases are always available from that point on. You are actually buying the episode, not renting it.

Amazon Prime offers a free 30 day trial.

iTunes

Cost: Per Item Cost varies, $.99 and up.

Available on: Apple Devices

Commercials: No

Most people will be familiar with iTunes. You buy the TV show, music, or movie and can watch it on your Apple TV, iPad, iPod, and iPhone.

Their catalog is huge and if you can’t find it here, good luck finding it anywhere else.

Redbox Instant

Cost: $8/month with 4 free DVD rentals from Redbox kiosks per month.

Available on: Mobile devices for now- iPad, iPhone, Android

Commercials: no

So, First off, I should point out that Redbox Instant is in beta right now so it’s not fair to compare them yet.

You have access to a limited catalog of movies you can stream and DVDs from a Redbox kiosk.

Redbox Instant isn’t taking any business from Netflix yet, but when it roles out publicly, this might change.

Check out the free 1 month trial.

Vudu

Price: Pay per download

Available on: basically, everywhere iTunes isn’t

Commercial: no

Vudu is from Walmart. I really like this service because it’s available in a lot of places, has a big catalog, TV shows are available quickly after air and they have nice curated lists of shows and movies.

Right now, they’re offering 10 free movies when you sign-up.

Blockbuster

Price: Starting at 9.99/month

Available: Roku, Smart TVs and mobile

Commercials: no

Ok, so I think blockbuster is confused by itself. It offers DVDs by mail like Netflix did, and it offers streaming purchases like Vudu.

I’m not sure how much longer they’re going to be around and I don’t really consider them players.

Free trials… yep, they’re offering all kinds of promos to get you to try them. Maybe I’m a bit bitter from paying $5-6 for a 1-day VHS rental back in the 1990s and I’m not interested. Pass.

Now, which device is right for you? Television on the Web pt. 3 “Pick a Device”

Which services are you interested in? Which have you used? Which do you recommend?

If you’re like me you’ve probably got movies spread all across your house. You’ve got DVDs, Blu-rays and movie files.

related:  How I save $2000 switching to Roku

In the days of digital streaming, high-definition video and surround sound it seems antiquated to pull out a DVD binder full of movies.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have all this movies backed up and saved on a hard drive for you to watch anytime you want without having to pull out the disc? Sure, people have been backing up their movies for years onto hard drives and CDs, but the system always seemed clunky slow or just plain technologically daunting.

Plex server is the solution to that problem. It allows you to store all your movies on a central server and watch them anywhere you want. You can watch them on your TV on your phone on your iPad or on your computer both home and away. You can even share them with your friends.

It’s so easy your whole family can use it.

Here’s how to set it up…

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My Crappy Cable

We used to have everything the cable company offered. We had hundreds of channels, HD movies, DVR, the works. And to be blunt, they all sucked.

Half the channels were in Spanish, the HD images were horribly compressed, the DVR was clunky and we paid way too much.

Back in May 2011 I paid my last $150 cable bill. We shutoff the cable TV and the bundled land line phone that was never hooked up. We were left with $45/month for internet.

Back to Rabbit Ears

At first, the pendulum went a little too far.

I went and bought one of those little boosted antennas and hooked it up to see just what was being broadcast over-the-air. I set the TV to auto scan and waited as it searched for all of the free HD content I knew was out there.

It found 9 channels.

After closer inspection, I realized that 3 were in Spanish and 2 were televangelism channels.

After 4 days, I threw in the towel and went shopping for another option.

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