Cutting the cord: TV through the Web

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Have you heard? You don't have to pay to watch your favorite TV shows.

An increasing number of people are cutting the cord on paid TV subscription services, and getting it free through the Internet.

"It's all out there, Google, YouTube and Hulu," said Travis Mack, an Internet TV viewer. "And just Googling things, you can find clips if you're into that, or full-length things, you can find those too."

Mack, along with his two friends, Dan Mikita and Matt Wieringa, are students at Grand Valley State University. They ditched their cable service for two reason: Money and time.

TV subscription services can cost more than $100 a month. And considering the busy lives of most college students, it's easy to miss programs.

But 24 Hour News 8 was skeptical if you could get the same service for free, and wondered how difficult it would be to set up.

When asked if the audio and video are OK through the Internet, Wieringa said they are better. There are no delays if you go through the major Web sites, such as Hulu - as long as you have a decent connection, he added.

"You have to know what you want to watch," Mikita said. "It's so much easier, the way they organize Hulu. You just type in the name of the show, and the most current episode comes up first, and then you can go backward from there."

The students said setup is simple.

You'll need a computer and a high-speed Internet connection. For the full home-entertainment effect, you can hook up your computer to your TV. It's a little easier with newer models, which may allow you to watch high-definition signals with an inexpensive cord.

Once you get everything hooked up, you simply go on the Web and download any number of free TV viewing sites. Each of the major networks have them, or you can go to aggregate sites, such as Hulu or Fancast.

Mack, Mikita and Wieringa say they can find most shows going back one season. In addition, they can find really old programs with a little digging.

But one of the disadvantages to watching TV over the Internet is variety. Some of the things harder or impossible to locate are: cable network shows, live sporting events and programs on premium channels, such as HBO.

For example, the group searched for the Opening Ceremonies from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although they located the program, the images came across slightly fuzzy.

But none of the disadvantages bother these viewers. They don't think they'll ever again subscribe to a TV service again.

When asked if there was anything a service could offer that would entice him to come back and pay, Wieringa said no.

And contrary to how this group of students watches TV, subscription services say research shows that cutting the cord is an urban myth.

Last year, despite the height of the recession, TV subscriptions grew.

Basic cable is available for as low as $10 dollars a month.