cord-cutters

More Americans opting to cut cord on traditional TV

While the vast majority of U.S. residents own televisions and watch them regularly, more and more people are opting to toss their cable plans and use other devices for entertainment.

A new report by Nielsen finds that those people who have elected to go "Zero TV" have more than doubled since 2007. Currently, more than 5 million people don't have broadcast television in their home, while in 2007 just 2 million didn't.

Despite these numbers sounding big, cord-cutters are still just 5 percent of the U.S. population. And, as Nielsen wrote in a blog … Read more

Preordering the iPhone 5; cutting the cable TV cord (Ask Maggie)

The countdown to the new iPhone 5 has begun, and antsy Apple fans want to make sure they are among the first to get the phone.

Today, Apple e-mailed invitations to reporters asking them to join the company on October 4 at 10 a.m. PT for a special event at Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Apple didn't specifically mention the iPhone 5 by name, but many speculate the company will unveil one or perhaps two iPhones at the event. Last week, All Things Digital cited unnamed sources who said Apple was planning an October 4 event hosted by CEO Tim Cook.… Read more

Cable, satellite see quarterly loss of TV subscribers

That loud snipping sound is a greater number of Americans cutting the cord and ditching their cable and satellite TV subscriptions. That's the verdict today in an analysis done by the Associated Press of the pay TV companies' quarterly earnings reports.

The AP tallied lost subscribers from eight of the top nine providers, including Comcast and Time Warner cable, Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV, and Dish Network. Cox Communications was not included because it is a private company and does not disclose subscriber numbers, but AP said it has captured 70 percent of households in its survey and found … Read more

Elgato HDHomeRun: Dual-tuner live TV streaming to Macs, PCs, iOS devices

For those who have succeeded in cutting the cord on their cable television, solutions for sensible TV streaming are, to say the least, a challenge. The Elgato HDHomeRun, announced today, offers up a small box that connects to a router and TV antenna and streams HD TV content via Wi-Fi anywhere in one's house. More importantly, unlike other Elgato products, the HDHomeRun comes with dual TV tuners for watching simultaneous recordings/viewings of two different channels on two different computers.

The $179 HDHomeRun is a small box that offers a lot of the same features as the small USB-stick Elgato EyeTV Hybrid, which we recently reviewed. The Hybrid, however, required physically interfacing with a Mac or PC via USB. The HDHomeRun more conveniently handles the video transfer wirelessly, and still works with (and is packaged with) Elgato's EyeTV3 Mac software for DVRing and managing TV content and programming.… Read more

Which streaming-media device is right for you?

Whether it's someone looking to "cut the cord" and save money, or just a way to expand your on-demand video options, online streaming video is more popular than ever. But with so many options now available, what's the best solution -- be it for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Amazon, iTunes, or any of the myriad other online video sources?

As with anything in real life, there isn't one simple, straightforward answer that works for everyone. But we've created a set of different recommendations that should work for nearly anybody, based upon your individual priorities.

The best news for anyone shopping in late 2012? Prices for excellent media-streaming devices now start at just $50, with plenty of other great options (including brand-new Blu-ray players) at less than $120.… Read more