Like everyone I’ve talked to, I’m sick of the horribly high cable tv bills. In my area, there’s only one cable option so they have the monopoly (they do for those like me who don’t want a satellite dish). I’m keeping my cable internet, but the plan here is to have the cable guy come out and take all their crap back, which will drastically lower my bill and save me money.

After much research (Google TV, Roku, Boxee, etc.), I decided on the simplicity, yet powerful features, of the Roku XDS Streaming Player 1080p, which is their $99.99 top of the line model. As of the date I write this, they also offer a $79.99 model and a $69.99 model (of course after the 30-day return time has passed all the prices will drop…or a new, better model will appear…so please don’t rub it in You can see the differences between Roku models here.

Although I already stream Netflix videos from my xbox and PS3, that feature doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is the ability to use Hulu Plus and Amazon streaming videos. I won’t be able to watch the tv shows I like at the time they show (I bet that will change with time!), but my shows will appear shortly after. Currently Hulu Plus is $7.99 for one of their subscriptions and my Netflix subscription is about $14.99 (I might downgrade my Netflix account), which are both exponentially cheaper than my cable bill. After all, I usually just record them on the rented DVR (more money to the cable company) and watch them a day or more later anyway…so no love lost there either. Not sure if I’ll get or need local news. I don’t have enough info yet, mostly just questions.

We already have a strong wireless N router, so streaming HD has never been an issue on our Xbox or PS3 (I also stream videos off my my pc onto my Xbox using their Windows Media Center feature). If you don’t have a wireless N network in your home, then the “weaker” model is probably best for you (but I strongly recommend it’s time to upgrade from your a/b/g to N, because it’s noticeably better and stronger).

Also, I’m ordering it from Amazon.com and not from Roku’s site. If something goes wrong, Amazon will make the return and refund quick and painless. Roku, from what I could see, requires stringent hoop-jumping, an RMA process, lots of time and waiting, etc.

It should arrive on Wednesday and I hope to get to it quickly to test everything out. Please come back for follow-up posts on this project. I’ll be letting you know my honest opinion and cost-savings after I (hopefully) get rid of my cable company.