I am Media God.

Some might think it’s overwhelming…hundreds of cable channels in front of you every day.  Thousands of on-demand options available. A DVD collection staring you in the face as you walk out the front door to hit the nearest RedBox. Those familiar red Netflix envelopes in your mailbox on a Friday getting ready for a nice movie weekend.  Social media networks throwing their news, entertainment and your friends newest designer shoes in your face. 

OK, you get the idea…there’s a lot of stuff out there in terms of media to consume.  But because there is so much more and so many options, we have the power now.  We have the control.

I remember having to turn the little knob on the cable converter box in my parents living room with curtains that were heavier than three of my blankets put together. Turning that knob trying to find something to watch on those higher number channels that featured “superstations” and the very rough, early days of ESPN.  So there were 20 or so options and as soon as my dad made up his mind, I could sit back down. 

Fast forward to what we have now. Quick glimpse at my media consumption habits as of six months ago:

• “Digital Starter Package” from Comcast bundled with the Triple Play (home phone and cable internet). 
• Netflix subscription delivering two DVDs to my mailbox as I saw fit. 
• My wife and I had our network shows that we enjoyed regularly, but we would frequently DVR them and come back to watch a few episodes at a time on a weekend every so often. 
• DVRing the kids' favorite shows and watching the episodes that way. 
• Lots of time spent with the television on in the background, with god-knows-what playing. 
• Lots of time spent sifting through those hundreds of channels to find something to watch if we were bored. 
• Having those Netflix DVDs sit on the table for weeks, if not months at a time. 
• A home phone that never rang except for non-profit soliciting and grandma. 
• Downloads from iTunes to keep our iPods full.

Aside from the costs of all of these services, the time spent with them was so minimal when you really sat down and analyzed it, that it wasn’t even worth it.  Spending 20 minutes looking through the guide to find something to watch is crazy. Having the television on in the background just for the hell of it is crazy.  Why do we have things in the DVR from 2008…shouldn’t we watch that or get rid of it? 

So we analyzed and surveyed our habits for a month or so. After documenting on a nerdy spreadsheet, we decided to look at the frequency of usage and the source of that particular item. We found that in several cases, we could get the kids' shows through Netflix. We could get our favorite network shows at any time over the air, or we could catch up on Hulu.  Pandora radio is a thousand times better than any of the Comcast music channels that were buried in the 800’s.  And there were plenty of other alternatives for just about anything we wanted. 

So it was decided…let’s pull the plug. 

Our set up as it stands today:

• Cancelled cable and home phone, kept Internet only. 
• Downgraded Netflix subscription to “instant only”.  We’re not huge movie people so if we want a new release that’s not available on Netflix instant, we can hit the RedBox. 
• Added a Roku box and a PlayStation 3.
• All children shows are addressed through Netflix.  Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas the Train, Sesame Street and so forth…all at our fingertips. 
• Some favorite TV shows that we might have missed out on or stopped watching for whatever reason are on Netflix as well, and we've even found new ones that we never watched before but fell in love with like Weeds or Louie. 
• Our network shows are all available on Hulu or online. Even though I can’t DVR them, I still don’t have to sit in front of the television and wait for them to come on. 
• DVDs played through the PS3.
• Additional media files—DVDs borrowed from friends, home movies and so forth—all streamed over the home network through the PS3. Even family photo slideshows can be done this way in case grandma is over and would like to see them on the big screen. 
• Pandora radio through either our smart phones or the Roku box provides hours and hours of great music. 
• Total monthly cost for subscription to various services and such to make all of this happen? Less than $20, not counting the internet access that we already had.

Seriously, aside from the cost, it’s an amazing feeling to be able to control your own media usage. You don’t have to only choose between channels 2, 4 and 11.  Or you’re not limited to CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.  There are so many other options online or through Roku Channels, it’s ridiculous. 

It’s a liberating feeling really. I’m not held to anyone’s schedule. I’m not forced to see crap advertised during my shows or my kids shows. There’s more time to listen to music, read books or have a conversation with my wife…which still seems limited with two 2-year-olds around.

I know this sounds a little boring and not too exciting now that I read it back, but for me, it’s a small win over the major cable companies and puts the control in my hands.  If more people did this, they might start offering ala carte options or at least stop charging high fees if you don’t question it. 

This is my little win and a small way to stick it to the man. Watch what I want, when I want, how I want. I play media god.