Remembering my start into the world of streaming, part 1

Growing up, television was my window to the world. From the iconic shows of the 60s to the original Star Trek, I was there for it live. Fast forward to 2006, and my wife's soap opera obsession led to a purchase I knew she wouldn't love: a TiVo. Little did she know, it would be a game-changer for both of us.

The beauty of TiVo? No more juggling VHS tapes or missing shows. It was time-shifting at its finest - watching what you want, when you want. Sound familiar? This concept, now known as on-demand viewing, was the seed that planted the idea of streaming in my mind.

In 2008, with a website called Hulu on the horizon, I knew the future of TV was online. But how? The cost was a big question mark. So, I embarked on a research mission, analyzing my TiVo habits to see if streaming could truly compete with cable.

Late 2009, I crunched the numbers. Could buying content from Amazon or iTunes, along with free Hulu, beat my cable bill? The answer, unfortunately, was no. Streaming in 2009 wasn't quite there yet, so cable stayed for another year.

But the seed was sown. My Streaming Life was beginning to form. In the future, I revisit my cost analysis in 2010 and see if the numbers finally tipped in favor of cutting the cord!