I admit it. I’m a recovering early adopter. I used to get all the new gadgets and electronic equipment shortly after it came out. I tried the new web sites and apps, signed up for all the social networks, and more. I finally got tired of all the stuff that didn’t work as promised, the sites that went out of business or just stopped getting any relevant traffic, and the time it took to stay current on all of the emerging trends.

Recently, I was forced to become an early adopter again. Forced by the fact that a service I used all the time was just terrible. The Optimum Multi-Room DVR. So I cancelled my cable service – no not the internet – just the TV.

The Optimum Multi-Room DVR is such a step backwards from their stand-alone DVR system (which was such a step back from my original Tivo), with so many bugs, that I just couldn’t take the frustration of having to use this terrible system.

Having used Tivo and being a PS3 subscriber to Netflix, I knew what the possibilities for at home video  were. Now that I have switched, I am experiencing the benefits of best-of-bread technology and see the true potential. With Netflix, Vudu, NFL Sunday Ticket et al I have access to pretty much everything I want. Supplement this with the Internet and my iPad and I find that I have an exceptional video experience. And all without commercials. The only thing I’m missing is live news.

On the product adoption curve I think I am near the end of the early adopter group. Taking this alternative approach to watching video will likely become mainstream in the next 18 - 36 months or so. Based on the multi-room DVR capabilities, I don’t think Cablevision is able to catch-up. But they do own the lines for the internet, so we’ll just have to make sure they and the other cable / phone / internet providers do not use that power to prevent the switch to better video services.

How do you watch TV / Video? When you think about it, isn’t just about every way you get your video better than traditional cable?