Time to drop cable/satellite television?

As cable and satellite television bills creep higher, some consumers are asking why they should pay for it. There's other options offered now from the likes of TiVo, Sony, Amazon, Netflix, Roku and Microsoft. The latest push into the living room aims to solve what has stymied earlier products, including the complexity of hooking up these devices, lack of content and relatively high prices, with some devices costing well past $500. But even the experts don't think cable will be replaced anytime soon and point to a string of high profile failures. Lack of content, a general aversion to yet another gadget in the living room and the high prices are reasons why the idea has failed to catch on. Premium channels such as Time Warner Inc's HBO are also unavailable on the Internet to non-subscribers, except through iTunes, where some programs are sold. But that has not stopped the tech industry from buzzing again after a number of new products that address some of these issues were unveiled in quick succession.