the buzz log

Cheapskates and cable-discontents will rejoice in the news that a TV service called Sezmi is coming soon. Customers in L.A. are already testing out the competitor to TV and DVR services that "sez" it offers a cheaper, more net-friendly alternative.

The all-in-one idea is a combo of local broadcast, cable channels like CNN, TNT and Comedy Central (without the cable price), Internet offerings like YouTube, and downloadable movies. (To get the service, you do need a Broadband connection.)

There's still a box and a remote. The welcome screen can be customized for you, and even for the kids, so the choices are geared toward whoever logs in — and you can have your own list of shows recorded just for you.

It's lower cost than cable, about $5 a month — or about $25 if you want to include pay channels. There is an initial hit of $300 for the box — but at 1 TB it supposedly holds a whopping 1,000 hours or programming — about six times bigger than Tivo. Still, for both movie downloads and cable, it's not a bad deal.

There is a downside: Some key sports channels aren't included, like ESPN, which we know would be a deal-ender for some die-hards. And movie buffs might miss the lack of HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax. But Sezmi has a library of TV shows available for download and rental, so you could potentially dump your Netflix. (More savings.)

Now if we could just have one remote control. That would really be priceless.