6 cool innovations we're still waiting for

The hope: Thanks to Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon (AMZN) Prime, and other streaming services, no one will need to shell out $100 a month for cable.

The reality: The streaming-video space is now choked with competitors, and they're falling all over each other to sign exclusive contracts. So no provider offers all (or even most) TV shows and movies. According to the most recent data available from Nielsen, more than 58 million households still have a pay-TV subscription.

What's the deal? Pay-TV's biggest advantage is that streaming services can't offer shows as quickly as cable. Forget about live events like sports.

Still, some services aren't content to merely stream older, licensed content. Netflix is now churning out several original series, including the Kevin Spacey vehicle "House of Cards." Amazon Studios greenlighted six original pilots in December and has added a handful more since then.

Meanwhile, even sports and other live events are slowly trickling out of the cable realm. MLB.tv lets users stream baseball games for $20 a month, and the NFL offers a variety of streaming and audio-only options.

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