Posted on 09/21/2016 2:20:12 AM PDT by RKBA Democrat
Cord cutting can sound scary at first, with a ton of options and decisions to be made, but you will find it is surprisingly easy and you may already have everything you need. We want to be here to help you cancel cable TV and legally stream your content online so you pay less and still get all your shows.
Here are our four steps to becoming a cord cutter with our Cord Cutting 101 guide!
Step 1. Streaming Services
There are a lot of live streaming services available, and it may seem overwhelming at first but it is easier than you think.
You will likely need more than one streaming service, but the good news is almost all of them offer a free trial. We suggest you take advantage of the free trials to see what fits your needs.
Here is a quick overview of the most popular streaming services.
Netflix—With new content added weekly Netflix has thousands of hours of movies and TV shows available, making them the largest streaming service in the world. You will find a ton of content from major networks and movie studios including Disney movies and shows. Netflix is also the leader in original content you cannot find on cable.
Hulu—Do you want your content the day after it originally airs? Hulu is a great option for anyone who wants to watch recent shows from networks such as Fox, NBC, ABC, FX, and Spike.
Amazon Prime Video—Amazon Prime not only gets you free two-day shipping and free music, it also gives you access to thousands of movies and TV shows. Amazon’s partnership with HBO brings you a vast selection of HBO shows as part of your Prime membership.
Although Amazon Prime does not give you access to everything available on its Amazon Instant service, it does have TV shows from many cable channels available the next day—starting at $1.99—and also offers recently released movies for rent. So not only do you get an immense amount of free content, but Amazon Prime is also a great way to rent and buy recent movies and TV shows.
Sling TV and PlayStation Vue—If you really want live TV, check out Sling TV or PlayStation Vue. Starting at $20 a month for Sling or $30 for PS Vue you get access to many popular cable channels streamed live to your TV.
Not sure if Sling or PlayStation Vue is right for you? Check out our head-to-head comparison of these two services. (link embedded in article)
If you are looking for 100% free options, see our post about free streaming apps by clicking HERE (link embedded in article).
Step 2. Pick Your Device
The next thing you need is a device that will stream to your TV what you want to watch. Currently, the top four selling devices are Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Apple TV. All are great options for different reasons, so make sure you choose the one that is best for you.
Here are links to our full reviews for each device.
Roku: http://cordcuttersnews.com/review-roku-4-our-first-look/
Chromecast: http://cordcuttersnews.com/review-the-new-chromecast-2/
Fire TV: http://cordcuttersnews.com/review-the-new-fire-tv/
Apple TV: http://cordcuttersnews.com/review-the-new-apple-tv-a-disappointment-or-success/
Channel Master: http://cordcuttersnews.com/4153-2/
Antenna CoupleStep 3. Antennas
An antenna is a huge part of being a cord cutter, and most Americans can easily pick up 30+ channels with one. With many of the most popular TV shows being 100% free and in HD over the air, an antenna is a great way to watch sports and your favorite show without paying high cable bills.
The number of channels you receive will vary depending on where you live. We recommend going to AntennaRecomendations.com and typing your address into their channel finder to see which channels are available in your area. This will also help you figure out if an indoor or a roof-mounted antenna is needed to get the channels you want.
We recommend buying a mid-priced antenna—not the cheapest but also not the most expensive. Buying an antenna is a one-time expense so get a good one that will last for many years.
Step 4. Try it Out
OK, you are all set up and ready to go, but before you cancel cable TV, unplug your cable box and try being a cord cutter for a month. When my family canceled cable it took us about two weeks to find all the shows we wanted. Once we found the content we wanted, we never looked back. However, it was nice to know that if we couldn’t initially find a program we could still watch it on cable until we found it on our streaming service.
Congratulations! You are now a cord cutter!
That’s it—you have successfully set yourself up as a cord cutter. All you need to do now is call your cable TV provider and tell them you want to cancel your cable TV! Make sure to tell them to put you on their do not call list so they don’t call you every day for years to come. You can find out how to be put on a do not call list at your old cable company by clicking (link embedded in article)
This is a really good primer on cord cutting. Although I do disagree with the article a little bit in that you don't need more than one paid streaming service unless you're really watch a lot of TV or sports.
Haven’t paid for cable in years - but I will state that my broadband runs around $55/month. I would get the exact same broadband with basic cable for ~$75. I do miss a lot of sporting stuff, but I’ve gotten used to it and can even find most of that online now.
The only device you really need is a desk top computer with internet access. You can access Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Youtube/and many other online news and sports sites such as MLB.com
In Boston NBC wants their own owned and
operated station and are pulling their
affilliation from WHDH 7.The new NBCBoston will be out of southern NH it’s said,though that won’t cover the whole market.So now NBC, owned by Comcast of course is buying a low power TV station in
Boston to help that.Because even though
cable customers—Comcast— will be able to
see NBC after 1-1-17, there ARE cord cutters...
OK....I admit it. I thought this was a how-to to get junior to move out of the basement.
We’ve been off cable/satellite for about 4 years. Don’t miss it at all.
The beauty of streaming is minimal to no advertising and being able to pay for what we actually watch.
We do miss TCM, but there is Classic Reel to stream for $1.98 per month.
Been out for six years. Don’t miss it a bit.
Everyone should have an antenna on the roof or in the attic if for no reason other than emergency or to have some leverage in dealing with the premium providers. Streaming is no bargain. Streamers, services, and high speed internet are not free. Follow steps 1-2-3-4-5 here to liberate your eyes...
https://freetvforme.wordpress.com/
We dropped TV in December of 2012. Can’t imagine going back.
- Buy a smart TV
- Sign up for high speed cable internet
- Sign up for Amazon Prime and Netflix
Watch what you like, when you like, and ever see another commercial!
It’s great:-)
I cut the cord to progressive/satanic indoctrination programming (that is all any commercial programming really is, even sports) ~20 years ago; I have enjoyed the extra hours doing fun, healthy, and educational things instead. Best decision I ever made.
AntennaRecomendations.com is for sale and doesn’t provide any data.
TV and cable went away in 1992 and haven’t missed it. My kid complained at first for being different from the others but is now finishing a degree in Chemistry and frequently thanks me for it.
Also if you have cable you finance some welfare persons to FREE cable....taxes and fees amount to 110-168 dollars a year just to have your viewing tracked and sold off to marketers and who knows what else.
bump
Here’s my setup and we like it better than cable.
1. Antenna is hung on a wall upstairs and tied into the house cable box, all of our cable outlets have an amplified antenna signal! Connect any tv in the house to the cable outlet and get about 30 local channels.
Here is the antenna I settled on after trying many. 1byone® Omni-directional Amplified Outdoor Antenna - 60 Miles Range https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Omni-directional-Amplified-Technology-Waterproof/dp/B00WW7H7KU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474456117&sr=8-1&keywords=1byone%C2%AE+Omni-directional+Amplified+Outdoor+Antenna+-+60+Miles+Range
2. DVR - We can record any local HDTV shows for free. The DVR is on our main living room TV.
Setup: Cheap Windows 8 laptop running windows media center. Windows 10 no longer has media center, must use 8. This laptop grabs the TV signal from a Silicondust HDHomerun tuner device over our home network. The HDHomerun is plugged into the antenna/cable outlet just like any of our other TV’s.
3. Playstation Vue internet service $30/month gives us our ‘cable channels’. I can do without but my wife likes to have HGTV and Fox news. We have a couple of ROKU’s to use PS vue and we can watch on up to 5 TV’s or devices at one time.
what if your husband is a sports nut?
done that
bought the t-shirt
uploaded it to youtube
If he wants NFL football there is this: h
Most games you can watch as soon as they are over. Just like DVRing them really on you get ALL the games.
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