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)
Good info. I’ve been planning to cut the cord. Because Fox is so biased now I find myself rarely tuning into cable TV anymore, instead I flip on roku and watch Netflix, Amazon or YouTube clips (RSBN Trump replays). The only true appt programming I watch now are the Patriots once a week.
Find a system that carries One America News OAN IS WHAT Faux News says it is. Clinton New Network can wallow in its own muck.
Or the wife?
1. Get a Roku;
2. Subscribe to Netflix, HBO, etc., if you desire;
3. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, tons of movies are offered for free;
4. Get the Plex channel on your Roku (free);
5. Get the “Let Me Watch This” and “SS-Plex” channels for Plex (free).
6. Get the PlayOn channel on your Roku (free);
7. Get the “OneChannel” plugin for PlayOn (free).
Some of these are “private” channels and as such, don’t show up in on the Roku when you search for streaming channels. Do a Google search and you’ll find them, though. Install is just entering a code into your Roku account, or clicking a button if you’re logged into your account.
You can find nearly any movie or TV show you’ve heard of or can remember via this combination of channels and set up.
There is very little in the way of “live” MSM streaming, but you CAN get OAN (One America News) which is what Fox claims to be.
Live sports, I wouldn’t know.
“V”
You can obtain streaming subscriptions from most major sports for about $75 a year. That sound like a lot until you realize it is for for every game by every team or almost so. They also offer rebroadcast of the games so you can watch the games anytime you have free. In the case of Baseball I can chose either Radio or TV broad cast and either home or away.
I only do it for baseball but other sports are similar. I am not sure you’d save that much money over a cable subscription if you do it for several sports but you won’t be supporting CNN
Another excellent streaming service is MHZ, which I recently discovered. It shows European TV shows with English subtitles. There’s a heavy emphasis on crime dramas but lots more as well. My wife and I are currently watching a French show called Un Village Francais (A French Village) depicting life under German occupation during WWII. Terrific stuff. We stream it through my Ipad or Iphone. 8 bucks a month, first month free.
I’m going to look into this......thanks.
Sorry, if I took this sentence wrongly. ;)
bfl
It’s misspelled. Needs two m’s
AntennaRecomMendations.com
Stopped watching TV in 2008.
I really didn’t want to have to watch BHO destroy my country.
Don’t miss it.
There’s always FR.
Any comments about how to get the best and cheapest internet access after telling your cable company that you want to drop their TV service?
I would advise against a smart TV. Some of them have O.K. interfaces but some of them are terrible. Most people own their TVs for 5-10 years. In 5 years (and definitively 10) the streaming box options will be much better than they are now. The AppleTV is a great set top box you can pick up for $150-$200. First gen boxes go for $50. Roku comes out with a new device every year or two and they are great also. The user interfaces on both the AppleTV and the Roku are awesome and very intuitive. Plus they are continually supported and they manufacturers are always pushing out updates.
I have heard of new boxes that will have HD antennas integrated into them and DVR capabilities. I personally can wait for these.
It doesn’t make sense to me to spend a couple thousand dollars on a smart TV and then be stuck with the integrated “smart” capabilities for the life of the TV when we are just in the infancy of this new era.
You are better off to buy a nice TV and then add on a $100 Roku or $200 Apple TV. In 2 or 3 years when a device comes out that is light years better, you can buy it and move the Roku to another TV.
I found a site called cricfree.tv that streams just about every sporting event on the planet. Not a digital pic but who cares? It takes some playing with to get used to, and be sure you have your Ad Blocker on, but it works fairly well.
Great. Thank you for this useful information.
Being able to stick it to CNN is a worthwhile goal too!
The heart of my emergency setup is a flat-panel 8" x 8" RCA HD antenna that I hang inside a window from my curtain rod. I get about 30 channels. Best part is that no one knows what I'm watching or when....did I mention that it's free?
Same here: I cut the cord over a year ago, and have not looked back. I’ve never missed it at all. I don’t have a smart tv, but I bought a ROKU, which pretty much just turns the TV into a smart TV. I have Netflix and Amazon Prime, a nice indoor antenna, and a multitude of free channels that I get through the ROKU. My Cox internet does cost me $70/mo. I could never justify having cable/satellite again.
bookmark
$25 a month is what I pay for Sling TV. I use a ROKU3 box to view the app.
I get all the channels and several more then I had with Time Warner cable where I paid $141.88!! and get a better picture as they are not compressed.
With ROKU there are many other channels with all kinds of shows.
There are many free over the air channels too. See TV Guide at http://www.tvguide.com/listings for what is on in your area.
ROKU3 is $49.95
https://www.roku.com
Sling <- just an app you download to ROKU.
https://www.roku.com/sling
Doesn’t matter; it comes back with zero channels.
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