Cutting the Cord

Tired of paying large amounts of money for your cable bill every month? Have you considered cutting the cord? You might be surprised at just how much you can save by getting your television entertainment from other sources.  We have all become accustomed to picking up the remote control and selecting from hundreds of channels; but be honest - how many channels do you actually use?

I did this about 2 years ago and haven't looked back since. I realized I wasn't utilizing nearly the amount of channels that that were available (barely 10% of them) and decided to unplug the cable. It takes a little bit of getting use to, but once you do you will appreciate the extra money in your pocket.

I won't lie to you, there is a fair amount of convincing to make this move. If you live by yourself, the decision is relatively easy once you've considered the benefits.  If however, there are others in the household, this might not be a popular decision.

CONNECTING

There are a number of options available. First of all, you want to make sure that you don't cut the cord completely. Unless you want to only be able to watch broadcast television via an antenna, you will still need Internet access from an ISP (Internet Service Provider).

If you get your Internet access from a cable company, you are already halfway there. If you get your internet via a DSL provider, make sure you have sufficient download speed. Online video requires a significant amount of bandwidth and generally speaking, the more the better. Before you make any decisions, check to see if you can watch streaming video without any problems.  If your internet speed is already good enough, you shouldn't have to make any changes.

Something to also consider are bandwidth caps.  If your ISP has a limit to the amount of data you can download in a month, make yourself aware of it and until you have a good idea of how much you use, be cautious.  Some providers can throttle your bandwidth or charge you extra for exceeding the cap.  You may want to educate yourself on the limitation or restrictions of your particular service by doing a little investigating at your providers website or speaking to an account representative.  Depending on your viewing habits, you can hit a cap pretty quickly.

Depending on your ISP, you may actually get a better deal on your broadband internet service if you bundle.  For example, it was actually a few dollars cheaper to keep basic cable service, bundled with my internet connection, as opposed to maintaining only the internet service.  Ask questions when talking to your service - you might be surprised to find some options you didn’t know existed.

STREAMING SERVICES

There are a number of providers of online streaming content that will ensure your fix of video entertainment is sufficient. One such service, Netflix, provides tens of thousands of movies and television series. For under 10 dollars a month you can get unlimited streaming of Netflix's entire library. There are no additional fees to watch anything in their catalog.

Hulu Plus is another service that offers a great selection of content. Hulu Plus, works a lot like Netflix with the exception that it inserts advertising in the form of commercials at various points in the program.

Amazon Prime Video is a great service. It doesn't offer quite the selection of Netflix, but there are some great benefits to getting a Prime account. Signing up (around 80 dollars a year) not only gets you access to lots of great free content, but also gives you many other benefits such as free two-day shipping on Prime eligible goods.

Crackle has a smaller inventory of content but offers movies and television series like the others, except in this case it’s all free! Crackle depends on advertising, and like Hulu Plus, inserts streaming ads throughout the programming.

Most of the major networks provide content on their websites, although in many cases what is offered will be limited to select shows, episodes or perhaps just clips of shows.

HARDWARE

Cutting the cord and obtaining your content from the internet may require some changes in the hardware that you use to watch television. If you already have an internet-ready television, this may not be a problem for you as most have these services integrated in their menus. If you have a standard television that isn't so “smart”, you will need to connect it to a set top box, game console, or computer.

Set Top Boxes

Set top boxes are small, internet-ready devices that have apps which allow you to connect to streaming services and view content.

One of the most popular ones out there is the Roku. For under a 100 dollars you get a box that's not much bigger than a couple of decks of cards that will connect your television to a plethora of content.  Another device that is somewhat popular, is the Boxee Box. Much like the Roku, the Boxee can be used to connect to the internet and stream video.

The Apple TV is also a great option, especially if you are already invested in the Apple iTunes ecosystem. With an Apple TV, you can rent or buy television shows, movies, and music to any television connected to the device. If you also own an iPad or iPhone, you can easily move the media content from your mobile device to the Apple TV and vice versa.  

These are not the only options.  There are a number of other set top boxes, but always check online reviews.  Not all offer the same content, have intuitive user interfaces, or are easy to set up.  Do your homework and get the best device for your situation.

Game Consoles

If you already own a popular gaming console such as the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, you may already have all the hardware that you need. Both of these devices are able to stream content to your television. Many people download and use the Netflix, Hulu Plus and Crackle apps on these consoles.

Good Old Computer

If you are able to connect your television to a computer you may want to consider it as an option.  This can be a good use for an older machine that has been replaced but understand; the experience won’t be nearly as polished as using a dedicated device like a set top box. You will do a lot of pointing and clicking so obtaining a good wireless keyboard and mouse that can keep you comfortable on the sofa is a must. This will make using the computer much easier in such a setting.

Rabbit Ears?

Yes, rabbit ears.  Starting in the early 80’s, those funky little antennas, along with their larger, roof-mounted counterparts, began to fade from the neighborhood landscape but they are coming back.  Many don’t realize that local television broadcasts are actually uncompressed high definition signals.  To conserve bandwidth, many cable providers downgrade the signal.   By putting up a decent antenna, you can actually get a much better picture than what comes over cable or satellite.  The best part - its free!

Depending on where you live, you may be able to pick up quite a few stations this way.  Just like the old days; the better the antenna, the better your chances.  That said, there are a couple of different directions you could go with this.  The easiest and most cost effective depending on your situation, would be to put a small antenna on each of the televisions you own.  The down side is that typically, small indoor antennas do not have optimal range but if you rent, this may be your only option.

The better solution is to put a larger outdoor antenna on the roof.  There are fewer options out there but the choices are still pretty diverse.  I like what Antennas Direct has to offer.  They have a great selection of antennas, as well as all of the parts and pieces you will need to wire up a more permanent, resilient solution.

There are a few places that can help you obtain and set up your antenna.  Websites like antennaweb.org and tvfool.com can help you determine how good of an antenna you will need, and during installation can provide instruction on the optimal positioning of it.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Do the math! Monthly Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions run around 8 dollars each. That's less than 20 dollars a month - add in your monthly internet connection which you are most likely already paying for, and you will still be significantly under the cost of a cable subscription.  

Admittedly, a lot of what you will find on cable is simply not yet available on the internet, but if you are able to make the sacrifice, you will be rewarded with more money in your pocket at the end of the month.

Still not convinced?  Try it in tandem with your cable service for a month or two and compare.

If you are using a set top box for online media and are able to get a good signal via antenna, you will find after a short amount of time that you don't really miss that cable subscription. There will be times when you can't catch that one show that you really want to see, but you can do what I do. When that big game, or that must-see television show comes on, just phone a friend and offer to bring over the popcorn. Chances are, they will be happy to have you come by and share the experience.