Cord Cutting In 2021: Avoid The Mistakes Often Made

Dropping cable TV in favor of streaming services was once a surefire way to save big money. But as more and more people become cord-cutters, content providers are raising their prices, and getting rid of the over-the-top box is no longer the cost-saver it once was.

We are not going to be talking about streaming services like Netflix or Disney Plus, Appl Pluss we are talking about cutting cable or satellite TV out and how to do this.

Should we Drop Cable or Satellite?

There is no question that cable TV takes up way too much of your household budget. DecisionData.org estimated in March 2021 reported that the average U.S. cable bill is $217.42 per month, or $2,549 annually, making it the most expensive utility cost in most households. Satellite costs on average are about 20 dollars less per month but around the same cost annually. – I spend $79.00 on Satellite and get the same package as most people do for $179.00 a month and I will explain how you too can get discounts on cable, satellite, and cell phones later in the show but continuing on.

Channel surfing cord-cutting is great but watching live sports is not always as easy but with streaming addons this is easier now than it used to be, doing so will raise your cost and may put it close to a cable package. Think the MLB network service for all games. I pay MLB network and then I watch all the baseball I want (since the Seattle Mariners are not that good to watch I need to watch other teams)  – this is the same with NBA League Pass for online streaming.

If you’re going to stream video, your internet needs the muscle to handle it. And if there are several people in your household who do online-intensive things while you’re trying to stream tv or shows. You need at least 100mbs per second to really utilize cord-cutting services. Anything less and you’re in for trouble. One other aspect to keep in mind: Does your internet provider have data caps? Many providers limit the amount of data you can use each month, charging you extra if you go. Comcast, for example, has a 1.2-terabyte limit in many of its territories

 Now comes the hard part: Deciding exactly how you’ll watch the shows and movies you love without cable and then finding them. One of the things you’re paying for with a cable TV subscription is being able to easily find the content you want.

Cable is a buffet; streaming is ordering a la carte. There’s more work involved to properly feed your habit, and that’s how you’ll save money.

Pick A Platform

Without cable, you’re going to need some way to access streaming sources. That means either buying a streaming box, stick or dongle, or relying on the apps built into your smart TV. In the past, I’d not have recommended the latter, but the software found in newer TVs is much improved, and in some cases uses the same platforms found in the most popular streaming devices.

If you’ve got a relatively new TV, start by relying on it alone rather than shelling out for additional hardware. Make sure it has apps for the streaming services you most want to use. And if you keep your TVs for a long time, you’ll want to make sure the manufacturer will continue to update it and provide security fixes as well as the latest apps.

But if you want to go with a streaming box that plugs into a TV’s HDMI port, you’ve got a few options. Almost all modern platforms offer all the apps you’ll want, and they all have a similar approach: A home screen with featured shows and movies above rows of apps and categories. You can pay as little as $25 for a stick or dongle, or close to $200 for a full-featured box. Here are my recommendations:

Best overall: Amazon Fire Stick 4K. You may not yet own a 4K TV, but if you’re going to be streaming for the first time, the Fire Stick 4K provides future-proofing and the best bang for your buck at $50. Amazon recently revamped its interface and it’s much easier to use than previous iterations. And the Alexa voice recognition is top notch: Just say what you want to watch, and it appears almost instantly.

 a) Best option not from Amazon – Roku Ultra HDR 4K UHD Streaming Media Player – $89.00

Runner-up: Chromecast with Google TV is a big leap forward from previous versions of this dongle, mainly because it doesn’t require that you stream or “cast” the content from your smartphone. Chromecast is now self-contained, very easy to navigate, supports 4K and the Google Assistant voice commands are just as good as those on the Amazon Fire Stick. It’s also $50. The only downside: the interface is a little slow, but not annoyingly so.

For Apple users: If you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem, and if you can spare the cash, the Apple TV 4K is your choice at $179 with 32 gigabytes of storage, $199 for 64 GB. Most folks can get by on the 32 GB version, because Apple’s tvOS does a great job of managing memory. I think Apple’s interface is the easiest to navigate.

Strategic Content

One of the biggest mistakes new cord cutters make is to try to duplicate the cable TV bundle with a service that mimics a cable lineup – what I call faux cable. Early on, these services worked for those who wanted the option to channel-surf as they once did because they were relatively cheap. But over time, the economic realities of the entertainment industry have caught up and their costs increase significantly each year … and sometimes more than once a year.

One other piece of hardware you’ll definitely want to add: An HD antenna that allows you to pick up local broadcast channels, which is also a good way to watch network pro sports. I get good results with the Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse HDTV antenna ($40).

My suggestion: Rather than signing up for a faux-cable service such as YouTube TV ($65/month), AT&T TV Now ($70-$95/month), Sling TV ($35-$50) or others, make a list of all the or cable shows you watch regularly and find them as purchasable “season passes” on services such as Apple’s TV app or Amazon Prime Video. Most series run between $25-$40 per season and typically seasons air once a year. If you typically watch 15 series regularly in a year, at most you’d pay around $600. That’s a lot less than the average monthly cable bill of $217 per month, or $2,600 a year.

If you just gotta channel surf, I’d recommend Sling TV, which has the lowest upfront cost of all the faux-cable services. Sling has two main packages – Blue and Orange, each $35 a month, or $50 monthly for the pair. There’s also a 50-hour cloud DVR. There are add-on options, including regional sports channels, that can drive the cost higher. But overall, it’s clearly the best value.

If you love sports, you may be able to get your fix with the add-ons in Sling, but fuboTV ($65-$80 a month) is a faux-cable package with an emphasis on sports. There are plenty of sports channels in its regular lineup, and there are more than 35 additional channels to add. For college sports, try Hulu + Live TV ($65).

If you want to go cheap the best option out there is Philo

Philo is a streaming tv service with many channels, including A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1T- 720p only 63 Channels, $20 per month no subscription – moving to $25.00 June 8th

Unlimited Recording in the cloud – unlimited DVR you can record all your favorite shows. You can save a show for up to 30 days so you can watch and rewatch it at your leisure. 3 streams at a time and 10 profiles per account.

In the end, you’ll likely find that your TV habits change, and probably for the better along with saving money and being able to choose what you want when you want to watch tv.

Nathan