The Beginner’s Guide to Cord Cutting 2020

The Beginner’s Guide to Cord Cutting 2020

If you’re current to the world of cord cutting, it can appear daunting and complicated, particularly by so many services and devices competing for your attention. But, now more than always, customers are leaving traditional cable providers back and opting for a streaming service. A new eMarketer report projects that there will be 45 million cord cutters in the US that year, and that number will increase by over 20% by 2022.

More consumers are cutting the cord, but they’re also saving money on the switch. According to a Leichtman Research Group study, a regular cord cutter can save about $1,300 per year depending on this services they select after canceling a cable subscription.

We’re here to assist you to join the millions who have already cut the cord so you can enjoy your favorite entertainment for also limited. To help you cross that end line – and say goodbye to cable in the process – let us show you the easy step-by-step way to becoming a cord cutter.

Establish Your Monthly Charges

To find out if cord cutting is best for you, a great place to start is your monthly cable about satellite bill: How much are you now spending for the content? If you factor in your monthly charges, don’t forget to include any accessories rentals fees for gear like DVRs or satellite dishes.

Multiple cord cutters use a blend of services to access the content they love, so if the overall price is a concern, it makes reason to connect those total monthly fees to what you’re currently paying for cable about satellite. And once you have a rough plan of how much your current service prices each month, you can utilize it as a benchmark to compare various cord-cutting options.

Cord cutting can generally give a more focused, customized viewing experience than the quantity-over-quality approach of most cable and satellite options, but making the most bang for your buck means knowing what you want to watch.

Find the Content You Want

With a more concrete idea of the content you love to watch, you can make more informed options about which services to check out and which ones to ignore. You can start among a list of old and new faves you need to keep watching. If sports are a significant interest, don’t forget to include leagues or special teams you like to follow. 

Armed among your list of favorite content, it’s now time to see the landscape and look at what cord-cutting choices make the most sense for your viewing tastes and preferences. They’re generally available to watch in more places, also, with many services supporting a broad range of devices, so you can now continue watching your shows on your phone and tablet around the house or the go. While the world of cord cutting is continually evolving, there are two fundamental categories to consider: live TV and on-demand streaming.

What are Live TV Streaming Services?

Live TV services let you watch sports, shows, and different programs on your favorite channels in real-time. If you need to keep up with live TV, there are many options out there, many with other packages to fully customize your options. Rather than tiers that pile on hundreds of channels (and a heftier bill), many live TV streaming services offer programs that cater to individual tastes, like sports or music.

There are many options to choose from, but the good news is that many offer reliable free trials and preview periods so that you can give them a test-drive to see which one best suits your needs. Worried you will miss your DVR? Don’t! All these services provide a built-in DVR option, so you will never miss your favorite show. And if you want more information, we’ve reviewed more of the best services popular live TV.

*Streaming prices and features are valid as of 4/22/20.

What are On-Demand Streaming Services?

On-demand streaming services allow you to choose what shows or movies you want to watch and when. There’s no shortage of services to select from, but it’s a good idea to start your cord cutting journey by looking at some of the more useful options out there. And similar to the live TV streaming services, many on this list including free trial limits.

*Streaming prices and features are valid as of 4/22/20.

Select Your Streaming Equipment

Once you’ve thought out which service (or services) you’re involved in, a good next step is getting the streaming device that best matches your requirements. If you have a good Smart TV, check to view if it supports the apps and services you’re involved in. And if it lacks support, there are lots of capable add-on options to select of.

What Streaming Device Makes the Most Sense?

While choosing what device makes the most feeling for you, one of the most significant factors to consider when choosing a streaming device is app support and ease of use. Following all, a well-equipped streaming device that’s a pain to use may not offer the most comfortable viewing experience.

One of the more popular choices is Roku, which allows many streaming devices at different price points. Any is more barebones, for perhaps a secondary TV in the home, while higher-end options are exceptionally suited for 4K, HDR-capable sets.

When Fire TV and Android TV are also popular and capable streaming platforms that support a broad range of apps and services, the Android TV-based Shield TV Pro from NVIDIA, for the case, is a capable streaming device that boasts some excellent gaming credentials through its GeForce Now streaming support.

If you have a lot of Apple gear or have a sizable content library stored up through iTunes, Apple TV strength be a good fit. In addition to being a capable and available streaming device, Apple’s new Arcade service considerably upgrades Apple TV’s gaming skills.

Can I Use an Antenna on Stream Local Channels?

An over-the-air (OTA) antenna is often a significant part of the cord-cutting experience because it’s an affordable method to pick up local stations for free. To get out what’s available in your area and what type of antenna you’ll require, you can access your address to sites like NoCable.org. They’ll show you what channels you should take based on your location and make it easier to know anywhere to place your antenna.

Easy indoor antennas can be obtained for well under $50. When outdoor solutions are usually more rugged and can receive farther away signals, they tend to be more costly and have more involved installation methods.

Check Your Internet Speed

Suppose you’re thinking of cutting the cord and moving your TV viewing from cable to satellite to the internet. In that case, it’s meriting making sure your popular connection can handle the added traffic. More important quality video, like 4K HDR, typically needs faster internet speeds, and if you have a full household of possible streamers, you’ll want to keep that in mind as well. Many services have their speed recommendations, but it boils down to this: The faster, the better. 

For case, Hulu says 16 Mbps should be enough for 4K content, while 1080p (HD) content wants around 6 Mbps. Netflix supports 25 Mbps for its 4K streams and 5 Mbps for 1080p. Still, many streaming services offer quality settings that can be adjusted manually or automatically if you’re concerned about speed or running a monthly data cap.

Speaking of data caps, it’s worth checking by your internet provider to discuss if there’s a monthly usage limit for your new plan since streaming does take up a significant amount of internet data, especially among many streams in the same home. Data caps vary with an internet provider, and some don’t have caps at all, but a ceiling from around 1TB per month should give you enough room to start streaming easily.

Compare Costs to Your Cable Bill

Once you’ve picked your services, choose a streaming device, and maybe an antenna or different hardware, it’s time to add up your expenses and look how cord cutting costs compare to your current cable or satellite bill.

Over, when you’re adding costs up, don’t forget any gear rental fees and other monthly charges tacked on to your current bill. If the streaming options are too expensive, or you’re not happy with how much you’re saving, it strength be worth re-evaluating which types of content you’re prioritizing and which services best provide them. In case, maybe a $5 add-on package to a live streaming service takes you most of the channels you’d want and gives more reason than adding a complete another streaming package to your arsenal.

Celebrate Your Switch

Breaking apart from costly cable bills is a great feeling, and we hope this guide helps you with that method. Once you’ve told goodbye to cable or satellite, you can likewise put your number on the national Do Not Call list, so they take flood you with requests to come back.

Role of the beauty of cord cutting is the different ways you can customize services to your unique requirements, and while there are many options to think about, that’s what we’re hither for. You can check out our reviews, or how-to guides, and different sources to learn more about other services and streaming devices. And we’re always on the outlook for deals and free trials.

As of now, though, compliments on becoming a cord cutter! You’re joining a growing and enthusiastic group of people, and we hope you have your latest, cable-free experience!

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