Cutting The Cord?
Tired of over-paying for cable television service?
For decades, cable and satellite television have been the best ways to get quality television and programming to audiences across the country. Technology has evolved, but so have consumers, and the days of cable and satellite programming (and their obnoxious fees) seem to be numbered. Consumers are becoming more savvy and knowledgeable about their viewing options, and are choosing to dump the high bills for the same service if you know what you're doing. Cable TV has some great shows, but you no longer need to pay through the nose to get them — not when you can cut the cord.
Should you cut the cord? Dumping cable TV still isn’t for everyone, but it’s much more doable than it used to be. With Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, and others, there isn't really a need for a cable box to watch cable TV. Even premium channels like HBO, Showtime, and Starz, are available without a cable box as well. Streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV have become faster and cheaper, making the switch from cable or satellite TV to streaming video even less painful.
Not everyone is cut out to be a “cord cutter,” though. Ditching your cable or satellite service and the bill that goes with it sounds great in theory, but it’s not something you want to rush into without doing your research and preparation first. As with most things, there’s a right way to go about cord cutting, and then there’s the way that sends you back to your cable company begging for forgiveness. Do it the right way and never look back.
I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here. There are tons of articles that detail how to go about cutting the cord.
- Digital Trends has an excellent guide to dumping cable for online streaming services: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/how-to-quit-cable-for-online-streaming-video/
- TechHive has an article that will help you make the decision on whether or not you should cut the cable: http://www.techhive.com/article/3154345/streaming-hardware/should-you-cut-the-cable-tv-cord-in-2017-our-guide-will-help-you-decide.html
Ultimately, the decision will be yours and you will need to make it based on your finances, desire for convenience and courage to try something new. I think I'll stick it out with cable for a while longer, but I can see myself making the switch.