On Tuesday, we blogged about our experience with cutting the cord. Next week, we’ll be starting two-part video review on some streaming devices. But, before we go there, we thought it would make sense to review the top three things you’ll need for cord cutting.
Our original expense for Telephone, Internet, and Cable combined was $165. Let’s see what we got and how they compare to our original bill.
Fast Internet Speed ($55 per month)
It took us awhile to warm up to a streaming service. We’d been long-time Netflix users. When we first started streaming full time we became intimately familiar with the little circle. You know the one. The one that indicates your video is buffering. That can get pretty frustrating when you’re in the middle of a season-finale and the show goes on pause.
What we found was that our 75 Mbps wasn’t even accurate. After an in-home speed test, we determined that we were only getting half of that. We found a slim, Internet-only package that bumped us up to 150/150 Mbps. It made all the difference. If you’re heavy Internet users like we are or others in the house are streaming simultaneously, you’ll need the extra bandwidth.
Many providers are now offering slim boutique packages that let you choose only one service. Plus, by using our own router, which we can legally do, we save $10 per month.
Streaming Device (One-time Fee $30-100)
You can certainly get away with streaming on your computer or laptop, but who the wants to sit with their computer on their lap all night. No, when it comes right down to it, you want to watch your favorite shows on your sweet 56″ HDTV. Who wouldn’t? If you’re lucky enough to have a smart TV, streaming functionality may already be built-in. If you’re slightly behind in the TV department (like us) that’s where the streaming devices come in.
If you have a TV with an HDMI port, you can plug in any one of the following devices:
- Chromecast
- Amazon Fire
- Roku
All you need is a WI-FI connection to go along with that awesome high-speed Internet service fr yours and you’re golden. Next week, we’re going to be demonstrating both the Roku and Amazon Fire Stick options. We’ll discuss what to expect and how they’ll look.
A Streaming Service ($10.99 plus per month)
This is where you’re going to notice the biggest change. Because you’re dealing with potentially a bunch of different providers instead of one cable company organizing everything for you, you need to remember that you’re not going to get one guide that shows you everything that’s available. Instead, the best you can hope for is a product, like Roku, that lines many of the options up in a nice menu. It even has a search option to let you know what’s available.
It’s not perfect, but think about all the money you’ll be saving!
Though it’s different, the learning curve isn’t steep. The Roku, for example, allows you to set up “channels.” Many are free, like CW, which means you can catch up on all of the Supernatural episodes. However, many are paid services. Here are a few that we’ve used:
- Netflix ($10.99 per month for 2 users)
- Amazon Prime ($99 per year, but includes prime shipping, prime books, prime music, photo storage, plus prime video)
- Playstation Vue ($29.99 per month for an expanded pack with kids channels)
A great place to start is by identifying those channels/shows that you watch the most. From there, determine what services will allow you to watch these shows.
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