Thanks to streaming services, you don’t need to pay exorbitant cable bills for your TV anymore. You can still catch up on your favorite TV shows, movies, news, and live sporting programs. If you are used to having a DVR for your cable box, streaming services also have their own DVRs of streaming content, though there is no box in the picture. This article will discuss what things you will need in your journey towards cutting the cord and moving to the dark side i.e. switching to streaming services.
More and more people are cutting off their cables and moving to stream Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Hulu, and any other of their preference. There are thousands of TV shows and movies that they can stream on-demand. Other cable replacement services such as Sling TV or YouTube TV can stream most of the live channels with no contract to sign, which means you can cancel anytime you want. And if you don’t prefer paying at all, there is something for you too.
Getting Started
Before you haste towards cutting the cord, the following are some of the things you will need with switching to streaming services.
Home Internet Plan. You will need a home internet connection for all the streaming you’re going to be doing without cable TV, so make sure it’s a good one, it’s recommended that you do an online search and find out how you can test my internet speed, so you can be sure when changing, you are getting faster internet at a better price. (Unless of course, you don’t mind watching your episodes of Peaky Blinders blurry or choppy.)
Most people get cable TV as part of a deal with the internet, but you can still cancel cable TV services, and just pay for the internet separately. If you are under contract with that deal, you’ll have to wait until the contract ends to cancel cable TV services.
You will need a good internet connection package for streaming movies and TV shows. Our recommendation is to go for Xfinity internet, since it is one of the most widely available internet service providers in the US, offering good internet speeds that will go perfectly with streaming your favorite movies or TV shows. Reach out to Xfinity customer service to inquire about their internet plans.
Screen. An advantage to cutting the cord is that you can enjoy streaming on any medium around, be it your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. You can even play your streaming services on the smart TV, even when there is no cable. The coolest thing is while you are watching a movie on TV, you can pause it and continue watching on another device.
However, these are important things to keep in mind;
- If you have a fancy TV, your internet speed needs to be faster to meet its requirement. For instance, you need at least a minimum of 4 Mbs for streaming a video in 1080p, 4K, or 3D video content.
- Also on your new TV screen, make sure to switch off any special features for motion-blurring, since this setting makes the movies or shows seem flat or artificial.
- There are some TVs that won’t let you connect to the seamless, cable-like experience without being connected to any other hardware in between (this is being discussed below).
Set-top Box. If you don’t have a smart TV, then a set-top box is necessary for you to have. You can plug it into the back of your TV, and it should work fine as soon as it is connected.
Some examples of the best set-top boxes are:
- Google Chromecast; offers an impressive library of apps, also for streaming apps. You can even connect your phone or tablet to the TV with the Chromecast and as a result, your device’s screen will be mirrored onto the TV.
- Roku; helps to convert your TV into a streaming portal, and includes features like night mode (for muting explosions and amplifying whispers) and private listening (for watching on TV but listening through headphones).
- Amazon Fire; syncs well with other Amazon devices, communicate with Alexa to find your favorite shows for you, if you pause, you can catch up to the show on your other Amazon devices; ideal for Amazon Prime Video streaming services, though other streaming services are also easy to access
So there you have it. Now that you have an idea of what you might need for alternatives to cutting the cord, you are ready for streaming. Cutting the cord is getting easier with new forms of entertainment available in the market and if you do it right, you will not miss the old cable box.
