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I GUESS I WATCH MY SHARE OF TV. And
most of my TV watching is “time shifted” - which means it’s recorded
only to be watched later (for me that’s late at night after I’m back
from my playing gigs.)
I have a handful of programs, e.g., Family Guy, the Voice, American Idol, Dateline, 20/20,
etc., that I like to watch while I wind-down after a busy day. Also
during lunch time, I check in with the news channels, e.g., CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc., to catch the contrasting views regarding what’s going on in the world.
I rarely tune to the local channels, but occasionally there’s something on them that’s worth watching.
Average
costs for cable and satellite TV services range anywhere from $75-$120
per month. That translates to $900-$1,440/year which is a substantial
chunk of change for the average Joe.
Last
February I began investigating some cost-effective alternatives to
cable TV. And after quite a bit of research, I settled on a free 7-day
trial for YouTube TV.
YouTube TV
(not to be confused with the popular YouTube internet site) is known as
a “TV streaming service.” What that means in plain language is that the
signal comes not from a cable, or a satellite dish or even an antenna –
but rather from your internet service.
So how do the TV channels get from your internet onto your TV screen? Well, you need five things:
1) An internet connection (which you probably already have)
2) A wireless router (which sends your internet service to your phone and/or tablet)
3) A digital media player such as a Roku or an Amazon Fire TV Stick (you probably don’t have either of these . . . yet.)
4) A digital TV with at least one HDMI port (most all current TVs have at least one HDMI port)
5) A subscription to a TV streaming service, e.g., YouTube TV, Sling TV, etc.
I
know, I know. It all sounds too complicated. Hold on, friends – it’s
really not that bad if we just take it one step at a time. Most of you
already have most of the hardware listed above. What you probably don’t have is the Roku (digital media player) and the TV streaming service.
Well,
let’s address the two things you probably don’t have that you’ll need
in order to get on-board with this money-saving TV streaming:
First, you can mosey on down to Walmart and pick up a Roku for $50, and that’s a one-time expense. A Roku is simply a small device that plugs directly into an HDMI port on your TV.
Next
you need to Google “TV streaming service.” Once you find the service
with the features/channels you want, sign up. The cost will be anywhere
from $20-$40 per month – depending on what options you go with.
Many of the streaming services will offer a free trial. In the case of my YouTube TV, it was a week-long, free trial. (A caveat: Once you try it for a week, you’ll be hooked!)
You’re
probably currently paying anywhere between $85 to a $100 a month right
now, so switching to streaming TV (aka as “Cutting the cord”) at less
than half of your present monthly cost should start sounding like a
pretty good move.
Let me tell you more – specifically about the TV streaming service I have, YouTube TV:
1) You’re able to record an unlimited number of programs – even ones showing simultaneously! (So never miss Dancing with the Stars and the Voice just because they’re on at the same time!)
2)
Included with a single, monthly fee, you can sign up to FIVE,
additional family members or friends (different households and/or
cities!) This is called their Family Group plan (more about that below.)
3) All your local channels are included as well as most of the major cable stations.
4) You can have up to three, simultaneous “streams” being viewed at once. That means you can be watching Fox News on
your 70” Samsung TV in the living room, while your son in Waterloo is
watching a show on KWWL-TV on his iPhone; and Aunt Helen in Winona is
watching UFC’s mixed martial arts championship on FS1 on her laptop –
all at the same time! And that’s all included with your single monthly
fee of $35.00!
5) The picture quality is superb HD – razor sharp with no artifacts.
6) Live TV can be paused! So if your sister calls in the middle of The Good Doctor,
not to worry! You can hit pause, talk to Sis for a half hour and then
punch resume – not missing a second of Dr. Shaun Murphy’s amazing
exploits!
Personally I only have two households (out of a possible five) set up under YouTube TV’s
Family Group plan: Paradise Acres in Ossian and my mother in West
Union. But for those of you with larger families, the Family Group
option is an attractive, cost-effective feature to have.
I’ve been talking a lot about my service, YouTube TV
(which I truly think is the best); however there are many other
streaming services with various pricing to explore. A few of the top
contenders are: Hulu with live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, FuboTV and AT&T WatchTV.
In conclusion – if you’re currently paying $100/month for cable and you decide “cut the cord” by switching to YouTube TV – by
this time next year, you could use the $720 you’d save to buy that
super-duper snowblower you’ve been eyeing at the local True Value – just
in time for the winter of 2020!
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