We’ve all heard the term “cut the cord” means getting rid of your cable or satellite TV services. Personally, although I was always looking for ways to reduce my unnecessary monthly expenses, I was reluctant to “give up” my display options. I know I am not alone in this and many people feel the same way.
For many years, I have been reading about thousands of people who were actually successfully “cutting the cord,” so I paid close attention. I knew that one day I would be among them, but I had a series of requirements that I had to satisfy before starting my own slicing.
I enjoy watching HD movies and TV shows as much as anyone. I have a good A/V system with surround sound and all the standard bells and whistles, so I needed something that would work with that setup.
One of my frustrations with the satellite service that I had been using for over ten years was a common thing that many people complain about. I’d sit and relax in front of the TV after a long day at work, and with over 150 channels available, I couldn’t find anything I wanted to watch! With the introduction of the DVR this improved but only slightly. For me, watching pre-recorded programming still didn’t relax me because I still had to “fast-forward” through the commercials. It always seemed wrong to me that I would be paying over $100.00 per month for TV service and still have to be subject to commercials. I wanted an automatic way to fix this problem.
Another consideration is that I have young children, so the availability of children’s programming is very important to me. On top of that, my solution had to be easy to use as well as cost-effective. After all, my time in front of the TV is supposed to be relaxing, not confusing.
With all these factors to consider, would I be able to achieve my goal of joining the “Cut the Cable Club”? I was determined, so my search began. Today’s technology is light years ahead of what we had just five years ago, so I had something to learn.
My audiovisual education started online, I learned about internet transmission and off-air reception. I was getting somewhere! My next concern was the costs involved in making the transition and purchasing the necessary devices. What I learned floored me. He already had most of what he was going to need to put the whole system together. I was going for it!
I drew the setup in pencil and sketched out how it would all work together. Would it provide me with enough display options? Would it be easy to use not only for me but also for my children? Would it save me money month after month? According to my best calculations, yes, yes and yes!
I already had a good TV, sound system and Blue Ray player, all I needed was an antenna and a streaming box, that’s it! So I went to the store. My total projected costs were around $100.00, the equivalent of one month’s satellite charges.
I chose a Terk amplified indoor antenna and a Roku 2XS streaming box. While in the store, I spoke with a young expert who informed me that off-air signals produce better picture and sound than satellite or cable due to the fact that the broadcast signal is not compressed. An uncompressed signal does not suffer from the quality degradation that you get with compressed signals. You were right, the picture and sound are fantastic.
I opted for the Roku 2XD after reading reviews online, plus the Roku comes with pre-installed games that my kids love to play. That’s a bonus in my book! The Roku has a great remote and can be controlled via free Android and Apple apps. You have an ethernet connection or you can use wi-fi signals. Personally, I prefer all my devices to use an ethernet connection when possible.
System setup was really simple. Everything uses an HDMI connection except for the antenna which uses a coaxial connector. I had everything connected in minutes.
I knew I was saying goodbye to my premium programming, but what was I going to replace it with? netflix At only about $8.00 a month, Netflix is saving me over $90.00 a month, that’s over $1,000.00 a year! Considering that I had been with my satellite provider for over ten years, I spent over $10,000.00 on television programming that I was never completely satisfied with. This is getting better by the minute for me.
How did it turn out? I have been using this setup for a little over a year now and I can tell you that I have more programming than I can see. I also discovered some additional benefits that I didn’t even know about before I made the switch. As an example, I now have Pandora streaming through my entertainment system along with music and video podcasts from iTunes. This system has truly turned my home into an entertainment showcase that I am proud of.
Did I make the right decision? I am saving money? Would I do it this way again? Yes, yes and yes!