Satellite and cable television can be costly. That's correct. We continue to pay $92 a month for satellite television. There isn't even a premium plan available. But, at some point, I hope to persuade my husband that he doesn't need the TV to keep up with his favorite teams and that we can do so in other ways. I'm even planning for the day when we'll be able to forego paying for television and stream content from the internet.
Do you have everything in order?
While obtaining free cable TV is a great concept, you will almost probably have to pay for some component of it. To begin, if you have an HD television with an antenna and tuner, you may be able to receive free local HD channels over the air. If you want to watch the major networks without paying for them, this is a fantastic option to do so. You'll have to put in a little more effort if you want something that comes close to the cable, though. To begin, you'll need Internet connectivity to watch your TV shows online. If you want to watch your shows on your television, you'll need a device. For streaming, we use our PlayStation 3, but Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, and other devices can also be utilized to bring the internet to your television. It may also be beneficial to obtain software that helps to stream by setting up a media server in some instances. One of these options is Playon. You'll have to pay for the software as well as the device you use to stream the information to your television. Even though you'll have to spend to get the system up and running, it'll still be less than what you're paying for cable or satellite TV. Right now, I'm paying $1,104 per year for satellite television. I could save that money right now if I cut the cord because I already pay for internet and own a PlayStation 3 (and wouldn't have to buy any more software). Even if I had to buy software and a device, the total system would cost less than $500, and I wouldn't have to pay a monthly cable bill.Alternatives to Paying Extra for Streaming
If you already have broadband Internet, you may cut the cable and watch without spending any additional money (if you already have the right setup). Free television programs can be found in a variety of places. Full episodes of several mainstream and cable networks' programs are available online. You'll need to plan ahead if you go this route. The entire show is usually only available after a day or two, and even then, for a limited period. You have a viewing window and must arrange your viewing within that window. You may also acquire the free version of Hulu and watch snippets and full episodes of select series on Joost.com, FreeTVOnline.com, and Sidereel.com.If You're Willing to Pay a Little Extra
There are paid solutions for folks who don't care about entirely free cable TV but want to pay a lot less. For $79 a year, you can get unlimited access to streaming TV episodes and videos and rent streaming entertainment. Hulu Plus and Netflix both charge $7.99 a month for unrestricted streaming. In fact, you can get all three streaming services for $270.76 for the entire year, which is a huge discount compared to paying more than $1,000 a year. There are several options available for sports enthusiasts. My spouse can receive MLB TV online for the baseball season for $120. That's not awful, and it'll save us money over what we're paying now — plus, we'll be able to watch it on the TV via the PS3. When you cut the cable and go with other options, you can save a lot of money each year. What are your thoughts? Are you ready to cut the cord on cable or satellite television? How do you get your TV entertainment if you've previously gotten rid of it?