Back in February 2013, I wrote a post about my decision to cut the cable cord in order to save money towards future travel.
It’s been two years and I thought I would give you an update on how it’s gone especially with some of the new news directed at cord cutters.
The setup
Getting the over the air channels with my setup has been perfect. I mounted the antenna in the attic and have had no reception issues whatsoever. For DVRs, I’m using Series 3 Tivos with dual tuners. I was able to call customer service and since I’ve been a long standing Tivo customer, was able to get lifetime service on both boxes for $99 each. Therefore my monthly cost now is $0.
For streaming services, I have a Roku 3 downstairs and an Apple TV upstairs. I’m the biggest Apple fanboy out there, having had Apple products since an Apple ][ when I was a kid. However, I must say I’m not really happy with the Apple TV. It’s slow and buggy and I don’t like the interface. Prior to a couple of months ago, the channel offerings were quite sparse, though that’s recently changed.
The Roku 3 by comparison is fast, has a great interface and a ton of channel options. I subscribe to Amazon Prime and therefore use the Roku to view the Prime movies offered. I also have a Netflix subscription that I use on both devices.
I thought I would miss a lot of the shows offered on DirecTV, however I’ve found that I’m satisifed to wait till they come out on Amazon Prime or to just purchase them outright. I’ve been watching each season of Top Chef and am happy to pluck down $20-$25 per season with episodes available the day after they air.
A lifeline for cable cutters
One of the reasons a lot of people don’t cut the cord is they don’t want to miss out on ESPN and sports. SlingTV has just launched this past week and offers ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT, Disney Channel, Food Network, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, HGTV, plus others for $20.00 a month with no long term contract. It will work with Roku, iOS, Android, Mac, and PC. There are additional bundles that can be purchased for $5 extra per month to add more channels.
This is something I will definetly be trying out as it will be good to get some of these channels back.
Conclusion
It’s amazing how many other things you can do without having to watch TV. If you’re sick of paying thousands of dollars each year for TV subscriptions, try cutting the cord – there has never been as many options out there as there is now to supplement the programming lost by cancelling your contract.
Be aware that SlingTV is a streaming service, make sure your internet connection is strong. Also, it only supports one active stream at a time no matter the device in use (so if you want it on multiple concurrent devices you’d need multiple accounts). Otherwise it’s great to see Dish Network providing a more a-la-carte option!
I have cut the cord for 3 years. Antenna for the 3 TVs in the house, 2 Apple TVs (not an Apple fanboy). Netflix as my main viewing source. Waiting for SlingTV to get ESPN.