hi folks and welcome to another topical
deep dive here on the cord cutters news
channel and this one's for all the first
timers and could be first timers out
there yes this week we're focusing on
our favorite tips for those considering
a move away from cable or satellite for
the very first time maybe you're tired
of your cable or satellite service and
maybe you've heard of this whole cord
cutting phenomenon but you're a bit
intimidated about where to start well
we've gathered together our best bits of
advice to hopefully make that leap a
little less daunting and we also reached
out to our cord cutting tech support
group over on facebook for their advice
as well so are you looking to cut the
cord this one's for you this is cord
cutting 101 the best tips for cutting
the cord
what is cord cutting anyway
well put simply when we talk about
cutting the cord we're talking about the
act of canceling your cable or satellite
service and moving to something more
flexible and potentially more affordable
like streaming services but it's also a
bit of a misnomer because cutting the
cord doesn't mean you're completely cord
free for most of the cable and satellite
alternatives out there you'll still need
some sort of connection to the internet
now if you get your internet service
from the same company that provides your
cable or satellite tv well that might
not feel like you're cutting the cord
entirely but odds are it's still worth
exploring so let's talk about our
favorite tips for first time cord
cutters
before you make the cut take your time
the first thing to remember is that cord
cutting is not a single either or
proposition you can dip your toes in
gradually and experiment with as much as
you're comfortable with or as one of the
members of our core cutting tech support
group puts it
cord cutting is not one size fits all
don't rush take your time in discovering
which apps will fit with your viewing
habits don't cut any of your current
services until you're comfortable with
your new streaming setup
learn more about what you like to watch
and how
if you're looking to branch out away
from cable now would be a good time to
learn about how you actually view your
content are you hooked into a regular
routine of a handful of select show and
channels do you like to channel surf and
explore and sample as much of your cable
package as possible the more you know
about how you consume content the better
equipped you'll be when it comes to
choosing cable or satellite alternatives
take it from another member of our
facebook group i think it is important
for newbies to figure out what they want
their experience to be like a person who
binge watches is going to be very
different from a channel surfer
and that leads directly into our next
tip instead of searching for ways to
just replace your cable or satellite
service search for ways to better suit
your actual viewing habits
for a lot of people the standard cable
model of throwing dozens and dozens of
channels your way may not be the most
logical or practical approach maybe
you'd like to pare down to the channels
or subjects you're most interested in
and hopefully save some money at the
same time there are several live tv
streaming services out there that rival
the channel lineup of a traditional
cable package and if that's what you're
after then definitely check out the
likes of youtube tv fubotv hulu with
live sling tv and directv stream those
are among the most cable-like streaming
services on the market right now and
they're a good place to start for many
that enjoy the traditional cable
experience
if you'd like live tv streaming but
perhaps with a more modest and more
affordable channel lineup check out
philo friendly vidco and maybe one of
slings blue or orange packages
and beyond just replacing your cable or
satellite service cutting the cord
presents a great opportunity to tailor
your entertainment to better reflect
your individual interests so definitely
check out the lineups offered by the
various live tv streaming services as
well as on-demand services like netflix
amazon prime video disney plus hbo max
and many many more and while you're
taking a moment to learn about your own
viewing habits it's also worth checking
to see what channels might already be
freely available in your area which
brings us to check if an over-the-air
antenna is a viable reliable option
where you live
if you're a long-time cable or satellite
user you may have forgotten all about
the humble over-the-air antenna and if
so it's definitely worth checking if
your location is a good fit for an
indoor or outdoor model we'll include a
link down below in the video description
where you can plug in your address and
see some recommendations and if you
discover that a nintendo would be a good
fit that could be a great freeway to
access a surprising number of local
channels
and on a personal level discovering that
we had solid over-the-air access to
local channels was a huge deciding
factor when we finally cut the court a
few years ago when you're ready to start
streaming
think about how you'll access those
streaming services
if you're making the move away from
cable or satellite then you might also
be wondering how exactly you can access
all those fancy streaming apps and
services we've been talking about you
don't have to be tied to the box your
cable company provided you've got more
options now and two of the biggest
avenues for accessing streaming services
are smart tvs and dedicated streaming
devices smart tvs are just tvs with
streaming app support built right in
these can be really convenient
especially if you'd rather not deal with
changing hdmi inputs or multiple remote
controls and maybe you already own a tv
with built-in app support on the
downside though depending on the type of
smart tv app support may not be as
robust as it is elsewhere also the
performance may not be as impressive as
it could be on the dedicated streaming
devices we'll discuss in a second but if
the convenience and simplicity intrigue
you it might be worth exploring a smart
tv as the next centerpiece in your
living room on the other hand dedicated
streaming devices can add app support
and streaming smarts to your tv for less
money compared to buying a brand new
smart tv there are often small
unassuming boxes that don't take up too
much space in your entertainment center
and some are so small they just hang off
of an hdmi connection out of sight on
the back of your tv
dedicated streaming devices can offer
better performance than many smart tvs
which can translate into quicker app
loading and smoother menu navigation and
it's often easier and cheaper to upgrade
a dedicated device versus upgrading your
smart tv and by the way even if you have
a smart tv you can still add a dedicated
streaming device if you don't like using
the apps on your smart tv in other words
you have some flexibility here don't be
afraid to experiment
the sheer number of streaming options
out there can be overwhelming but there
is no rush and no minimum number you
need to try before you make your choices
so take your time and check out the
services that have the channels and
content you're interested in take
advantage of free trials and extended
trial periods to really get familiar
with the service and see how well it
runs on your smart tv or dedicated
streaming hardware
many of these services make it really
simple to cancel service too which makes
experimenting even easier ask your
friends and family what services they
like what they like about them and what
they don't like about them and if you're
all up for in-person visiting right now
maybe pay them a visit and take some
time to try out the services they use to
see if you like how the apps are
organized and if you enjoy using the
service and again you can try out any
number of streaming apps at one time
before you decide to cut your cable or
satellite bill so test away but just
remember to cancel any free trials for
services you're not interested in before
they start charging you decide what's
important to you and which features
aren't worth the extra cost
okay maybe you've narrowed your choices
down to one or more streaming services
in a lot of cases you can still tailor
your experience to more closely match
your needs some services offer different
payment tiers with different features
and options and maybe you don't need
everything that a top tier plan offers
andrew g from our core cutting tech
support group has a good example when it
comes to paying for features you want
and avoiding ones you don't ask yourself
do you really need a dvr if that's
important great if it's not don't go out
of your way to find a streaming service
that has one at the capacity you think
you need and then not use it
no really take your time
i know we already said this is the first
thing you should remember about cutting
the cord but it's definitely worth
repeating and reminding yourself as you
start familiarizing yourself with a
growing number of streaming options i'll
let greg d from our facebook group take
it from here this will be a new
experience and can seem intimidating you
don't have to cut the cord on day one
take your time and make an informed
decision and get services that fit your
wants when you're all done and pull the
trigger figure out what you're going to
do with all that cash you're going to
save every month
wrapping it all up
so there you go those were some of our
favorite tips for getting started in the
world of cord cutting and as always
thank you for watching and of course if
you consider yourself a cord cutting
veteran be sure to add your favorite
tips and tricks in the comments section
down below maybe you've picked up some
best practices over the years or maybe
there are steps you wish you would have
taken when you first canceled your cable
or satellite bill you might be helping
someone who's been on the fence about
cutting the cord and just needs a little
encouragement and if this is your first
time visiting our channel welcome we
hope you found this video useful and we
also hope you consider clicking on those
like and subscribe buttons down below
we'd really appreciate it and we publish
videos every week to keep core cutters
and streamers out there up to date on
all the latest news all the latest
hardware and services and a whole lot
more plus you'd be joining a great group
of knowledgeable cord cutters and we'd
love to have you and don't forget our
cord cutting tech support group over on
facebook for now though my name is
phillip palermo thanks again for tuning
in and we'll see you all next time take
care