am I ready to cut the cable and be a cable cutter?

 

There is no doubt that the biggest savings in your monthly service fee comes from when you cut the cable. But how do you know if the being a cable cutter is really for you?

In order to help with this decision, we have put together a little guide. Our “cut the cable” guide will help you understand the best and most common practices our citizens use to watch TV with low cost solutions.

 

 

1. Free to Air HDTV Antenna –

Price – after one time investment (5$ to 200$)

• Rabbit “ears”, or should we say “years” are back! 
  • Most Canadian’s living near our border or urban centres can access free TV via “Free to Air” HDTV antennas, much like the old rabbit ears.
  • An HDTV antenna is a great solution for cable cutters wishing to watch News and Primetime Television from the major networks.
  • Citizen’s near the American border can access free American content and sporting events. Watch the Super Bowl with American commercials!
  • Many products exist today that allow you to also record and redistribute your TV content. Enjoy free TV on all your devices.

 

• Drawbacks to HDTV antennas. 
  • There are commercials, but there are also many tools to PVR your antenna signal today.
  • For some, getting signal will not be an easy task. For others, minimal effort and a cheap solution awaits you.

Visit this page for more details on Free to Air HDTV TV

2. Netflix –

Price – monthly fee (8.99$-13.99$)

• With over 4,000,000 Canadian subscribers
  • Netflix has been the biggest and strongest ally to cable cutters since the phrase cut the cable was invented
  • One of the biggest content providers in Canada from the USA is now also going to produce Canadian content for Canadians
  • Their app is downloadable on most smart devices. Any phone tablet, gaming console or computer can access Netflix.
  • Netflix has also been producing their own content. Political drama, International cartel and Marvel TV awaits you.

 

• Drawbacks to Netflix streaming services
  • Since investing in their own productions, price has started to climb. Yet still a far cry from your cable providers service bill.
  • Without an unlimited Internet connection, you could face hefty overage charges. One two hour movie in HD is six to seven Gigabytes
  • You will need at the least a 10Mbps Internet connection to stream HD content on one device and one device connected to the internet.

Visit this page for more details on Netflix and their service.

 

3. Android Box –

Price – one time fee (100$-250$)

• Android boxes have the ability to turn any HDMI port into a genius!
  • One should think of the android box a nothing more than a computer. It is in fact nothing more than a computer running on Android OS like your phone 
  • The appeal for the boxes have been their ability to turn any screen into a functioning TV through the HDMI port.
  • Android boxes also have the ability to act as gaming consoles. Hence retro gaming like Nintendo and playstation are an app away
  • Hundreds if not thousands of TV apps already exist for the Android box including Netflix, Kodi, Crackle as well as most Canadian broadcasters.

 

• Drawbacks to the Android boxes. 
  • Like phones, tablets and computers, Android boxes too have technology that expire in what seems like a matter of years based on history.
  • With many boxes on the market, how to make the right choice is sometimes a challenge.
    • Big retailers sell branded products with more committed warranty
    • Smaller and Kijiji retailers tend to sell more b or c brands
    • You should have backup solution if your truly cut the cable

Visit this page for more details on our Android products.

 

5. Kodi –

Price – free + time it takes to learn

• Kodi is the ultimate tool to cut the cable and is a hit with cable cutters
  • Kodi is an open source Video and Music browser that can be installed on most devices, but is most popular accompanied in an android box 
  • From install you are able to access Addons that allow you to stream legal and legitimate content from many different content providers worldwide. 
  • The app has been under fire because it is also just as easy to access all the content ever digitized helped along with “Pre-Loaded” boxes
  • Google and Youtube remain the best place to learn all and anything about free TV with instructional videos and details

 

• Drawbacks to Kodi
  • Many cable cutter live by Kodi as their only solution to TV but it does have it’s own list of issues stemming from legal battles and unstable sources.
  • If you are a sports fan looking to watch live games, note that the quality is still lacking in high speed actions sports or live TV in general
  • With politics forever changing in the favour of the big guys, Kodi will run into more bumps but seems to iron them out in a matter of days/weeks.

Visit this Kodi page to learn how to download and install. 

 

In conclusion, those who are done with letting their TV dictate the time they need to sit and watch or be subject to horrendous ads without consent. If you are up for a slight learning curve, then you maybe ready to cut the cable and call yourself a cable cutter!

Read more related topics: Internet speed, Unlimited Internet, Wifi, VoIP home phone.