I'm cutting the cord and this is what I'm doing
I decided about a month ago after talking to some friends who had cut the cord to cut the cord myself and here’s what I’m planning to do and what I’ve done.
I wanted to make sure I could get the 4 free broadcast networks OTA(Over the Air) so I went here: http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx and decided to try out this antenna here: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B00DIFIO8E/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448667631&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=hd+anten . I ran a channel scan and was surprised that I picked up the 4 broadcast networks and many more. I’m going to end up using this antenna upstairs on our main TV: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B00DIFIO8E/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448667631&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=hd+anten
My next thoughts were focused on what services offer what. I’m still learning about things here but it looks like Hulu($7.99) has more TV programming while Netflix($7.99) has more movies. You can try this service here: http://www.canistream.it/ to see which services have what you want.
We love HBO so it’s great that HBO Now($14.99) is available. We will definitely be purchasing this since we’ve gotta watch Game of Thrones.
I have to have my football in the fall so I thought this would be the one hole I couldn’t fill but SlingTV($20): https://www.sling.com now streams ESPN and ESPN2. I can also add ESPU, ESPNNEWS, and the SEC Network as well for $5 more. BTW, You also get AMC, HGTV, IFC and all the Turner Networks as well for $20.
I will be using an Amazon Fire TV to stream everything: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U3FPN4U?refRID=G7YCQV3JFMQASF7SQ7RH&ref_=pd_cart_vw_2_3_p I am using the Fire TV because I also already have an Amazon Prime account so I can take advantages of the offerings they have as well. I will probably use an AppleTV in the basement since I already have one.
So now that I have the content and the device to stream it, who will provide my internet access. I am going with Comcast Business Class and using their Deluxe 50 plan. I could go with the Deluxe 25 plan but I work alot from home and want the faster speed and I think the extra $10 is worth it. You need to go with Comcast Business Class to get unlimited internet. Normal Xfinity plans are limited to 300gig per month and you’ll reach that very quickly streaming movies.
My wife also likes to stream music from the Xfinity receiver to our stereo so we are going to replace this with a Chromecast Audio streamer here: https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/chromecast/?utm_source=chromecast.com since we already each have Google Play Music Unlimited accounts.
One time costs:
$40 for antenna to get ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox(and many weird channels, too)
$75 for Amazon FireTV(this was a Christmas deal)
$35 for Chromecast Audio Streamer
Yearly costs:
$100 Amazon Prime(Free shipping, Free tv and movies, Free monthly books)
Monthly costs:
$109 Comcast Business Class 50/10 dedicated(unlimited internet)
$7.99 Hulu
$14.99 HBO Now
$20 SlingTV