WEEKLY WHEATIES #2437
Cord Cutting, Instagram, X, Bluetooth, Windy
In this newsletter:
📝 Post: How to Cut Cable and Join the Cord Cutters Revolution
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Instagram and X.com
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Bluetooth 6
😎 Pick of the Week: Windy
📦 Featured Product: LCD Writing Tablet
📝 How to Cut Cable and Join the Cord Cutters Revolution
With DirecTV looking to have ABC, ESPN, and Disney off their guides for the foreseeable future, some of you may be looking to make moves. For others, you may be tired of paying an exorbitant amount of money for a basic cable package. With monthly changes in prices, missing channels, hardware issues, software changes, and more, what gives? For those who remember, where are my DirecTV Picture-in-Picture fans? For something that's been around for years before cable providers, you'd think they would keep it after making it available… I digress.
So why cut cable?
While money is a major reason many do, it's not the only reason. When trying to figure out monthly budgets, cable subscriptions have a knack for changing month to month or year to year and require you to call and beg them to treat current customers as good as they advertise for new customers. This can be aggravating and tiresome nonetheless. Something else to consider for those who don't know much about cable, if you want to travel and watch all of your shows and movies wherever you are, streaming services can't be beat. You’ve probably even witnessed this yourself while on vacation over the years. Streaming services can be mixed and matched to make sure all the content you want to consume is available appropriately wherever you are.
What about my local news and live sports?
This is the biggest fear cord-cutters have. However, there's a few ways to approach this, with a backup plan, too. We'll start there first - a simple HD antenna. There are tons of antennas to consider, and not personally having one - I won't suggest any particular antenna. Amazon has various levels of models based on budget and what strength antenna you need. In general, an antenna mounted outside will receive signals better than those inside. To see what stations are available to you based on your location, start with the FCC. You can also use a mobile app like Antenna Point based on your specific location and direction.
An antenna will receive basic over the air channels for free. However, by itself, you will lose DVR functions. There are a few options to combat this. DVRs can be purchased as standalone products with an antenna connected to them. There are some inexpensive ones on Amazon (Mediasonic), all the way to subscription-based services like Tivo. Keep in mind, most streaming services listed below offer these local channels live and an antenna is only needed for back up, unless you opt not to purchase a live streaming service. If you can do without sports, most local news channels broadcast live through an app on a media device (Livestream, YouTube, etc).
Below are a few of the more major streaming services that offer live TV. Prices, availability of channels, and access on through the various devices (Firestick, Chromecast, Apple TV, etc.) all range.
Below are some of the major streaming services not affiliated with live TV, that offer various TV shows and movies. Again, ranging in price and device access.
Amazon Prime Video (also included in an Amazon Prime subscription)
Disney+ / ESPN+ / HBO Max / Hulu Bundle
Paramount+ (included in Walmart+)
Note: As mentioned, some of these services may be included in other non-streaming service plans. Many mobile phone providers like ATT and Verizon also have plans that include streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and more.
If you plan to cut the cord, there may be some other issues that arise. If you pay for Internet through the same company you pay for cable, your internet cost could rise due to higher bandwidth needed. Check out Weekly Wheaties #2436 to see how much bandwidth you need. With that in mind, it may not be worth cutting - at least for now. Something else to note is if you're under contract with a certain service. If there is a $250+ cancellation fee and there are only a few months left on the contract, the math doesn't make sense to cancel. Everyone's situation is different, so consider your situation carefully.
What service to choose?
This isn’t a clean and-cut answer. At least for the masses. It’s up to you to decide what channels are your must-haves. You have to decide if you’re willing to pay a little extra for convenience to have everything in one location/app, or are you willing to sacrifice a little hassle for extra savings? For example, if you don’t want sports, the Hulu (non-live) option may give you everything you need just a day or two later. In a perfect world, you may have multiple services to get all the channels you want. However, it’s important to note: even bundling two of the live TV services is probably cheaper than your normal cable bill. *That’s not the goal, but it shows the opportunity, as none of the subscription services have monthly or yearly contracts.
Outside of live TV, there are many other services available. Some are only available independently (Netflix, Amazon Video, Apple+), while others may be included in some plans or available as an add-on. For example: CBS All Access, Hallmark Movies Now, HBO Now, Showtime, AMC Premiere, etc., can be purchased independently. This is an important consideration for a few reasons. If you choose a streaming service that doesn’t include one of the above channels you’re interested in, you can subscribe to them individually.
For specific channel access for the above services, consider subscribing for a month or two at a time and not leaving the subscription active all year long. You may only want Fubu TV in the fall for sports but switch to Sling in the Spring and only use Netflix over the summer. These services allow a great breadth of mix and matching. The a la carte option is available every month – without a contract, you can switch them up every month as needed. That’s the beauty of these services. You can have Netflix one month and Hulu the next. Or only Hallmark in December. Plan your shows and binge sessions accordingly.
For movies and specific TV shows, don't forget about rentals and purchases through the various stores (Amazon, iTunes, Google, Vudu, Redbox). This is something to consider when cord-cutting as a whole. There may be a particular show you want to watch from a certain channel and that's it. You may can purchase one season of the show cheaper than you'd have to pay for an upgraded package for a certain service. Ultimately, you'd be saving money and can potentially have even greater flexibility in watching your own content.
If you know exactly what show or movie you want to watch, JustWatch.com is a great site to show you just that - whether to stream, rent, or purchase. It will also let you input the services you currently subscribe to and show what is available to access.
Before subscribing to any service, check the prices in multiple locations, too. Sometimes, subscriptions through the App Store (iOS), the Play Store (Android), or the Amazon Store will have higher rates to cover the additional fees they charge for the service. However, if they're the same price (or marginally higher), it may be worth it to you to easily watch your content on a certain device. Subscribing directly from the service could net you discounts, free trials, or free hardware in some cases.
FREE Services!
While there are many paid subscription services, there are also free services you can take advantage of that offer a mix of TV shows and movies. These include:
Kanopy (through your local library account)
Some of the paid services offer a free tier that allows watching certain shows without a paid login. For example, AMC allows some episodes of current shows to be streamed for free. These play ads, but that’s expected with free content of any kind. Be careful, though, as they aren’t available indefinitely. Some are only accessible at certain times, generally a week or so after the first live airing. Keep this in mind and search out the shows and channels you want to watch before choosing a service.
What device should I get?
My suggestion is to decide what service you'd like to use before choosing a device. The various media players available all function very similarly, and only choosing a service because you want to use a specific device will not work well in the long run. Unlike streaming services, hardware devices are more difficult to replace in comparison. You can also use multiple types of devices for the same service, meaning you can mix and match. Some have a less expensive barrier to entry, but have bigger caveats. For example, the least expensive device - the Google Chromecast - doesn’t come with a remote. The least expensive versions of the Amazon Firestick and Rokus only function over Wi-Fi. Hardwired internet connections are always suggested when streaming media, at least for your main TV. They will work more reliably and may take precedence over Wi-Fi-connected devices should your internet speed slow down or bandwidth become limited.
If you want more in-depth information on any of the topics discussed, this post on Reddit has some great information with many links.
What are your favorite streaming services?
🗞️ ICYMI: Instagram and X.com
With all of the available Social Media services to choose from, some are looking at the playbook from ones that have come and gone (or at least loose their mass following). Instagram has now been updated to include an option to add a song to your profile. You know… like MySpace used to do. If we wait long enough, we may eventually be able to list our Top 8 friends or see what classes they’re in.
In Twitter world, now known as X.com, Community Notes can be requested on certain posts to help battle misinformation. It appears to have mixed emotions, especially as X originally declined a request from Brazil’s courts to block a senator’s account. Then, Brazil blocked the X app from their users, which was then followed by X blocking itself to keep Starlink active. Which, after all of the confusion, Bluesky appears to have added over 2 millions users while fans look for an alternative. Twitter is noted to have over 500 million users worldwide, so time will tell how things progress.
🗞️ ICYMI: Bluetooth 6
The communication standard known as Bluetooth has just announced a new 6.0 version. This update comes with some under-the-hood changes that mostly affect the speed of communication between devices, along with connection updates, but there is a new feature that will be useful for many. Bluetooth Channel Sounding will allow a user to determine the direction and range between two Bluetooth devices. This will mimic what some Apple users have access to on the Find My Network with Airtags by being able to track devices by location in regard to distance and direction.
😎 POTW: Windy: Weather Radar
Sometimes you just want to look at a map of the radar. And sometimes you want to dive deeper and look at maps of cloud coverage, wind, temperature, waves, and much more. They even show Wet-bulb temperature for those wanting to stay safe while working outdoors in the extreme heat. Download their mobile app on the App Store or Google Play store, or check out Windy.com on your browser of choice for a simple and powerful weather forecast.
📦 Featured Product
I’ve talked about To Do Lists before, along with Minimalistic Phones, but sometimes you just want a quick way to jot down handwritten notes. I’ve talked about being a fan of the Black and Red Business Notebooks before, but sometimes you want something even more basic and reusable. If so, check out the LCD Writing Tablet. It can even be for kids to draw on as there are multiple colors of the tablet and multiple colors of the pen when drawing.
