Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “How to stream like a pro: Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku”.
So I’ve never paid for cable, but I’m still able to watch everything that I want. To. A bunch of TV shows movies., I’m watching Westworld on HBO right now.. You probably already know this, but you save a ton of money by streaming. Everything you want. Instead of paying for cable.
– And I’m not talking about pirating things, either. Going the streaming route lets, you be a lot more selective about what you get and what you don’t. And that can save you a bunch of money.. The average cable bill is over $ 100.
A month, but there are some decisions to make, especially if you get a lot of channels., It’s not as easy as just calling up Comcast and Verizon and asking them to turn your service., But if you’re thinking of going the streaming route. The fact is that you don’t have to miss out on a lot and you can save a lot of money. Okay, so first we need to talk about hardware., But before we even get to streaming.
One thing you should know is that you can still get a number of channels for free using a digital antennae. Seriously, it’s legal and it’s like 20 bucks., But this is old school TV. It’s in order with ads., There’s no DVR no on demand..
So that’s really helpful because it’s free and always available, but it’s not going to be as convenient as streaming. Alright. So what do you need to stream? You already know how to do it on your phone or your computer, but the real goal is to get these shows on your TV..
And if you already have a smart TV, then you’re basically set.. If you have something that can play Netflix or Hulu or has an app store that lets, you download those apps, then you’re good to go., And if your smart TV is really confusing, then don’t worry about it. Everybody who doesn’t have a smart TV like myself, you’re Just going to have to buy a streaming box. And that box will probably have a better easier interface..
I’Ve got a Samsung TV from 2012, with absolutely no smart, features. And so to get streaming. I have two boxes hooked up to it..
I have an Apple TV and a Chromecast.. You don’t need both I’m just a nerd.. The Chromecast is super cheap., It’s like $ 35, but it doesn’t have an interface. Seriously. You turn it on and there’ just nothing.. You control it all through your phone.. So it’s a little confusing and I really wouldn’t recommend it for most people.. My favorite is the Apple TV.. I don’t even have the newest one.. My model is from 2012 and it still works fine.. If you have a 4K TV, though, make sure you get the newest model. And if you’re, not a big Apple fan, Roku also makes some really nice streaming. Boxes.. All of these devices will let you stream. Whatever service you want.
You’Ll just have to go and look for. It. You’ll usually have to browse app by app to see what’s available, which can be a little slow and frustrating if you’re used to live channel surfing., But I definitely prefer it.. It’S certainly quieter. And that’s pretty much it..
The next step is to pick which services you want to pay for., But before we get into that, let’s talk for second about why streaming services are so complicated. Because they’re supposed to be a dream. Where you pay for just what you wanted and nothing you didn’t..
It’S really not that at all. Sure you can subscribe to Netflix and Hulu on their own, but that’s just like HBO and Starz. They’re, basically premium cable channels that stand on their own.
And yeah. You can rent anything you want from iTunes, but that’s basically just a modern, DVD store.. If you actually want to stream traditional live TV, then you’re still going to be stuck with a bundle..
Why is that? The problem is TV? Is expensive and TV networks know they can make more money by selling channels together., So Viacom might require your cable provider to offer MTV BET and VH1 together., Even if it just wants MTV. Do that over and over and over again and suddenly you’re at the 200. Some channel cable package – you have today. Streaming TV, isn’t that bad..
It still has bundles, but streaming services know that consumers are looking for smaller packages, and so they don’t get too out of hand.. But it gets tricky when you bring in sports.. Sports are really popular and really expensive and rights for them usually end up spread across a bunch of different networks.. That means streaming. Services have to out of their way to get certain games and you’ll have to go out of your way. To make sure you pick the services that have what you want.
Alright., So what services should you actually subscribe to? What’S too much and what’s too little Right now, I’m subscribed to Amazon, Hulu and HBO, and I’m mooching off of Netflix account. Between those I have access to most of the TV shows people are talking about and some huge back catalogs to watch.. I actually don’t think any one service is amazing for movies, so I like to rent them off of iTunes. They’re like three to five bucks, a piece and just doing that once a week is still going to be cheaper than subscribing to another service.. Ok, so that works for me. But what about you? What, if you’re watching a ton TV shows on a bunch of different channels? Are you still gon na be able to go the streaming route and save money? The answer is probably as long as you’re watching stuff. On major networks. Hulu has a live TV service with 50 some channels for $ 40, a month.
Sling TV offers even smaller packages. One starts at $ 20 and comes with a bunch major channels. You might not be missing out on a lot, including AMC, ESPN and CNN.
AT .