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Cut the cord—and the price tag!—of your cable TV. TV networks and cable are becoming a thing of the past, like video stores, dial-up internet, and the horse and buggy. Now you can buy the programming you want at a cheaper price than a huge cable package.
There are two parts to the cable alternative world: Hardware and services. Let’s look at popular streaming services first, and then find the hardware you need to get you there.
TV Streaming Services Are Growing
With all the streaming options out there, more and more programming is being developed just for streaming TV. You’ll want to choose services with your favorite shows and movies.
1. Netflix
With a growing number of Netflix original shows and new content each Friday, Netflix is currently the king of cable alternatives. Expect to pay $10 per month.
2. Amazon Prime or Amazon Instant
Amazon has a huge inventory of TV shows to buy or rent, or you can subscribe to Amazon Prime for $99 per year and stream many of the shows free. You can also stream movies and TV show for a modest cost on Amazon Instant without a Prime subscription.
3. HBO Now
This is an HBO streaming subscription for people without an HBO cable subscription. HBO has long been recognized for excellence in programming, so if you have been wondering about “Game of Thrones,” now’s your chance to try it for $15 a month.
4. Hulu Plus
If you miss your network TV shows, Hulu Plus probably has your favorites, and it’s $7.99 per month.
5. Sling TV
Hard to give up your regular cable favorites? Try Sling TV at $20 per month. Sling offers a small package of channels to stream, currently including TNT, TBS, CNN, the Food Network, the Cartoon Network, HGTV, the Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, and Adult Swim.
6. iTunes
ITunes has a great selection of pay-and-playTV (rather than subscription streaming). Movies are available as soon as they’re released on DVD and you can watch TV shows individually or on a Season Pass. If you have an Apple TV, you can stream to the TV using AirPlay.
7. Google Play
As in iTunes, Google Play has almost everything you could want for rent or purchase. There’s a sliding scale Season Pass for TV, too.
8. Plex
If you already own a library of movies and TV shows and want to get them up on your TV, Plex is the plan. It works with every platform and stores your media in the cloud for $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $149.99 for a lifetime subscription.
TV Streaming Devices Are Better All the Time
How do you get all that great streaming content on your TV and leave cable behind? Check out these favorite TV streaming devices.
9. Roku
Roku is a popular, easy-to-add set-top streaming device with dozens of channels and all the top streaming apps. Choose from Roku 1 though 4 or a streaming stick at $50 to $130.
See Related: 4 Reasons We’re Excited for The Roku 4K
10. Google Chromecast
Plug the Google Chromecast dongle ($35) into your HDMI port and play. You’ll find lots of streaming networks like a Roku has.
11. Apple TV
The latest Apple TV has an App Store with new content constantly added. Or use Apple TV’s set-top box with built-in apps for steaming video and music. Seamless playback with Siri and your other Apple devices is a big plus. The box is $150 fo
r 32GB or $200 for 64GB.
See Related: Should I Upgrade to the New Apple TV?
12. Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Prime members can stream all the content from Amazon Video, and there are many other benefits, including voice search. Fire TV is $100, but the cheaper Fire Stick is only $40.
To learn more about streaming TV options and Connected Home’s home theater installation, call us today at (910) 317-0876.