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Cutting The Cord: How To Get Rid Of Cable Like A Millennial

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Before I go in depth about cutting cable to improve your quality of life, I think a quick rap is necessary to demonstrate how happy I am since cutting the cord..drop a beat on me.

Yo - I hid my streaming device
cut cable out my life

got no more strife
smile shining so bright

dope pair of kicks and my slicked back hair
PS VUE got me flying, no airfare

cable companies just can't compare
always going wide-left like Blair

ECHOGEAR's more orange than Syracuse
Theintern's got hot rhymes like Dr. Seuss

BOOM. #FIRE

Now that you are in a fresh mood, let’s get to it!



Why Cut The Cord?

Cable companies are basically the Bran Flakes of watching TV in 2017, definitely not the way to go for millennials. Not to mention the horrible customer service, making you pay for channels you don’t need, and charging you so much that ramen is back on the menu.

Up until a few years ago, there weren’t any other options for live TV and local sports besides cable, so we all suffered in silence. But with internet speeds increasing and movie streaming services popping like champagne corks, we have started to take back the power. In 2017, you have options ranging from streaming cable channels to cutting the cable cord completely and just rolling with services like Netflix.

We’re here to help you decide the best way to cut the cord, and finally free yourself from the tyranny of cable companies. Below are a few different ways you can cut the cord. Do you like watching live TV? Do you care about watching local sports? Are you content with watching shows on Netflix? Once you figure that out, you will fit into one of the groups below, and be well on your way to TV freedom.



I’m Sick Of The Cable Company’s BS, But I Still Want To Watch Cable Channels

Dumping the long term contract and high price of a traditional cable package has never been easier or more liberating. Each of the options is a bit different, so you are sure to find something that fits your requirements & budget.

Your options: Slingbox, PS VUE, DirectTV Now

We decided we didn't need to reinvent the wheel on an in depth comparison, check out all the in depth details from CNET

These services usually fall in the $30-$60/mo range, but are contract free, meaning you can cancel in the summer when your baseball team is a hot mess like the Minnesota Twins. You will need a streaming device to run these services, and we recommend a newer device that has a radio frequency (RF) remote that doesn’t require line of sight to work. That way, you can hide your devices behind your TV without the need for a IR repeater, giving your TV a modern look. A few compatible devices include:

While streaming sticks will be cheaper, I’d recommend something with a little more processing power under the hood, like an Amazon Fire TV or Roku Ultra. I use an Amazon Fire TV and an old Roku 3, and I can be streaming different PS VUE channels from both without an issue.

If you still want live local sports channels (like a regional FoxSports cannel), PS VUE and the upgraded Sling package both have it. While PS VUE will be a bit more expensive, it has a better interface, cloud DVR, and a beefier channel lineup. If you can spare an extra $10/mo (what’s $10 to me? Straight cash homie), this is the best option right now for streaming cable channels, especially if you are used to having a DVR. Losing the ability to record shows feels like trading in your smartphone for a rusty tetanus infected landline.

As with all streaming services, if you don’t have great internet or a good router, you could get some buffering or drop issues. I had to purchase a better router when I changed to PS VUE (I choose the NETGEAR AC-1600 Dual Band Router), and now everything is fast and reliable like Antonio Brown. Once or twice a week the stream will pause for a few seconds, but not enough to upset my chill vibe.

Overall - now that I have a better router, I love PS VUE. I easily save $50/mo, and will save even more in the summer when I turn it off because baseball puts me to sleep faster than cheap vodka. Sling will be cheaper (depends on your package), but it doesn’t have the advanced features of PS VUE. If you cut cable, invest the $50/mo savings for the next 30 years and earn 8% interest, you would end up with $68k just for giving Comcast the boot! You’re welcome for the free investing advice.




I Need Cable Out Of My Life For Good

The main reason I kept cable via PS VUE was for local sports, but I use streaming services for actual shows. We are in the golden age of TV, and 99% of the best shows aren’t on a cable network. Instead, streaming services are coming out with pure magic like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things, while not having their content censored by a network. Watch on your own time, and avoid cable all together with movie/TV streaming services such as:

  • Netflix: $9.99/mo
  • Amazon Video: $8.99/mo (free for Prime Members)
  • Hulu: $7.99/mo
  • HBO Now: $14.00/mo

Each has it’s pros & cons, but streaming services offer flexibility and a ton of content at a rock bottom price. Just want to watch one show on a specific service? Pay for one month (or do the free trial), watch the show, then cancel your subscription. It’s easy and gives you the ultimate control of what you pay for. Suave move, my dude.

While movies on streaming services tend to be mediocre at best, the awesome shows are worth the cash. The ability to jump services to maximize your money gives you good vibrations rivaling that of Marky Mark and/or the Funky Bunch.

You will also need a streaming device for these services, but if you have a smart TV, most streaming services like Netflix can run directly off of that, no extra equipment required.



I Don’t Care About TV, I Just Want To Cut A Cord

As a self proclaimed American Samurai, I know a fair bit about weapons. In fact, I recently hand crafted one, the ECHOGEAR Shadowfury Axe. It’s from a line of zombie apocalypse defense weapons I’m designing in our lab. Don’t tell my boss.
 


The key to a good cable cut is to make sure it is pulled tight, so tight that it makes a sweet whiplash noise when you slice it. Unless you are trained in the art of Tai Che, don’t let your buddy hold the cable, the probability for chaos is high when the mighty ECHOGEAR Axe is swung.

So turn on some Stan Bush tunes, and take out years of pent up cable company fury by cutting cords. This is the most effective way to literally cut the cable, guaranteed.



Other Benefits Of Cutting The Cord

Beyond saving bundles of cash, and sticking it to the cable company, there are other great benefits of cutting the cord. The huge one is improving the look and function of your TV viewing space. Because you don’t need to have a cable box, you can have a much smaller media player, or use the TVs built in smart features to run a streaming service. That allows you to mount your TV and get rid of the furniture as well. By combining an ECHGOEAR TV mount, sound bar mount, and streaming device mount, you can go from a behemoth TV stand with cords everywhere, to a clean modern look like I did at my pad:



Boom. That’s how you cut the cord like a suave millennial. My Amazon Fire TV is safely secured to the back of the TV, and I can smile while firing up my PS VUE, because none of the money from my parent’s trust fund is going to the cable company. What a huge win for team Theintern.

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