Cord Cutting For Dummies

Paul McFedries is a technical writer who has been authoring computer books since 1991 and has over 100 books to his credit. These books include Alexa For Dummies and Amazon Fire TV For Dummies. You can visit Paul on the web at www.mcfedries.com.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Some Cord-Cutting Basics 5Chapter 1: Why Cut the Cord? 7What’s So Bad about Cable? (Let Me Count the Ways) 8Cable TV is expensive 8You still get bombarded by commercials 9You probably watch only a teensy fraction of what you pay for 9Bundles are (usually) bad 9Long-term (read: loyal) customers pay more, not less 10You’re getting nickeled-and-dimed 10You’re dealing with a near-monopoly 11Customer service is pretty much non-existent 12Technical support is a pain in the you-know-what 12Those darned contracts! 13Some Reasons Why Cutting the Cord Might Not Be for You 13Your savings might be less than you hoped 13You might still have to deal with channel bundles 14You might still see commercials 14TV watching will become more complex for you 15You’ll use way more Internet bandwidth — and perhaps pay for the privilege 15Your monthly Internet bill will probably go up 16The quality of the streaming video might be poor 16You might have to wait a long time to watch new shows 16You might never see some new shows 17The Benefits of Severing Your Connection to the Cable Company 17You save money 18You’ll probably be happier in the long run 18You unshackle your TV 18You unshackle yourself 19You’re in control 19Surveying the Cord-Free Landscape 20Chapter 2: Snip, Snip Your 7-Step Plan to Going Cord-Free 23Step 1: Deciding What You Want to Watch 24Option A: Going with just your “must see” TV shows 24Option B: Going with just a few streaming services 25Option C: Going with OTA live TV 26Step 2: Figuring Out the Equipment You Need 26Step 3: Making a Streaming Services Budget 27Step 4: Trying Out Lots of Streaming Services — for Free! 29Step 5: Subscribing to Streaming Services 30Step 6: Doing a Cord-Cutting Test Drive 31Step 7: Cutting the Cord — Woo-Hoo! 32Check your contract 33Check your bandwidth history 33Gather everything you need 33Get ready mentally 34Know the process 34Return all equipment 36Part 2: Cord Cutting Made Easy with Over-the-Air TV 37Chapter 3: Understanding Over-the-Air TV 39OTA? OTT? Live TV? What on Earth Is Everyone Talking About? 40What is over-the-air TV? 41The pros and cons of over-the-air TV 42How Over-the-Air TV Works 45The television station 45The transmission tower 46The antenna and tuner 46What Channels Can You Access? 48Understanding the factors that affect signal strength 49Checking the FCC’s digital TV reception maps 50Using TV Fool’s TV signal locator 52Real versus virtual channels 54Chapter 4: Choosing and Setting Up OTA Hardware 57What Equipment Do You Need? 58Choosing an OTA Digital Antenna 62Antenna styles 62Determine the range 63Indoor or outdoor? 63Amplified or not? 64Unidirectional or multidirectional? 66Look for VHF/UHF support 67Watch out for bogus or exaggerated claims 68Installing Your Antenna 70Installing an indoor antenna 70Installing an outdoor antenna 71Connecting Your Antenna 73Making coaxial connections 73Connecting an antenna to one TV 74Connecting an antenna to multiple TVs 75Connecting an antenna to your computer 77Connecting an antenna to your mobile device 78Connecting an antenna to your Wi-Fi network 78Improving antenna reception 79Scanning for OTA Channels 80Chapter 5: Watching Over-the-Air and Live TV 83Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Regular TV 84Changing the TV input source 84Watching over-the-air TV 86Where’s the TV guide? 87Recording over-the-air TV 87Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Smart TV 91Watching Over-the-Air TV Using a Streaming Device 93Look, Ma, No Antenna! Streaming Live TV 93Part 3: Cable-Free Viewing with Streaming Services 97Chapter 6: The Hardware You Need for Streaming 99Let’s Talk TVs 100Screen size 100Resolution 101HDMI ports 102Streamers: Set-Top Box or Dongle? 103Set-top box streamers 104Dongle streamers 105Set-top box streamer versus dongle streamer 105What to Look for in a Streaming Media Player 106Smart TVs for Streaming Media 109Setting Up Your Hardware 111Connecting a set-top player 111Connecting a streaming stick 113Configuring your streaming player 115Chapter 7: Getting Your Internet Access Ready for Streaming 117Investing in a New Router 118Extending Your Wi-Fi Network 121How Much Bandwidth Is Enough? 122Taking a look at streaming media bandwidth usage 123Going on a bandwidth diet 124Understanding How Streaming Works 126The streaming process 126More about buffering 127I Feel the Need — the Need for Speed! 129Why does speed matter? 129How fast is fast enough? 130Testing your Internet speed 131Chapter 8: Checking Out Free Streaming Services 135Is There Such a Thing as a Free Lunch? 136What to Expect from Free Streaming Services 137Some Free Streaming Services to Check Out 138Crackle 138Haystack News 139Hoopla 139IMDb TV 141Kanopy 142PBS Video 142Peacock 142Roku Channel Store 143Tubi TV 144Xumo 145Free streaming apps for kids 145A few more freebies 146Chapter 9: Checking Out Paid Streaming Services 149What to Expect from Paid Streaming Services 150What Types of Paid Streaming Services Are Available? 151On-Demand Streaming Services .152Amazon Prime Video 152Apple TV+ 153Hulu 155Netflix 156Paramount+ 157Peacock 158Cable-Replacement Services 160fuboTV 160Hulu + Live TV 161Sling TV 162YouTube TV 163Checking Out Premium Channels 164Part 4: The Part of Tens 167Chapter 10: Ten Ways to Save Money in a Cord-Free World 169Get the Smallest OTA Antenna Possible 170Don’t Get Too Much Internet 171Take Advantage of Skinny Bundles 172Don’t Commit Until You’re Amazed at Your Luck 173Watch New Shows on the Cheap 174Subscribe Strategically 175Keep an Eye on Your Subscriptions 176Get a Credit Card Offering Streaming Cash Back 177Give Up the Premium Subscription Plan 177Save on Sports .178Chapter 11: Ten Tips for Troubleshooting Streaming Woes 179Check Your Streaming Device’s Download Speed 180Restart Your Streaming Device 183Check Your Streaming Device for Updates 184Reset Your Streaming Device 185Check Your Wi-Fi Connection Speed 186Reset Your Wi-Fi 188Make Some Wi-Fi Adjustments 188Troubleshoot an Unresponsive Streaming Device 189Troubleshoot a Blank TV Screen 190Upgrade Your Hardware 191Glossary 193Index 203