Cutting the Cord: Your Reasons to Drop Cable for Media Streaming

Cheaper (or Free) Access to Local Channels

If you’re the type that only wakes up in the morning to watch Good Morning America, occasionally tune in to SNL, or play catch up with the news: Is it worth paying your cable provider over $100 for all this? Just know there are free alternatives like simply purchasing a TV antenna. Yea, remember those? You can connect one directly to a TV and get those basic channels, plus additional ones. Those who prefer watching on the go or on a computer might want to look at a company like Aereo. It allows you to stream and even record programs on the cloud for later viewing purposes, plus it’s free for 30 days and $8 a month. Call it a steal.

Streaming Devices

Roku is considered the mecca of media streaming boxes and grants access to several services including Netflix, Crackle, Hulu, Amazon, and countless other programs. WD TV Live does most of that, but also allows you to watch just about anything, as it can virtually use any media format available. AppleTV has proven to work at times, but is far more awesome if its hardware is jailbroken. Video game consoles have also proven to come in handy throughout the past three years by letting people stream Netflix and other content online. And lastly, Chromecast, which Google launched last month, has been making waves based on its mirroring abilities to send content on your Android phone to any compatible device.