There's a Lot Going On These Days with Cable TV and Movie Options. Which one should you choose?
I'm writing this on 9/9/2020, but I can almost assure you, things will change in the next few years!
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What you watch on TV is no longer just about choosing between LED vs Plasma. It gets a lot deeper with deciding whether to cut the cable plug; go with YouTube TV; see what Amazon has to offer; stick with Hulu or Netflix; or keep it cheap with Peacock, Pluto and Tubi. Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and others are even creating studios, hiring actors and making bomb original TV! Watch out Hollywood!
Remember the old days when it was simple and we bundled TV with a CD player, radio and turntable? When something broke, you set replacement pieces on top of the old TV...lol. Then they changed from analog to digital and we hopped over to the store and got the new antenna. Well things are a bit more involved now so bear with me.
Homo Sapiens Sapiens have gone from candlelight to space in a matter of decades...yes, the light bulb was new about 140 years ago and here we are! Now's time to tackle new stuff , but you don't have to be overwhelmed.
AT&T and Xfinity Know the World of TV is Changing and They are Keeping Up!
AT&T use to own all the lines and technology so they got and still get a piece of all the hard pie, but what about satellite and digital services? I'm sure they patented something that makes it all work so they need to spend more money on a good legal team and let the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation do their things -- they even own some of the smaller, new players!
In any case, I got tricked into a two year contract by one of the 'monsters' because my husband was hassling me about the NFL Network or something like that. You can best believe I am working hard to gather my equipment so I am prepared to cut the plug in one year!
While I am still a slave to the contract, I enjoy the way their modems turn my TV into a Smart TV and allow me to watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and many other apps that are shown in the app interfaces provided by my cable modem. I can also pick and choose which movies I want to watch (sort of for free). I say sort of because if you are paying for a premium channel, you can get their current roster of movies at anytime you please, while they're on the current TV guide, but it's not really free because you are paying for the channel.
YouTube and Amazon Don't Want to be Left Out of the Market...and They Are Making Sure, That They're Not!
YouTube offers their own TV channels and they have a pretty decent roster plus their original stuff! If you want to take your TV with you, you can choose an Amazon Fire TV® stick(AD) and as long as you have internet available, and a TV with a USB port, you are good to go! I am sooo impressed with Amazon for creating this...I actually remember when someone tried to explain it to me years ago and I just could not understand what they were talking about. I was stuck in the 80s and still have a problem understanding a broken stick being something that is good. Don't confuse yourself like me...just get one because they WORK!
Turn Your Dumb TV into a Smart TV with Internet Access.
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Not only are Smart TVs coming out on the market left and right, but there's the 5G network some of them run on, likely headed toward something else in the future (like 6XG or something funky). If you want to keep up, make sure the apparatus you buy matches the latest network like 5G to 5G, which is a stronger signal though the signal travels shorter distances. A router can boost your network so that you are sure to get a good WiFi signal in any part of your house or business. I'll go over this in the summary below.
If you want to keep your current TV, your answer may be an Android TV Box. You can use these boxes to turn your TV into a virtual computer! Not only will you have access to apps and general internet browsing, but you can also upload various games and photo drives from various app stores. Make sure you buy a great remote to make navigation easier. Also, read the specifications to ensure you have the correct connections on your television set. You can always purchase adapters, but you want to make sure you get everything you need in order to be up and running so you don't have to wait days on additional products.
In summary here are some of your options:
- Forget all of this and keep paying the big cable companies to do it everything for you. Call the tech when you get in trouble. You'll be spending upwards of $200+ extra per month. That's over $1,200 per year...less than the cost of some Smart TVs!
- NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, you'll need internet access until the time comes when internet is free for all homes and businesses. If you live close to a school, library, McDonald's, Starbucks, etc., you may be able to pick up a free line via WIFI. You can get internet from cable or AT&T or your cellphone company by buying a hub or turning your phone into a hot spot. If you use your android or #iphone, make sure you pay for adequate internet service for video streaming. You can use your phone or tablet to watch all kinds of TV and movie apps like Amazon, YouTube, Sling TV, etc. You can also force your 21 year old child to work for a cable company for a year until they figure out how to hook you up for cheap!
- Smart TVs with WIFI and apps already loaded are also an option in addition to smart phones and tablets.
- You may need to purchase subscriptions for some of the apps no matter what apparatus you use. Many are free, but you will have to watch advertisements.
- If you have a regular TV with an HDMI and USB port, you can use an Android TV box and turn your TV into a Smart TV while browsing the web at the same time. As I mentioned earlier, make sure you have the correct TV ports for the box or get the appropriate adapters.
- Bad internet reception in the house or office? Then you may need a router to amplify the internet signal in your home or office (AD) .
- Let's say you've got all of the above and no WIFI on your laptop or it no longer works. I got you covered...you'll need one of these (AD) usb wifi adapters or you'll have to buy an extra long ethernet cable. Nobody wants that.
- There are thousands of movies and television shows to watch, so don't forget to READ and spend time with your friends and family in nature! If you forget your wife's name, don't blame this blog!
If you are like me and recently learned how to operate Netflix and remember your Netflix password, this blog post may be too much for you, but it's okay...just get a pack of Goody's Headache Powders®(AD) with your shipment and you will be good to go! I'm sure you'll need something for a headache anyway when they start passing out Smart TV Brain Chips [STVBC 7G] someday soon.
RT
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