Streaming video services are the 8th wonder of the world. This fact probably remained hidden from you while you depending on your trusty ole cable network to provide you with the best content.
Once you awaken to the truth that streaming video services are the answer to everything missing in your leisure life, it’s time to take action. Take a look this cord-cutter’s guide to streaming video services.
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Where Does Your Relationship Stand?
It’s natural to be confused at first about your relationship status with cable. Do you now hate it because there’s a hot new trend in town?
Is there a way to still be friends with part time cable usage? The answer depends on your situation.
If you’re one of the rare people with the ability to throw aimless cash at cable providers, go right ahead. But the rest of us laymen will count our pennies by taking sides.
Let’s be clear. It’s not necessary to hate cable in order to love streaming video services.
You just can’t fully appreciate all the benefits of your new entree with the old one getting cold and stale in the background. Rid yourself fully of your cable plan by cutting the cord.
Notice this phrase isn’t ‘slightly altering the cord so it’s still in the room.’ It’s cutting the cord for good so that it can’t be used as a drain for you to pour money into while your entertainment options fizzle.
How Much Will I Save?
Savings is one of the most common reasons people ditch their cable plans. The high cost is simply for networks to stay in existence.
There’s no promise of quality content or flexibility in your entertainment needs. But not everyone actually saves money when they cut the cord.
Why? One reason is that cable providers have wised up to the needs of consumers.
After a decade of being pulverized by the ratings of streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, individual networks decided they all needed their own streaming video services.
Now all the major cable networks have a seat at the streaming table and each has it’s own price. If you try to emulate your cable package by subscribing to all the available networks you used to get, you lose.
Streaming video services are where you will power most comes in handy. Paying $120 per year just to watch one show is an unbalanced transaction.
Unless you are spending hours each week on a network, it’s probably not worth the subscription fee.
Decision Making Fatique
Another thing to watch out for when cutting the cord is decision making fatique. There was something serene about being absolutely sure there was nothing on TV when you watched cable.
No one anywhere was getting a better viewing experience than you. But with streaming video services, the landscape is a bit more foggy.
The sheer amount of content online suggests that there’s a perfect show out there just for your mood in this very moment. It’s a glimmer of hope through the mist that keeps you surfing through hundreds of icons to find just the right thing.
After an hour or two, your eyelids have made the final decision to quit the mission and that elusive perfect show is still out there somewhere. Decision making fatique is much easier to bear with limited streaming options.
If you’ve got more than two or three streaming video subscriptions, you might be setting yourself up for failure. The free ones count, too.
Narrow down your favorite providers and stick to them to avoid ending up empty handed.
Best Video Streaming Service
One of the things you’ll notice when you subscribe to a streaming video channel is that they all follow similar formulas. Rarely will any particular network stand out in terms of technology.
What you’re really buying is access to your favorite shows. The best streaming video services are the ones that offer helpful steps like watching shows without too many technical issues.
Here are some of the tried and true streaming video giants to choose from.
Hulu
Hulu is one of the originals when it comes to streaming premium TV shows online. They’ve maintained a consistently high quality amount of content over the years so you can binge your favorite TV without interruption.
In recent years, they offered the option to upgrade to avoid ads but this option still isn’t 100 percent. Some shows require ads in order to watch.
Hulu now offers original content including TV shows and movies that rival most of the major studios. This is probably in part because Hulu’s major stakeholders are, in fact, the major studios.
Netflix
Netflix is a hybrid streaming video service that also includes the option to receive DVDs by mail. While the DVD service has become less popular over the years, the amount of original content offered by Netflix has skyrocketed.
You can now find thousands of titles in Netflix at any given time. This makes Netflix a great candidate if you only want one streaming service.
Prime Video
Another great option for streaming video is Amazon’s Prime Video. There’s award winning original content, documentaries and more on the channel.
One unique thing about Prime Video is you’ll have the ability to buy content from Amazon and watch it on your TV. This means independent content is much more readily available.
Finding Streaming Video Services
You would be hard pressed to own a connected TV and avoid offers for streaming video services. Connected TVs rely on the content of these apps to keep people buying connected products.
If you’re looking to make the switch to streaming video, your pockets and your weekends will be glad you did. For more information and tips, visit our blog for updates.