cutting the cable and reducing your media costs

JCCC Retirees Association TechTalkOctober 26, 2017 Presented by Jonathan Bacon

TV-Cable Cost History

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

May-17 Jun-17 Sep-17 Maybe

SlingTV

Acorn TV

Netflix

U-Verse

Significant Survey Results (n=100)

• 40% High Definition (HD) TVs

• 8% 4K TV sets

• 32% Google Fiber

• 37% Amazon Prime

• 42% Amazon Prime Video

• 26% Hulu

• 69% Netflix

• 52% concerned with minimizing costs

• Survey Results at www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-9WRQ59DY8/

“Our streaming costs almost equal our past basic cable costs. True savings occurs because the channels/programs provided better fit our needs.”

“Practically everything…is on Youtube. Spend $35 on a…Roku and you're set.”

“If you must see sporting events live then cutting the cable cord is probably not wise.”

“What is available for older model televisions? Not everyone can afford the latest model television (e.g. a Roku TV) that allows wifi access internally.”

“The amount of money saved going solely streaming (coupled with an OTA HD antenna) is hard to beat. The only thing I [miss] is the convenient DVR.”

“I primarily want uncomplicated service, few bells and whistles, just some key channels - local, CNN, ESPN, Animal Planet, National Geographic.”

“[Need] captioning and alerting for people who have a hearing loss.”

The Road to Cost Savings…

• Which channels doyou routinely watch?

• Which channelscan you live without?

• Are you willing to change your viewinghabits?

This presentation available online at slideshare.net/jbacon

Cutting the Cable Cost Checklist

• What TV channels you require/want?

• Willing to use indoor or outdoor antennae?

– Find an antenna

• Where will you get your Internet connectivity?

– Google Fiber $70, U-verse $70, other?

• What capabilities and ports does your TV have?

• What streaming media player will you use?

• What streaming video services will you use?

• Do you want to record for later playback?

– Home-based or cloud DVR

• What’s your target price range?

Which Channels Do You Watch?Channel Sling Blue $25

(single stream)Sling Orange $20 (multi-stream)

Off-the-Air (Overland Park)

ABC No Yes +$5 Broadcast Yes

Bravo Yes No No

CBS No No Yes

CNN Yes No No

Fox Yes No Yes

Hallmark Yes +$5 LifeStyle Yes +$5 LifeStyle No

History Yes Yes No

HGTV Yes Yes No

Ion No No Yes

MSNBC Yes, +$5 News Extra No No

NBC Yes No Yes

PBS No No Yes

TBS Yes Yes No

TNT Yes Yes No

Over-the-Air (OTA) Broadcast TV

• February 2009, FCC mandated Digital Transmissions

• Sub channels also!

• Emergency backup

• Find available OTA, broadcast TV stations

– antennapoint.com (good site)

– www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps (FCC site)

https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html

DTV Reception Maps

www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

AntennaChecklist

• Range (35+, 50+, 60+, 70+ miles)

• Coaxial connection for signal, USB for power

• Cost ($39.99 - $129.99 or more)

• Uni-directional orOmni-directional

• Indoor or Outdoor

• Flat, vertical, horizontal,adjustable

• Powered and amplified

• HDTV or 4K TV ready

Flat Indoor Antenna

Outdoor extreme long range

Outdoor 65 mile range

Terk indoor60+ mile range

Mohuoutdoor amplified

Internet Connectivity?

• 5, 25, 30, 50, 75 megabit Internet speeds equal number of megabits per second (Mbps)

• 1 Gigabit service means 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) or 1000 Mbps per second

• Many factors diminish actual speed you get

o Connected by Wi-Fio Number of devices activeo Lack of recent rebooto < 10% of hard drive freeo Use of VPN, proxy servers,

improper firewall setupo Et cetera!

Speed Test Results: 1Gbps AT&T

Computer connected by Wi-Fi.

Internet Speeds Needed for…Streaming Service

Video Resolution Pixels Recommended Speeds

Amazon Video SD 480p 0.9 Mbps

Hulu SD 480p 1.5 Mbps

Netflix SD 480p 3 Mbps

YouTube SD 360p 0.7-2.5 Mbps

Amazon Video HD 720p 3.5 Mbps

Hulu HD 720p 3 Mbps

Netflix HD 720p 5 Mbps

YouTube HD 720p >2.5 Mbps

Netflix Full HD 1080p 10 Mbps

Netflix Ultra HD (4K) >4,000p 25 Mbps

SD = Standard Definition, HD = High Definition. p = progressive, i = interlaced.

SD vs HD vs 4K

Standard definition (SD) can be 360p or 480p, high definition (HD) can be 720p, 960p or 1080p, 4K Ultra HD is 4000p or greater.

Capabilities and Ports on Your TV?

• Streaming video devices connect using an HDMI port

• RCA Component to HDMI Cable/Converter $9.98-$34 or Roku Express+ connect to older TVs

• USB port can power streaming device, but if using DVR (to record programs) plug into wall outlet with power cable

• Unless you plan to upgrade, match streaming device with current TV’s resolution (SD, HD, 4K)

• Need Coaxial port for antenna

Popular Streaming Media Players

Device Price Range (one time cost)

Amazon Fire TV $39.99-$74.99

Apple TV $149-$199

Google Chromecast $35-$69.99

Roku $29.99-$99.99

Other devices: PS4, Xbox One, SmartTVs

Amazon Fire TV

• Amazon Fire Stick, $39.99, HDTV, Alexa voice remote

• Amazon Fire TV $69.99, 4K HDR* support, Alexa voice remote

• Amazon Fire TV + HD Antenna, $74.99

• Plug into HDMI port, connect to Wi-Fi

• Amazon Prime $99 annual membership, 1000s TV episodes and movies, free 2-day Amazon shipping

• Plays streaming digital media content (Hulu, Netflix, etc.)

*High dynamic range – the contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks

Apple TV

• Apple TV (4th Gen.), HDTV 32GB $149

• Apple TV 4K (5th Gen.), 4K, 32GB @ $179 or 64GB @ $199

• AirPlay and streaming apps and games (from App Store)

• Connections: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Blue Tooth

• Plugs into HDMI port

• Siri powered voice remote

• Also Apple TV Remote app

• Plays streaming digital mediacontent (Hulu, Netflix, etc.)

Google Chromecast

• Chromecast, $35, HDTV support

• Chromecast Ultra, $69.99, 4K Ultra and HDR support

• Download Cast app and plugs device into HDMI port on TV

• Enables streaming from smartphone or computer using Wi-Fi

• Can mirror your android device, or Google Chrome Browser

• Pair with any Google home device

• Your mobile device is the remote

• Plays streaming digital mediacontent (Hulu, Netflix, etc.)

Roku

• Roku Express, $29.99, HDTV, connects via Wi-Fi

• Roku Express+, $39.99, HDTV, Wi-Fi, HDMI or composite

• Roku Streaming Stick, $49.99, HDTV, Wi-Fi, wireless remote with voice control

• Roku Streaming Stick+, $69.99, 4K Ultra HD, HDR, Wi-Fi, wireless voice remote (greater range)

• Roku Ultra, $99.99, 4K Ultra, HDR, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, wireless voice remote with headphone jack

• Also Roku TV available

• Control and Voice search through Roku mobile app

• Roku Channel: access to all your free content

• Plays streaming digital media content (Hulu, Netflix, etc.)

Which Streaming Media Provider?

Hulu and Hulu Live

• Offers 7 day free trial

• Hulu with limited commercials, $7.99 per month ($5.99 1st

year - limited time offer)

• Hulu with no commercials (few exceptions), $11.99

• Hulu Live with limited commercials, $39.99 (50 hrs cloud DVR)

• Hulu Live with no commercials (few exceptions), $43.99

• iOS & Android apps – mobile watching

• Best for TV fans and cord cutters

• Unlimited streams

• Original programming

• Add-ons: Showtime, HBO, Cinemax

Sling TV• Blue $20, Orange $25, Both $40 per month

• Orange offers 20 channels: AMC, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, ESPN, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Lifetime, TBS, and more, stream 1 channel

• Blue offers 45 channels: AMC, BET, Bravo, CNN, Comedy Central, Fox, Fox Sports 2, FXX, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, NBC, Nick Jr., Lifetime, NFL Network, TBS, USA and more, 3 streams

• Live TV streaming or on-demand

• Requires 4th or 5th Gen Apple TV

• Can add 50 hrs. DVR @ $5 per month

• Designed for cord cutters

On the Sling.com home page scroll to the bottom and select the Channels link.

Netflix

• $7.99 (SD, single screen), $9.99 (HD, 2 screens), $11.99 (4K, 4 screens)

• No ads, no live TV, includes Netflix originals

• DVR not required, all programming on-demand

• Price increase coming

• Best for fans of original programming: Orange is the New Black, House of Cards

• Android, iOS and web access

• Offers 30 day free trial

Digital Video Recorder?

• No need to DVR on-demand programs (Netflix, Hulu)• SlingTV offers Cloud DVR as $5 add-on

– Offers 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage– Not available for all channels on Sling, such as All Disney and

ESPN channels– Can record local channels received through Sling but not using

OTA antenna

• Hulu Live offers 50 hours Cloud DVR storage ($39.99) or upgrade to 200 hours storage – Not available for HBO, Cinemax and Showtime

• YouTubeTV, watch 40+ live TV channels and unlimited cloud DVR storage, $35 a month

• Also checkout Freeair.tv

Two Scenarios

Services Cost

Uverse 1GB $70

SlingTV Blue $30

SlingTV DVR $5

Netflix $9.99

Total $114.99 + taxes

Services Cost

Google Fiber 1 GB

$70

Hulu $7.99

Netflix $9.99

Total $87.98 + taxes

Both options use OTA HDTV antenna for free local channels.

Questions or Comments?

Guides to What to Watch

• What’s new on all major streaming services decider.com

• PC Mags Best Streaming Service 2017 https://goo.gl/PYw43Z

Sources• Steps to TV Freedom

https://goo.gl/UVj1AS• Guide to SlingTV Blue vs Orange

https://goo.gl/TzoPLt• SlingTV Review

https://goo.gl/sQoMs5• Roku vs Apple TV vs Amazon Fire TV

https://goo.gl/gfTu94• Best Internet Streaming –

comparison of speeds for streaming media services https://goo.gl/54j4YY

• Comparing streaming video providers https://goo.gl/Tjf941

• Consumer Reports Guide to Streaming Video Services https://goo.gl/HauHcH