Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

cable cutting

AppleTV versus Smart TVs

called Spectrum and they are sending me a set up to stream them and box to return the cable boxes.  We currently LOVE HBO and Showtime... I am guessing we can get that on the apple tv connector thing (179.00$ 4k device)  They said I down load the spectrum app????  on laptop or on the TV?

Do you have like a cheat sheet on what to do?


We have a Samsung Smart TV.  We currently pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime and then through spectrum HBO, Showtime and all the cable channels,,,,
On my daughters playroom TV she has a cable box but has ROKU it is an old not smart TV.
OR do you know someone who knows how to do all of this that we can pay to set it up and give us a tutorial?

THANKS!  UGH  I hate technology!!!
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Yes, a Roku or an AppleTV device will give you the ability to use apps like Showtime, HBO, Netflix, etc…
. Keep in mind each of those services require separate subscriptions. You can also purchase channel packages from different companies like Spectrum but those packages usually only apply to local channels and non pay channels like TBS, CNN, Fox, CBS, etc…

If you do buy the Spectrum package, you can either use the Spectrum app to view channel content or just log in to each individual channel's app using your Spectrum credentials. Sounds a little confusing but think of it like this. You want to watch ABC news. You could open the Spectrum app, scroll through the list of many many channels just like you always have on your TV guide channel on cable OR you could just open the ABC news app.

As I may have said, a smart TV is just a tv with apps built in. I personally prefer an external box like an AppleTV or a Roku. Either of them is pretty good.

For other answers to cable cutting questions, you can look to the right side of this window and find the category "cable cutting".

Preparing to cut the cable

Well, we just got the Apple TV device because I wanted to watch some of the Apple TV series (watching much more tv than ever before)  My sister says we can get rid of cable now... we have a Smart TV but do not have smart users of it because we are unsure how this all comes together.  Do you help with installing this?  
We watch live TV for sports, MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, History Channel, we pay for Showtime, HBO, netflix.. we DVR several weekly shows like 60 minutes, This is Us etc so want to be able to do all this. On the bottom of the TV I do not currently have an Icon for Apple TV, just for Netflix, Hulu or HDMI... but am guessing once I get this littlke Apple device hooked up that Icon will pop up on the bar of choices???

 Would LOVE to get rid of cable box since we have all these cords and remotes every where.  we pay for 300 speed internet.
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In a normal non-covid world I would certainly be assisting in home with the act of becoming a "cable-cutter." But for now, I'm having to work remotely. The good news is that most issues can be resolved without me having to be in the home.

The first thing to understand is that there are two "AppleTV"s.

1. AppleTV the piece of hardware. $150 little black box that gives you access to pretty much every streaming service out there. (You still have to pay for those separately) Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc…

2. AppleTV the subscription service. Apple wanted to start competing in the same space as Netflix and the like so they signed a ton of big names and started producing content only available via the streaming service.

The easiest thing to do would be to buy an AppleTV, connect it to your TV, and go from there. A smart TV is a TV that has many of these streaming services built in. Those interfaces are usually a little clunky, hard to use, and don't update as frequently.

Another alternative is a Roku. Roku is a small box (usually cheaper than the AppleTV box) and also gives you access to AppleTV subscription along with every other subscription service. The best choice is the AppleTV box in my opinion.

You'll still need your ISP's modem to provide internet but you could cancel your television service. There are several different subscription packages that give you access to multiple channels. Spectrum, Disney Hulu, YouTubeTV. They all want you to subscribe to their packages. To watch live sports you'll need one of them.

Glad to hear you're moving away from cable but my only warning is watch your wallet. Subscribing to 15 different streaming services can put you paying more than the cable subscription you just cancelled!

Can I cut the cable?

I would like to get rid of cable and hear abt all kinds of providers out there over the internet. I would like your option/direction and am happy to schedule an appt if that is best.
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Yes there are many choices. More and more people are cutting the cable these days. I cut off my satellite plan 10 years ago and have ben living within the App ecosystem for years now. So there are several different paths depending on what you are interested In.

First you want to look at the financial equiviance. How much you're paying for tv now vs. what you will convert to. Say your tv package is around $150 not including internet access. Consider that access to individual apps is usually close to $10 a month. Each app (or company) specializes in it's own content for the most part. In other words, CBS All Access has its own shows, Netflix has it's own, Disney+ has it's on and so forth. For live TV I suggest just buying a digital antenna (about $30 or less). This gives you access to all the live TV channels you grew up with like NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, etc…. You could also buy a package sort of plan that includes many of these channels along with ESPN, food channels, etc…. Here are two of the most popular:

Disney+, Hulu,ESPN

Youtube TV

It all comes down to what you want to watch. I personally don't care about sports so I don't have a plan like the links above. I just have several apps a-la-cart. Keep in mind a few things:

1. Every company is taking back possession of its own content. In other words, ABC is pulling its old shows from Netflix, CBS is pulling it's shows from Amazon Prime Video, etc…
2. Disney owns just about everything including Fox and ESPN so they are a monopoly in content. (Side note: they generated about 80% of the revenue at the box office this year alone)
3. ATT owns everything else including HBO and Warner Bros so they are coming out with their own service soon called HBOmax.

It's all confusing.

Hope this helps a little.
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