This may shock you: librarians do more than read! Or, at least, this librarian does. Reading is still my first love but visual media is becoming a close second! As I see it, America is in the Golden Age of television. TV shows are beginning to rival films in terms of high quality acting and storytelling. There’s almost a cinematic quality to many cable TV programs that is even trickling down to network-produced shows. Programs like AMC’s Mad Men and HBO’s The Wire have demonstrated that TV audiences are interested in following programs with extremely intricate plots over multiple seasons. Similarly, attitudes about TV acting have changed within the industry as well. Actors considered television work to be decidedly less prestigious than movie roles. Not so today! Many movie stars like Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Diane Kruger are now taking on high-profile roles on TV shows. In addition, television actors are having an easier time finding work in the movies.
Television as a visual medium
is definitely coming into its own artistically and with popular appeal.
Not only has the quality
of TV increased but so has the number of ways we can access our favorite programs.
During the dinosaur days, I still remember a time BEFORE cable when it was
laughable to think of paying for television access. We had 13 channels
and we liked it! My parents were not huge fans of MTV and some of its
more crude programming (Beavis and Butthead, I’m looking at you!) and so
we didn’t get cable until I was in 8th grade. Once we did, I totally
watched Beavis and Butthead, Total Request Live and many, many hours of
music videos, something that my Baby Boomer parents could never quite wrap
their heads around.. The door was opened and from the 90s on, more and more
specialized cable networks were developed and introduced to the basic cable
subscription package. Once high definition (HD) broadcasting became
standardized in the Aughts, our options for TV channels and programs have
increased exponentially.
And frankly, so has the
price! My home cable bill for a basic HD subscription had reached an
all-time high of $120 per month over the summer. People who subscribe to
more elaborate packages featuring specialized sports and movie channels pay
even more. As my husband and I looked to streamline our budget in the face of
purchasing our first home, our cable bill became our number one target.
We both felt that because we watched so few of the channels we paid for,
cable wasn’t worth the money. At the end of August, we did the unthinkable and
cancelled our cable. Gasp! So many friends and family seemed genuinely
concerned for us when we told them we would no longer have a cable box. After
those reactions, I finally realized why it’s called “cutting the cord”.
Most people react like you are cutting off a family member or suddenly
stop speaking to a dear friend. It’s just TV, people!
Now before I get into
the more technical details of how we did it, let me mention a few factors in
our lifestyle that made this move possible. One, we’re Millennials. And
like all Millennials, we hate being called Millennials. But it’s a useful
term to describe a generation raised on technology and view it as more of a
tool than just passive entertainment. We actively seek out new
technologies and that change and the need to learn new things are inevitable .
In order to give up cable, you need to actively seek out and learn alternative
methods to TV access. Secondly, we are parents of a very young child. Our
schedule is too hectic and unpredictable for appointment television. If
we sit down and watch the Patriots game from start to finish once a week,
that’s an accomplishment for us! As our child has also started to watch a
few TV programs, we’ve become increasingly aware and concerned about the
effects of advertizing on an impressionable mind. We felt confident in
our ability to find TV shows that we wanted to make time to watch and to find
programming that was acceptable for our daughter.
Once you cut the cord,
you will need three things:
- A HD antenna: This alone can get you access to basic HD channels (the 3 major networks) that are broadcast over the air. These antennas do not look the “rabbit ears” of yesteryear. They are often flat squares that can be painted and taped to the wall for the best reception! The reception can be affected by weather conditions and your geographic location. Our antenna was pretty cheap ($50) and easy to install.
2.
Wi-Fi
Internet Connection: If
you have a Smart TV or intend on using any streaming devices, you will need a
Wi-Fi internet connection in your home. You may also want to consider upgrading
the speed of your Internet with your provider if you are considering streaming
a lot of HD content.
3.
A
streaming device (or two or three or more!): Most people who cut the cord get
access to their favorite shows through online streaming. There are many
devices that facilitate this including the Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google
Chromecast or a Roku. These devices are a gateway to subscription services like
Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus.
I will admit there is
ONE major downside to cutting the cord: sports. If you are a huge
Boston sports fan, losing cable means you lose access to watching regular
season Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox games. All of these sports are
broadcast through local affiliates that have exclusive TV deals with the team,
meaning you cannot stream them. The Patriots are still available
through the 3 major networks provided by the HD antenna. In addition, the
NFL has created its own subscription streaming service called NFL Game Pass
that allows you to watch any NFL game once the game itself has ended. If you
must have ESPN or the playoffs in your life, you can subscribe to Sling TV, a
streaming app that gives you access to the most popular cable channels like
ESPN, TBS, CNN, HGTV and more.
It’s been 3 months since
we cancelled our cable service and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve even
discovered TV programs that are only available through certain streaming
services like Jessica Jones on Netflix or Men in the High Castle
on Amazon Prime TV. Our daughter watches mostly PBS Kids TV shows through
the PBS Kids app on Apple TV or the free seasons available through Amazon
Prime. Our TV viewing is no longer hours of mindless zoning out on the couch.
We have to make effort to watch things and so TV becomes more like date
night in our own home. As busy young parents, comfortably binge-watching
our newest obsession in our sweatpants is the best date night!
If you are thinking of
cutting the cord on cable, it pays to do some research. Take a look at
the following articles for more information and things to consider before you
ditch cable:
MediaShifts’s Your Guide to Cutting
the Cord to Cable TV provides
an amazing practical guide the steps you need to take and the products I
mentioned above. It also gives you different TV set ups for living the
cord-free lifestyle!
The amazing CNET also
published some great food for thought before you get out those metaphorical
scissors in their 7 Things to Consider
Before Canceling Cable. CNET is also an excellent place to find reviews for
various streaming devices and services.
