Much has been said of the Golden Age of television today, and now, more than ever, more is being done to take the TV out of the box and onto your more savvy technological devices. We’ve been in this industry for a long time and there has never been a better time to unplug from TV subscriptions and go in for online media subscriptions and computer software (like us!). Here’s why:
THE CABLE COMPANY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
It’s not difficult to notice your cable package getting more and more expensive every year. Analysts have discovered that the price of TV subscriptions have increased 32% over the last five years. At this rate, it’s already increasing faster than inflation. So, even if you’re in that steady job, you’ll need a raise every time you renew your platform to watch Judge Judy. Not to mention the Net Neutrality debacle to strangle the open playing field for Internet speed (we recommend watching this funny and honest segment by John Oliver for context) Basically, media companies are realizing that the new age of online content is happening like a tsunami and they want to tie you to the weight that is a cable package.
MORE CONTENT FOR LESS EFFORT (AND MONEY)
There are so many great services online to find original content, television shows, and full-length movies. And, much of it involves very little heavy lifting on your end. Not only do you get to create your own “playlists” or queues of content to watch, but also you no longer get the incessant noise of near constant commercials. Here are some of our quick tips on the different sources for your “new cable”:
- HBOGo: It’s not TV, indeed. HBO announced they are working on a subscription-only plan that doesn’t even need a cable provider, but for now, you can still access archives of award-winning television and monthly new episodes and movies online.
- Netflix: Everyone’s favorite new media platform, Netflix has been breaking the mold with their original content and providing endless hours of syndicated TV and hundreds of great movies streaming. Additionally, they refresh their stock monthly.
- Amazon Prime: Making news with their Golden Globe-winning “Transparent”, Amazon has been making waves in original content as well with their Instant Video subscription. Not to mention, they have a different hold on networks and studios, so they offer different options than Netflix has, and can’t get.
- Google Chromecast: This is a pay-as-you-go service and TV plug-in device, similar to On Demand Movies (or Xbox, Apple TV, etc), wherein you pay for films you’d like to see. Many of them are recently released to theaters or just out to the public. There is also a ton of content if you synch your HULU Plus account and “cast” from there. Pretty much any computer screen can be “casted” to your television, so it makes YouTube a whole new world of entertainment.
This is just a sampling and a generalized description of the options that are open to the cord-cutters out there. Sure, some research is involved, but getting an extra $50 to $150 back in your wallet every month is definitely worth it.
GET EVERYTHING YOU NEED
But what about live TV? With services like Pluto TV providing options for news and music channels, and more and more major networks making their primetime events streaming, for example the Super Bowl will be online for free for eleven hours (including pre and post-game coverage); it’s only fitting that the future is adapting to a whole audience of chord-cutters. In fact, geography doesn’t even matter if you integrate a VPN service to allow you to tiptoe over international restrictions to access sites like BBC.
Sure, there are now more places to find great content, but what’s the next step in storing and re-watching the media you love? Thankfully products like Replay Video Capture and our Replay Capture Suite can take all of the shows and movies you love, and keep them for “re-runs” whenever you’d like. You can also record and capture one-time streaming events or programs while you’re not around or at your computer.
With all of these options out there, it only makes sense to make the leap into this brave new cordless world. And, we’ll be here to guide you confidently through it!
