Cut the Cord Please

Cut the Cord with Sling TV

Cut the Cord Please
Published on in Advice, Google Fiber, Internet, TV & Sling TV.

The day that Google Fiber was installed in my front yard was a day I'll never forget.[1] Gigabit internet, 100's of Channels, a 2 TBs DVR, it was all making my mouth water.

But it was pricey. Fiber 1000 + TV base price was $130 when signing up last year and $120 originally. The 1000Mbps for $70 was always worth it because of the value. Gigabit internet is 1000Mbps, that's roughly 14.28Mbps per dollar! For the TV service, it was always a little rich for my blood. Then I got this...

Starting March 2018, the price of TV will increase by $20 a month. - Google Fiber

Today is my first day to #cutthecord.

Choosing Your Subscriptions #

Choosing what services to subscribe to can be overwhelming. But doing a simple survey of all the channels you watch regularly or must have is a good practice to start with. Then you can eliminate the services that don't fit your watching habits by looking at a channel comparison chart.[2] Or maybe you don't need a traditional channels, but Netflix and/or Hulu Plus work just fine.

Building My Plan #

My self-survey came back as sports, sports, and a lot of HBO. That's why I went with Sling TV Orange/Blue + Cloud DVR & Sports Extra. It had the best channels for the NHL (NHL Network) or the English Premier League (NBC Sports), which are usually extra or not available at all. To get a weekly dose of Last Week Tonight or a full season of Game of Thrones, I subscribe to HBO NOW independently to use their far superior designed app. But the biggest challenge when cutting the cord is watching your local affiliates. The Mohu Leaf Ultimate Flat 50 Mile works for my in my suburb location. Those who live in the city may only need a 30 Mile though. With having Gigabit internet, I've also set up a Gigabit network at my home so I can hardwire my Apple TV 4K via a network cable. Apple TV users: Make sure that you know that the Apple TV 4th Generation or older, do not support gigabit speeds.[3]

Comparison #

Google Fiber Sling TV
TV Service $60 $45
Extra Box/DVR $5 $5
Sports Plus $10 $10
HBO $20 $15
March Hike $20 $0
Total $115 $75
  1. "Ultra high-speed broadband is coming to Kansas City, Kansas". Retrieved March 30, 2011. ↩︎

  2. "Everything in the live-TV-streaming universe: Channel lineups compared". Retrieved July 7, 2017. ↩︎

  3. "Apple TV (4th generation) - Technical Specifications". Retrieved November 1, 2017. ↩︎