Phoenix ditches Bally's for free OTA and Streaming. Is Detroit to Follow??

[Lowell]

I cut the cord a couple of years ago, moving away from cable television. I didn't like having a bulky cable box, but it takes some time to learn how to combine local TV with streaming subscription services like Netflix and HBO.


If you're new to the world of cord-cutting, you'll still need a cord in terms of an internet connection [[unless you use a satellite dish, which can be slow and affected by weather conditions) for streaming local TV and subscription services. However, if you're in a good location, a digital antenna might meet your local TV needs, although it won't have recording functions.


For my cord I use an AT&T fiber optic line for my internet connection, which provides one gigabyte of bandwidth to the gateway. This ensures optimal internet and TV streaming speeds, particularly for uploads which I need for business purposes. While this may be overkill for most people, there are more affordable options available.


To stream local TV, main channels, weather, and cable news networks, a streaming TV service is necessary. I used to use YouTube TV, but after they dropped local Detroit sports and raised their prices, I switched to Fubo TV. Fubo TV offers Detroit sports and the same local TV package for the same price.


The advantages of cord-cutting include the ability to easily switch services without dealing with cable boxes and the option to subscribe or unsubscribe as needed. However, the process can be complicated, and you may need to adapt to unexpected changes, like when YouTube TV canceled local sports. This may be less of an issue if you're a bit tech-savvy.


In terms of cost, I save about $30 a month compared to my previous Spectrum cable and internet bundle. However, if you opt for the minimum required internet, the savings could be around $50-$60 per month.

[Burnsie]

However, if you're in a good location, a digital antenna might meet your local TV needs, although it won't have recording functions.

There are standalone broadcast TV tuners available for less than $100 which record in HD; they have an antenna jack and output to HDMI to display on TV, or to USB. I picked one up at Meijer and it works nicely.