Paul McFedries - Cord Cutting For Dummies

4 Chapter 5FIGURE 5-1: The back of a typical modern TV is festooned with connectors.FIGURE 5-2: For most TVs, you use the remote's Input button to change the input...FIGURE 5-3: With smart TVs, you use the TV interface to select the input source...FIGURE 5-4: Smart TVs offer a channel guide.

5 Chapter 6FIGURE 6-1: Modern TVs have all their HDMI ports together on the back panel.FIGURE 6-2: Three examples of set-top box streaming players: Roku player (left)...FIGURE 6-3: Set-top box players have multiple input ports.FIGURE 6-4: Three examples of dongle streaming players: a Roku (left), a Google...FIGURE 6-5: The Alexa voice remote includes a voice button for sending voice co...FIGURE 6-6: Turn on a smart TV and you see your streaming apps and shows right ...FIGURE 6-7: Use an HDMI cable to connect your streaming player to your TV.FIGURE 6-8: Older TVs often have their HDMI ports in multiple locations on the ...FIGURE 6-9: A streaming stick with an HDMI extender cable.

6 Chapter 7FIGURE 7-1: QoS features let you to prioritize network applications or devices ...FIGURE 7-2: Most streaming services let you choose a data usage setting.FIGURE 7-3: Disable the automatic download of the next episodes of the show you...FIGURE 7-4: An overview of how streaming works.FIGURE 7-5: Media streams are buffered for smoother playback.FIGURE 7-6: Search Google for speed test and then click the Run Speed Test butt...FIGURE 7-7: Preliminary results are displayed while the test is running.

7 Chapter 8FIGURE 8-1: Crackle offers free movies, TV shows, and original content.FIGURE 8-2: Haystack News offers customized local and global news streams.FIGURE 8-3: Choose your local library system.FIGURE 8-4: Use the Hoopla app on your streamer to borrow movies, TV shows, and...FIGURE 8-5: PBS Video gives you free access to all your favorite PBS shows.FIGURE 8-6: Peacock's free tier gives you lots of content (and lots of ads).FIGURE 8-7: The Roku Channel Store offers lots of free movies and TV shows.FIGURE 8-8: The Tubi TV app offers free access to a large number of movies and ...FIGURE 8-9: YouTube Kids offers a ton of kid-friendly streaming content.

8 Chapter 9FIGURE 9-1: Prime Video offers great original content and a large collection of...FIGURE 9-2: Apple TV+ offers only original content on-demand, but some of that ...FIGURE 9-3: Hulu offers great access to network and cable shows, as well as lot...FIGURE 9-4: Netflix isn't cheap, but it offers lots of movies, TV, shows, and o...FIGURE 9-5: Peacock is NBCUniversal's entry into the online streaming game.FIGURE 9-6: Sling TV replaces your cable service by offering live and on-demand...FIGURE 9-7: YouTube TV offers lots of channels and unlimited cloud DVR storage.

9 Chapter 11FIGURE 11-1: Most streamers offer apps that can test your device's Internet spe...FIGURE 11-2: On Fire TV, use the Amazon Silk browser to access Internet speed t...FIGURE 11-3: The Install Update command appears when Fire TV has downloaded an ...FIGURE 11-4: Look for the command that resets the device to its original settin...FIGURE 11-5: Many streaming devices enable you to see the Wi-Fi network signal ...

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Table of Contents

5 Begin Reading

6 Glossary

7 Index

8 About the Author

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William the Conqueror, it is said, began by eating a mouthful of English sand.

— SALMAN RUSHDIE

As I write this, more than 40 million people in the United States alone have cut the cord and banished the cable company from their lives. What we have here, beyond any doubt, is a genuine phenomenon. We're witnessing a kind of cord-cutting frenzy as people of all ages, all regions, and all walks of life thumb their noses at traditional cable and opt, instead, for the freedom of a cable-less lifestyle.

If you're looking to join this movement, I have some good news right off the bat: Unlike William the Conqueror, you don't need to eat a mouthful of sand to get started. Ah, I hear you ask, but where do I start? If you have even a passing familiarity with watching TV without cable, you know that it's a sprawling, labyrinthine, and constantly changing topic. So many shows! So many channels! So many services! So many devices! Where, indeed, do you start?

I'm glad you asked, because that's exactly where Cord Cutting For Dummies comes in. I've traveled the entire cord-cutting landscape from east to west and from north to south. I've connected the devices, subscribed to the services, and installed the apps. The result is the book you're holding (physically or virtually).

Cord Cutting For Dummies shows you not only how to get the cable company out of your life but also what to do after that. This book takes you on a tour of all the main (and a few minor) ways to watch TV without cable.

In Part 1, you learn lots of good reasons why you should cut the cord (plus a few sensible reasons why going cordless might not be a good idea for you) and you get a step-by-step plan for going cord-free.