You wouldn’t automatically think that an elderly women would offer some of the best cord cutting tips. Nevertheless, I recently had dinner with a woman who told me that she uses an antenna to get her television channels for free. Immediately, I thought, “how quaint.” After all, I have fond memories of those rabbit ears on my childhood television set. However, upon thinking about it more, I realize that this might be one of the best, and overlooked, cord cutting tips relevant today.
What Is Cord Cutting?
Cord cutting simply means that you give up your cable or satellite television. Instead, you watch TV through streaming services that don’t require a “cord.” I get my own services entirely through my laptop, iPad, and occasionally my smartphone. However there are a lot of ways to get streaming services ranging from your Apple TV to your Xbox.
More Than Half of Cord Cutters Use an Antenna
Since I would never think about using an antenna to stream TV, I was surprised to learn than 56.3% of cord cutters actually do so. Another report (linked in that first one) reveals that antenna usage has increased by more than 10% over the past nine years. Getting an antenna just might be one of the best cord cutting tips out there after all.
Why Use an Antenna with Cord Cutting?
People who recommend using an antenna to boost cord cutting have a number of reasons that they support this move.
First of all, you may be able to get more channels. I vividly remember the days when I watched an antenna-laden TV at home as a child. We got access to about five channels, although one of them was really iffy depending on the weather. Well, those days are gone. There are now dozens of local channels that you can access for free with your antenna. In fact, many of them are new channels offering shows that you might never have heard of before, so you get fresh content.
People who say that using an antenna is one of their favorite cord cutting tips because you can get better picture quality with an antenna than without one. You’ll experience less compression, which means you’ll get better HD images.
Finally, you may discover that you have to deal with less downtime if you have an antenna. Streaming TV relies on technology susceptible to blackouts and outages. Of course, there’s no guarantee that your antenna will always work perfectly but it gives you a second option for a stronger connection to free television.
Why I Won’t Be Getting an Antenna Anytime Soon
I do believe that getting an antenna is one of the best cord cutting tips I’ve seen lately. I loved learning about how my friend accesses free television through her antenna. However, I won’t be opting to go this route myself.
The core reason is that I don’t own a television set. Moreover, I don’t want to own a television set. I fund them clunky, inconvenient, distracting, and ugly in my home. I don’t know anything about feng shui but I can say I’ve never felt great about having a set in my house. Therefore, I only want to watch television on my devices (primarily my small iPad). Therefore, no antenna for me.
I find that I’m able to access all of the shows that I want to see through streaming – often for free. Moreover, I’m simply not someone who cares that much about picture quality. If I did, perhaps an antenna would be a smart move. For many people, it’s a great tip. It’s just not my thing.
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Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.