Cord-cutting is on the rise and the trend is increasing day by day. The reasons are plenty and one of them is whooping bills at the end of each month. Cable TV subscribers are surprised when additional charges are added to their bill including rental equipment, service charges, and a surge in prices after a set period.
Some of you might have made up your mind to cut the cord forever and subscribe to streaming TV services. Although you are going to save plenty of money there are some drawbacks as well. In this post, we are going to discuss some of the drawbacks of cutting the cord that would help you understand why cable TV is still a better choice. Let’s get started.
Stable and High-Speed Internet Connection
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If you have decided to cut the cord and shift towards streaming services, it’s time to upgrade your internet connection. Most of the streaming services require a minimum of 25Mbps speed to watch videos in high definition. An unstable connection that disconnects very often might ruin your viewing experience.
Most of the internet service providers aren’t able to manage high traffic volume, which may disrupt the speed. Even if you have reduced your cable TV expenses, you might need to pay more for a high-speed internet connection. Most of the ISPs advertise plans at a low cost. But with time, the bills may skyrocket and you might be paying more for it. If your internet turns blackout you won’t be able to watch anything until it gets back to work.
Your Data Limit May Exceed the Limits
It’s a good idea to cut the cord completely, but with limited data caps things turn out to be a nightmare after a while. For instance, some of the ISPs offer limited data cap on their plans and once you reach the limit, either you need to pay extra to buy more data or face the wrath of speed throttling.
Streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube consume a huge amount of data. Plus there are other devices in your home connected to the internet and consuming data. Unless you purchase a plan that offers unlimited data caps, the streaming experience might turn out to be a nightmare.
If you have limited data plans, make sure to stream content in lower resolution. Moreover, be careful that the applications aren’t running in the background to save data.
Live and Sporting Events aren’t Widely Available
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Streaming services are available in both free and paid versions. Although both of them provide plenty of entertainment consisting of movies, TV series, documentaries, and more, but one thing is missing for sure except for a few. Streaming services do not offer live broadcast including sporting events, election campaigns, and Grammy Awards.
Moreover, if thousands of people are watching the same event, the quality of the picture might not be optimal. However, if you stick to the cable TV, you will be able to watch live events on premium sports and international channel lineups. Plus some of the cable providers also offer 4K Ultra HD content for better viewing. Click here to know more about Optimum, a provider that checks all the boxes for a great cable TV provider.
Some of the events like reality TV-shows, the Olympics, and the Football World Cup are broadcasted on several platforms. However, some of them are available on an illegal streaming server. If you are a huge sports fan and can’t afford to miss the biggest sporting events, the best choice is to go for a cable TV service rather than streaming services.
Staying Updated with News
Cable TV offers plenty of local and regional channels including news. If you want to keep yourself updated with the news, cable TV is an optimal choice rather than cutting the cord. You can find plenty of websites and video platforms where news can be streamed. However, if you want to get the best experience, you might need to stay away from cutting the cord. Cable TV offers you live news updates on local channels like MSNBC, CNN, and Fox. If you want to get the news from different perspectives cable TV is going to be a better choice than a streaming service.
Popular Channels are Hard to Find
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Satellite and cable TV offers you a wide range of channels. Picking your favorite and watching is not a big deal. Plus with a huge amount of content, you might not know which channel is broadcasting your favorite program.
You can view plenty of shows, movies, documentaries, and other programs at any time. The problem is surfing the channel and finding the best one out there. With streaming service, you are limited to channel offerings, and is a better choice if you don’t like surfing the channels.
You Won’t be able to Save Much
Cable TV offers you packages that offer you extra add-ons. You might have subscribed to those services and paying a huge amount of money. You might think that cutting the cord would save you a huge amount of money.
However, when it comes to streaming services, you might have ignored other expenses attached to it. Whether you subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Sling, or any other streaming service, you need to have a device to stream on your television or computer. The amount can be anywhere between $20 to $50. However, once you pay for it, you never have to worry about paying for the device each month.
Moreover, if you want to do gaming online, run plenty of smart home devices or any other internet activity; you need to upgrade your internet plan for smooth streaming. It all depends on your internet usage and the number of people connected to the same network.
But the point is that you need to bear extra charges for upgrading the internet. Plus the price may increase after the said period along with equipment charges and other add-on expenses. All of it can accumulate bills up to $100 or more.
Streaming service best suits you, if you are a frequent traveler and can’t afford to sign a contract and pay money for early termination.
The choice is yours whether you go for a streaming service or cable TV subscription. It all depends on your requirements. But we would recommend you to go for a cable TV subscription as it suits the interest of people in your house.
