If you have been considering cutting the cord and going without cable TV you have probably experienced Build Fright. This is a situation where you begin looking into options and there are so many different ones that don’t seem to have the same features that you get a little scared you will spend your money on things that will soon be outdated and useless.
The first thing you should understand is yes this is probably going to happen. You are going to decide on products that you think fit your budget and needs and end up with wishing you never got rid of cable.
On the other hand if you take some simple steps you can probably alleviate about 80% of these problems and end up with a solution that works for you.
Knowing what you’re getting when Building a Home Media Center
The first thing you will miss when you build your home media center and cord cutters solution is that you don’t have as many TV stations as you use to have.
Its a little scary maybe but on the other hand there is a lot of freedom in it.
Before you decide to cut the cord and get rid of Cable or Dish you should do this.
For a week make note of the stations you watch and the amount of time that you watch them.
Really do this… Every time you have the TV on and every time you change the station and end up on a different network you should write down the channel and the amount of time you watched that station.
If you are like me you watch one station most of the day and flip between about 5 others when different decent shows come on. Most of the time in my home we have the News on because its the only station where something new is actually being broadcast and its interesting to see whats happening out in the world. At night different shows come on that are worth watching. I primarily switch between about 5 networks through out the week with one network being my primary source during the day.
If this is true for you then you don’t have to worry about dozens or hundreds of stations that you never watch or ones you only watch a few minutes a day.
Next you need to find a way to get that content from a different source or replace that content with something just as good.
If you like news like I do there are probably 4 different stations in your area that broadcast early, dinner and late news shows. Some of the stations in my area start as early as 4am and a couple broadcast news overnight. So even if you don’t love the idea you could record those shows and when you wake up at 6am watch your favorite network until they end around 9am and then watch the overnight recorded news for a few hours. This content is directly free to you and the only thing you need is a way to record it.
Next the big networks normally let you watch the previous days 6pm broadcast and cable news always has dozens of show clips from the previous day or earlier in the same day.
And then finally news stations across the country and even the world have live news all day long so if your local station is playing a game show you can tune to a live station over the internet. This is free and legal and you’re not getting caught up in some kid in his basement broadcasting hacked tv to a streaming server.
Those last two options require that you have broadband and this means you will still need a cable modem or fios connection.
Unfortunately recording streams off the internet isn’t as easy as recording from your antenna. Basically you are going to have to watch it live and or stream it directly.
But what about your favorite TV shows?
Here you have a few options. The major networks that you probably get in your area do have some good content and because you have fewer stations to choose from you really need to optimize your recording features.
If there is a good show or even one that you can tolerate watching you have to record it if you’re not watching it live and I would suggest that you probably record it anyway for times when there is absolutely nothing worth watching so you at least have a rerun to watch.
You can also use services like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and a few other free options including streams directly from the network’s website to watch full episodes.
I suggest you only use the free services or maybe Amazon if you also use prime for your shipping. You don’t want to rack up a bill as large as your old cable bill and that can happen really fast when you order a dozen or so shows or movies in a month.
So what do you need to build your Media Center?
Well as we talked about the first thing you need is a good antenna. You want one that is stronger than suggested for your area so you can depend on getting signal under different bad weather conditions.
Second you need to distribute that signal to each of your televisions. Since you already have Cable TV or Dish you can normally find a way to use those lines to connect your antenna and then the connection at your TV is through your coax connector.
Third if you find you want internet content you will need a small box at each TV to download that stream. It can be a Roku, ChromeCast, Android Box or other device but it should allow you to stream not only internet content but also recorded TV shows that you capture from your Antenna.
You will also need to wire your TV Set boxes with Ethernet. Although many are Wireless I suggest the Wired Versions because it will provide better quality. This means you will need to learn how to wire your home or get a friend to do it. Cable will cost you though so look for a good deal on a spool of Cat5e or Cat6 and better yet Plenum grade if you can afford it.
Final Note
So, Now you know basically what you need to do.
Evaluate your watching habits.
Find a way to get that exact content in a different way or to replace it with something equally as good.
Install a stronger than recommended Antenna and wire it to each of your TVs.
If you want to provide Internet content at all or some of your TVs rather than just on your Computer then you need to run Ethernet Cable and get a box that meets your needs / provides the content you want to watch.
Set top devices will be the hardest feature to narrow down so you should read lots of reviews, watch online videos from current users and ask some questions on online forms before you get your wallet out. And remember test it on one TV before you buy a whole set for the house. Then buy from a place that accepts returns in case you don’t get what you want.
The Antenna is the most important part as it will give you access to live news and new shows without a cost over the initial cost of the antenna and devices to get it to each TV. You may also find that indoor antennas at each TV is more than enough if you live close to your antenna towers. check www.TVFool.com for signal availability.
Finally you have to accept that there will be a change in your viewing habits and what you have access to for entertainment. You may not get all the sports, news or shows you once watched but there is enough stuff out there to keep you entertained and if not you can always pickup that second job or tile your kitchen back splash.