Have a friend who canceled cable? Here’s a horde of ideas that make perfect presents.
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There are a lot of people out there giving up cable TV to become cord cutters. In 2010,88 percent of Americans still paid for TV, an all time high. That fell to 78 percent this year, according to Leichtman Research.
The proliferation of video-streaming services makes it easy to leave cable. The number of homes with Netflix (54 percent) in 2017 surpassed the number of houses with DVRs (53 percent). But the networks and studios know better than to sit around and wait for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video to entirely crush them at their own game. Instead, they’re going to leave it to those services to crush them in quality programming, hey-ooo! Perhaps it’s not too late for cable channels…if they all pivot into being served up by streaming services like Sling TV and DirecTV Now.
There are also great options to get over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals, so you don’t even need cable for the major networks, if you’re in the right spot. Why pay for the milk if the cow is free, viewers?
Even if you’re not a cord cutter, you probably know one. Perhaps you (or they) are a mixer: you’ve got basic cable or satellite, minimal extras, you’re paying for a streaming service, or have some OTA broadcasts coming in. It all pays off in a much wider selection of content.
We’ve gathered up a few quick items for you to get your most beloved cutters of cords, or yourself. They’ll help anyone save some more money while getting all the entertaining programming they can.
Our new top rated mesh Wi-Fi network system is a great method for blanketing a system with high-strength wireless internet—a must for a cord-cutter home. The TP-Link Deco M9 Plus Mesh is an excellent performer that offers a robust feature set, including the ability to serve as a home automation hub that controls numerous smart home devices.
Amazon’s new design for the high-end Fire TV comes in a cube that just happens to also be an Alexa device for voice control (you can also talk to it via the remote). Responses are provided audibly through the Cube’s speaker and visually on the TV. This is the best combination of Fire TV with hands-free control you’ll find in a single media streaming hub; it’s our current Editors’ Choice.
When you’ve given up on cable entirely to embrace OTA antennas receiving HD broadcasts, you still probably want a DVR. Tablo’s the way to go. The Dual OTA DVR records two channels simultaneously, with 64GB of storage on board (good for 40 hours) and the option to add more via a USB hard drive; here’s PCMag’s review.
