Benefits of Streaming Services and How to Set Them Up

There has been a progressive shift towards streaming and away from cable. If you’re still debating on which route to take, you are in the right place. This article will include 6 advantages of why you should switch to streaming and how to set up your streaming service.

6 Advantages of Why You Should Switch to Streaming

It’s Available Anytime

Don’t you hate having to watch your scheduled program at a specific time? Streaming makes it more convenient! You can watch any program you want at any time! No need to worry about missing your show at 7 while you are stuck in traffic or at the grocery store. You can catch up on your show during your lunch break or at the start of your weekend.

You Get As Much Content As You Want

Unfortunately with cable, you have to dreadfully wait each week for an episode to come out. Streaming eliminates this problem. You have the opportunity to binge an entire season if you wanted to or savor it over a long period of time. Either way, you can fully control how much content you want to consume.

It’s Available Anywhere

Similar to it being available anytime, it's also available anywhere. Cable TV traditionally makes you sit in front of the TV in the living room. If you walk too far away, you may miss parts of the program. Streaming allows you to pause and play as much as you want. Conveniently, streaming services can be played on different devices so you can move throughout the house.

You Have More Variety

Cable makes you bound to a schedule and selected channels. With this mentality, you are only stuck choosing among the options the cable company provided.  A plus about streaming services is you have such a large variety of content at your disposal. You can switch between TV shows and movies all within the same streaming service. Anything you’re in the mood for is at the tips of your fingers.  

You’re Still Able To Get TV Content

A fear most people have when switching to streaming is you miss out on cable tv content. However, that is not necessarily true. You can still watch a lot of content on streaming services or even the channel’s website. Most streaming services allow you to watch episodes almost immediately after it airs or all at once when the season ends.

Get Exclusive Streaming Content

A huge drawback to having cable over streaming services is you miss out on exclusive content. Many platforms provide original content strictly for that streaming services. A lot of these shows or movies end up being extremely popular titles. By switching to streaming, you are gaining the content you would not get when watching cable.

After hearing all of these advantages, you are probably wondering how to get started on your streaming journey. Below I have listed the steps on how to set up your streaming service.

 How To Set Up Your Streaming Service

Step 1: Have Great Internet Speed

Many streaming services require 3-25mbps so it's important to choose the right internet provider. A great choice to choose is Xfinity Internet and it typically ranges from $25/month to $80/month. The recommended download speed provided by the streaming services is per device so make sure you have accommodated for each device when choosing an internet plan.

An example of this is Hulu + Live TV which requires 8mbps in order to stream in HD. If you have 2 people in your household and you want the opportunity for you both to stream simultaneously, you will need 16mbps.

Step 2: Find a Streaming Device/TV

Streaming services may only be on particular devices so it’s a great idea to double-check which apps are available. The majority of apps are available on streaming devices but some smart tv will not have them. For smart TVs, I would recommend getting an Insignia 4K TV or Sony 4K TV. They have a lot of common streaming services already downloaded.

Step 3: Connect the Internet To Your Smart TV or Streaming Device

Smart TVs and Streaming Devices might not automatically connect to the internet so you need to connect it yourself. The internet can often be found under settings. Once you have logged into your internet, click on an already downloaded app to see if the internet is working.

Step 4: Download, Sign Up and Sign In To Streaming Apps

After connecting to the internet, you are able to download streaming services if they are not already on the TV. You can do this by going into the app store and looking up the streaming service you wish to have. Click on the one you’re looking for and hit download. The app should now be downloaded onto your smart TV or streaming device. There are a lot of services to choose from but here are the three I personally recommend having:

Netflix: Price ranges from $6.99/month to $19.99/month

Hulu: Price ranges from $7.99/month to $69.99/month

HBO Max: Price ranges from $9.99/month to $15.99/month

Once you open the streaming app, it will prompt you to sign up for their service by providing account information and a form of payment. This could include name, email, and credit card information. Make sure you do a streaming service subscription that applies to your life. If you do not have patience for ads, I would not suggest getting a subscription that includes ads. I would keep in mind how many people plan on using the streaming service. Some services only allow a specific amount of users to use the app at the same time.

Although it may be a bit overwhelming at first, getting started setting up your streaming services can be as simple as a click of a button. The benefits of having streaming services over cable are endless! You can watch it anywhere at any time and you can get as much content as you want. Streaming services can also give you more variety and access to exclusive content TV does not have. Lucky for you, many services allow you to still watch the TV content you were watching before right after it ends.