What are some ways to watch TV shows for free or very low cost? It requires recording shows, signing up for and cancelling services, and a few other steps. The main point is that you can watch movies and TV shows from Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Apple, and other providers either for free or for very little money.
The average monthly bill for cable or satellite TV ranges from $85 to $150, depending on the number of channels, add-ons, provider, and special channel fees. There are a few ways to get around paying for streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu. One way is to find free streaming services online. Another way is to see if your cable company offers any streaming services for a discounted price. There are an increasing number of streaming services available, such as those from Disney, Apple, NBC and Warner. This means that it is becoming more expensive to watch all your favorite TV programs. You can save money on your current entertainment expenses by being creative and patient.
You need a computer and an internet connection to do this. If you have a home internet connection, you should not have to spend extra money on your budget. Instead of paying for a TV and internet package, you can just pay for internet. In addition to the DVR, you will need an 8-20gb flash drive and an HD TV antenna. The flash drive should not be more expensive than $20. A good HD antenna will cost you between $15 and $40.
HD Antenna
If you install an HD antenna on your TV, you will be able to get between 30 and 70 channels, including most or all of your local TV stations. If you live in a rural or remote area, you may not be able to use an antenna. If you live in a urban area, you should be able to watch news, many network sporting events and prime time shows on the major networks.
Computer Recording Program
Get a program that lets you record TV shows onto your computer via the internet. There are many excellent media server software applications available, including PlayOn, Plex, and Splash. The program allows you to record your favorite shows from many different sources so you can watch them later. You can download the free version of PlayOn from the internet.
PlayOn can be used to record programs for up to 24 hours at a time. This means that most TVs come with the ability to connect to USB devices. To watch recorded TV shows on a big screen, simply copy them from your computer onto a flash drive and plug the flash drive into a port on your TV.
Streaming TV Service Costs
If you want to watch shows from your favorite networks and cable channels, you can probably find them on one of the major streaming services, like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, or CBS All Access. If you have multiple services that need to be maintained, the costs can add up quickly.
Hulu’s monthly cost for a standard plan is $11.99, or $5.99 for the commercial included plan. Netflix is a streaming service that offers its users a variety of TV shows, movies, and documentaries. The price for Netflix varies depending on the quality of the broadcast. HD quality costs $12.99/month, while standard quality costs $8.99/month. Amazon Prime costs $12.99 a month, but students can get it for $6.49 a month and low income persons can get it for $5.99 a month if they have proof of EBT or Medicaid eligibility. CBS All Access provides access to all CBS shows plus original programming like Star Trek: Discovery, The Good Fight, and the latest incarnation of Twilight Zone. It costs $9.99 per month, or $5.99 per month with commercials. This means that if you want to watch shows on these channels, you will need to pay an additional monthly fee on top of your regular TV bill.
Free Trials and Recording Strategies
The goal is to only pay for one or two services each month in the long term. To start, use the free trial period for each service. Hulu, Netflix and Amazon all offer 30-day free trials. Each of these networks offer a 7-day trial period. If you start a service, you can watch and record your favorite shows.
To set up a list of programs to record overnight, either using PlayOn or another software such as Plex: 1. Choose the desired software and open it. 2. Find the section for creating a list or schedule of programs to record. 3. Enter in the programs you wish to record, along with the time and day you want them recorded. 4. Save the list or schedule. You should be able to easily record 6-8 episodes of an hour long program since they only run for about 42 minutes without commercials. Make a note of what you do during the day, even if you work outside the home or go out to run errands.
If you record shows on a regular basis and know when each service releases its programming, you will quickly have a library of shows to watch when you want. Hulu releases individual show episodes the day after airing on their home network. Other examples of medical dramas include The Good Doctor and Agents of SHIELD. Netflix releases an entire season of a show on a set day. This means that you can watch all the episodes of a season in one day. Netflix usually makes the full season of a show available a few weeks after it finishes airing on its home channel. There are many television shows that feature superheroes, such as Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and Gotham.
Netflix allows you to record entire seasons of shows in a few days and store them for future viewing. You can watch Netflix shows that have already been released, and then switch to Hulu or CBS to watch or record shows that are released one episode at a time. This means that you should start your subscription a few weeks before the show you want to watch begins, in order to have access to the most recent episodes. You should then keep your subscription active for the next four weeks. The method only requires returning to the service every two to three months because most network shows have several weeks off for holidays or ratings sweeps periods.
When your free trial is about to end on one service, cancel it and start the trial period on a different one. As your free promotions end, continue rotating your services and begin paying for monthly subscriptions. Most streaming services offer a free trial period to new customers in order to entice them to sign up. You may receive an email offering another free trial period from the service you originally left, when you are ready to return.
The downside of this system is that you often have to wait until a show is almost over before you can watch it. You could have paid HBO $30 to watch the latest season of Game of Thrones spread out over six weeks. You could have waited until the last show aired instead. If you had started a 7-day free trial period on HBO at that point, you would have been able to watch or record the entire season for free.
Final Tips for Saving Money on Streaming TV
It is important to remember to cancel a streaming service before it automatically renews. It is easy to cancel and later reactivate most services without having to set up a new account from scratch. This means that you can pause your Hulu subscription for up to 12 weeks.
CBS will give you a discount if you continue to subscribe for a month or more. If you take advantage of these special offers, you can get three months of service for the price of one.
If you are a big fan of live sports, an HD antenna may not be enough for you. There are many different sports packages that can be found online. Sling TV offers $15 and $25 packages which include access to ESPN 1, 2 and 3. fuboTV is a sports-focused streaming service that starts at $45 per month. If you’re currently paying for a cable package that includes access to sports channels, you can save money by switching to an internet-based sports channel.
If you take advantage of free trial periods and use the rotate and record strategy, you can get rid of your cable subscription and still watch your favorite shows. If you have a limited budget, this will help you. If you follow this strategy, you should only spend $12-$25 a month, and sometimes you won’t spend anything if you’ve recorded enough shows.