Are your still paying for that high cost monthly Cable or Satellite TV that you are not really able to watch because of work or your hectic schedule? What about paying all that money for many channels that you probably don't watch either.
For the most part, people have their select TV Shows that they are bound to watch every week faithfully like hit shows Scandal, Empire, Gotham, and plenty others which they are not giving up anytime soon. Paid satellite and cable TV service providers have been enjoying for years the stronghold they had on the TV and Movie broadcast industry by making consumers pay a hefty monthly bill for channel packages that we really don't watch and need.
On an average, consumers pay around $60 - $100 dollars a month for cable TV while paying an additional $19 - $60 dollars for internet access, and with the rising costs of paid cable and satellite TV, who knows what you will be paying in the next few years just to watch some of your favorite shows.
Many people wish to give up their monthly cable bill but are not sure the correct ways to go about ditching the dish and cable and they don't realize that they if they have WIFI in their home, they can get to watch all of their favorite TV shows and channels without paying a high cable or satellite bill every month.
Along with a stable internet connection, you will need a set top box like
Roku 2 Streaming Player
Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Apple TV Box
If your a gamer, you can your stream popular TV Shows through online streaming services (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video and more) from game consoles like
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Playstation 3
PlayStation 4
Here is an article that shows How to Stream Popular TV Shows from your Xbox that we recently wrote up which we found to be a great supplement or replacement to your monthly cable service. Also check out our Online TV and Movies Section where you can see all the different ways to watch your favorite TV Shows and Movies online.
In this review, we will be going over the Amazon Fire TV Stick
showing you the benefits and what it can provide in your everyday TV and Movie viewing. Instead of going through the differences in other streaming media players, we decided to go into full depth about the Amazon Fire TV Stick and the ways it can be used to cut cable costs. To get into things, using the Amazon Fire Stick is an all out streaming media player once you have everything setup and running. First you should know that the Amazon Fire Stick cannot be powered directly from plugging into the TV.
It comes with a USB cable and power adaptor which plugs into the Fire Stick and is plugged into the wall. It also has a HDMI extender which is suppose to enhance the quality of the picture. As with all streaming media players, you also get a remote. Further down, we will go into using the Amazon TV Remote app you can use on your tablet or phone.
With the Amazon Fire Stick, you can stream over 300 games, many that are free and paid games start from just 99 cents. You get access to millions of songs through Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Prime Music. You can also access your entire Amazon Music library, so you can enjoy any albums and songs you’ve previously purchased from Amazon. If you want to stream music to your home theater system, choose Amazon Fire TV with the optical audio out. When it comes to your family photos or videos you take on your phone or tablet, you can automatically uploaded them to the Amazon Cloud Drive so they appear on your HDTV.
If your using an old school TV, you will not be able to use the Fire Stick so because it doesn't have the necessary inputs, so you may need to upgrade to a newer model TV. If your on a budget, you should check out our Recommended Flat Screen TVs which are all great TVs listed under $200 that can be used with the streaming media players listed above.
One feature that stands out with the Amazon Fire Stick is the ability to mirror the screen on your tablet to your flat screen TV so you can share whatever is on your screen, including movies, TV shows, music, and photos from your compatible tablet or phone with everyone in your living room using display mirroring. So basically, what you see on your Fire OS or Android device is exactly what you’ll see on your big screen, including support for devices from Motorola, Samsung, LG, and Google without any additional apps or software.
By clicking the “fling” icon on your Amazon Fire Phone
or tablet, you can send video and
audio to your big screen, leaving you free to use your Amazon mobile
device for other tasks. With Second Screen, learn more about TV shows
and movies playing on Fire TV Stick with Amazons new exclusive technology called X-Ray, which is basically a registry of actors films and more that powered
by IMDb that gives you the access to explore characters, actors, trivia, music, and
more. The Fire TV Stick also supports standards like DIAL so you can also fling
services like YouTube, Spotify, and coming soon, Netflix, from your
Android phone or iPhone. 
There is an app available called the Amazon TV Remote which if you download, instantly search TV shows, movies, actors, and genres using just your voice—no more typing with your remote to find what you want. The app is supported on many Android phones and tablets, iOS phones and tablets, Fire Phone, and Fire HDX & Fire HD tablets with microphones.
If your an Amazon Prime member, you are in luck because you can enjoy unlimited, commercial-free streaming of tens of thousands of popular movies and TV shows and if your not a prime member, eligible customers can try Amazon Prime for 30 days for free.
In addition to the unlimited streaming of Prime Instant Video titles, some of the Prime benefits include free two-day shipping on millions of items which you can literally save hundreds on a year, and free books to read each month through Kindle First and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Here is the link to try Amazon Prime for 30 Days.
How to Cut Your Cable/Satellite Bill with Amazon Fire Stick
Now in order to get the most out of your Amazon Fire Stick and save the most money, you will have two options:
1. Using the Amazon Fire Stick as a supplement to your cable channels
or
2. Completely replacing your cable channels with the Amazon Fire StickThese are not the only two options available to watch TV and movies but with the Amazon Fire Stick, these are the two best options. To use the Fire Stick as a supplement to your current cable channels through your cable provider, you will need to go onto their website to see all the different packages available. The average highest cable package is usually around $99 giving you all the channels available through their network. The lowest can be around $35 giving you access to basic channels and a few premium channels. Below is a example of how much you may currently be paying for internet access and cable TV.
Paid Cable TV & Internet Services
Average Cable/Satellite Monthly Cost- $35 - $99
Average Internet Monthly Cost- $19 - $60
Total Monthly Cost- $159.00
Average Annual Cost- $1,908.00
You may say that you don't pay $1900 every year for your service but these numbers above was just an example using the highest monthly packages for both cable/satellite and internet.
Now to start the savings, once you find the lowest cable package available, call your cable service provider and if permitted in the contract, change your service to the lowest priced package available for both the internet and cable.
To replace any shows you may miss from the channels you lost from your paid cable service, sign up for a online media streaming service like Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video or Netflix. Further below is a list of online streaming services that will be able to replace the channels that you want to watch your favorite shows on. Now, its time for the numbers:
Cable TV w/ Fire Stick, Netflix OR Hulu Subscription, Internet Service
Amazon Fire TV Stick
- $39.00 (one time purchase)Netflix Monthly Cost- $7.99
or
Hulu Plus Monthly Cost- $7.99
Internet Service Monthly Cost- $19.99
Cable TV- $35.00 (Lowest Priced Package)
Total Monthly Cost- $62.98
Annual Cost of Cable TV, Internet & Subscription Services- $755.76
That is an average annual savings of $1,152.24
And for those who want to go all the way and replace your whole cable package with online media streaming services, the savings goes further.
Amazon Fire Stick, Netflix, Hulu Subscription & Internet Service
Amazon Fire TV Stick
- $39.00 (one time purchase)Netflix Monthly Cost- $7.99
Hulu Plus Monthly Cost- $7.99
Internet Service Monthly Cost- $19.99
Annual Cost of Internet & Subscription Services- $35.97
That is an average annual savings of $1,872.03 when subtracted from the annual cost of the highest cable TV & internet packages.
You will save $719.79 when subtracting from the average annual cost of supplementing cable TV with the Amazon Fire Stick, Internet, and Online Media Streaming Services.
You can also pick up local channels for free using an indoor antenna. Check out our Antenna Section which shows you how to pick up channels like ABC, PBS, GPBS, CBS, NBC, Fox, plus many other local stations all for FREE.
Below is a list of a few online media streaming services that you can use with the Amazon Fire Stick. If you haven't picked one up yet, you can get an Amazon Fire Stick for $39 on Amazon.com here Amazon Fire TV Stick
Netflix: Good for movies
Netflix has a great streaming service and great content. Unlimited streamed programming is $7.99 per month, and it works on a wide variety of devices including your computer, Roku, and Apple TV, as well as the PS3, Wii, and Xbox game consoles.
Some DVD players like the Sony 3D Blu-ray Disc Player w/ Wi-Fi
and Flat Screen HDTVs like the TCL 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (Roku TV)
can also stream Netflix and Hulu.
Hulu/Hulu Plus: Good for TV shows
Hulu is a great site known for offering all of the top show and old shows you may have missed in the pass. Hulu is available Free on your computer but is blocked on most (if not all) of the set-top boxes like the Roku and on on the game consoles as well. To get free Hulu programming on your TV, you'll have to connect a computer to your TV (see how here).
Using Hulu on other platforms like Roku, Apple TV, and Game Consoles will be through their paid subscription Hulu Plus at $7.99 per month. For this you get access to many current TV shows. If you're really into TV, this could be for you. On the other hand, many of these shows are on the networks for free as well.
Amazon Instant Video
Amazon Instant Video offers tons movies and TV shows to buy or rent. Movies range from 99 cents to $4.99 to rent. You can also purchase movies and TV shows.
Amazon is offering a Free 30 Day Trial and if you are interested, see Amazon Prime - Amazon Prime Instant Video - Start Your Free Trial
Amazon Prime subscription
Amazon Prime is a service that is well worth mentioning. For $99 per year (yes per year, not per month!), you get access to thousands of movies and TV shows on Amazon. As a Amazon Prime Member, you will receive free two-day shipping when you buy stuff on Amazon, and you get to borrow one free Kindle book per month.
It's not a bad deal at all especially for people who shop on Amazon all the time. If you are interested in this, here is a Free 30 Day Trial that you can cancel anytime before the 30 Days are up at no charge Join Amazon Prime-Start Free Trial Now
Netflix has a great streaming service and great content. Unlimited streamed programming is $7.99 per month, and it works on a wide variety of devices including your computer, Roku, and Apple TV, as well as the PS3, Wii, and Xbox game consoles.
Some DVD players like the Sony 3D Blu-ray Disc Player w/ Wi-Fi
and Flat Screen HDTVs like the TCL 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED TV (Roku TV) can also stream Netflix and Hulu. Hulu/Hulu Plus: Good for TV shows
Hulu is a great site known for offering all of the top show and old shows you may have missed in the pass. Hulu is available Free on your computer but is blocked on most (if not all) of the set-top boxes like the Roku and on on the game consoles as well. To get free Hulu programming on your TV, you'll have to connect a computer to your TV (see how here).
Using Hulu on other platforms like Roku, Apple TV, and Game Consoles will be through their paid subscription Hulu Plus at $7.99 per month. For this you get access to many current TV shows. If you're really into TV, this could be for you. On the other hand, many of these shows are on the networks for free as well.
Amazon Instant Video
Amazon Instant Video offers tons movies and TV shows to buy or rent. Movies range from 99 cents to $4.99 to rent. You can also purchase movies and TV shows.
Amazon is offering a Free 30 Day Trial and if you are interested, see Amazon Prime - Amazon Prime Instant Video - Start Your Free Trial
Amazon Prime subscription
Amazon Prime is a service that is well worth mentioning. For $99 per year (yes per year, not per month!), you get access to thousands of movies and TV shows on Amazon. As a Amazon Prime Member, you will receive free two-day shipping when you buy stuff on Amazon, and you get to borrow one free Kindle book per month.
It's not a bad deal at all especially for people who shop on Amazon all the time. If you are interested in this, here is a Free 30 Day Trial that you can cancel anytime before the 30 Days are up at no charge Join Amazon Prime-Start Free Trial Now
iTunes
If you own an Apple device like a iPhone, iMac, or an iPad, you definitely know about iTunes. The TV shows are $2.99 to buy and movies are $4.99 to rent. This is about a dollar more than other services like Amazon.
If you own an Apple device like a iPhone, iMac, or an iPad, you definitely know about iTunes. The TV shows are $2.99 to buy and movies are $4.99 to rent. This is about a dollar more than other services like Amazon.
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