Every week we hold a Cord Cutting Q&A on YouTube answering your cord cutting questions. We understand not everyone can make our weekly Q&A, so we want to answer some of the most popular questions we have been getting.
Today we talk about PlayStation Vue being sold to Amazon or Apple, what you should do first with cord cutting, what internet speed you need to stream, and will we ever get true à la carte TV.
What internet speed do you need for streaming?
One of the most popular questions is what internet speed is needed for streaming. The truth is you really don’t need crazy fast speed to stream services like Netflix. (Although it is always great to have super-fast internet.)
According to Netflix, you only need 5 Mbps down for an HD stream. If you want a 4K Ultra HD stream you need 25 Mbps down. So, if all you want is HD streaming 20 Mbps down will stream four HD Netflix streams at once.
My suggestion would be to start with at least 20 to 25 Mbps down. You can always raise the speed of your home internet to a higher plan, but it can often be difficult to get them to agree to lower your internet plan before the contract ends.
Will PlayStation Vue be sold to Amazon or Apple?
This question has recently surprisingly become very popular. There have been several calls for PlayStation Vue to shut down and the CEO of Sony has even responded to these calls.
So, will PlayStation Vue be sold to Amazon, Apple, or to some other company? Honestly this is highly unlikely to happen any time soon.
Over the last 60 days, Sony has been putting a lot of extra effort into PlayStation Vue. We have seen PlayStation Vue re-add most of the locals they lost over the last year. They have also struck deals with Apple and Amazon to integrate PlayStation Vue into the Apple TV and Fire TV. For now, Sony seems to be doubling down on PlayStation Vue. That makes it seem unlikely that Sony will be selling any time soon. If they do sell, I would expect a current live TV streaming service to buy them to get their hands on the tech and the subscribers rather than a new company jumping into the market.
What should you do first when you decide to cut the cord?
My number one suggestion is to simply not rush into cord cutting. Rushing into cord cutting is how people typically make mistakes that cost money.
Do your research: What streaming players and streaming services do you want? Once you have a plan for how to watch what you want after you cut the cord go ahead and test it out. If it works for you then call to cancel cable.
Will we ever get à la carte TV?
Everyone would love to be able to just pick the channels you want. While I do think someday we will get to the point that you can just pay for the channels you want, I don’t think it will happen any time soon. The truth is many channels wouldn’t make it in a true à la carte world, so cable networks are going to hold on for as long as they can.
The good news is we are already starting to see the first steps into the world of à la carte TV. Many premium channels now offer a subscription service without the need for a cable bundle. We also see Spectrum offering a package that lets you pick 10 channels plus locals for a flat fee.
Look for the next step into à la carte TV to be building your own bundle. Pay $30 a month and pick 15 channels from a list. That may not be what you fully want, it will likely move us in the direction of true à la carte TV.
There you go… our first special edition of cord cutting Q&A. Look for more of these in the weeks to come as we answer many common cord cutting questions.
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