Question: We’re seniors and have 1 large Smart TV and several flat screens with USB ports. Cable has gotten so expensive but we are confused about how to cut the cord. We currently have the small, medium and large cable channel packages, on demand and digital music along with most of the premium channels except one. We probably watch less than 20 of the non-premium channels and mainly the networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), don’t watch much in the way of sports except we do enjoy the Olympics, volleyball and basketball. I often put on the music stations, especially when we have company. We have certain series on the premiums we want to keep.
Is it just a matter of making a list of our ‘must haves’ and shopping for streaming services and/or plug and play sticks? It’s just the 2 of us and we don’t mind moving a stick from room to room as needed. Our cable company is pushing YouTube TV but we don’t know how that works either.
Would we have to pay a per channel subscription fee? Is it available on a stick or would we only be able to watch it on our 1 smart tv? We would prefer not to replace the flat screens with USB ports until they no longer work but that could take a while. But TVs are relatively cheap so we will if we have to. I know this is too long but I’m also positive we are not the only seniors with these questions.
– Allyson B.
Panama City Beach, Florida
Answer: In my experience, it’s a somewhat rare occurrence for so-called seniors to even be aware of all the options available in the realm of streaming media, much less exploring the possibility of using them in their home. So, I applaud you for being Geeky enough to know and have the desire to make use this burgeoning arm of streaming entertainment. Based on the content of your question, I’d have to say that you appear to be on the right track. There are a couple of things in your submission that jump out at me that I can address that will perhaps make things a little easier on you, and, of course, along the way I’ll need to discuss things at a level that will help to bring my other readers up to your level of knowledge.
I’m going to cut right to the heart of the matter and say that YouTube TV is probably an excellent choice for you, based on your expressed viewing habits, and desires for the future. While you could, and perhaps should, before making a decision, make a list of what you called your “must-have” content, I’m fairly certain that you’ll find YouTube TV has the bases pretty well covered. To answer your direct question, no, you don’t have to pay a per-channel fee. The service is more like cable TV without the cable. They offer a package of 100 channels that includes the top broadcast networks, as well as a rich suite of cable stations. There are far too many options available for me to cover them all, here, but they have a website at tv.youtube.com that contains an FAQ section that can answer all your pre-sale questions.
Now, regarding your equipment. For my other readers, the “stick” that Allyson is talking about is one of a number of hardware devices that plug into almost every modern TV. These plug in through a device’s HDMI port and stream content from the Internet (including the YouTube TV I talked about above). Internally, they have a tiny computer that accesses the desired content, then sends it to the TV. You just set the TV to display what’s coming in through the HDMI input, and you’re off and running. These devices include remote controls and some even support wireless keyboards. They are, after all, nothing more than tiny computers.
Where I want to re-direct you, Allyson, is in your belief that you’ll need to move a stick from place to place in your home to watch TV in more than one room. Seeing as your big receiver is a Smart TV, it’s probably all set to go, so long as it has an Internet connection. For your other devices, you can have multiple sticks – one for each device. It is your account login, not the device itself, that tells the service who you are and authorizes you to watch their content. The service you’re considering offers up to six accounts to share with family members, but also includes 3 simultaneous streams, which would be three receivers using the service at the same time.
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