Cut Cable Television Cost

Cutting the Cost of Cable TV?

Another determining factor is the cable TV package that you choose. The more channels you want, the more money you’ll have to spend on the service. You can alleviate the cost by working with your cable company to choose the best plan that fits your budget.



Some cable TV companies offer package deals that include cable TV, Internet and phone service bundled into one monthly service bill.

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Bypass Cable With a Slingbox

Even if you don't have a cable subscription, chances are you know someone who does. You can beam your buddy's TV signal over the Internet to your laptop, tablet or TV with the help of a Slingbox.

Slingboxes have existed for years, but this week the company is launching two new models designed for a broader audience. I tested the new $150 Slingbox M1 to beam cable TV to an iPad in my office and to a cable-cutting buddy's Apple AAPL +0.78% TV box to watch the World Cup. It could also work well for college students or people with second homes.

Wait, is this legal? It sure is. What makes it different from Aereo is that this stream goes from one cable connection to just one outside device. You hook the small Slingbox hardware to the analog ports on the back of your host's cable box, and then connect it to their Wi-Fi network. It works with almost every cable system in the U.S.

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It doesn't impact your host's TV experience, but everyone must always watch the same things—unless the host gets a dedicated cable box. (Slingbox's apps do let the remote watcher change the channel using an infrared burst from the Slingbox that replicates a remote.)

In my tests, the quality of the signal I received was usually high-def, but did depend on both the Internet upload speed of the host and the download speed where I watched it.

How to cut the costs of TV viewing?

Introductory monthly cable TV service prices are subject to change once the promotional deal period is up. Prior to the expiration date of your one or two-year price deal, you can contact your cable TV service provider to negotiate a new price for continuing your service. Cable companies want your business and give customers loyalty and discount perks for extending their service.