For Noobs: Can't Decide If You Should Cut the Cord?

I am a cord cutter but learned some hard lessons along the way. While I have no plans to go back to cable, I spent months changing and tweaking until I got satisfactory solution. Truth be told, cord cutting isn't for everyone. I am no fan of the cable industry but they do offer an easy to use, one-stop service for just about all video programming. Note, if I use the term "cable", I am referring to traditional cable and satellite service providers like Cox, Charter, Dish Network and DirecTV. Anyhow, I put together some things that folks should examine if they are considering the cut. This is not intended to be a how-to-cut-the-cord guide but a should-I-cut-the-cord? guide. Hopefully, the curious and uninitiated may benefit from my experiences.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO CUT THE CORD?
For most people, it is a cost saving move and a way to give the finger to their long-time provider. For me, it was both of those plus not wanting to have giant, antiquated set top boxes (with horrible programming guides) all over the house. One other benefit of leaving cable is that I can easily expand distribution in my house over WiFi. No more fishing coax down walls! Know why you want to change. It will make the questions below easier to answer.

IDENTIFY THE COSTS
Monetary: While there are usually substantial savings for monthly TV service, cord-cutting can bring other increased costs. Internet service costs can increase due to bundle-breaking. Also, factor in the cost of cap busting if your ISP imposes data limits. More than likely you will need set-top boxes like a FireTV or Roku. Those aren't free and can add up if you need three or four of them. Plan your setup and price it out before making the plunge. Don't forget to plan for off-air local channels since most streaming services do not have all local channels in all markets. You may already have coax run to each TV and an antenna hooked up. If not, though, budget for installation, cabling and an antenna. If you want an off-air DVR like Tablo or Tivo, add those costs in too, both one-time and recurring.
Ease-of-use: Most cord-cutting solutions are pieced together from multiple services. My home uses Tablo for local networks, Playstation Vue, and Netflix. Ask yourself these questions: Can you and the other users in your household live without a single, unified programming guide? How tolerant are they of multiple DVR interfaces or no DVR capabilities at all? Do you or your family members have the will to use multiple remote control units to power up/down all of your hardware? Can you live without Pay-Per-View (PPV) events since I can't find a streaming service that offers them?

IDENTIFY THE “MUST HAVES”
Cable's biggest selling point to me was that all of the programming was in in place, usually neatly organized in a single guide. It contained locals, networks, recorded shows, PPV, and on-demand programming. Cord-cutting, for most, blows that up. When you are forced to find one, two, or three ways to get similar programming offered by cable, it is common that you will have to hunt to find what you want to watch. Are you a surfer who needs a single programming guide? Some programming may not be available to you any longer, as well. No streaming service has all networks that cable has so you may need to say goodbye to a few. Identify what channels and features you must have and what you can live without. That will make finding the best service provider for you much easier.

KNOW THE “GOTCHAS”
1. For larger households, the biggest "gotcha" is that all pay streaming services limit the number of concurrent devices you can use. SlingTV only allows a single device at a time. You want to watch a game in the den while the wife watches a reality show in the bedroom? Nope, can't do it without purchasing a second subscription. Hulu Live permits 2 concurrent streams (more can be added for a fee). DirecTVNow and Playstaion Vue have higher limits but both are capped. If you have many viewers, you may need more than one subscription.
2. Not all pay services have apps available on all streaming boxes. For example, the Spectrum app will not run on FireTV. Further, you can't use your Spectrum login for streaming apps such as WatchESPN and FoxSportsGo on FireTV. Hulu Live on Roku? No can do. Compatibility issues seem to be fading over time but be sure that your streaming provider of choice will run on the streaming box or SmarTV you own.
3. Watch for hidden fees. Tablo, the off-air DVR works fine without a subscription. However, your guide will only populate 24 hours of programming meaning that you can't schedule to record anything beyond one-day in the future and you can't schedule to record a season of show. You will need a Tablo $5 per month subscription for that. Like Tivo? That's $14 per month. Losing HBO with your cable package? That's another $15 per month add-on. Want CBS live programming without an antenna? CBS All Access will make you open your wallet.
4. Many folks find out after the purchase that they don't have enough Internet bandwidth to handle the number of streams needed. All of the common media streaming devices like Roku use WiFi to connect to your home network to get the video streams (some devices do have Ethernet ports but they are limited). WiFi coverage is often inadequate to reach all devices. Make sure that your devices can get the resources they need to perform properly.
5. It's too difficult! I am a tech nerd so I don't mind learning new gadgets. My family, however... Be sure that your tolerance for inconvenience and learning is adequate to undo the way you have watched TV for years.
6. If your Internet connection goes out, so does your TV service.

I don't want to paint an overly negative picture of cord cutting but I speak to a lot of people who struggle after leaving cable/satellite. Their vision wasn't consistent with the reality that cord cutting is a DIY project. It can work and save you a bundle but you need to set expectations properly. If you are ready to plan a solution, below is a brief list of some common hardware and service options for your cord cutting plan.

Off-air DVR hardware for local channels: Tablo, HD Homerun, Tivo, ChannelMaster DVR
Streaming TV Set-top Boxes: AppleTV, FireTV, Roku, Android TV (many like nVidia Shield), Google ChromeCast, SmartTVs (too many to list)
Streaming TV Services: SlingTV, DirecTVNow, Playstation Vue, Hulu Live, YouTube TV, CBS All Access