General Information Items for INTERNET STREAMING:

A) *Upgraded Internet connection with high or unlimited data plan

B) **SMART TV manufactured after 2017 with Ethernet connection

C) Ethernet cable to connect cable modem / router signals to SMART TV

D) ***Streaming Stick. Two most popular sticks are ROKU and Amazon's FIRE STICK. Not required but makes navigation much easier and faster

Details of the required individual hardware may be found on our Local Antenna With Streaming page.

* Internet speed must average above 25 Mbps or programs could be unstable if program is 4K or higher video, and / or if multiple programs downloading at the same time. Perhaps two programs being watched on separate TV sets, or another program being recorded.

** Newer Smart TV sets (or Smart DVD player) have more and enhanced options available for OTA and Streaming.

Newer "Smart TV" sets will have an internet input port (Ethernet), and or connect wirelessly to your router. A button on the TV remote will switch the viewer from TV channels to the TV set internet connection.  Different TV manufacturers have different labels for their internet "Input", "hub", "source", etc.

*** A two part device to control your TV set streaming service. One part attaches to a HDMI port on the SMART TV set. The second part is the wireless handheld remote that controls the system. Similar to your TV remote control. Most often a Roku or Fire Stick brand.

See more info in our Streaming Sticks section.

Do not cancel your Cable TV subscription immediately. You can use your TV remote INPUT button to switch your TV back and forth from cable, antenna over-the-air TV (OTA) channels, and internet streaming channels while you decide if streaming or Over The Air is right for your household.

As noted before, just a few items are required if you want additional viewing capabilities, but for a single TV set viewing OTA or internet based streaming TV,  all that you need is a SMART TV, and:

1.) An antenna and cable to connect to TV (For Over The Air) and or
2.) An internet connection if you want video streaming from the inernet.

With multiple TV sets, if you stream programs,  each set will need a streaming stick. There are also router selections available to feed multiple TV sets from a single source. I believe it easier to just have a streaming stick for each TV.

Some viewers don't leave cable TV because they feel they would miss browsing the TV program grid guide to see what programs are playing now and later. Or maybe miss not being able to record shows on their DVR (Digital Video Recorder, also known as a PVR = Personal Video Recorder) feature. We have options for both those features.

There are several good trustworthy companies providing FREE TV schedules, including Titan TV and Zap To It.

Click their name above to visit each site to review. Both sites have a clean TV grid display that show you the programs in your area hour by hour. Both sites have ads on their free screens.

Each site will ask you to open an account. You don't have to create an account but if you do open a free account the site is easier to use if you visit often. The site  will ask for your US postal mail ZIP Code and how you receive your TV programs: Over The Air, Streaming, Local Cable or Satellite service.

With this basic info, the  grid will display, hour by hour and channel by channel all the programs available through the source you specified. I suggest - Start with a free service before looking at paid services. If you open a free account, Titan TV will remember your choices and immediately display viewing options based on the time in your ZIP code, though you can adjust the time and day you wish to monitor.

These TV schedules sites are free, so use both until you decide which you prefer. You can even use  Zip and Titan TV schedule sites for your regular cable TV viewing. The TV grid sites usually look out about two weeks in advance of your current day.

Secondly, a DVR is not needed for most streaming viewing because the programs are already "On Demand". You start, pause, reverse, jump ahead, and stop the programs as you wish on most streaming services. Usually free streaming services will not allow a viewer to fast-forward past a commercial. Airing commercials is how they get paid when you are on a "free" streaming site. Some sites will let you fast-forward during the program sections between commercials. You can also rewind the program and commercials if you wish to see the advertisements again. Just saying.

Most streaming sites that also offer live programs will provide a DVR / service for their live programming. The program is saved on their site for you to watch later. You will have to have a free account to use their DVR service so they can keep track of your recordings for you.

If you have a personal home DVR system, it will record programs that arrive through a cable box or regular TV antenna. Most home DVR systems are not capable of recording a program from an internet streaming service. Streaming TV transmits signals a regular DVR doesn't often understand.

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