Cutting the cable, lets talk options and media setups

Right now the Fire TV is $85. If you did gaming, the gaming package is $125. The FireStick is $40, but I prefer hardwiring the network into the device. If you do get a stick, I encourage the use of the "dongle". It seems to help with wireless network connectivity. It also comes with the capability to expand storage and you double up on the processor size.

Since the Fire TVs are Android-based, you can sideload any Android app using FireADB or installing ES Explorer, loading a remote host and downloading directly from there. Both are fairly easy. Once installed, you can add repository hosts (Fusion, SuperRepo) to download Add-ons like 1Channel, Exodus, SALTS, Velocity, The Royal We, SportsDevil, etc. are the most popular. You can also add PCs on the home network very easily to use Kodi to share media.

For local channels, I'd recommend installing a Mohu Sky on the mount for your DishNetwork/DirecTV dish. This way every coax jack in the house now has OTA TV. There are plenty of good options for indoor antennas like the Mohu Leaf. The Amazon model is supposed to be good, too.

We have SlingTV for live TV and that runs less than $30. During football season I'll upgrade to the sports package for another $5. I am currently in a trial for Playstation Vue which is similar to SlingTV, but with way more channels and a limited recording feature that will hold onto your episodes and movies for 28 days. It also allows you to have up to five profiles that can all run simultaneously on five different devices. SlingTV currently is allowed on only 1 device at a time. The advantage of SlingTV is with sports. You also can use the SlingTV credentials to gain access to ESPN3/WatchESPN apps.

We also have Amazon Prime that I purchased at a reduced price. If you are a student (or have a .edu email, you can get it at a reduced price, too.

During football season, I pay for Sunday Ticket's streaming service. You can use any tablet, PC and Roku device. FireTV is not currently supported. Hopefully that changes this year. Its runs $200 or $100 if you're a student (or have a .edu email address).

Our current internet package includes a "local" channel package. We can use the login credentials to access content on apps for HGTV, DIY, Starz, HBO GO, Encore, FoxNow, NBC, ABC, Sky News, BBC News, WatchESPN, TBS, TNT, PlutoTV, Food Network, etc. You can also pay for access to Showtime, Hulu, FX, Discovery, etc. There are plenty of content options.