Previously on Cord Cutter Weekly …

Smart TVs are not inherently more dangerous than dumb TVs connected to external streaming devices, and while pre-loading anti-virus software is a bad look for Samsung, it doesn’t mean using a smart TV is a bad idea.

Before you start fretting over antenna types, installation locations, and over-the-air DVRs, take a moment to consider whether you even need an antenna in the first place.

Streaming TV companies are turning to auto-play video previews because they work. That doesn’t mean they’re in users’ best interests.

You don’t need encyclopedic knowledge about the world of cord-cutting to make sense of it all. Instead, you can use various apps and tools to figure out which services you need and what to watch on them.

Unless you’re certain about keeping a streaming video subscription for the long haul, just cancel it immediately after signing up.

In trying to simplify streaming video sign-ups, “Channels” services have created new complications.

Outside the confines of bloated channel bundles (which, by the way, keep getting more expensive), many new streaming services will discover that they can’t get away with charging too much for TV.

Spectrum is inching ever closer to competing in earnest with cord-cutting, although the company doesn’t seem eager to let people know about it.

When calculating the cost benefits of cord-cutting, it’d be helpful to know what an over-the-air DVR really costs over time.

As someone who’s been doing this for a long time, I can say that cord-cutting has never been a magic solution. It has always been a set of choices and trade-offs you could make in service of saving money.