My Streaming Life

Recently, I mentioned that I had cut back even more on my subscriptions , after checking to see what I actually used. I ended up keeping Amazon Prime, but not for the video streaming; rather, for the other benefits. Oh, and since then, I did subscribe to a live streaming service for the purpose of watching football. That's expired, but I'll start another when this weekend's games kick off . All the rest? I never watched them, so I dropped them. No use spending money for something I won't watch. But then, I saw where Discovery+ is running a special. A year of service is $36. That works out to $3/month. For the content they offer, that is one heckuva deal. And I'm tempted. Really tempted. My willpower is strong. I can resist anything. Well, anything except temptation. And I'm really thinking about that Discovery+ pricing. I may start watching that service just to say I got such a deal. Seriously, I am thinking about it. You should too. It's a great price, and...

It's been a while since I got my Xfinity Flex device that I don't ever use. As I said a few months back, it's a good way for someone new to cord cutting to get their feet wet, but for an experienced cord cutter -- and I think I'm an experienced cord cutter -- it's not really useful. Except for the fact that it's free. There's no app store, so you can't add apps. You get what they give you. If you go back far enough, you'll know that's how Apple TV used to work. With the 2nd generation Apple TV, they gave you a set of apps. You could hide them if you didn't want to see them, and you could rearrange them, but you couldn't add new ones or truly remove any. You got what you got. Xfinity Flex is operating much like Apple TV did back in 2010. Actually, not even quite that well, since you could at least rearrange apps and hide what you didn't want to see. For example, I don't subscribe to Xfinity TV, so the Xfinity Stream app serves no p...

Things are heating up. Shots fired. Shots returned. Google vs NBCUniversal is getting interesting. News came out recently that Google, who owns YouTube TV, and NBCUniversal, who owns a bunch of TV networks, are approaching end of contract, and they can't come to terms , at least just yet. If NBCUniversal gets its way, Google will pay more for content on YouTube TV. If Google gets its way, things will remain pretty much the way it is. If neither gets their way, the channels will drop from YouTube TV. But now there's a twist. Google announced on their YouTube TV blog that if NBCUniversal channels leave the platform, they'll drop the price $10 : ... if we are unable to reach a deal by Thursday, the NBCU lineup of channels will no longer be available on YouTube TV and we will decrease our monthly price by $10, from $64.99 to $54.99 (while this content remains off our platform). You can sign up for NBC’s own direct-to-consumer streaming service, Peacock, which they offer for $4....

The big streaming dispute recently has been Roku vs Google regarding the YouTube TV app. The contract for Roku to carry the YouTube TV app ran out and negotiations failed to resolve it, at least so far. Now, there's another dispute making the news regarding YouTube TV, but not with a streaming platform. Instead, NBCUniversal is threatening to pull its content from YouTube TV. I've not received an email about it -- I'm not currently using YouTube TV -- but Variety (and other news outlets) reported yesterday that NBCUniversal was letting customers know about the possible loss of channels : NBCU is directing viewers to a newly launched website, youneedchannels.com, which says that if the companies don’t reach an agreement YouTube TV subscribers might lose NBC, Bravo, CNBC, E!, Golf Channel, MSNBC, Oxygen, Syfy, Telemundo, the Olympic Channel, Universal Kids, Universo and USA Network. Note that I was unable to access the Website in my Google Chrome browser on my computer, but w...

Now that college football Week 4, the 5th weekend of football -- don't ask -- is behind us, my subscription to Sling TV is done. Since I want to watch some more football next weekend, I'll need a live streaming service to get  ESPN and the other channels I want. One of the teams I follow has at least one game on ESPN+, so that $7/month figures into the mix. Another team will play on ESPN, so I need that, which will be at least $35/month. There's the chance I'll want ACC Network, which means another $11/month on top of the $35.  Some of the teams I follow will appear on CBS. The antenna takes care of that. Some will appear on ABC or Fox broadcasts as well. And, of course, the antenna handles that. So, I'm good with ESPN,  ESPN sports add-ons, and ESPN+ to cover what the antenna doesn't. And that's pretty much it. I can subscribe to Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra for $46, ESPN+ for $7, meaning $53 gets me what the antenna doesn't, and I'm good to go...

I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about an app that I don't think I've seen anyone write about. To me, it's one of the most interesting apps, not because of the content necessarily, but because of what the app is. Bear with me, all will become clear. Comet is the app for the TV network that is carried in several cities. The nearest Comet affiliate to me is WTGS on the sub-channel 28.2. The main channel is the local Fox affiliate, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The Sinclair channels Antenna TV, TBD, and Charge also are carried by WTGS on 28.3, 28.4, and 28.5 respectively. It's possible, even probably, you have a local channel that carries Comet. If you aren't familiar with Comet, it's a science fiction channel. Think SyFi (formerly Sci-Fi) but no new or original programming. It's like TV Land for sci-fi fans. Comet stands apart form other non-major networks in that it offers a free live stream via their app. If you have a Roku or Apple TV, you can a...

Over the years, I've subscribed to most of the major live streaming services at one time or another. Many times it was to just check it out and see what I thought. I usually didn't think much of them. But, other times, it was because they actually had something I wanted to watch. And that was always sports. Specifically, I wanted ESPN and related networks for college football. The rest of the year, I didn't want a live streaming service, but being from the south, college football is a thing we like. College football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that. So, right now, I'm subscribing to Sling TV because their Orange plan carries ESPN, SEC Network, and others that carry the teams I want to watch. I subscribed for one month, meaning that this weekend is the last weekend of football under this subscription. By the time the next weekend slate of games starts, I'll decide whether to subscribe to Sling TV again, or to switch to Fubo...

I saw a story online recently talking about a new bundle from Paramount+ and Showtime. Since both are from related companies this makes sense. Paramount+ is owned by ViacomCBS while Showtime is owned by CBS which is owned by ViacomCBS. Or something. Anyway, the bundle, similar to the Disney Bundle (Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+), packages the two services, Paramount+ and Showtime, together for a discounted price. And it's a pretty good deal, at least during the initial promotional pricing. I'm not sure how long this promotional price will last, but right now, you can get the Paramount+ and Showtime bundle for as low as $10/month. They say $9.99, but you and I think of that at $10. The bundle is either $10/month or $13/month. The reason is that Paramount+ has two plans. One is $5/month and the other is $10/month. Both get you a library of Paramount content, but the $10 plan doesn't have commercials, plus a live stream of your CBS local affiliate. Live streaming won't cut out comm...

I mentioned the other day that I was upgrading my Plex server . Well, it arrived. Sort of. The new computer arrived, but the new large hard drive is still to be delivered. My current Plex server has a 10 TB drive, and I'm upgrading to 14 TB, since the current drive is nearly 80% full. No, I didn't have to upgrade just yet, but I will have to eventually, and a new computer is as good a time as any. So, when the new hard drive arrives, I'll complete the setup. I did start the setup. Downloaded the Windows updates and got it ready to put the new drive in. I'll then transfer the content from the current drive to the new one. I have an adapter that will allow me to connect the old drive to the new computer. I can then simply copy all the files over. When that's done, I'll install Plex server software, and retire the old device. Or, thinking about it, maybe I'll just access the old drive via the network, and copy it over the network to the new drive. When the new ...

I recently speculated about new Roku devices being announced soon , and I doubted I would be interested in one. Well, now it's official. New Roku devices are out. And they're all sticks. Okay, not all of them. But two are sticks, and the other is an update to the Walmart exclusive Ultra LT. Looking at the sticks, they've started adding "4K" to the names of the devices. One is the Streaming Stick 4K and the other is the Streaming Stick 4K+. The specs look good, as you would expect. But my current sticks work just fine. I wouldn't really gain anything by replacing any of them. So, for me, I won't be upgrading. However, if I do need to replace a device, or add a stick to a TV, I'd definitely get one of these. It's worth getting, it's just not worth getting simply to get. The Roku Ultra LT? It's been a scaled down Roku Ultra ever since this Walmart exclusive was launched. It's a good device, and I would consider it worth the cost. However,...

I've posted about this before , but I really do not like Roku Pay. I'm a fan of Roku devices. Huge fan. But their Roku Pay setup is awful. Here's the idea: You can use your device to subscribe to content -- such as HBO Max or other services -- without having to go to an external Website on your computer or mobile device and set up an account. It's a convenience. And, if it worked well, that would be wonderful. But here's the thing: it doesn't work well. Sure, it works for most people that use it. And, sure, it works well for most people that use it. But when it doesn't work, it really causes problems. As a way of being helpful --  -- Roku won't let you remove an app if you have a Roku Pay subscription. Why would you want to remove an app if you have a subscription? Well, sometimes, apps mess up. And sometimes, the way to fix it is to remove the app, reboot the Roku, then reinstall the app. What do you do if you have a Roku Pay subscription and you have a...

I'm a Comcast/Xfinity Internet customer, and have had to deal with data caps for years. Comcast had a 1 TB limit for a while. Several months ago, they upped the limit to 1.2 TB, making things a little better. Now, I've not exceeded my limit but one time, and that was not due to streaming. Well, not really. I had accidentally configured iTunes to download all my movies and didn't realize it, and this happened before I went out of town. So, it sat and downloaded a shipload of movies for a few days, and that put me over my 1 TB (at the time) data cap. But for actual streaming, I've never exceeded the data cap. I have always ensured that I never turn off the TV with my Roku device streaming. It could continue to stream. Many people don't realize that, and some have a hard time understanding that. If you don't get it, keep this in mind. The TV is simply a viewer and listener for a Roku box. The Roku device is a separate device, and turning one off doesn't impact ...

A few years ago, I moved my local video streaming from iTunes to Plex. iTunes worked well enough. It allowed me to add MP4 files, including those I ripped from DVD, to the library. The problem was it only worked with Apple TV, and I wanted a solution that worked with all my devices. So, I moved my MP4s to Plex, then ripped my iTunes downloads and moved them to Plex. I've not regretted my decision. However, the computer I used to run iTunes and then Plex is an older Windows device. It's actually a powerful device, but has some age on it. It's nearly eight years old and is beginning to show its age. It has an Intel Core i7 fourth generation processor. I added a second hard drive, and upgraded a couple of times, now with a 10 TB drive. But, I'm ready to upgrade. So, I ordered a new device. I ordered another Dell, but instead of an Inspiron, I got an XPS, which is a little bit of a step up. I got an i7 processor, but it's an 11th generation processor, so I'm expecti...

If all goes as planned, this will be the first time in the past three seasons that the National Hockey League will play a full schedule. Last season, the NHL scheduled a shorter season of 56 games for the 31 teams in the league. The previous year, the season was stopped after around 70 games were played (some played more, some played less) due to the pandemic. The playoffs were held without fans well after the season was normally over. This year, the NHL is trying to get back to normal. An 82 game season is scheduled for the 32 teams -- the Seattle Kraken start play this year -- and the league has changed broadcasters. For the last ten years, NBC carried NHL games. Streamers were able to watch the playoffs on Peacock TV. But not this season. Disney/ESPN and Turner Sports will carry NHL games starting this year as part of a seven-year agreement. ESPN+ will carry several games, as will Hulu. TNT and TBS will also carry games. The networks will alternate Stanley Cup finals, with the Dis...

I get Amazon Prime Video service, but I don't pay for Amazon Prime Video service. No, I don't get it free. I do pay for Amazon Prime. But, I don't pay for Amazon Prime to get Prime Video. I've been an Amazon Prime member (that's what they call it, right?) for years. In fact, since before Prime Video existed. Back then, it was for shipping benefits. We discussed it and said we'd try it for a year and see if it was worth it. It was. So, we kept the Amazon Prime membership Later, Amazon added the video service known as Prime Video. That was a bonus, as far as we were concerned. And, quite frankly, it still is. I don't watch a lot of Prime Video. The primary reason is the interface is all jumbled up. There's little organization or order to it. It's like when you go to Walmart and see that big bin of DVDs with some really good stuff and some really bad stuff, but it's all mixed up and you have to look through everything to find anything? Prime Video i...

I don't watch TV like I used to. And, yes, as a cord cutter, I'm aware that statement can have many meanings. So, which do I mean? All of them. Having dropped cable in early 2011, and streaming most everything since them -- watching over the air antenna channels isn't really streaming -- I certainly don't watch TV like I used to. I watch it a totally different way. But, the other meaning applies, too. I don't watch as many TV shows as I used to. I'm not sure if that's because my personal tastes in TV have changed, or if the stuff they're putting on TV these days just doesn't appeal to me. I do watch some current shows. I'm awaiting the return of The Orville and Better Call Saul , for instance. And maybe some other shows, but those two are the first to come to mind. I'm hoping Doctor Who gets good again, but I'm starting to lose hope about that. And there are a few other shows I watch. So, I do watch current shows, but I still don't w...

In the 10+ years that I've been streaming as my primary method of watching TV, there have been little frustrations along the way. The biggest frustration for me has been accessing sports. Now, I know, for college football it's not that difficult to watch a game. But, if I want the ability to watch every game that's available, I have to pony up a bit of money each month. I looked it things regarding watching last week's games, and the total to get access was at least $87/month . That seems like a lot. You see, I don't want access to a bunch of live streaming channels. Hulu is $6/month and gets me the regular TV shows I want. No, not live, but I don't care. A few hours later, just like as if I recorded it with a DVR, gets me what I want. I don't need the channels from a $25/month Philo package, which does not include sports. For me, the content from the free TV services -- Pluto TV, IMDB TV, The Roku Channel, Stirr, Crackle, Tubi, Xumo, among others -- get m...

Recently, Amazon announced the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max . That's supposed to be an upgrade to the high end stick. Also recently, there was speculation that Roku was about to release new devices . There has been no official announcement, but the September/October time frame is when Roku normally releases upgraded devices. I'm waiting to see about Roku, and not relying on speculation when it comes to getting a new Roku device. My gut tells me I won't, but I'm waiting to see what actually happens. What about the new Amazon device? If I need to get a new Amazon device, I expect I'll get one of those. But just to get one? No. Just like Roku, I need to see a compelling reason to get one. That doesn't mean I won't get one. I might. I always like to have the latest and greatest device, but I won't just to say I have one. There needs to be something about the device that grabs my attention. Right now, I'm happy with the devices I have. My current Roku device ...

The primary reason I cut the cord back in 2011 was to save money. As the years have gone by, there are now more and more options for watching streaming content. And while there are a lot of free options, there are a lot of subscription services that have come along. I've tried many over the years. The first was Hulu Plus, now simply known as Hulu. I have been an Amazon Prime subscriber for years, before they offered Prime Video, so when that came along, I already had it. Then, Sling TV came along. Then more and more services. Free trials for extended periods of time for Apple TV+, Disney+, and more added to the list of services. You may have experienced the same thing. You look around one day, and you have more subscriptions than you realized. So, I recently cut back, mostly because I wasn't watching the content. Oh, and one for a reason I talked about recently. I've canceled Hulu, since none of the shows I watch are on right now. I'll subscribe later when the show...

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote about watching NFL games this season . But, some stuff has changed. Not much, but one change that impacts about half the country. Locast shut down. That was a way that many users -- around half the U.S. -- could watch local channels via a streaming device. That's no longer possible. So, what to do? Let's start by reviewing the ways the games are available. CBS carries AFC games on Sunday afternoon. Fox carries NFC games on Sunday afternoon. NBC carries games on Sunday night. ESPN carries Monday Night games. NFL Network carries some Thursday night games. There are other services that carry games, but those are generally limited to mobile devices, not standard streaming devices. CBS, Fox, and NBC are available from local network affiliates. With Locast gone, you have two options: A TV antenna, which would be the cheapest way over the long run. A live streaming service that include local channels. Those are Hulu+Live...

Yes, I'm a proponent of cutting the cord. Make no mistake about that. But, the reality is that sometimes it may be okay to keep cable. Can you keep cable and still be a cord cutter? Yes. And no. If you have cable TV service, you really aren't a cord cutter, are you? No, you're not. But, what if you think about it like going to the barber, or hair salon. Sometimes you get a trim, right? Well, if you cut back on your cable TV package, that's like a trim. So, no, cutting back on cable TV service isn't cutting the cord, but it is trimming it, which may be what you need to do. Let me give you an example. I manage more than household when it comes to Internet, TV, and the like. And one in particular is located where it's nearly impossible to put up a TV antenna. This house is located far from the major TV affiliates, so an indoor antenna won't work. So, what are the options in that case? Well, there's do without local channels. I didn't like that opt...

Last night, I got a surprise. I saw that Hulu was increasing their price. "Hmm," I said. Not out loud. And if I had, no one would have heard it. I was by myself when I saw the notice. I had logged in to Hulu, because I've notice I've not watched Hulu for a bit. Nothing new has aired that I really felt like watching. So, I wondered if I should pause my Hulu subscription and resume it when a show I want starts up again. And when I logged in, I saw the notice. Am I upset about it? No. I wish the price wasn't going up, but I've been with Hulu for a long time, and I remember when it was more. It actually went down in price a couple of years back, or so. That surprised and delighted me when it happened. And while I'm not all that happy with a new price increase, it's okay, and Hulu is still a good deal. So, yeah, I'm okay with it. Like I said, I've been a Hulu subscriber for year, and will likely be one for years to come, assuming I don't get hit...

Now that football season is underway, I subscribed to Sling TV with the Sports Extra. But now I'm wondering if I did the right thing. I watched a lot of football this weekend. And, like my calculations showed, Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra, along with ESPN+, got me all the content I wanted to watch. That is to say, everything I tried to watch, I was successful. Well, not exactly. I accidentally clicked on the wrong game in the ESPN app once when switching between games. One gave me an error, stating I wasn't authorized to watch it. I don't recall which game it was, but it wasn't one I cared to watch, as my clicking on it was an error. So, it's true that everything I wanted to watch, I was able to watch. But will that always be the case? Maybe not. During my research into a post I wrote about watching the games this past weekend , I concluded that to watch everything, Fubo Elite ($80/month) and ESPN+ ($7/month) would allow someone to watch any nationally broa...

Cutting off cable service meant -- and still means -- losing local channels. And that means no local news. Unless... If you have a TV antenna, you can watch TV that way. Just hook it up to your TV and watch. It's that simple. Now, if you have multiple TVs, and want to watch local channels via antenna on more than just one TV, then you have a couple of options. One is to run antenna leads to the TVs you want. Another is to use a networking device that has a TV tuner, such as (for all major platforms) Tablo, Air TV, or (for Fire TV only) Fire TV Recast. Then, you just use your Roku, Apple TV, Google/Android TV, or Fire TV to watch local channels from your antenna. If a TV antenna isn't possible, or isn't feasible, then you'll want to find a streaming solution. One is a live streaming service such as Hulu+Live TV ($65/month), YouTube TV ($65/month), Fubo ($65), and DirecTV Stream ($70/month), which carry all four major network stations,:ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Vidgo ($...

There has been speculation that Roku is about to introduce new devices to their lineup. Roku has most of their streaming players on sale -- all except the Roku Express and the Streambar Pro -- and it's September. Roku has traditionally released new devices in September or October. In fact, except for 2014, they've release at least one new device in September or October of each year beginning in 2012. So, with almost their entire lineup on sale from $10 to $30 off, speculation is that new devices will be released. Do I care? Well, not really. Not yet anyway. Lately, Roku has updated devices with newer processors and more memory and storage, but nothing has been a big enough of an update to warrant my upgrading my devices. In the past, I would upgrade, because there was often a noticeable improvement in performance or features. The first time I skipped an upgrade was in 2015, when the Roku 4 was released. I saw early reports of issues with the device, and decided to wait on ...

I'm a fan of free TV. Whether that means over the air (OTA) channels you watch via an antenna, or streaming services such as Pluto TV or others, I like the fact that I can watch TV without paying a monthly fee to a cable or satellite service. This is how I used to watch TV when I was younger. It was how everyone watched TV back then. When I was young, there was no cable TV service, at least, not in my area. There was cable in the U.S. as far back as the late 1940s, but cable didn't really catch on big until the 1970s. That's how Ted Turner made his fame, when he made his Atlanta TV station WTCG (later, WTBS) and his baseball team (the Atlanta Braves) available to cable systems across the country. Cable became a big deal, and many people switched to cable because of the extra programming available that wasn't available from the local stations via antenna. Of course, you went from watching free TV with commercials to paying for TV and still getting commercials. I won...

I'm not in an area served by Locast. Well, actually, nobody is anymore. But Locast was offering service to around 55% of the people in the United States. The service ran in 35 markets, including the 22 largest in the U.S. But that was before a court ruling earlier this week that effectively shut the system down . So, I'm not impacted, but maybe you are. And, if you are, what do you do to get local channels? Well, you gotta do the same thing the rest of us do. I use an antenna. Now, since I'm some distance from the major four network affiliates, I had to spend more than most on a large antenna, and have a decent antenna pole, but not a tower. I may add a tower later, but for now, I'm good. It works. But what if you're in a situation where an antenna isn't feasible for you? If you're waning live local channels, you gotta subscribe to a service that carries it. For CBS, you do have the $10/month plan from Paramount+, which skips commercials from on-demand ...

I've posted a couple of times recently about watching college football, including my choice for a streaming service to get me the services I want, plus what I'd need to do if I wanted to watch all of the games from last weekend's opening of the season. As you may know, there are a lot more options for watching football -- insofar as services are concerned -- and it's not all that easy to watch everything you want. But, it is possible. And, since there are a lot more games this weekend, more sports channels are necessary. Here are the different services you'll need to watch the games this weekend. Note that this is for national broadcasts, not small regional sports networks. Always check your favorite team's Website or other information, regarding where it might air. ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN3 The self-proclaimed world wide leader in sports is actually the service/channel that carries the most games. Well, kind of. Many of the big games will be on ESPN during the seaso...

I have the new Apple TV 4K device. I use to use Apple TV all the time. It was my go-to streaming device. I've been a fan of Roku since I bought my first one in 2010. I bought an Apple TV device for the first time in 2010 also, just days after purchasing a Roku device. Back then, there was stuff one did that the other didn't. That's still true to a small degree, but today, essentially, they do the same thing. Back then, Apple TV was intended to play music through the sound system that was connected to the TV. Since all the music was in iTunes, that was the easiest way to play that content through that system. It worked well. And, though I normally used Roku for streaming, I would use the Apple TV device -- a second generation Apple TV -- to stream on occasion. Apple TV took over when I began using iTunes and Apple TV for playing local content. I ripped my DVDs into iTunes to go along with iTunes purchases that I downloaded, and iTunes was the server that, well, served th...