My Streaming Life

Comcast lost a lot of money on Peacock TV last year. According to Variety, the streaming service lost over $1-billion in 2021, qnd is expected to lose even more in 2022 . Comcast, in reporting Q4 earnings Thursday, revealed that Peacock generated $778 million in revenue for the full-year 2021, with an adjusted loss of $1.7 billion. That’s compared with $118 million of revenue and an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) loss of $663 million in 2020. For 2022, Comcast expects Peacock losses to total about $2.5 billion as its investment in content doubles, CFO Mike Cavanagh said on the earnings call. So, why is this a good thing? I mean, losing billions of dollars doesn't sound good, does it? But, launching a large streaming service is expensive, and Comcast thinks that in the long run, they can withstand these losses and end up making money overall. They're looking at it as a long-term investment. In fact, for the 4th quarter of 2...

After a couple of earlier musings on HBO Max, and an abbreviated test run, I finally was able to spend some time actually using the service. I like it. I won't keep it, but I like it. First, I'll tell you why I like it, then I'll tell you why I won't keep it. Why do I like HBO Max? Quite simply, it has good content. That's really the only reason to subscribe to any service, and HBO Max is definitely one to consider. While not all of the movies are my taste -- I'm not in the target audience for most theatrical releases -- the service has a lot of hit movies available. And TV shows. Don't forget the HBO shows. There are Academy Award winning films from the early years ( Grand Hotel , The Great Ziegfeld , Casablanca ) to 21st century Best Picture winners ( Argo , No Country for Old Men ). There are plenty of movies from the history of cinema, from the 1902 Georges Méliès classic Le Voyage dans la Lune/A Trip to the Moon to this week's theatrical releas...

The 24th Winter Olympic Games begin February 4th in Beijing. If you're a streamer and interested in the games, you'll be happy to know you can stream them. In 1901, Sweden hosted the Nordic Games. At the time, there were no winter games in the Olympics. Norway hosted the Nordic games in 1903, then Sweden hosted the games in 1905, 1909, 1913, 1917, 1922, and 1926. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held, and the Nordic Games ceased running after the 1926 events. The Winter Olympics were held every four years from 1924 to 1992, excepting 1940 and 1944 when Axis Powers countries Japan and Italy were scheduled to host. World War II took priority. The Winter Games shifted two years following the 1992 games, being held in 1994, and every four years after. That puts the Summer Olympics in even years divisible by four, and the Winter Olympics during the intervening even years. This year, they're in Beijing. And, as usual, NBC has broadcast rights in the USA. You'll be able...

A few months ago, I set up Tablo Connect and tried it on my Chromecast with Google TV device, and with my Fire TV Stick 4K device. I had planned on testing it with Apple TV, but never did. I will eventually. Probably. My focus for now is on Tablo Connect, not on the devices. Simply put, the device doesn't matter. Well, as long as the device supports Tablo Connect. That means no Roku. Tablo works on Roku, but the Connect feature doesn't. Maybe it will one day, but for now, to use Tablo Connect, you need Apple TV, Chromecast, Nvidia Shield, Fire TV, iOS devices, and Android devices . So, what is Tablo Connect? Well, it's what Tablo calls their watch anywhere, on the go, whatever you want to call it. You can watch your Tablo, live or recorded content, away from home. Is that a big deal? Well, yeah, it really is. Think about that. You can watch your home TV antenna content anywhere. All you need is an Internet connection. I manage the TV/tech setup in a couple of houses. I don...

If you cut the cord and replaced cable with a live streaming service -- YouTube TV, Fubo, Vidgo, Sling TV, Phio, etc. -- I have a question for you: why? Why did you simply replace cable with a live streaming service? What was it about cable you didn't like? The price? Okay, I get that. If the live streaming service is cheaper, that's great. Or was it paying for channels you didn't watch? Well, if that's the case, does the live streaming service have channels you don't watch? I bet it does. So what did you solve? Price? So we're back to that, which is fine, but I'm trying to understand why you actually cut the cord. The real reason. Is it more control of your viewing options? That's legit. There is nothing wrong with wanting to control your TV, rather than ceding that to the cable company. With cable, you probably have only one or two cable options. With streaming, you have many options, including those listed above. You can switch easily, with month to m...

I so want to like the Chromecast with Google TV device. However, the more I use it the more trouble I find it. Storage is one of the big issues that I've encountered . I've been hoping for a better Chromecast device with more storage. And, it looked like one was coming, according to a report from 9to6Google . Part of the charm of the Chromecast with Google TV is the simplicity of the dongle form factor, but demand has been rising for a higher-end device to compete with the Nvidia Shield TV series. In that vein, perhaps Boreal could be a more premium Google TV box. Google has pursued this model in the past with the $69 Chromecast Ultra and $99 Nexus Player. But now, it appears the new Chromecast will be a low-end device, if the report from Protocol is correct . The new low-end Chromecast is said to be based on an Amlogic S805X2 CPU with a Mali-G31 GPU. This would allow it to support decoding of the AV1 video codec — something Google has been pushing other hardware makers to adop...

During the Christmas season, it's almost cliché to think about the Hallmark Channel and all their Christmas movies. People will joke about how bland and predictable they all are, but watch them anyway. Of course, Hallmark doesn't just have movies during Christmas. The Hallmark Channel, and the Hallmark channels (there are more than one), offer content year-round. And, sure, you could make the same jokes about the other Hallmark movies that you do about their Christmas movies (most of the same jokes) but the reality is, you'd probably like those movies just as well. There are several ways for a streamer to watch Hallmark movies and TV shows, ranging from expensive to cheap to free. Expensive The services that carry the three Hallmark channels carry more than just Hallmark. However, it's a good idea to look at their other channels to see if it's worth the cost. It may be. Or not. If your only want is Hallmark, these are probably not the way to go. All of the expe...

I first cut the cord in 2011. At the time, I was saving $65/month by cutting cable. Yes, I had to buy some equipment for streaming, but that up front investment was paid for by the savings within the first two or three months. That meant that first year, I saved about $650. That was over a decade ago. If I were to cut the cord today, would I save that much? Would I save anything at all? I feel that I would, but I haven't run the numbers. Until now. There are a couple of ways looking at this. I'm going to look at a scenario where I've been a cable TV user for some time, and comparing the cost to switching to streaming. And, since I'm not a gamer, I'm going to consider an Internet speed that is sufficient for streaming, but may not suffice for heavy gaming. I'm a Comcast/Xfinity customer, and I'm using their plans to check this. Currently, a plan with 50 mbps service with 125 cable channels, including local channels, is $109/month plus tax. Oh, the broadcas...

Netflix announced this week that their subscribers grew by 8.3 million in the 4th quarter . The company on Thursday forecast an increase of 2.5 million subscribers in the current quarter, compared with four million a year earlier. It also slightly missed its subscriber estimate for the fourth quarter, adding 8.3 million subscribers instead of the projected 8.5 million. Netflix stock fell 20% in after-hours trading, while shares of its main streaming rival, Walt Disney Co. , were down 3.4%. It's not so much the increase in subscribers, but that the increase isn't enough to satisfy the stock gurus. Netflix revenue went up 16%, to $7.71-billion. That's a lot of money, but not enough for some people. And, their stock fell 20% because of that. Think about if your income went up 16% in three months, and people were disappointed in you. But, that's how things work in business. Netflix offers a lot of content that people like. A lot of people like it, and spend over $2-bill...

This past year, Hulu, Netflix, Frndly.TV, and other services have raised their prices. Now, DirecTV Stream, the most expensive of the live streaming services, is raising prices on most plans this week. According to a notice on their Website, the prices for service will go up tomorrow on most plans, but not on their cheapest plan. That plan remains at $70/month. The bigger plans, though, go up $5-$10. For grandfathered plans, the increases will be $4-$10. DIRECTV Stream packages (Current) Monthly price increase amount Minimum service ENTERTAINMENT No increase CHOICE $5 ULTIMATE $10 PREMIER $10 This is not unexpected. Prices increase because that's what prices do. Or have done to them. Bottom line is it costs more. How do you deal with this? What can you do about it? Well, there are several ways to go. One way is to just put up with it....

If you're a cord cutter, or thinking of becoming one, an option you should consider is getting a TV antenna. Most people in the USA live close enough to at least one broadcast tower and could pick up TV signals over the air. That's free. A long time ago, when I was just a wee lad, that was the only way to watch TV. We had a TV antenna pointed toward the TV towers in Savannah, and we'd watch the stations from that city. It was the closest place that had TV signals. Next closest was Jacksonville, Florida. Or maybe Charleston, South Carolina. But we usually watched Savannah stations. And we used an antenna because that's how you watched TV. Later, a company ran cable in our area, and we eventually switched over in order to watch the newer channels that were available beyond the Big Three networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC. Fox and CW came much later. Cable became big. Really big. It made Ted Turner millions, and Braves fans out of many people across the country. It was the part...

I wrote a few months back that if you have a smart TV, but it's not a Roku TV, Fire TV, or Android/Google TV, then you should consider getting a streaming device and using that instead . I stand by that recommendation. Let me lay out the case again. Most TVs today are smart TVs. Not all, but most. The obvious differences of resolution, color, all the things that matter to you, those are the most important things to consider. The smarts inside the TV are not quite as important. There are four major streaming platforms: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android/Google TV. Any other platform, at least now, are lesser platforms. Don't even consider using a device on another platform. Of those four major streaming platforms, all but Apple TV can be found built in to some smart TVs. When it's time to get a TV, it doesn't matter if it's a smart TV or not. All that matters is that you are happy with the picture and the price. If the new TV is one of the Big Three platforms,...

There are two main ways to stream content: live and on-demand. You probably already knew that. If not, you just never took the time to think about it. But, it's really obvious once you ever do think about it. In the old days, you could only watch something as it became available. A new episode of I Love Lucy or Star Trek or Cheers would be watched when the network aired it. Or you might watch the baseball game of the week as it happened. That was how you could watch TV. Eventually, VCRs came available and you could record your soap operas for watching later. That meant there were two ways to watch TV. Now, you're streaming. And, you can watch TV in one of those two ways. If you have a live streaming service, you can watch the latest episode of NCIS when it airs. This is like the traditional way of watching TV. If you have an on-demand service, you can watch last night's Grey's Anatomy or This Is Us , same as if you had recorded it. Think about that for a minute. In ...

I cut the cord to save money. When I first looked into streaming, I decided I would not drop cable if I couldn't save money. I spent a year keeping a record of what I watched, and then calculated how much I would have spent if I had streamed instead of watched with cable. And after a year, the numbers showed I wouldn't have saved any money. But it was close. So, the next year, I did it again. And that time, it turns out I would have saved money, so I cut the cord. That should show that my primary goal in cutting the cord was to save money. I'm not suggesting that's the only reason that should be considered in cutting the cord, but it was a requirement of mine. I'm all about saving money. So, if there's a way to save more money, I'm all in. The main thing I can do -- and you, too -- to save money is to not pay for anything more than I need to. I'll subscribe to Hulu, Discovery+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, Paramount+, AMC+, and ot...

I've rarely purchased low end Roku devices. The first Roku device I bought was the model 2100 Roku XDS. That was the top of the line device, and I really liked it. Of course, devices got better, and I bought a newer device the next year. I moved the XDS to another TV and put my new model 3100 Roku 2 XS on my main TV. A year and a half later, I bought a Roku 3. I later bought a Roku Ultra. I've always had the top of the line devices, but I have purchased other devices along the way. I bought some sticks, but never really liked them until the Streaming Stick+ was released in 2017. However, the sticks went on secondary TVs. I always kept the better devices on my main TV. Right now, though, I don't have a Roku Ultra on my main TV. Now, to be clear, I maintain the Internet and streaming setup in four residences, my own and other family residences. On the main TV in my home, I actually have a Streambar. The Roku Ultra finally gave out after a little over four years, and I replace...

The cost of Netflix has gone up again. For most of 2020, Netflix standard plan, the mid-price plan, was $13/month. In late 2020, it went up $1, and now it's gone up another $1.50. The top tier plan went from $16 to $18 to now $20. Of course, it's not unexpected that prices will go up, especially with the inflation rate over four times what it was a year ago . While the price of entertainment hasn't gone up as much as the cost of energy, it all adds up. And now, to watch Netflix, it'll cost you around $2/month more, and 11% hike. Is Netflix worth it? Well, I dropped Netflix several years ago. I have occasionally subscribed, particularly when new Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes were released, but usually, I don't subscribe. Apart from MST3K, which is gone from Netflix, I'll subscribe about one month every year or two, to catch up on things (Stranger Things) that pique my interest. So, this price increase won't impact me, but I do feel for those that ar...

This is not exactly streaming related, other than it does involve my Plex server. Since Plex functionality allows local videos to be streamed over a local network, or over the Internet to approved users, this does to some degree apply to streaming, albeit specialized. I have more than one computer set up. If you're running a Plex server, it may be that you would accomplish it by having a dedicated computer for that purpose. If you do, and if you have another desktop computer for regular computer usage, you can run into space issues. That's where a KVM switch comes in. A KVM switch allows connecting multiple computers to a single keyboard (K), video device (V), and mouse (M). If you have two computers, your desktop could be PC 1 and the Plex server could be PC 2. Or, the other way around as it doesn't really matter which you call which. The thing is, you connect a single keyboard, a single video monitor, and a single keyboard to the switch, and two or more computers to the s...

Frndly.TV has been a favorite of mine since it launched. It offers good family friendly entertainment at a good price. It's one of the cheapest ways to get Hallmark Channel streaming content. Recently, Frndly.TV has added several channels to its lineup, and went up a dollar a month -- still a good deal starting at $7/month -- but some of the new channels aren't as family friendly as the original lineup. I'm not saying the content isn't good, but some of the crime shows may be too intense for children. Not quite as family friendly. However, the most recent addition is more in the family friendly style. Frndly.TV has added FMC: Family Movie Classics to its lineup . While I've not seen that channel, it is one I will be checking out. I'm glad to see more family friendly content available for streaming. And while I may not be tuning in FMC or Frndly.TV every day/night, it is something that will be a daily stop in some people's Streaming Life.

Roku has launched a new "Live TV" item on its menu. It's similar to the Live TV section of Amazon Fire TV, but there are some differences, as you might expect. But not many. The main difference, really, is that Fire TV will try to autoplay selections for you while you are reading the description of the content. There are settings that will turn some of this off, but that only works on the items at the very top of the Live TV section, the Featured section. When you go to the other sections, Fire TV autoplays. I hate that. Roku doesn't autoplay, which is something I prefer. So right off the bat, Roku wins the comparison. Roku Live TV focuses primarily on The Roku Channel. All of the content you can access directly from the Live TV menu is from The Roku Channel. There are sections of content that are actually shortcuts to Roku apps. Of course, since Roku calls apps by the name "channels" it's difficult to tell if this is a live TV channel, or an app. The wa...

I've been using Roku as my primary streaming device since 2010. But, along the way, I've used many other devices. I currently have an Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, and Chromecast with Google TV. And Chromecast is my topic today. I've talked before about what I like about Chromecast , and what I don't like about Chromecast . The things I like are still true, but the things I don't like are becoming more and more apparent. For example, my Chromecast is sluggish. Sure, there are ways to fix that , but having to do that isn't something I particularly care for. These little nagging things -- sluggish and requiring a restart , running out of space  -- can wear on my patience. Now, if all devices were like that, I wouldn't complain so much. But, over time, it turns out that Fire TV, which was on my naughty list for years, now performs better over time. And Roku performs best overall. Well, Roku and Apple TV perform the best. This isn't to say that Chromecast wit...

I noticed that on my primary streaming device, a Roku device, I have 62 apps listed. That kinda surprised me. Side note: Roku calls their apps by the name "channels" which I never really liked. I'm calling them apps, because that's what they are. I asked myself, "Self, do you really use 62 different apps? Surely you can't be serious." But I did not complete the Airplane joke, I stopped at the Flip Wilson joke. And if you don't get that, you're a lot younger than I am. I know I don't use 62 different apps, so it's time for a cleanup. Only, I discovered it's actually 60 apps. Turns out, I still have the "Add Channels" and "TV Off" selections on the main menu, which Roku calls "shortcuts." Those were the first to go. Down to 60. On a Roku home screen, there are nine fully visible apps, and three mostly visible apps. The two I use most, Plex and YouTube, are the first two items. ESPN is on that block of nine,...

There have been 37 college bowl games/playoff games so far this year. More were scheduled, but five were canceled. The first two games were on December 17, and the 38th one, the national championship game, will be tonight. In all, 74 schools will have played games this post-season. Streamers used to have a difficult time watching the games live -- at least legally -- but that changed in the 2015 season when the first live streaming service, Sling TV , launched. Now, there are several live streaming services, and you have lots of options when it comes to watching bowl games. The Game Monday, January 10 College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T 8:00 PM ESPN Alabama vs Georgia How to Watch The game will be on a streaming service that carries ESPN. Here are the services for that network. ESPN/ESPN2 ESPN carries many college games during the season. A few are carried on ESPN2. All services that carry ESPN also carry ESPN2: Sling Orange ($35)...

Every football season, I subscribe to a live streaming service, usually Sling TV, to watch football. Well, there's one more game left in the college football season, the national championship tomorrow night. After that's done, I drop Sling TV. A lot of people use a live streaming service, some call it "Cable 2.0," year-round. I don't. There's nothing that I watch live year round. I am fortunate enough to live in an area where I can watch local channels via an antenna. I don't need YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, or any other service that carries local channels. The fact that my go-to service for college football is Sling TV is because I don't need locals, and Sling TV doesn't carry locals. That's why it's so much cheaper than other services. With no need for a live streaming service, I'm about to save $35/month by dropping Sling TV. And that's one thing I really like about streaming. All I have to go is go to the Website and canc...

For quite some time, several of my online friends have advocated and expanded college football playoff system. We've not been some Johnny-come-lately about it. We've been clamoring for this online for over a decade and a half. And privately for longer. If you want a refresher of one of our latest calls, there's a post I wrote last month that you can review here . If that had been how things were done this year, would we have still ended up with Alabama and Georgia playing for the title? Heck, I don't know. And that's the point. The four-team playoff pretty much guaranteed Alabama vs. Georgia. Had the 16-team format been in place, you would have had: (1) Alabama (SEC) (16) Northern Illinois (Mid American) (2) Michigan (Big Ten) (15) Utah State (Mountain West) (3) Georgia (At-large) (14) Texas-San Antonio (Conference USA) (4) Cincinnati (American) (13) Louisiana (Sun Belt) (5) Notre Dame (At-large) (12) Pittsburgh (ACC) (6) Ohio State (At-large) (11) Utah (Pac 12) (7)...

Sticks are a popular way to add a streaming device to a TV. I have streaming sticks by Roku and Amazon on my TVs, as well as Google Chromecast, on different TVs, but on my primary TV, my main way of watching isn't with a stick. However, I do use them on occasion. All of my Amazon Fire TV devices are Fire TV Sticks, for instance, so when I decide to use Amazon Fire TV, I'm using a stick. I have no issues with sticks. They're great. One thing that crops up often in the Roku support forums is odd behavior from a Roku stick, and it turns out that the user is powering it from a USB port on a TV rather than with the included Roku power supply. The other thing is that for some overseas locations, Roku doesn't even include a power supply on some devices, so you have to use the USB port on the TV. And, Roku has included instructions on how to use the USB port on the TV to power the stick. That means that Roku says, "Sure, go ahead, power your Roku device with the USB por...