My Streaming Life

One of the most frustrating things about Amazon's Fire TV devices are the fact that it's extremely difficult to find the apps you want in the device. I've taken to just going to the Amazon Website and searching for the apps, then adding them from the Website. Oh, sure, there are apps available, but honestly, I do not find it a pleasurable experience. Quite the opposite. Perhaps I'm just experiencing holdover from my general dislike for the Fire TV interface, along with the difficulty browsing Fire TV content on the device or on the Website. I always hated that each season of a show was listed as a separate entry. I'd be scrolling through the content, and there would be Star Trek Season One (for example). Then more stuff, then Star Trek Season Three. More stuff, more stuff, Star Trek Season Two. Don't get me wrong, I like the original Star Trek. I have since September 1966. But each season as a separate entry only junked up the browsing of content. Because it w...

There was a brief bit of excitement recently because Roku accidentally published a piece of content that listed a Roku model number that didn't exist. Of course, that began the whole "Are new Roku devices coming??!!?!" kind of thing. I like Cord Cutters News . Luke did a great job with it, and since he sold it, they've carried on doing good work. They are a great go-to resource. But, they are in the business of making money, so they gonna clickbait, or make things out a little more than necessary. That may be a little harsh, partly because I think we all do that from time to time, and they really are not nearly as bad as most Websites. And, perhaps they don't even intend to do it, but it does creep in. Or, it appears to me that it does. Specifically, CCN had an article recently that covered a listing of a previously unheard of Roku model : The model, 4802X, doesn’t correspond to any currently available devices within Roku’s lineup, which includes the top-end, 2020...

I've been a fan of MeTV for some time. I'm in the demographic, so that makes sense. Now, I don't watch it a lot. I don't just put the TV on any channel and watch. But, I know many that do, and MeTV is what they are after. For cord cutters, putting up an antenna has been the only way to get MeTV. Until now. Frndly.TV, which I'm also been a fan of for some time, finally secured MeTV in it's lineup, according to a post on Facebook . We’re excited to announce that we’ve added two new channels – MeTV and Story Television! MeTV is one of the most requested channels! We’re excited to bring this to our all of our customers, without raising our prices :0) That's good news. Now, if you have an antenna, this doesn't bring anything new to the table. But, if you don't have an antenna, and you want to watch classic TV, this is a big deal. And, considering that Frndly.TV has plans as low as $7/month for 30 family friendly channels, it's an even bigger deal. Frn...

I mentioned before about managing a Plex server for a family member . It went out, and was in need of replacing. It was serious. So, rather than buy or put together a Frankenstreamer, I decided to do a little of both. I decided to use a Raspberry Pi as a Plex streaming server. Well, I ran into some troubles , and combined another project I was trying with resolving my family member's Plex issues. I decided to try an Nvidia Shield as a Plex server . It went well. At first. Then it began to need to be booted every three days or so. Along this time, I resolved my KVM switch issues , so I was able to run both Nvidia Shield and Raspberry Pi in parallel. And I resolved the Raspberry Pi issues (actually, an update to Ubuntu fixed it). When everything settled, the Raspberry Pi turned out to be the way I went. Whatever was causing instability with Nvidia Shield may be worked out, but for now, Raspberry Pi, running Ubuntu, is the Plex server I'm using. And I'm happy with it. I think ...

I've been streaming regularly since 2010, with occasional streaming in the years before that. While many have only recently become streamers, I've been doing it for a while. And my son even longer, as he's the one who got me looking into it as a serious alternative back in 2008. The point is that streaming is not a new thing. It's bigger than it used to be, and will be even bigger as time goes on. Since it's not a new thing, there really is no good reason for the major sports leagues to not accommodate streamers. But that's where we are. And for years, I've been wanting to give Major League Baseball my money. But they don't seem to want it. I'm a fan of the Atlanta Braves. I've been in Georgia longer than they have, but I've come to appreciate those newcomers to my state. And if I want to watch a Braves game, I have to either go to the game, or have a pay TV service that carries them. As a Braves fan, I'd like to be able to watch them str...

A few days ago when Roku announced the new OS 11 had been released. And, within a day of the announcement, I had it on one of my devices. I didn't find out until later, because it was on a device in a spare room, and because Roku doesn't send the updates out all at once, even to the same user. As is normal, one of my devices got it early (though never before this early) and the other ones will have to wait. So, for that one device that's running OS 11, how is it you might ask. No, really. Go ahead and ask. Well, since you asked, here's what I found different: nothing. Yep, absolutely nothing different. What the ...??? Well, as it turns out, all of those fancy dancy changes that will come with OS 11 will come later to OS 11. So, all this hype about what Roku OS 11 brings is ... just hype. Nothing rolled out with the update. No new features. Those seem to be updates to the interface. And what rolled out was the behind the scenes changes that are needed to support the feat...

As Starlink expands its coverage with more and more satellite launches, one other thing is going up: it's subscription cost. Starlink launched with a $99/month cost. The company recently announced that the monthly cost is going up to $110, an increase of over 10%, according to reports . SpaceX sent notices on Tuesday to Starlink users and deposit holders noting the higher prices, according to a copy of the email obtained by CNBC. “The sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation,” the Starlink email said. Starlink’s baseline monthly service price will increase by 11%, to $110 from $99 per month, effective May 21. The price of the baseline Starlink hardware will jump by 10%, to $549 from $499, for users who placed a deposit but are on SpaceX’s waiting list for service. For new orders, the company increased the base hardware price by 20%, to $599 from $499. My sister has the service, and while she's not happy with the price increase, she's not exac...

I got a surprise a couple of days ago. On Tuesday, Roku announced that Roku OS 11.0 had been released. I had actually communicated with someone on Monday who had received the update, so I knew it was coming. Neither I nor he had participated in the beta release of OS 11, so when he got it, I knew it was out, and the next day, Roku announced it. Normally, it takes a while for me to get it. But late Tuesday night, I got it. One one device. I checked four devices, and only one of them had the update, but that's normal. Some people expect to get the update the day it's released. I've never got it that early. Once, I got an update within a week or two after release, but this is the first time I got it the day they announced it. And, of course, it's only on one of my devices. That's another thing some people don't understand. You probably won't get the update to all of your devices at the same time. At least, I've never received updates to all my devices at th...

The new Roku 11.0 operating system was released this week . I don't have it yet. They never send it to me in the first few days. Sometimes, I'll get Roku OS updates in the first month, sometimes in the second, and if not by the third month, it will come some time then. The new OS is focusing a lot on sound. I listened to a lot of loud music in the 1970s, and was attached to an artillery unit for a brief time during my time in the Army. My hearing isn't the best, so I'm not sure how these new features will benefit me. But if it benefits you, that's a good thing. They're adding some new Live TV features to the Home Screen of the main menu. Yeah, I don't care. But you might, so yay? They have some new photo screensaver sharing feature. I can see some people liking that. Not me. But yay for those who do. There will be a What To Watch section on the Home Screen. The other devices that offer things they suggest for me to watch usually get it wrong, so I expect Rok...

When it comes to cutting the cord, many believe it's a good idea to have an antenna for over the air channels. I'm one of those that believe that. However, I'm also aware that it may not always be easy to put up an antenna. Power lines are dangerous, running cable can be difficult, and paying someone to do it can be expensive. But does that rule out the possibility of having an antenna? No it doesn't. Some people have good success with an indoor antenna. They're small, and are easy to install. Well, mostly. Part of the installation process is to install it where it picks up the most channels. If the location of the antenna doesn't pick up channels, then it's not good location. Sometimes, it's trial and error. But there's a step you should try before you get an antenna. There are Websites that can assist in determining where the nearest stations are, and how far away the stations are located. An indoor antenna doesn't have the range of an outdoor ...

If you're a cord cutter, or thinking about becoming one, it may very well be worth looking into getting an antenna for watching local TV channels. Sure, you can get a live streaming service that includes local channels, but those cost more. You may be able to spend a little extra money up front for an antenna and save money overall in the long run. It's a little hard for me to make good comparisons for what you may want in a live streaming service, because I don't want a live streaming service. But, not everyone is like me. Some absolutely want the content they get from a live streaming service. For this, I've decided to break things out a couple of ways. I'm using the Nielsen ratings for the most-watch networks. I'm looking at them two ways: overall viewership, and overall viewership excluding news and sports. I'm breaking out the ones available over the air, as an antenna would cover those. These include: CBS (1st overall) NBC (2nd overall) ...

Roku's recent revamp of their app system removed non-certified apps as they existed. The whole new process no longer has a Private Channel, or Non-Certified Channel, repository. By the way, Roku doesn't call them apps, but calls them channels. They're apps. In the process, they also revamped their app development process. The paperwork I've seen -- it's publicly available -- allows for apps to be marked as "Adult." Roku removed all non-certified apps. The app developers had the opportunity -- still do, by the way -- to code their app to standards and submit for certification. Most didn't. However, what many adult services -- they're really porn, but call themselves adult, even PornHub -- have done is claimed that Roku targeted their apps. Roku didn't, but the facts don't matter to certain people. And they've fired up their base. And "base" is indeed the correct term. One definition is "the lowest part or edge of something...

I saw a post on Tablo's blog recently that talked about the scams some TV antenna manufacturers try. Now, this post is originally from a while back, but was updates about a week ago, and I saw it then. It has some good information. You might already know this, but if you have friends or family that don't, Tablo' blog post does a great job of highlight some of the warning signs from these unscrupulous companies . If you see an ad on TV or online for an OTA TV antenna and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We often get asked about products like the Magic Stick, Clear TV, and LiveWave antenna. These products are about effective as a paper clip and should be avoided, especially since you can purchase much better options at similar price points. It's good information for anyone looking to add an antenna to their setup. If you're a cord cutter, or looking to be one, an antenna may be a good thing to consider. I wanted to put one up for some time, but circumsta...

I mentioned recently that I was getting an Nvidia Shield device . I had held out for a while but finally decided to give one a try. Well, it arrived, and I set it up, which went very smoothly. However, I'm not going to talk much about that. That's because, I'm not using nor testing the Nvidia Shield as a streaming device. I have something else in mind. If you saw my earlier post, you may have noticed that I had a second reason, above and beyond testing, for getting an Nvidia Shield device. There's one other reason for getting the Nvidia Shield, but I'll talk about that another time. And that's the reason that tipped the scales. Yes, I'm ending on a teaser. But the truth is that without that other reason, it would still be a thing I should do, if I'm going to consider myself an expert on using streaming devices. So what happened? Well, if you recall, I've been setting up another Plex server for a family member, and ran into some issues trying to use a...

First, let me state that I don't need or use a live streaming service most of the time. My viewing habits are such that if someone gave me free cable, I wouldn't watch it. I'm not exaggerating. I have had cable available free for extended periods of time and didn't watch it. But, those are my viewing habits. When I started streaming, I found a whole new world of content, and found that I didn't need a cable service at all. But that's me. However, I do mention it just in case it's something you haven't thought about. But, what if your situation is that you have cable, want to cut the cord, but haven't because you want the ability to watch the channels cable offers. And you're not comfortable with finding alternate content without those specific cable channels? What do you do then? I suggest an online tool called Suppose.TV. Now, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I simply find the tool useful. Very useful, in fact. If someone asks me how...

I'm not going to do a plug for Consumer Reports. I'm a member, so I guess I could, but that's not really a streaming topic. Well, it can be, but not right now. Well, okay maybe a little, with what I'm going to talk about right now. Recently, Consumer Reports collected responses from members about router fees. The Television Viewer Protection Act , passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2019, restricts certain fees, including router fees. A report by ARS Technica says that some cable companies have continued to assess the fees, and many have stopped, have simple rebranded the fee as something else . Congress subsequently passed the law banning such bogus charges. Complaints included in the Consumer Reports filing indicate that Frontier has complied with the law but is still annoying customers with other fees. "Frontier FiOS used to charge me a router fee, although I have my own router. Now they don't have that explicit fee, but they do char...

Credit: Brian Spurlock The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is and has been one of the biggest sports events in the USA for some time. It's not as big as other events, even college events, such as the College Football Playoffs and New Year's Bowls, but that simply says how big football is. March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is big. Really big. This year's tournament begins today, and many many people want to watch the games. Not just the games involving their favorite team, but many of tournament games. It's a big deal. So, if you're a streamer, how do you watch the games? Some of the early games are on truTV. You may know that truTV used to be known as Court TV, before changing its name a few years ago. And, if you have a local station that carries Court TV, that's not the same thing. Court TV did relaunch a couple of years or so back, but it and truTV are separate channels. If you want to watch basketball games on truTV, you need truTV...

Comcast is my Internet Service Provider. That's not really a bad thing. The service, branded as Xfinity Internet, is actually reliable. I never have to call with issues, and unless my electricity is out, it's always there. Well, nearly always. There have been situations where Internet went out, but that has always been a tree falling and taking out a line. Never Xfinity Internet service just going out. It's been an external force acting upon it, and they do a good job getting back up and running. I have no complaints about my Comcast service in regards to Internet service. So what's the problem? They're the only feasible option I have. Oh, to be sure, there are other options, just not any good options. AT&T is available, right? Wrong. That was a surprise, as AT&T Internet had previously been available here. However, what was available was the 3 Mbps service. Now that's not even an opttion. Satellite is an option, but HughesNet, ViaSat, Windstream are opt...

Recently, CNN confirmed the March 29 launch date of the CNN+ (pronounced CNN Plus) service. I'm not so much focused on the launch date of the service, as I am the fact that the service is launching at all. According to Nielsen, CNN, Cable News Network) is the third most watched cable news network . Fox News (5th overall) MSNBC (7th overall) CNN (11th overall) HLN (59th overall) Newsmax TV (77th overall) CNN also recorded the largest drop in viewership over the previous year, down 38%. All news networks were down, except Newsmax. So, with viewership down, is it a good idea to offer a subscription service Maybe. Maybe not. Let's dig a little deeper. Live streaming services such as Pluto TV carry live news channels. I did a count. Now, keep in mind that news, weather, and business focused channels are lumped together. Pluto TV calls their category "News and Opinion" which is an honest description, as many news outlets don't focus so much on facts as they do opinion...

I've tried a lot of streaming devices over the years. Most have been Roku devices, and many have been Apple TV devices. I've tried a few Amazon Fire TV devices. I've also tried several different Android/Google TV devices. However, one Android TV device I never tried was the Nvidia Shield. People have talked about how great the Nvidia Shield is, and I have no reason to doubt them. However, I've never tried one. That's about to change. I've held out as long as I can, and now I'm going to get an Nvidia Shield device to try. Why has it taken so long? Well, the darn thing is expensive. There are two models, and the cheaper one is $150, and the more expensive is $200. I'm going with the bigger device. Go big or go home, right? Why would I do such a thing? I'm perfectly happy with Roku, right? Well, yeah. I mean, sure, there are things unrelated to the performance of the device that I don't like about Roku, but those things are pretty well common to all...

Recently, I decided to run Plex on Raspberry Pi for a couple of reasons. And it went well. At first. To briefly recap, I maintain a Plex server for a family member. It went out, and I gave them access to some of the content on mine while I work on theirs. Well, it turns out their computer is toast. Not sure what happened, but we have a situation that will be expensive to replace. As I said, they have access to some of the content on my Plex server, so they're up and running, relieving pressure while I deal with this in my spare time. And, since I recently did a couple of Raspberry Pi projects, I thought I would try it as a Plex server. And the initial results were promising . Now, I've run into some issue. And some weird issues, at that. First, I'm new to Raspberry Pi, so I'm not as familiar with all the peculiarities of what can go wrong. And since it's been years, close to two decades, since I've even touched Linux, I'm finding that catching up is harder t...

I'm still trying to decide if I care about the USFL. The startup league seems to be banking on a nostalgia factor with some football fans, although that really doesn't make much sense. The original USFL played for three seasons in the 1980s and included some players that were later NFL or CFL stars, such as Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie, Reggie White, and Steve Young, among others. Since Jacksonville was close by, the Bulls, which existed during the league's final two seasons, were my team, and I enjoyed the hours I spent in the Gator Bowl watching them play. But am I really anybody's target audience any more? Probably not. But this new USFL seems to be banking on that old league to at least some degree, with all eight teams using names and logos from the old league. I won't spend much time wondering why. I'm still undecided on whether or not the league is something I care about, but it is something somebody cares about. And when the league announced t...

Everybody likes to save money. Well, maybe not everybody, because I don't know everybody. But I don't know anyone who doesn't like a good deal. Sometimes, the deal is on something we've been thinking about anyway. Sometimes the deal is about something that never crossed our minds, but now they have our attention. Which was the idea, after all. So a deal will catch our eye. However, since many of the people I know are older -- the ones that are still alive, that is -- have been around the block a time or two, when we squint our eyes and wonder what's really going on. We know there's a reason for the deal, and it's probably not that they are just giving stuff away. There's a reason. They know it. We know. They know we know it. And we know they know we know it. It's a game. Well, kinda. And there will probably be a winner. Best outcome is both are winners. That doesn't always happen, as you know. And if you don't know, you'll eventually fin...

Some months back, I looked at subscribing to AMC+ . I was undecided about it. They were running a really good special that worked out to around $2/month for a one year subscription. Regular price is around $9/month. I considered it because three months at regular price is more than one year at the discount. But, I couldn't decide, which means I actually did decide, because the special went away, meaning I decided no. Fast forward to this month. A family member likes Outlander, an AMC show that is apparently a big hit. The only thing I know about it is a lead character is a Scotsman during the Jacobite Rising, and he's named after a Doctor Who character and actor. Yes, Jamie Fraser is named for Fraser Hines' character of Jamie McCrimmon, who met the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) at the Battle of Culloden. Jamie was one of my favorite Doctor Who characters, so when some other TV show named a character after him and the actor who played him, I became aware. Anyway, she lik...

For a while, Roku allowed a group of apps that didn't go through Roku's app certification process. They still do, but with enough restrictions that you can say that they don't. Let me explain. First, understand that Roku doesn't refer to apps by the term "apps." Roku calls them "channels," but they're apps. You call them apps. I call them apps. Roku calls them channels. In Rokuland, channels = apps. Mostly. Roku allowed Private Channels, also called Non-Certified Channels, on the platform. But here's the thing. Private/Non-certified Channels/Apps were not supposed to be forever and ever. You see, Roku wants to do this little thing called making money. Apple makes a lot of money from services and subscriptions. Most of their money isn't from selling Macs or iPhones. It's from the services that come along with that. Apple gets a cut of any sales or subscriptions purchased through their App Store. And that is the source of most of Apple...