My Streaming Life

Word is that CNN is considering becoming a streaming platform and dropping cable altogether. That's right, Cable News Network might leave cable. Of course, another report says "not so fast there" calling the report "premature." Note that "premature" could mean wrong, or it could mean right but not officially announced. Which is it? I dunno. First, let's look at the report that CNN is going to be added to Max (formerly HBO Max) as a live channel. Not content from CNN, but actual CNN. That would make sense, as Max and CNN have the same owners. Where it gets questionable, but still possible, is the suggestion that CNN may ditch cable altogether. The Cord Cutters News story mentions an article from Bloomberg , but I can't find anything that says CNN will drop cable. I'm either missing something, or Cord Cutters News knows something others don't. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see CNN on Max. I would be surprised to see CNN drop cable ...

Less than a day after getting hit by the Xfinity Rewards glitch for Peacock TV , things started working. I never had to call Comcast. Briefly, I couldn't activate my Xfinity Rewards for extending free Peacock TV service. I don't watch Peacock TV a lot, but if I can get it for free, I'll take it. Only the glitch that some people experienced seems to have hit me as well. When I got in from work on Wednesday night, it was working. That caught me by surprise. I have to give Comcast credit for fixing the issue without even having to contact them. When Comcast works, it works very very well. And after a bit of a problem, it once again works very very well. I'll call them out when there's a problem. I should give them credit when they get it right. And currently, it's right. My Streaming Life is usually without many problems. That is again the situation, and I really like it when it's that way. Good on Comcast for fixing this without having to contact them.

Being an Xfinity Internet customer for years means that I qualify for the Xfinity Rewards bonus of free Peacock TV. So, I activated the rewards. Things didn't go well. It seems as if the glitch that has been impacting Xfinity customers over the last few days hit me as well. Xfinity says I've already activated the reward, but my account doesn't have it. So, I'm in the Xfinity Circle Of Hell where you follow the instructions and the instructions lead you down a circular path. I'm going to have to speak to a human at Comcast, and that is something you never want to do. When Comcast works well, it works really well. When Comcast doesn't work well, it's hell to get a solution. I'm in Comcast Hell right now. I'll deal with it later, probably tomorrow. Today is a busy day, and I don't want the frustration from Comcast Hell to make work any worse than it's going to be already. I have to admit that I don't watch Peacock TV that much, and tha...

A report from Canada says that Netflix is ending it's $10/month plan. In Canada. Why does this matter in the US? It might not. But then, again, it might. Netflix has rolled out changes that customer won't like in other countries before finally implementing them in the US. The whole password sharing crackdown? Outside the US before finally hitting here. This could be another instance of that. CTV has the report on the Canadian service change : The change in subscription options comes months after Netflix used the Canadian market as a testing ground for its password-sharing crackdown. Netflix has already removed the basic tier for new subscribers and a company representative said it will also be removed as an option for current members "in the near future." When this may hit the US, if it hits the US, isn't know. My Streaming Life doesn't involve Netflix currently, and I would probably use the ad-supported tier if I wanted to re-subscribe.

I was looking into the new combined Paramount Plus and Showtime combined service recently. You see, I get Paramount Plus as a perk from Walmart Plus. The $5/month Paramount Plus service is included, and that's a nice little perk. No, it's not the top tier service with live local CBS, but it is a really good service. Yes, there are ads, but they aren't intrusive and I'm fine with them. Yes, it's always better when there are no commercials, but what they have is reasonable in my mind. What has been my concern is that Paramount Plus is expected to raise its price when the Paramount Plus and Showtime services merge. And, with the price increase, it may be that the Walmart Plus perk ends, or at least changes. So, I was researching that, when I found Walmart Plus listing Pluto TV as a perk. That struck me as odd, since Pluto TV is free anyway. Why would it be a perk? According to the Walmart Plus Website: Every month Walmart+ members can view select content without ad i...

It's nice to find free content. Of course, TANSTAAFL, so what we're talking about is FAST, free ad-supported streaming television, services. Luke Bouma at Cord Cutters News has a rundown. [ YouTube ] It's hard to beat the cost, and ads aren't a bother for me. It's how all TV used to be, so I don't mind. My Streaming Life has a lot of free content, and I'm enjoying what I'm watching, and I'm enjoying saving money.

When I cut the cord, I had DSL Internet, an HDTV, and two streaming devices: Roku and Apple TV. I bought the Apple TV for my wife to stream music through the sound system on the TV, and bought the Roku to stream TV. We ended up using both devices. Our DSL Internet wasn't very fast, but we could stream some content. I later got an antenna to pick up local channels. And, being an Amazon Prime member for years before, we had the Prime Video service. That was then. Now, what is needed to cut the cord? A question like that was asked by a TV Answer Man reader, and Melanie Mayberry gave an answer : Can you explain what you need to cut the cord. What products and services, for example? ... To cut the cord, you should get at least three of the following four products and services: 1. Reliable Internet Connection ... 2. Streaming Device ... 3. Subscription to a Streaming Service ... 4. Antenna ... There are details given in the article, and I suggest you give it a read. My Streaming Life fol...

When I cut the cord a dozen years ago, I didn't have a smart TV. Well, I did, but I didn't. Let me explain. At the time, my TV was a Sony Bravia, which had an option to add on a piece of hardware that gave it smart TV functionality. Of course, that was a dozen years ago, and the smart TV functionality was nothing like you find today. Adding a Roku box and an Apple TV box gave me what I needed to stream, and I still use Roku devices today. I bought smart TVs in the intervening time, running various platforms, but always put a Roku device on them, as that was and is my platform of choice. I didn't buy them because they were smart TVs. I bought them because they were TVs, and I didn't care what platform they ran. I got a smart TV because that's what they're selling these days, not because of the platform. I just wanted a good picture and sound. As I said, I put a Roku on them, and I was good to go. Recently, I bought a Roku TV. I wanted a new TV for the guest bedro...

A new report from Hub Entertainment Research indicates that consumers are cutting back on streaming services. The main reason is cost. I'm not surprised, as I found out a while back that the number of streaming services can run up a bill pretty quickly. I've cut back on my streaming services in a couple of ways. First, let's talk about the new report. Kayla Wassell from Cord Cutters News had an article recently that looked into the May report from Hub Entertainment Research. And she says cost is driving it : Hub states "Complexity is as big of a limitation to new subscriptions as cost," with 82 percent of respondents claiming budget is one of many factors contributing to selecting a platform. The study showed that even if consumers could afford to subscribe to every platform, there’s still a clearly defined limit to the number they’re willing to have on board. Roughly half of consumers' "total entertainment ecosystem" are considered must-haves. Thes...

You may have noticed a lot of YouTube videos from different sources being posted recently. If so, and if you've wondered why this all of a sudden, the answer if simple: I'm off doing family stuff. I haven't had the opportunity to take any of the grandchildren to a theme park in quite some time. However, the opportunity to take my son and his family, so I did. And now I'm back. Did you miss me? No? Oh well. I wrote this post, and the other recent posts, in the days ahead of the trip. I wrote stuff that wasn't time-sensitive. It's all good stuff, or at least stuff that I think is useful and interesting. And it allows me to keep content posted every day. And it allows me to focus on the family for these few days. My Streaming Life is important to me. The kids are more important.

Michael Saves is a YouTube channel that covers saving money with cord cutting. It's a pretty good one. I don't always agree with his recommendations, but they are valid things to consider. The main thing is that he's a huge fan of YouTube TV, while I think that you can easily watch what you want a lot cheaper. He favors simplicity over price, and for many people, that's what they want as well. Of course, that's also why YouTube TV is more than double it's original price. Still, he does a good job of comparing the major subscription live TV streaming services: [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life doesn't include a monthly live streaming cable replication service. But if that's what you want, his thoughts on them are pretty much on the mark.

I've been critical of those IPTV boxes for some time. They are simply ways to pirate content. I've found out along the way that a lot of people don't care. They want something cheap, and don't care if it's illegal or not. And because people, either out of ignorance or because of questionable morals, are willing to pay money for pirate TV boxes, TV pirates will continue to sell them. Linux Tech Tips recently looked at a bunch of those pirate TV boxes, and discovered something they didn't expect: malware. Lots and lots of malware. [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life doesn't involve these IPTV boxes. Never has. If yours has, maybe you'll stop. If not because it's the right thing to do, then out of self-preservation.

Browser extensions can be a good thing. But browser extensions can be a bad thing. A very bad thing. I'm not trying to scare anyone, so don't get the wrong idea. However, it is important to be aware that browser extensions come with risks. [ YouTube ] To be sure, I use some browser extensions. I use the BitWarden password manager extensions. I also use a Gmail extension from Google when I use the Chrome browser. But that's it. My Streaming Life doesn't often involve using a browser, but when I do use a browser, whether for streaming or not, then I want to be safe and secure. As a result, I rarely use browser extenions.

The writers strike could be a contributor to streaming prices going up. That's according to an analysis from Cord Cutters News that was posted this week. According to the report by Kayla Wassell, the strike is hitting traditional TV hard, and s treaming TV isn't immune from the effects : Traditional linear television is taking a harder hit than connected TV, which GroupM expects to jump up 11.6 percent by 2024. Linear television, on the other hand, has dropped 4.7 percent to $62.8 billion. Connected TV is swiping subscribers from traditional linear television, essentially. But overall, cord cutting is a big player in all of this. Fewer cable subscribers mean less ad revenue, an open feedback loop in a sense. Streaming services use ad-revenues to keep subscription costs down. As that money supply dries up, it is very likely some services will be forced to raise prices. None if this is good for consumers. My Streaming Life doesn't use a lot of subscription services. I'm f...

My daily computer is a Linux laptop. It's a MacBook Pro with a replacement SSD and Ubuntu Linux installed. My daily browser is Firefox. However, my daily computer is always at home, even though it's a laptop. My travel computer is a Chromebook. That means I run the Chrome browser when I'm away from home. Word is that a new variant of the ChromeLoader browser hijacker is making the rounds. It's called "Shampoo" and it's infecting a lot of people. Shampoo is targeting pirate streaming sites, along with the usual adult sites, giveaways, and the like. And, it seems to be mostly Windows computers being hit, as every detailed story about it mention Windows-specific processes that Shampoo uses. If that's the case, then my Chromebook is safe, although I'm not certain about that. Of course, the sites that are being used to infect people aren't sites I visit, so practicing safe computing helps. There is a video that came out last month that covers b...

Most of my life, I have lived in areas where Internet options were limited. I had to deal with dial-up for years after some friends and family had much faster service. DSL was eventually available, and I had AT&T DSL when I started streaming back in 2010. Eventually, good high speed Internet came available, and I moved to an area with more options. Currently, I'm in an area where it's pretty limited. The only reasonable ISP is Comcast/Xfinity. Starlink isn't available, but will be before the year is out. That would be $120/month in addition to the $600 equipment price, plus another $102 in tax and shipping. Xfinity Internet is $52/month. I'll only go to Starlink if Comcast really ticks me off. However, Amazon is looking to launch a home Internet service later this year. And it should be cheaper than Starlink, according to a report quoted in Cord Cutters News : Amazon hasn’t announced pricing details yet, but affordability is a key principle of Project Kuiper. Amazon...

I've been quite remiss in recognizing important days of the year. On these days, I consider posting about the day, and many times decide against it. The topic of this Website is streaming, and I suppose if I put enough effort into it, I could find some streaming tie-in. However, I've decided to simply acknowledge the particular day. Today is two special days. It is Flag Day, and it is the anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army. So, here is the Army Field Band performing the Star Spangled Banner. [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life is important to me. But my admiration and respect for the Flag and the Army are greater, and I want to let you know that.

A week or so ago, there was a report from Cord Cutters News that YouTube TV had begun cracking down on password sharing. This came on the heels of Netflix cracking down, and reports that subscription numbers are up as a result. CCN said the streaming service had begun enforcing existing rules : YouTube TV has always put limits on its account-sharing feature. YouTube TV clearly says it is only for people living in the home. So your family that live outside of the primary account location are not allowed to use the account-sharing feature of YouTube TV. You can use YouTube TV outside your home, but you are supposed to bring that device back to your home location every 90 days. Now YouTube TV has started to crack down on people sharing their YouTube TV account with people living outside of their home. Over the last few weeks a growing number of people have reported their friends and family have woken up to error messages on YouTube TV. These messages inform them that they need to buy thei...

One of the really neat things about streaming is the amount of free content available. I may need to pause for a minute and remind the gentle reader that "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." If you always keep in mind TANSTAAFL, then you'll be okay. Free content usually (always) means ad-supported. If you don't want commercials on your content, this post isn't for you. But, if you can put up with some commercials, read on. There are many free services available, and they advertise hundreds of free streaming channels. And while they're truthful about that, the reality is that most of the streams are the same, regardless of service. For example, if you took five services that offered 300 channels, how many total channels would you have? Trick question, because the answer is not 1500 (5 x 300) because all five probably have the same 300 channels. There may be a handful on one service that is not on the others, but it won't be many. Now we have two...

One of the things that I find most frustrating is people using the same password for everything. "Oh, it's easy for me to do it that way" or some variation is the reason given. What they don't think about is that it makes it just as easy for hackers. Once they get one, they get them all. So, having the same password on multiple accounts is a security issue. But here's the thing: managing a separate password for each account is a pain, a huge pain. A password manager is a good way to keep up with everything. It can generate passwords for you, and keep them all safe and secure for you. Or at least that's the idea. You have to keep your access to a password manager safe, or else you took a bad situation and made it worse. A good, safe, secure password to access your password manager is critical. But, that's not the only thing. So what's a body to do? Well, knowledge is good. And Rob Braxman is a good source of information about security. Earlier this ...

There will be no Triple Crown winner this year, as the Kentucky Derby was won by Mage, and the Preakness Stakes was won by National Treasure. However, there is still an interest by horse racing enthusiasts for the individual races, even without the possibility of a Triple Crown winner. Today is the final race, with the Belmont Stakes airing on Fox. Coverage starts at 4:00 although the actual race is not until 7:00, Fox Antenna, over the air, free. DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month. Hulu+Live TV, $70. Vidgo (Plus), $70/month. YouTube TV, $73/month. Fubo (Pro), $75/month. Of course, I'm not going to let the opportunity pass to mention Secretariat. That horse hold the record for the fastest time in the Kentucky Derby, in the Preakness Stakes, and in the Belmont Stakes. Not just set the records the year he won those races, but still holds the records to this day. While the 1973 Kentucky Derby and 1973 Preakness Stakes wins were impressive, the 1973 Belmont Stakes was somet...

Over a month ago, I decided to try the new Onn Streaming Box. I tried the older Onn Streaming Box back in 2021, and was underwhelmed . When I read that Walmart was updating the device , I was skeptical. I said I would probably get one -- and I did -- but I also said I wasn't expecting to like it. I was wrong. I actually do like it. It's a huge improvement over the original Onn Streaming Box. The remote is pretty much the same, and is still missing a pause button. It's not intuitive for me to press the center button to pause. It's not ideal for me, but I can adapt to it. The Google TV interface is good. The device is responsive. Most importantly, the device is stable. The original device required a lot of restarts. The new one hasn't skipped a beat. At $20, it's a great bargain. My Streaming Life is predominately Roku, along with some Fire TV. But the Onn Streaming Box running Google TV is an excellent choice, based on my experience.

There is a report in the Wall Street Journal that Amazon is planning to launch an ad-supported version of its Prime Video service. But there is a catch. You may remember that recently both Netflix and Disney Plus launched ad-supported versions of their services. It involved a new tier at a lower price. For example, with Netflix, before the ad-supported tier launched, the lowest priced tier was $10/month for the Basic plan. The new "Standard with ads" plan is $7/month. Its limits include not just ads, but some original content is not available on the service. With Disney Plus, the discount for the ad-supported plan is $3/month as well. The ad-supported plan for Disney Plus is $8/month, while the regular plan is $11/month. There are not restrictions on the content, such as what Netflix has. Amazon is expected to take a slightly different approach, according to the Wall Street Journal report : Amazon is discussing a variety of ways it could introduce ads in Prime Video, p...

Paramount Plus is running a special for veterans, whether active duty, retired, or other. It is available to active duty, retirees, reservists and National Guard, veterans, dependents and spouses. Being a veteran, it looked interesting to me. Getting 20-25% off Paramount Plus sounds interesting. I don't normally take advantage of military discounts. I'm quite proud of my military service, but as I didn't retire, simply ETSed, I usually don't take advantage of these things. I don't have a card that I carry, and I certainly don't lug around a copy of my DD-214, so should I even try for such things, it's usually them taking me at my word. Things like that bother me, because that puts the merchant at risk of being exploited by someone who is guilty of Stolen Valor. I didn't do 20 years, and those that did are the ones that are more entitled to the discount. However, Paramount Plus has a verification process, and if they do check, then I'm more likely to...

CW is changing how it negotiates deals with streaming services. Well, maybe. There is a change, but the change might not lead to a change. Let me explain. Or try. It's can be confusing. Currently, CW stations negotiate with streaming services at the network level. That is, your local CW affiliate goes along with whatever CW negotiates. They don't have an option. If they are a CW affiliate, they are part of the deal. That's what's changing. According to reports, CW will allow local stations to opt out of the network negotiations and cut deals themselves. For larger companies that own CW stations, they may do just that. For smaller ones, they may continue to let the network handle the negotiations. "We, as the owner of The CW, are constructing a new affiliation agreement template that is going to allow affiliates to opt-out of The CW deal with the virtual MVPD and cut their own deal -- or they can opt in to the deal that we have already established for them. But...

Well, dang it. Not only did I miss the start of the NBA finals, I missed the start of the Stanley Cup, the NHL finals. Mind you, I don't watch basketball or hockey, but a lot of people do. And I'm a bit embarrassed that the professional championship in those sports came and I wasn't ready. With the first game in the books, the Vegas Golden Knights hold a 1-0 series advantage over the Florida Panthers. Game two is tonight. If you are a fan of the NHL, you can watch the Stanley Cup without cable. TNT is broadcasting the series, and you can watch TNT streaming by a few methods. TNT Sling TV (Orange), $40/month. Sling TV (Blue), $40/month. Sling TV (Orange+Blue), $55/month. DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month. Hulu+Live TV, $70. YouTube TV, $73/month. Fubo (Pro), $75/month. You may have noticed that Vidgo ("We are live sports") isn't live sports for the Stanley Cup. Vidgo doesn't carry TNT. The cheapest way is to get Sling TV, either the Orange or the Blue pack...

For some time, I've been subscribing to one streaming service a month. A the end of the month, I'd cancel that service, and the next month, subscribe to a different service. At different times I've had different services in my rotation. Generally, they are: Apple TV+ Paramount+ Peacock TV Max (formerly HBO Max) Disney+ Netflix Hulu AMC+ Starz Prime Video Discovery+ That's a general listing, and they really don't all apply to me. Those were, at the time, the largest services in terms of subscribers. Not in that order, but those were the most popular. I'd probably a few more to the list: Brit Box Frndly TV Showtime I'm sure I'm missing a couple that should be on the list, but you get the general idea of the apps about which I'm speaking. With a list such as this, if you subscribed to one a month, it would take over a year. So, my thinking would be to take a couple of the $5/month services, and do two on some months. For the more expensive services, say...

A recent article on Cord Cutters News talks about how many cord cutters are cutting back on their streaming services. I'm glad to see more and more people thinking that way. The article by Kayla Wassell cites a recent study by Parks Associates that says turnover in OTT services is nearly 50% : Recent reports from Park Associates found that 37 percent of households subscribe to OTT services through a cable provider. The turnover rate for OTT video services has been 47 percent for quite some time now. "There is so much to talk about – direct subscription has been losing ground to aggregation, and bundling is becoming more important," said Jennifer Kent, Parks Research Associate’s Vice President. The comments are where there is more direct talk about rotating services. Some of the comments talk about only subscribing to certain services for a period of time. That's one of the things I've done for some time. I have had Amazon Prime since before it included stream...

Well, I missed it. The NBA finals started last night, and the Nuggets took a 1-0 lead. However, there are 3 to 6 more games in the series, and you can watch them streaming. ABC is broadcasting the series, and you can watch ABC streaming by a few methods. ABC Antenna, over the air, free. DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.  Hulu+Live TV, $70. Vidgo 9Plus), $70/month. YouTube TV, $73/month. Fubo (Pro), $75/month. If you can pick up your local ABC affiliate with an antenna, that's the cheapest way, as you can see. Next cheapest is the DirecTV Entertainment streaming package. My Streaming Life contains ABC with an antenna, so I am getting by pretty cheaply. If you have an antenna, you're in luck as well. If not, you still have options.

If you have cut the cord, or are thinking about it, you will probably want to pick up local channels. The easiest way is with an antenna. Most people in the U.S. are able to pick up the major network stations with an antenna. Some, such as me, need a large outdoor antenna to get everything, but it's still possible to pick them up. This isn't true for everybody, however. There are some areas where it is not easy to pick up the major network stations. Some family friends recently moved to an area where it's difficult to pick up the major networks. They can pick up a local (12 miles away) PBS station, consisting of four channels. They are in range of another station (51 miles) that has Ion, CourtTV, Ion Mystery, Grit, Laff, and a few other shopping and news channels. And that's it. No ABC. No CBS. No Fox. No NBC. No CW. This isn't common, but it does happen, and it's a problem they're wanting to overcome. But how? Well, they could subscribe to one of the major ...