My Streaming Life

When Fox Local launched back in May , I was not impressed. For one thing, it wasn't available on Roku. For another, it only offered 17 local channels, with Atlanta being the nearest to me. Over 200 miles is not local, as far as I'm concerned. Well, they finally fixed one of the problems. It's now available on Roku, as of this week. The other problem is a little better, sort of. When the service launched, it listed these cities as available: Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St.Paul, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington DC. In reality, only three of those were actually available -- Atlanta, Detroit, and Washington, DC -- with the rest listed as "coming soon." Well, those 14 are no longer "coming soon" but are actually available. Still, over 200 miles does me no good. My Streaming Life won't benefit from Fox Local still. I'm still liking ...

If you run Windows on your computer, you should be keeping it up to date. Okay, you probably have a couple of questions. First may be "What do you mean if I run Windows? Doesn't every computer run Windows?" Well, no. There are four major operating systems: Windows (the biggest), MacOS (the second biggest), Chrome OS (the new kid on the block), and Linux (the one that runs most servers on the Internet). Most users run Windows. So, why are updates important? Security. Plain and simple, security. Your operating system is flawed, and updates will keep you safe. [ YouTube ] What does this have to do with streaming? If you stream on your Windows computer, then there's your answer. But if you don't stream on your Windows computer, you can still be impacted if your computer is attacked and is taking up bandwidth doing nasty things. Besides streaming, it's simply a good idea to keep your computer up to date so you don't suffer identiry theft or other nasty ...

A lot of people got angry when Netflix decided to crack down on password sharing. They complained and threatened to leave. Did they? No. And I recently read an article on The Streaming Advisor about that very topic. It was an interesting read . In the content business, which every publisher including The Streaming Advisor participates in, you have to put something out there. But it is obvious that the results of surveys do not predict the future well. Because you have to factor in human nature and our comfort level with routine. You also have to factor in what I call the water cooler effect. That when folks sit around the water cooler/break room/coffee machine and complain and make threats about things, they are just performing for their peers. I don’t know why they perform, but they do. I guess it makes them feel good about themselves at the moment. Sort of like the guy who says he would play football with a broken foot in response to a highly-paid NFL star missing action because of a...

My local library has recently added Kanopy as an option. "What's Kanopy?" you ask. No really, go ahead and ask. Well, since you asked, here's what they say : Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment. Find movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain. We partner with public libraries and universities to bring you an ad-free experience that can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phone, tablets and online. Someone sounds a little full of themself. But it is a good video streaming service, and it has some good content. Here's the thing: not everybody gets the same content. You see, Kanopy offers multiple catalogs of content, and it's up to your local library to select which catalogs they want. And, there can be restrictions. My local library offers a little over half of the Kanopy catalog, but it's unlimited. That is, I can watch a...

I've cut back on streaming services. I've never subscribed to a lot, and I'm subscribing to fewer than ever. Well, I did subscribe to Netflix recently , but that was to test something, not to watch and keep the service. I keep Hulu, but pause the service for months at a time, allowing shows to build up. I'll then binge the shows for a month, then pause it again. I pay for it 3 or 4 months out of the year. Disney Plus will sometimes be included with Netflix, or at least, it used to be. I've not heard of anything I care to watch on the service, so when I pay for Hulu again, it will be just Hulu. Paramount Plus and Peacock TV are part of other services. AMC+ and Starz are ending annual subscriptions I did for a family member. I didn't watch the services. Curiosity Stream is ending an annual subscription as well. I rarely use it and much of the content I like is available via other services. That's pretty much it. I don't do a live streaming service such as ...

Local Now has improved its offerings quite a bit over the last year or so. It has gone from a replay of local news to a service with nearly 500 live streaming channels. It's turned into a pretty good service. Recently, Cord Cutters News gave a good rundown of the channel: [ YouTube ] One thing I want to add. PBS isn't available everywhere. In my area, I don't get the local PBS channel. WVAN channel 9 in Pembroke is the closest PBS station, but it's not part of Local Now. Apart from that, the review is spot on. By the way, I get PBS from the PBS app. Being a PBS supporter, I also get access to the entire PBS library via PBS Passport. Anyone who gives $5/month, or $60/year, gets PBS Passport. I give more. PBS Passport isn't a subscription service for me. It's a bonus I get for supporting PBS. Anyway, I get the statewide GPB feed, rather than any feed of a particular station. It would be nice if it was part of Local Now. I wouldn't drop my support, of cour...

There are a couple of reports that indicate that Warner Bros Discovery is moving away from cable TV and putting more effort into streaming. First, there was a report from The Hollywood Reporter about the WBD head of international TV distribution leaving : In an internal memo seen by The Hollywood Reporter WBD's president of international Gerhard Zeiler announced that Blair would be exiting and also that his post, which he was promoted to in 2019, would not be replaced. "Last year, we unveiled a new org structure for international, which we believed best positioned us for success at that time. But we also acknowledged that in an ever-changing industry and market, we would need to continue to evolve in a thoughtful and strategic way, along with the climate around us," he said. "Seven months into 2023, although we remain confident about our trajectory as a business, we are at another inflection point, and one where the global economy has not rebounded as quickly a...

From time to time, I'll review my streaming subscriptions. I don't want to keep any subscriptions for services I don't use, and will rotate them out. Recently though, I've simply cut back. I say I've cut back, but I actually subscribed to a service recently. I've seen multiple conflicting reports about Netflix and its password crackdown. So, I subscribed to Netflix a few days ago -- I dropped it some time back because I didn't use it -- and have logged in on a family member's account. She'll use the service for a couple of weeks, then I'll try to log in at home. Since I'm in a different ZIP Code, and have a different ISP, Netflix should detect I'm not at the same location. That way, I'll get to see exactly how Netflix handles password sharing. Mind you, I'm not looking to violate Netflix Terms of Service. Rather, I want to see how it handles password sharing. What notices does it give? Will it actually block me from logging in...

Your information is being shared with many companies. This happens not only with Web browsers, but also with video apps. [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life never involves watching on my phone. I limit the number of apps on my phone, and I watch TV on ... wait for it ... my TV, not on my phone.

Not really streaming related, but not not streaming related either. I'm always on the lookout for saving money on different things. Some things, I don't, but some things I do. And I'm always on the lookout for a cheaper cell phone service. When I first got cell phone service it was quite expensive. Still is, but it was really expensive then, relatively speaking. Right now, I'm paying $40/month for AT&T service. It says it's unlimited, but it's not. 20 GB high speed, then throttled. 15 GB hot spot. Not really unlimited, but I'm not singling AT&T out. All the cell phone companies lie about unlimited, hiding the facts in the small print. I'm wondering if I can service cheaper. Let me clarify. I know that I can. But coverage from other carriers isn't that great. Verizon and AT&T offer good coverage (Verizon marginally better) here, with T-Mobile having spotty coverage. Some places, it's fantastic. Other places, it's impossible. I have...

YouTube Premium is going up in price. I'm not talking about YouTube TV. That went up from too much to way too much a few months ago. I'm referring to YouTube Premium, the paid tier of YouTube. It includes ad-free YouTube, which is nice, YouTube Music, which is okay, and the ability to download and watch YouTube videos offline (which I don't care about). The email was sent out this week: Thank you for being a YouTube Premium member. We hope you are enjoying your YouTube Premium benefits, including ad-free and downloadable videos, background play, and uninterrupted access to over 100 million songs with the YouTube Music app. To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to $13.99/month. We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube. You will see the change reflected in your next billing date on September 1, 2023. Whi...

Everybody fussed and complained, then went along with it. That's how people are. Netflix cracked down on password sharing recently, and began actively stopping users at different locations from using the same Netflix account. Reports varied on how aggressive Netflix was, with some getting a simple warning, and others actually denied access. That's according to reports. I've not encountered what people have talked about, so I can't say, but this is what has been reported. Whatever Netflix was doing, it worked. Subscriptions are up. And up by a large number. According to a report, 5.9 million new subscribers were added in the second quarter, and that coincides with the password crackdown . Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown is now in full swing in the 2nd quarter of 2023. This is excellent news for a company that needs to show stockholders some good news. In the 2nd quarter of 2023, Netflix added 5.9 million subscribers. This is compared to the 1.1 million Netflix added...

If you've been using Peacock TV, you probably found out about the price increase. In the past two years, everything has gone up in price ... except Peacock TV. Now Peacock TV is going up in price. I've had the service since it launched, mostly. Being an Xfinity Internet customer, I was able to get Peacock TV Premium for free. When that went away in June, they still allowed Xfinity Rewards members of a certain level to get the Peacock Premium service for free. I'm at a qualifying level, so I got it. Yeah, there were a few glitches, but I have Peacock TV Premium for free. Now, word is there is a price increase. And the word is from Peacock TV itself. An email came this week telling of the increase: Thank you for being a Peacock subscriber. We wanted to let you know about upcoming changes to your subscription. As of today, we are changing the price of Peacock subscription plans as follows: As a current subscriber, you'll receive one additional month at the current...

I'm firmly on Team Roku. However, I can certainly appreciate what Fire TV offers. Luke Bouma at Cord Cutters News recently compared the two streaming platforms. [ YouTube ] I wonder sometimes if I prefer Roku because that's my first interface, and I used it for over three years before Fire TV even existed. My Streaming Life doesn't involve Fire TV that much, but it certainly is a part of friends and family members experience. I should give it a chance.

During the fall, I'll subscribe to Sling TV, or another service that carries ESPN, to watch college football. I don't like doing that, but it's how to watch ESPN. Well, I could get cable, but I won't be doing that. I stream, and ESPN is available through a live streaming service such as Sling TV and the like. If ESPN was available as a stand-alone service, I would rather watch that way. But it's not. Now right now, anyway. Word is that ESPN will be available as a stand-alone service in 2025 or 2026 . That's a paywall link, by the way, but there is a write-up on Cord Cutters News that might be useful. ESPN reportedly gets, on average $9.42 from each cable TV subscriber. Now it is being reported that Disney may need to charge subscribers to its standalone service $22 a month according to reports for experts. Moving to streaming will likely mean ESPN will need to charge more as many people who pay for ESPN don’t watch it. $22 could be a price you may expect dependi...

Do you have bloatware on your phone? Android phones have a lot of Google apps you don't want but can't remove. iPhones have a lot of Apple apps you don't want but can't remove. These are what's called bloatware. And it's a problem. [ YouTube ] The apps I don't want but can't remove, I'll group in a folder and move it off my home screen. I really don't like bloatware. My Streaming Life doesn't often include using my phone, but I do use my phone along with streaming apps or devices on occasion.

This may seem odd, but I really don't know to how many streaming services I subscribe. I subscribe to Frndly TV, and have for some time. It's long been a favorite service. So there's one. I subscribe to Prime Video, only I don't. I subscribe to Amazon Prime. Same thing, right? Well ... here's the thing. I was an Amazon Prime subscriber when there was no Prime Video. I subscribed to Amazon Prime for the other benefits. It's kinda morphed into Prime Video in many people's minds, but not mine. I subscribe to Prime Video for the benefits apart from Prime Video. I had it when there wasn't a Prime Video, so it's an additional benefit, not involved in my reasons for subscribing to Prime Video. So, the count is still at one. Unless this counts, then it's at two. I subscribe to Paramount Plus, only I don't. It is included with Walmart Plus, and I had Walmart Plus before they included Paramount Plus. Kinda like the whole Amazon Prime and Prime Video th...

Apparently there's a rumor going around that Tubi will start charging for its service. Tubi says it's not true. What surprises me is that some people apparently though this was for real. Okay, I have to admit I've seen some companies do some really stupid things -- *cough* *cough* Bud Light *cough* *cough* -- so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. But if Tubi did start charging, it would be Bud Light level stupid. To whoever started the rumor that we are charging $9.99, thanks for the free promo 💖 — Tubi (@Tubi) July 12, 2023 Tubi nipped it in the bud and got some free publicity in the process. And that's not long after Tubi surpassed Pluto TV to be one of the largest, most watched free ad-supported television (FAST) servcies. My Streaming Life has included Tubi for some time now. And it's still a good service, getting better all the time.

When it first launched, I wasn't a huge fan of Roku Channel. I've been a fan of Roku, the streaming platform and device, for years, since I bought my first one in 2010. However, when Roku Channel launched, it wasn't much. As the years have gone by, I've come to really like Roku Channel. Originally, it was available on the Roku platform only. Later, it was available on the Fire TV platform from Amazon. However, of the four major streaming platforms -- Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV -- Roku Channel was only on two of them. Until now. Roku announced yesterday that Roku Channel is now available on Google TV : Starting today, owners of Google TV and other Android TV OS devices can enjoy all kinds of free entertainment from The Roku Channel. The Roku Channel brings you everything you could want to watch for free. With programming lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs, exclusive Roku Originals like “WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story,” “Die Hart,” and “The Grea...

I need a new modem. I've known I need a new modem for a few weeks. I just haven't got around to getting one. Until now. Or last night, actually. Got in from work around 8:00 last night and had no Internet. That's not good. That's never good. I checked for Comcast (Xfinity Internet) outages, and there were none in my area. Or so they said. I had cellular service on my phone, so I wasn't completely cut off from the world. In the Xfinity app, there was the notice I've seen for a few weeks about needing a new modem. It's an older modem, and at the time I got it, it was a good one. However, I knew that the upgrades to the Internet service and that older device would mean things would get to where my modem was no longer officially supported. I had planned on replacing it, but just hadn't got around to doing that. So, I figured this was as good a time as any. I looked at Amazon and found a newer version of my current one on sale with Prime Days. However, delive...

When Xfinity decided to drop offering Peacock TV to their Internet customers, I had to decide whether or not to start paying for the service. I chose to not. Xfinity offered Peacock TV to Xfinity Rewards customers of a certain level, which included me. However, I had trouble getting it. Then, suddenly I had it. All was good. For a while. Now, it's gone again. I don't have Peacock TV, despite qualifying for it from Xfinity. Why is that? Well, apparently it's not just me that lost it. A new report from Cord Cutters News says that a "glitch" is causing the issue. Back in June, Comcast stopped offering free Peacock to its customers. Now unless you qualify for one of a few different plans, you will now need to pay for Peacock going forward. Sadly though, Xfinity Rewards members with Diamond or Platinum level rewards or qualifying internet customers have been unable to claim their free Peacock subscription. The good news is Comcast has confirmed that they are aware of t...

I normally will reserve security based posts for the weekend. However, I messed up this weekend. I posted something else and after the fact realized what I had done. I could wait until next weekend to post this, but I'm going to go ahead and post it on a Monday. It's from January, so it's not time critical. However, it is important, and it's worth a look. What is the best antivirus software for your Windows computer? Turns out there is no such thing. Oh, there are antivirus programs, to be sure. However, anything that says this one is best or that one is best, is pretty much hype. They all do well, if you are smart about how you use them. And they are all worthless if you use them improperly. No antivirus program can protect someone who insists on doing reckless things. [ YouTube ] Which one do I use? I use Windows Defender. It's fine. As mentioned, they all do well, if you are smart about how you use it. I use the extra protection in my process of never using t...

One thing that has impacted many cable services over the years was the situation of a local station and a local cable company having a dispute. That's been mostly a thing of the past since most local stations have let the networks do the negotiations. However, it still happens from time to time. More stations might be impacted, but the whole situation comes up a lot less. I'm not here to say that the network negotiations are a better way than the individual station negotiations. Rather, I'm here to say that I don't run into that. You see, I dropped cable in early 2011. Over the last dozen years, I've not had cable, and didn't worry about local channels. A clarification: I did have small locals only cable service from time to time when Comcast would have a special where Internet plus locals was cheaper than Internet alone. It seems that wouldn't be the case, but a couple of times over the last dozen years, that was the case, so I would sign up for a year at a...

I don't know if you've noticed, but in the sidebar of this Website, there are links for useful Websites for cord cutters. There I list some Websites that offer news about cord cutting, information on streaming devices, as well as links that involve over the air TV watching. One of the things is that the updates of these sometimes come in cycles. For example, Cord Cutters News was a great resource for years, then Luke Bouma who launched the Website and service, sold it. For a while, it continued as a good reliable resource, with Philip Palermo doing a great job ... for a while. I don't know what happened, but around the time he changed jobs (moved from the company that bought CCN to another) Cord Cutters News began to really suffer. Nobody else ever put in the time and effort to keep things up. Luke bought the company back, and has really been focused on getting it back to what it was. But for a while there, things were kinda bad, insofar as it being a source for news for co...

There's a long time saying about " never read the comments ." That's usually good advice. However, sometimes there are actually good comments. I'm not talking about entertaining comments, but rather useful information. A post at Cord Cutters News had an interesting comment thread about Comcast and its policies regarding fees. The initial comment is from a former Comcast customer service representative. Now, let's be clear that I don't know the person, and can't confirm that the person used to actually work for Comcast as a CSR, but it rings true. I'm inclined to believe what I read. It includes both a defense of Comcast and a damning of Comcast. It seems real, and I've accepted it as real in my mind. The post itself is a rehash of an earlier report about Comcast raising fees. It appears that Luke from CCN thought a new round of fees had hit, when it was simply another report about the same fees that went into effect recently. He corrected it w...

A couple of years ago, I tested Walmart's Onn streaming devices, both a box and a stick. They were terrible. The remote was good, but the device itself was awful. Both the box and the stick, although the box was better than the stick . However, the newly released box is a pretty good device at a good price. Now word is that Walmart will upgrade the stick . This makes sense, but was never a certainty, at least publicly. I'm looking forward to testing it. I said I like the box, but it has one flaw: the weight, arrangement of the ports, and the stiffness of HDMI cables combine to make it sit funny. Most boxes have ports on the same side, but the box has them on opposite sides, meaning you either have cables out the front and back (looks really bad like that) or out either side (also looks bad). A stick would be completely out of sight, so an unfortunate cable port arrangement wouldn't be seen. However, the testing from 2021 makes me uncertain it'll be a good device. As b...

Remember back in May when there were reports that YouTube was popping up messages about ad blockers. What was happening was the user was being nagged about users running ad blockers. At the time, it was called an "experiment" with no word about what might be next. Well, here's what's next. YouTube is now taking a tougher stand, going so far as to block users from watching after three times. Several screenshots have appeared on Reddit and Twitter displaying the warning which explains the YouTube “video player will be blocked after 3 videos” unless the ad blocker is disabled or the viewer signs up to YouTube Premium. The notice continues: "It looks like you may be using an ad blocker. Video playback will be blocked unless YouTube is allow listed or the ad blocker is disabled. Ads allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide. You can go ad-free with YouTube Premium, and creators can still get paid from your subscription." The Google...

The United States Declaration of Independence is a cornerstone document, not just for the United States, but for the entire world. If you've never familiarized yourself with it, I highly recommend giving it a read. This document offers a profound look back at a pivotal moment in history. It explains the reasoning behind the American colonies' separation from Great Britain and lays out the principles upon which the new nation was founded. Understanding these ideas is essential to grasping the core values of the United States. In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mank...

I've been using YouTube Premium lately. Normally, I won't pay to get rid of ads, but YouTube Premium is something I've played with for a variety of reasons. One, of course, is the ads. While I don't really mind ads in content, YouTube videos aren't always built to accommodate ads. And by "not always" I mean "never." It's a jarring and unpleasant experience. It's almost as if YouTube is making it unpleasant just so you'll subscribe. Like blackmail. Another reason is that YouTube Music is included with YouTube Premium. That $10/month service has a lot of music included, and I can use my phone to listen to YouTube Music in the car. I've been using SiriusXM for years (and years and years, before the Sirius and XM merger), but the price keeps going up, and I'd like to do something cheaper. Subscribing to YouTube Premium allowed me to test out YouTube Music. And, there is downloading of music, but I haven't used that, and am not...

A new report indicates that the number of cord cutters using free ad supported television (FAST) services. About four years ago, 18% of streaming services were FAST services. That's up to 25% now, which is nearly a 40% increase. (While it seems to be a 7% increase, the ratio is 38%, since 25 is 38% bigger than 18.) Most of the services I use are FAST services, with few subscription services. Most of the subscription services I have are included with other services -- Paramount Plus comes with Walmart Plus, Peacock TV from Xfinity Rewards -- but I do subscribe to Frndly TV. However, I watch more FAST services, including Roku TV, Pluto TV, Plex, Freevee, Tubi, Xumo Play, Local Now, and more. My Streaming Life costs less than it did, and I'm enjoying being able to watch all the TV I want, and do it cheaply.

I've tried most of the subscription streaming services over the years. I subscribed to Sling TV when it first launched back in 2015. I've also used YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, Vidgo, DirecTV Stream/ AT&T TV Now, AMC+, Starz, Max/HBO Max, Frndly TV, Paramount+/CBS All Access, Peacock TV, Apple TV+, Discovery+, PlayStation Vue, Disney+, BritBox, Acorn TV, Philo, Netflix, Prime Video, and more. I've mentioned before that I don't get much value from the cable alternatives, such as Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, etc. To me, those are simply streaming cable, and offer a bunch of things I don't watch. And they're expensive. Okay, Philo isn't quite as expensive, with a $25/month price for a lot of content. Frndly TV is cheaper at $7/month (though Frndly's $9/month plan with its HD and multiple streams is a better deal in my mind). I will subscribe to one of the expensive cable alternatives, usually Sling TV, during college football season, but o...