My Streaming Life

We're now in the fifth week of college football for 2023. There are 59 Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend, counting the seven already played (three on Thursday night and four last night). The only big game so far was last night's matchup between Number 10 Utah and Number 19 Oregon State. Today, there are 52 games on the schedule. There are 15 games involving ranked teams today. Three of those match-ups involved both teams being ranked: Number 3 Texas hosts Number 24 Kansas, Number 13 LSU plays at Number 20 Ole Miss, and Number 11 Notre Dame visits Number 17 Duke. Ohio State (4), Florida State (5), North Carolina (15), Washington State (16), and Miami (18) all have open weekends. Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games: ABC ACC Network Big Ten Network CBS CBS Sports Network CW ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPN+ Fox Fox Sports 1 Longhorn Network N...

Recently, I've been concerned about changes to Tablo. The new generation Tablo device doesn't support Tablo Connect. That's held me up from trying one of them. I have used Tablo Connect a lot. I put up an antenna at my mother's house, and used that to watch TV at my house. I live about 2 miles from her house. After she passed away, my sisters and I who owned the house and adjoining property, swapped some stuff, and I now no longer have any ownership of the house. I didn't take my antenna with me, and now I no longer have an antenna. They don't mind if I use the antenna, but they rented the house to others, and I've stopped using Tablo Connect. I plan to put up an antenna at my house, and like the idea of being able to watch via Tablo Connect from another location. The new Tablo devices don't support that. To add to that, the older devices will get the firmware update at some time in the future. I've been worried that I'd lose Tablo Connect f...

I mentioned last week that I was going to focus on Google TV more. I said Chromecast, but that's the interface it uses, so I'm essentially using Google TV more. Just to be complete, Google TV is the interface that runs on Android TV, which is available on many different devices, including Chromecast. There are some devices that run Android TV that don't have the Google TV interface. There is a difference, but not really my focus. Think Chromecast, and how it work. Or Nvidia Shield, if you prefer. Or Walmart's Onn streaming box, if you are budget-conscious. They use basically the same interface. I'm primarily talking about Chromecast. Got it? Good. The other day, I talked about the Google TV home screen. I had planned on talking about Live TV, but never go to that. Today, I'm going to talk about the Live TV section of the interface. Google TV's Live TV section has content from Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and Haystack News, as well as its own content of (as of to...

I really like Tablo Connect. That's the name of the functionality where Tablo allows watching of TV from a remote location. That means I could connect to my Tablo device from anywhere on the Internet and watch TV from my Tablo device. Not only could I do that, I did that. After I put up an antenna at my mother's house, I simply watched local TV that way. Recently, though, Tablo announced new devices . I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the money for a new device. Well, after finding out that Tablo Connect isn't supported by the new Tablo devices, I won't be getting one. So, why isn't Tablo Connect supported? Tablo answered that question on its blog recently . Legacy network-connected Tablo units transcode all live TV and recordings in real-time at several different video quality and bandwidth settings. This ensures that you can get a smooth stream at almost any connection speed. The new Tablo device however streams and records everything in full MPEG2 quality. T...

Wait. What? Isn't Prime Video already ad-free? Why yes it is. So, how is Amazon launching an ad-free tier? Remember how Disney and Netflix and HBOMax/Max all added lower priced ad-supported tiers? Well, Amazon is doing the same thing, only in reverse. They're making the current plan ad-supported, and will charge extra for an ad-free tier. Links: Cord Cutters News , TV Answer Man , AFTV News . But that's not right! Okay. But they're Amazon. What are you going to do? Didn't you see that episode of South Park ? You have no choice. But that's not right! And ...? That was fun! Well, maybe not. But less fun is Amazon's decision to start pushing commercials to Prime Video, then charging more to not have commercials. That would mean the $140/year you're paying would go up $36/year to $176 for the same service you have today. If it bothers you, think about it like this: Amazon is raising prices by $36/year, and offering a lower-priced ad-supported tier...

Last week, I decided I would use my Chromecast more. I've actually followed through on that. Perhaps it's actually the Google TV interface on the Android TV platform running on the Google Chromecast with Google TV. But that's way too much to say, so I'm just calling it "Chromecast." meaning the device, focusing on the interface. There is something about the device itself to discuss, particularly the remote. I like the remote that comes with Walmart's Onn streaming box better. But, that's a discussion for another day. Right now, I'm talking about the Google TV interface. I'm using my Chromecast HD device. I don't like the busier interfaces that are found on Google TV, as well as on Fire TV. I prefer the simplicity of Roku. There is a list of apps, and I launch the one I want. That brings up something I like about Google TV. I can use the system in an apps-only mode. That is, it will work a lot like a Roku device. Well, there is the big ...

When it comes to messaging apps, it's difficult to find one that's secure. Well, one that's secure that most people you want to message use. Internet Privacy Guy Rob Braxman has some thoughts and comparison of apps. [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life is part of my life, and I want my life to be secure.

It's Week 4 already for college football in 2023. There are several Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend. There have been five games so far: one on Thursday night and four last night. No ranked teams played either night. Today, there are 52 games on the schedule. There are 19 games involving ranked teams today. Six of those match-ups involved both teams being ranked. Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games: ABC ACC Network Big Ten Network CBS CBS Sports Network CW ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPN+ Fox Fox Sports 1 Longhorn Network NBC NFL Network Pac 12 Network Peacock SEC Network Note: No games are on Longhorn Network, NFL Network, or Peacock this week. Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are seven games involving Division 1-A/FBS teams. Those will air on: CBS Sports Network ESPN ESPNU Fox Sports 1 ...

The Georgia Supreme Court let stand a ruling that denied Gwinnett County, the City of Brookhaven, and the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County the ability to tax Netflix, Disney, Dish, and DirecTV. Those governments in north Georgia tried to use a state law from 2007 to tax the streaming services from those companies. Essentially, they were claiming those were the essentially cable TV services. A court dismissed the suit, and the governments appealed. The court of appeals agreed , and the governments again appealed. Now the state supreme court upheld the ruling without comment. Courts have ruled and unless there's a way for the governments to somehow make this a Constitutional issue, that's it. Streaming companies are not cable companies. My Streaming Life doesn't have to deal with more taxes. I like that.

I've been firmly in Team Roku for many years. My first streaming device was a Roku, though we also got an Apple TV around the same time. This was when there was a large difference in the apps available on the two platforms. And there was no Fire TV or Android/Google TV at the time. I've used all four of the major platforms, and like Roku best overall. However, some family members seem to really like Fire TV. Lately, I've used more Fire TV, but still stick with Roku when it's just me watching TV. This has come at the expense of my familiarity with Android/Google TV and Apple TV. I'm not comfortable with that. Beginning this weekend, I'm going to start using more Android/Google TV. Chromecast will be the the primary device I use. I have Chromecast attached to all my TVs already, so it'll be a matter of setting out the Chromecast remote in place of the Roku remote. Speaking of the remote, the remote for the Chromecast has quite a different layout than the Roku ...

I tried something the other day that I hadn't tried in a while. I tried using YouTube TV away from home. And, I ran into a small issue. Yeah, I know. I keep saying I don't use live TV streaming services, and here I am talking about YouTube TV. Well, I subscribe to a service that carries ESPN during football season. Usually, it's Sling TV, but right now, it's YouTube TV. I covered the reason for the change earlier . In a nutshell, local channels, which aren't available on Sling TV, are needed because of an antenna situation (or lack of antenna at the moment). I usually spend weekends at another location. This location is outside my home area. I live in the Savannah area, but this other home is in the Jacksonville area. I have a Roku connected to a TV there, and when we're watching TV, we'll sometimes use it. Normally, I don't use the YouTube TV app to watch ESPN. I'll use the account to authenticate ESPN service in the ESPN app and simply use that. Ho...

If you're a fan of Amazon's Fire TV devices, you may be interested to know that new devices are expected to be announced this week. Cord Cutters News has a nice wrapup of what's known and what's expected: [ YouTube ] My Streaming Life will often involve Fire TV devices. If you're looking for a new Fire TV device, we sure hope this helps you get what you need.

Roku is, again, the king of the streaming platforms. A report from Beachfront , an advertising company, Roku is the top platform for streaming, with nearly 40% of ads viewed. That's over double the number two platform, Amazon's Fire TV. Does this mean there are more Roku devices than Fire TV devices? Maybe. Roku has been selling streaming devices longer. Does this mean there are more people using Roku devices than using Fire TV devices? Probably. Advertising is where the money is, and more views of ads means more views overall. That assumes the number of available ads is the same. That may or may not be true, but it's highly unlikely that Roku has twice as many ads available than other platforms. Does it mean Roku is a better platform than Fire TV? No. I think it is, but that, like so many things, is really up to the individual. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for someone else. My sisters prefer Fire TV to Roku, but I prefer Roku to Fire TV. The truth is ther...

You may have noticed from several weekend posts that in addition to being a cord cutter, I'm a fan of Internet privacy. I firmly believe your Internet experience, to include your streaming content, should be private. I'm not suggesting that I promote viewing questionable content. Rather, I'm wanting a return to the privacy that was the default when I first started watching TV. And when that privacy was something we didn't have to think about. In those days, everything was received via an antenna. You pointed the antenna toward the TV towers and watched what you wanted on your TV. Nobody knew what you watched. On Sunday nights in 1965, nobody knew if you watched Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color , Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , or Ed Sullivan , unless you told them. You chose with whom you shared your viewing habits. Today, if you stream TV, they all have that information. They can use it to figure out if you likely have kids, are a fan of science fiction,...

It's Week 3 in college football, and there are several Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend. There have been five games so far: two on Thursday night and three last night. One featured a ranked team, who won. Today, there are a lot of games on the schedule. There are 23 games involving ranked teams today. There are no match-ups of ranked teams facing each other. Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games: ABC ACC Network Big Ten Network CBS CBS Sports Network CW ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPN+ Fox Fox Sports 1 Longhorn Network NBC NFL Network Pac 12 Network Peacock SEC Network Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are five games involving Division 1-A/FBS teams. Those will air on: CBS Sports Network ESPN Fox Sports 1 Later in the season, there may even be another network or two that carries games, but the...

I read an article earlier in the month that talked about the Fire TV platform planning to remove apps. The comments were interesting. Some understood what was being done, and some didn't. Here's what's going on and prompted the decision, and why it's a good decision. Fire TV, and other devices, only have a certain amount of storage. Manufacturers use as little as possible in order to keep costs down. But they put more than necessary so that users can add app and other personalized data and content on the device. But people want more. People are correct in that more is better. Some allow expansion with a USB or microSD card. These are often helpful, but there are problems that come along with them. Roku has always removed apps from a device when storage is a premium. They'll leave the listing of the app and it's configuration data. That way, it's not like you removed it and it took out of your lineup. It appears as if it's still there, and everything abou...

Last week, I installed the LocalBTV app on my Roku device. I said I would give a check out over the next few days . Well, it's been a few days. I'm not impressed. Well, a little maybe, but not a lot. It's a great idea. Find local stations that will allow you to offer their content streaming. They focus on the minor stations, the ones carrying the minor networks, such as Retro TV, get TV, Cozi TV, Right Now TV, and so on. While that's good, it's not really all that much. It's not that there aren't some good channels, it's just that the overall total is quite limited. And the on-screen guide isn't that helpful. I think that's actually a bigger problem. I should mention that there are no local channels available for me. I'm in the Savannah market, and LocalBTV doesn't have any agreements with the Savannah stations. However, for those in my situation are provided a national feed. That's certainly better than nothing, and in many case...

Google plans to have longer ads, or at least longer ad breaks, on it's YouTube videos. And they're making out like it's good news. Okay, in fairness, maybe it is. I mean, I don't think so, but maybe you'll like it. According to a recent blog post, Google will have fewer ad breaks, but the ad breaks will be longer : Viewers expect a different ad experience depending on the content they are watching. When it comes to long-form content on TV screens, 79% of viewers would prefer video ads that are grouped together instead of distributed throughout a video. Based on this preference, we are evaluating new options that minimize average interruptions for viewers, such as fewer, longer ad breaks, to create a more seamless viewing experience on the big screen. Maybe that is good news. I mean, if you regularly skip the ads, and have to do that six times in a video, you'll now only have to do it three times, right? Well, maybe it's not that simple. Last ye...

It took a week and a half, but Spectrum and Disney finally settled their differences and ended the blackout. At the start of the month, Disney channels, including ESPN, were removed from Spectrum. Things got nasty, mean things were said, and Spectrum customers did without ESPN for a week and a half. That's over now. They're playing nice. Mostly. Disney gave a little, Spectrum gave a little, and Spectrum TV customers now have ESPN again. But they didn't get everything back . Spectrum customers will no longer get access to Baby TV, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FXM, FXX, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo under the deal announced Monday. As part of the new deal, customers will be able to purchase Disney+, Hulu or The Disney Bundle directly through Charter. Anyone who purchases Spectrum TV Select Plus will get the basic version of Disney+ included in their package. Spectrum TV Select Plus customers will also get ESPN+ and ESPN's standalone streaming service, w...

What you can do to end the Disney-Spectrum dispute: For more tips on how you can impact the decisions of major corporations, follow this Website. Okay, that was my attempt at humor. I didn't say it was a successful attempt, but it makes the point. You are a product to those people. Spectrum acts like they're looking out for you. They aren't. You are a target. Or your wallet is. Same with Disney. They both want your money. Spectrum wants to keep more money, and not give it to Disney. If they pay Disney more, they'll up the bill to their subscribers. And they'll up it more than what Disney gets. Spectrum will make more money if they give in to Disney. Well, more money per customer. They're worried that the overall number of customers could drop, ending up being an overall loss. Disney meanwhile doesn't care. They're giving discounts to new Hulu+Live TV subscribers, and some Spectrum customers are switching from Spectrum TV to streaming via Hulu+Live ...

There is a dispute between Disney and Spectrum right now. I'm not impacted, as Spectrum is not my Internet Service Provider. But, a lot of people are impacted. Right now, Spectrum isn't carrying Disney channels, to include ESPN. That's right, a cable service without ESPN. Spectrum seems to be holding the line, and Disney seems to be holding the line. This could go on a while. It'll probably end with Disney getting its way, or mostly getting its way, and then Spectrum raising prices to pay for the new Disney agreement. I say probably, because Spectrum may not give in. I wouldn't really be shocked to see Spectrum reach an long term agreement with a streaming service for customers. Right now, they're working with YouTube TV and Fubo TV to help customers get ESPN and other Disney-owned channels. Maybe Spectrum will decide it's not worth the hassle and get out of the TV business altogether, and focus on broadband Internet. Disney is doing its thing too. They...

It's Week 2, which is the third weekend of college football in 2023. Yes, college math is hard. There are several Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend. There have been three games so far: one was Thursday night and two were last night. None of those featured ranked teams. Today, there are a lot of games on the schedule. There are 23 games involving all 25 ranked teams today. Two are match-ups of ranked teams -- #20 Mississippi at #24 Tulane play this afternoon, and #11 Texas at #4 Alabama tonight. Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games: ABC ACC Network Big Ten Network CBS CBS Sports Network CW ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPN+ Fox Fox Sports 1 Longhorn Network NBC NFL Network Pac 12 Network Peacock SEC Network NOTE: Longhorn Network is not broadcasting any games this week. Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are...

There is another live streaming service with local channels, and it's free. But didn't Aero try that and fail? Didn't Locast try that and fail? So what's the catch? There is no catch. Not really. It's just ... well, it's not Aero or Locast, and is going about things in a different way. Is LocalBTV illegal? No, they have agreements with the local channels they carry. Is it everywhere? No, it's only in a few markets. Aero and Locast were both in select markets, and were expanding when they were shut down. But LocalBTV has agreements with the stations. And LocalBTV isn't opening markets where they don't have agreements in place. Does it have all the local stations? No, and if there is a catch, this is the catch. LocalBTV has agreements with some of the local stations in the markets where they operate. They don't have agreements with all of them. For example, I'm in the Savannah, GA market, but LocalBTV doesn't have any agreements with...

Google is, once again, removing services. This time it's Google Play Movies & TV. This week, I got an email from Google about this. It gave a bunch of details, but the wording could be confusing to some. I had to read it a couple of times, but I got it. I think I got it. Based on comments I've seen online, this has caused confusion for some people. Here's the email: Google Play Movies & TV app is going away on 05 October 2023 Google Play Movies & TV app will no longer be available on your Android TV device from 05 October 2023. You can continue to buy or rent movies directly through the Shop tab on your Android TV. You can find your existing purchases, including active rentals, on the Shop tab on Android TV, Google TV Android and iOS mobile apps, and YouTube. Please visit Google TV Help center or Youtube Help Center if you need help accessing your previous purchases. Some seem to think that Google TV is being shut down. It's not. The functio...

Recently, a family member asked about an illegal IPTV service. The family didn't realize that's what was being asked, and was slightly taken aback when I suggested as much. Many people that are new to streaming don't realize what's legal and what's illegal. And the thing is, many people I know that don't realize the difference are actually pretty sharp people. They're just not familiar with everything. If you're not sure, here's what I use to help determine if some service I've not heard of is an illegal IPTV service. First, the fact I haven't heard of it is a good indicator. However, I make an effort to keep up to date on these things. If it was all new to me, would I know the difference? Maybe. Maybe not. Next, is it "too good to be true?" If so, then it's not true. Ever buy a Rolex out of the trunk of someone's car? If so, do you think it was a real Rolex? Hint: it wasn't. The trunk of Mr. Bashir's car is not...

I do not like ad blockers. But maybe not for the reason you think. Yes, there are ads on this Website. If you are running an ad-blocker, you might not see the ads. But that's not why I don't like ad blockers. Let me clarify what I actually mean. I don't use ad blockers. I don't subscribe to a lot of things, and am fine with ad-supported Websites. It's true that some Websites have a ridiculous number of ads, so many that they are annoying. I skip those Websites. If the ads are bothersome, I won't return to the Website. If the ads are not too bad, I'll return to the Website. I understand why many Websites run ads. It's a way to make some money. I don't make much money on this Website. It would be wonderful if I did, but the traffic to the Website isn't enough to make any money. I'll support Websites that use ads. I get it. But how do I feel about your using an ad blocker. Honestly, it doesn't matter how I feel. If you choose to allow ...

Tablo announced a new generation device recently. I saw an article about it recently, but didn't follow up because of family activities going on. Plus selling my mother's house and the antenna, which is more of an impact. Right now, Tablo isn't doing anything for me, as I don't have an antenna. I need to put up an antenna. I have one, and will put it up soon. This weekend, I took a few minutes and looked at the announcement of the new Tablo device: The latest version of Tablo hardware has been totally redesigned inside and out, with a sleek new form factor that is flexible enough to mount on your wall or sit on a table. Inside Tablo are two powerful ATSC 1.0 tuners which deliver full quality MPEG2 video and an optional in-line amplifier to help lock in over-the-air channels from your TV antenna. There’s also 50+ hours of onboard DVR recording storage which can be expanded by connecting a USB hard drive (up to 8TB). Like all Tablo models, the new 4th generati...

Each year, since Sling TV launched, I've subscribed to the service during college football season. I don't use a "streaming cable" service during the year, but I do want to be able to watch ESPN for college football games. Normally, what I do is wait until the first game I want to watch is about to kick off, then subscribe to Sling TV for 30 days. That covers five weekends of college football. I normally cancel at the end of the subscription, and wait until the next game I want to watch is ready to kickoff, then subscribe again for 30 days, which covers five more weekends of football. I repeat this throughout the season, and am able to watch the full season, which 15 weeks covers, for three 30-day subscriptions. This year, the plan was: August 26, which covers through September 24. September 30, which covers through October 29. November 4, which covers through December 3. That's the full season. When the bowls start, a fourth 30-day subscription wou...