Calling Roku customer service

Spoilers: There is a phone number. For some things.

I frequent the Roku support boards and the question about how to call Roku to speak to customer service comes up often. People have told again and again that there is no customer service number for Roku, but they keep insisting they want a number to call.

Why are they told there was no customer service number? Because there was no customer service number.

But now there is. Hallelujah.

According to the support forums, Roku restarted telephone support for customer service a few weeks ago:  (816) 272-8106. It's only for addresses account/billing issues (option 1) , and first time setup/activation issues (option 2). Nothing more. But, that's better than nothing.

If you're new to Roku, this might be helpful. I've not called it, nor am I likely to. But if you need it, and if calling makes your Streaming Life easier, there it is.

Movies Anywhere

Let me get this out of the way: I'm a huge fan of Movies Anywhere.

There. I said it. You can stop reading now, because that's the ending. Or you can read on and find out why. Unless, of course, you use Movies Anywhere. Then you already know all about it, and are probably a fan, too.

Here's the background of Movies Anywhere. It started out as Disney Movies Anywhere. It was a free service of Disney that allowed you to purchase Disney movies and watch them on any platform. For example, you could by Cinderella from iTunes and it would also be in your Amazon library. Or, you could purchase Sleeping Beauty from Amazon, and you could watch it on Google Play. You get the idea. You no longer had to purchase a movie multiple times to watch it on multiple platforms.

Around four years ago, they rebranded, and expanded. It's not just Disney movies. More studios have joined in, and the list now includes:

• Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Universal Pictures (including DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment)
• The Walt Disney Studios (including Disney, Pixar, Twentieth Century Studios, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment

That's not every studio, to be sure, and key players such as Paramount are not participating. Still, it's a pretty impressive lineup. Of the over 1,600 movies -- downloads and rips of DVDs -- I have in Plex, over 800 are in Movies Anywhere. Considering I have about 300 DVD only movies ripped, that bumps the percentage up to over 60%. That's not bad.

It's cool that I can buy a movie from Google Play and watch it on iTunes/Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video. Or on any of the supported platforms:

• iTunes
• Amazon Prime Video
• Vudu
• Google Play/YouTube
• Microsoft
• FandangoNOW
• Xfinity (for Xfinity TV subscribers only)
• Verizon Fios TV (for Verizon Fios TV subscribers only)
• DIRECTV (for DIRECTV subscribers only)

But what I like even better is the savings in buying movies. Consider this. A particular movie may be on sale on Amazon, but not on other platforms. Or Vudu may be running a special on a group of movies that are full price on other platforms. Many of the movies in my library were purchased when they were put on sale. That meant I always paid best price for the movies. Keep in mind the service is free. You do have to link your various accounts, of course, but that's it.

When it started, I only used iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu. I hadn't purchased movies from Google, Microsoft, or any of the other platforms. However, it was free to connect them to my accounts (if I had one) or to create an account for the platform (if I didn't have one). And yes, I have purchased from all of the ones I use. I'm not an Xfinity TV subscriber, Verizon Fios subscriber, nor a DirecTV subscriber. But, I have accounts with the other services, and they are linked to Movies Anywhere.

They've also introduced something called Screen Pass:

Screen Pass is a new, innovative feature from Movies Anywhere that lets you share your love for movies with someone. Screen Pass allows you to send a pass to another movie lover that allows them to watch a Screen Pass-eligible movie for a limited time at no additional cost.

That sounds like something many people might like. I haven't used it, but I can see its appeal. And perhaps if you aren't a Movies Anywhere user, you see the appeal it has for me. Maybe it will appeal to you, too. I find it makes my Streaming Life much cheaper and easier.

MST3K joy

There are some people that are rabid crazy fans of the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you're not familiar with the show, here's the premise: Mad scientists sent a lowly factory worker into space as part of an experiment to find the worst movie of all time, one so bad that it would break the poor fellow. The scientists would then subject the entire world to the movie and take over the world. Only our intrepid hero used parts on the spaceship to build some robot companions who helped him get through the bad movie sessions. Or something like that. It's not really all that clear, but that's about as accurate as any other description.

The reason I know that much about the show is that I was a fan of the show. Still am, since they are making more episodes someday soon, and I contributed to the Kickstarter campaign.

So, I'm always happy when there is any positive news about MST3K, as the show is also known. And the positive news is that the show is now available on Plex, as part of its ad-supported live streaming service.

That brings to at least five live streaming services that carry MST3K. At least, three that are on free live streaming services that I use. There may be more. I'd be interested in finding more. No reason other than I simply want to know.

Anyway, those five services seem to offer three separate streams. I looked at the five apps and their live streams, and I found that at one particular time Roku TV, Shout Factory TV, and Plex TV offered "The Dead Talk Back," while Pluto TV was showing "Last of the Wild Horses" and Stirr had "Night of the Blood Beast."

Why there are different streams, I don't know. Maybe you do. I am curious about that. Anyway, three separate streams that I know of. I can watch MST3K live streaming any time I want. And so can you.

Of course, I can watch any episode on demand, too. Many are available from different services, in addition to the live streams. Most of the MST3K episodes are available.

And, since I'm such a big fan, I have all the episodes of the show available on my local Plex server, since I've purchased all of the digital versions from iTunes and Amazon, as well as owning all of the DVDs. Oh, and the episodes that aren't available? They are. People did the whole "Keep Circulating The Tapes" thing through all the original series. I have the missing episodes from OTA recordings. Well, cable recordings. You get the idea.

Oh, and the KTMA episodes too, including the "pilot" which is actually a demo, not a full pilot. Well, almost all of the KTMA episodes. I'm missing KMTA Episode 3: "Star Force: Fugitive Alien II." But then again, so is everyone else. Except maybe Jim Mallon. MSTies know what all this means. If you don't, it's just a show and you should really just relax.

If you're a MSTie, you should be excited to know there's yet another way to watch MST3K for free. And, if you aren't a MSTie, Plex still added other stuff recently, including:

• AfroLandTV
• WildEarth
• Johnny Carson TV
• The Carol Burnett Show
• MMA TV
• USA TODAY
• USA TODAY Sportswire
• Motorvision TV
• Shout! Factory TV
• Tribeca Channel
• Love Nature en Español
• The Walking Dead Universe
• BUZZR

Those are some decent additions to a free live streaming service lineup. Our Steaming Life just keeps getting better.

Discovery+ or Philo?

One of the most popular streaming services is Discovery+ (Discovery Plus). At last count, the service had over 15-million subscribers. Keep in mind that it launched in the U.S. in January.

AT $5/month, it's a good price for the content. The Discovery+ gives subscribers access to content from:

• A&E
• Animal Planet
• DIY Network
• Discovery Channel
• Food Network
• HGTV
• History
• Investigation Discovery
• Lifetime
• Oprah Winfrey Network
• Science Channel
• TLC
• Travel Channel
• Magnolia Network
• The Dodo

Those are some pretty good networks, to my way of thinking. Many of those are the content I like. Well, I'm personally not a fan of Oprah Winfrey or Lifetime, and really don't care for Food Network or HGTV. And History has gone to hell in a handbasket when they quit with history and started carrying pawn shops and space aliens programming. Still, Discovery, ID, TLC, and Science have lots of shows that are of interest to me.

So, is Discovery+ the best way to watch those channels? Maybe. Or...

What about Philo? It carries most of those channels (Magnolia Network and the Dodo are not part of its programming) plus 49 more:

• AccuWeather Network
• AMC
• American Heroes Channel
• aspireTV
• AXS TV
• BBC America
• BBC World News
• BET
• BET Her
• CLEO TV
• CMT
• Comedy Central
• Cooking Channel
• Crime + Investigation
• Destination America
• Discovery Family
• Discovery Life
• FYI
• Game Show Network
• getTV
• Great American Country
• Hallmark Channel
• Hallmark Drama
• Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
• IFC
• INSP
• Law&Crime
• LMN
• Logo
• Motor Trend
• MTV
• MTV Classic
• MTV Live
• MTV2
• Nick Jr.
• Nickelodeon
• Nicktoons
• Paramount Network
• PeopleTV
• REVOLT
• Sundance TV
• Tastemade
• TeenNick
• TV Land
• TV One
• UPtv
• VH1
• Vice
• WE tv

Philo is $25/month. Yes, that's quite a bit more, but here are some reasons you might opt for Philo rather than Discovery+:

Well, to start with, the extra 49 channels. That's enough to make it worth the extra money. Well, maybe, if those are channels you like. And some of them are indeed some that I like.

Another plus is the live streaming functionality. Philo is a cable replacement service, and you are able to switch to a channel, just like on cable. And, like Discovery+, you can stream some content on demand.

Which do I use? Well, I've tried both. I use neither. I can get a lot of similar content on Pluto TV.

But, let's limit the answer to Discover+ or Philo. So, Discovery+ or Philo?

If you want a live streaming service, then it has to be Philo. But, if live streaming doesn't mean that much to you, and if you can stand the 16 channel lineup vs the 62 channel lineup, then the cheaper Discovery+ may be the better fit.

Heck, at the price Discovery+ is, you could carry it for a month if you did a trial of Philo, or even was a full Philo subscriber for a month. Then, you could make up you mind.

Whichever you choose, you'll find the service a welcome addition to your Streaming Life.

More classic TV

A few weeks ago, I lamented about Hulu no longer having a Classic TV category. However, I did note that some shows are what would be considered classic TV. It's nice to be able to watch classic TV.

What brought this up is an article in The Hollywood Reporter this week about Amazon adding some classic TV shows to its lineup.

Amazon and Sony Pictures TV have struck a deal that will bring an extensive catalog of legendary producer Norman Lear’s shows to the Amazon’s Prime Video and IMDb TV streaming services. The titles headed to the two platforms are Maude, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, 227, Good Times, the original One Day at a Time, Diff’rent Strokes, Sanford & Son and Sanford.

Now, I did watch some of these shows when they first aired. I didn't watch them all, and I didn't watch all the episodes of the ones I did watch. They weren't may favorites. But, as I said, I did watch some of them. And, yes, they are considered classic TV.

While these aren't may favorites, I am still glad to see that older TV shows, particularly those of good quality, are available for viewing.

Perhaps more classic TV shows will become available soon. It makes my Streaming Life so much more enjoyable.