Testing The Roku Channel

When I posted recently that I would be testing The Roku Channel, I thought my next post about it would be several days later where I told you about the experience. Allen Saunders said "Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." Here's what happened.

Part of the reason for this is my testing of The Roku Channel is going to be a little more involved than I originally thought. Here's what's complicating things.

You may recall that I don't like subscribing through Roku Pay for anything. Or you may not. I have mentioned it a time or two, but I haven't dedicated a post to just talking about that. I'll do that soon. But, briefly, here's my issue with Roku Pay.

If you subscribe to something using Roku Pay, you are limited to using it on devices tied to your Roku account. That may not seem like a problem, until you want to watch something on a device that's not your Roku streamer. You know, like your phone or tablet? Yes, Roku has some workarounds for that, but I don't care for them. I'll tell more in a detailed post in the future, but keep in mind for now that I don't like using Roku Pay.

Why did I bring that up? You'll see in a minute.

When I began testing of The Roku Channel, I decided I'd do some lengthy in-depth testing. That's not to say I haven't been doing serious in-depth testing of other things; I have. But The Roku Channel is different. Those other things I've tested have been first-use tests. That is, things I hadn't used before. Or, if I had and was revisiting, I had an open mind about. Being honest with myself -- and with you -- I don't have an open mind about The Roku Channel.

The Roku Channel has been on my Roku devices for quite some time. I've used it every now and then, but I've always thought, "Meh. I can get all of this through other apps I already use and like." It brought nothing to the table.

So, when I actually sat and began my deep focus on The Roku Channel (which I'm occasionally gonna call "TRC"), I glanced through it and realized that if I were to truly test The Roku Channel, I would need to look at all aspects of the experience, including subscribing to services and watching them through TRC.

This is going to be more complicated than I thought. I was making other plans, then this hit me. So, this will take a while. And, I think this is going to be a lot bigger than I thought. I may end up posting more about this as I test TRC.

"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." This was true when Saunders wrote that in 1957, it was true when John Lennon paraphrased it in a song in 1980, and it is true of my Streaming Life today as well.

Watching The Roku Channel

As much of a Roku fan as I am -- I'm certain you can tell by my writing -- you may be surprised to learn that I don't use The Roku Channel. Well, not much.

My streaming habits may not be the same as yours. When I sit down to watch TV, I'll check Hulu for current season content, and watch it if there is something available.

Then, if I'm playing catchup on older TV series, I'll launch whatever app carries what I'm catching up on. For me, right now, it's Paramount+ and Blue Bloods. I never watched the show, but have seen that it's been on for over a decade, so I thought I'd give it a try. I like it and am working my way though the seasons.

Then, after catching up on current or older shows, I'll often switch to YouTube and watch shorter videos about whatever piques my interest at the time. Perhaps a history video, something about the space program, the two British chaps on Cracking The Cryptic solving Sudoku puzzles, a Dark Corners review of a really bad movie, or something that catches my eye.

Where would The Roku Channel fit in this? Well, that's kinda the point. There are some aspects of The Roku Channel that just don't appeal to me.

Sure, I get that I can subscribe to premium services such as Showtime, Starz, BET+, Acorn TV, and a whole lot more. Only, I won't. Not that I wouldn't subscribe to those services, but that I won't subscribe through The Roku Channel.

You see, a Roku subscription is only good on Roku. For instance, if I subscribed to Showtime on Roku, I could only watch it on Roku, or via The Roku Channel. If I had the Showtime app on my phone, I couldn't watch it with that subscription.

Now, to be fair to Roku, the same is true for Amazon, or any other service that offers subscriptions. When you subscribe that way, you can't use it on other platforms or services.

The other thing about The Roku Channel is that the live and on-demand content is similar to what I'll find on Pluto TV, on Tubi, or on Xumo. It's just another one of those type of services. 

At least, that's the impression I get. Maybe I'm wrong. So, I'll find out if I'm wrong.

I'm going to spend the next week or two focusing on watching The Roku Channel. I won't be doing subscriptions, but I will try the other content and see how it goes.

Maybe my Streaming Life has been missing something that would make it so much better. Maybe I'm missing a real gem. If so, I'll be sure to let you know.

It's hip to trash cord cutting

Now it's a thing to trash cord cutting.

Okay, this isn't a new thing. I've seen videos from cord cutting enthusiasts telling about articles they've seen that call into question many things that cord cutters cite as reasons for cutting the cord. I hadn't noticed a lot of that. Until recently.

Each day, I take a look at news about cord cutting. I have a variety of places I check, but it always involves a Web search for "cord cutting" and checking the "news" category.

Recently, I saw a few articles similar to what others had mentioned. Why I hadn't seen them before, I don't know. For whatever reason, there they were. One reason may be that I don't usually scroll several pages in. I only hit the first couple of pages or so of my initial search results. The articles could have been there the whole time, but not shown up as high on my search. Well, they're showing up now.

I found many, including the following:

• Does Cord-Cutting Really Save You Money over Cable? Not Always.
• Time to rethink cutting the cord? You may be paying more now for streaming than for cable
• Watching the Olympics has doubled in price for cord-cutters
• I cut the cord, but it's so difficult to watch the Tokyo Olympics without cable

Most of these and other posts calculate things in ways that aren't actual real comparisons. For example, if you already have Netflix, and many cable subscribers do have Netflix, you don't count it as part of your streaming cost unless you also count it as part of your pre-streaming (cable) costs. For example, if you pay $200 for cable and Internet, and another $15 for Netflix, you're paying $215. If you cut the cord and wind up paying $75 for cable and $15 for Netflix, you're paying $90.

What many of those cost comparison articles will do is not county Netflix as an existing cost. But it is an existing cost for many. So, yeah, you count it on both sides. And while Netflix isn't a huge cost, that little bit here, and a little bit there, will add up.

They'll also compare a discount cable price. For example, if you only pay $100 for cable and Internet for the first year, they'll use that comparison rather than the regular price you pay if you stay loyal to your cable company.

Another thing they'll do is insist that you subscribe to enough services to ensure you have the same channels available. While I can see the logic in that -- I have to twist my head sideways, but yeah, if I do that I can see it -- that's not a real world thing. Well, it doesn't need to be.

How often do you watch all the channels you have with your big cable package? Never? Sounds about right. You watch a few channels and that's it. With streaming, you still have to deal with bundles that include channels you don't want, but not nearly as many. Perhaps a $25 Philo package will do rather than a $75 AT&T TV package.

And even then, that assumes you want a live streaming service. Do you? I mean, really do you? Maybe, like me, you'll find that most of the year, a $6 Hulu service will do the job.

Bottom line is, if you're looking to cut the cord, be careful of what agenda might be behind whoever is writing news articles. This is true for news about anything: cord cutting, the economy, the president, any news topic. Agenda drives reporting, and it shouldn't. Be skeptical. That includes being skeptical of what I write, as well as of what anyone else writes. Do your research, figure out what you really want to do.

Your Streaming Life can be enjoyable and cost effective. Don't let anyone manipulate the data to tell you otherwise.

Casting and mirroring from Android phones

Although I'm an iPhone user, I do have experience with Android phones. One of the things I like about iPhones is that they all work the same. That is, if you know how to use one, you can use the other the same way. Unless the iPhone is really old, they can all run the same operating system.

Android phones, on the other hand, don't always support the same OS. One family member that uses a new Android phone is running Android 11. Another Android phone by a family member only updates to Android 10. That phone isn't new, but it's not that old either. And, I have a test Android. It's a good one, not a cheap one.

Another thing I don't like about Android phones is that the settings and commands aren't consistent across different manufacturers. And one big example of this is the different ways different Android phones refer to screen mirroring. The terms include:

• Smart View
• Quick Connect
• SmartShare
• AllShare Cast
• Wireless display
• Display mirroring
• HTC Connect
• Screen casting
• Cast

Part of the problem is actually one of the strengths of Android phones: the ability for different manufacturers to add features. The consistency of iPhones also means that they all have the same features. With Android, a manufacture can develop a new feature and add it. If it goes well, it can be incorporated into Android and become a standard. However, even when standards happen, the varied names still happen. It helps inspire innovation, but can cause confusion.

The other thing is, as an iPhone user, I'm in the minority. While iPhone brand is one of the top sellers, the wide variety of brands that run Android means that Android is actually the largest mobile platform.

So, how does the largest mobile platform work with the largest streaming platform, Roku? Not as well as you'd think. Yes, Roku supports mirroring and casting from Android phones. The problem is that not all Android phones support it, and some that do, don't do it well.

Roku dedicates a page to mirroring and casting from Android. Even then, that's not enough. Consider this:

If you cannot easily determine the term for your device or you are not certain your device supports screen mirroring, refer to the manufacturer's website or contact them directly. You may also want to try an internet search using the phrase “screen mirroring” along with the brand and model of your device.

That means you will need to contact your phone manufacturer about it, if you have trouble. Of course, you can get help from other Roku users at the Roku Community Forum.

So, what's my advice on how to handle mirroring or casting from Android to Roku if you run into problems? Simple. Use Chromecast.

As big of a Roku fan and supporter I am, I keep a Chromecast connected to my main TVs in the event I want to cast or mirror. If Roku shows up as a device to connect, great. But sometimes, Roku doesn't show. But for me (I have a test Android, remember), Chromecast always shows up.

I'm not suggesting you switch to Chromecast and drop Roku. Roku is still my streaming platform of choice. But if you use Android, and if you want to mirror or cast, you may want to look at adding a Chromecast to the mix. I suggest the Chromecast with Google TV rather than the older Chromecast.

I understand if you don't want to spend the money. But, as I do own a Chromecast, if I run into issue mirroring or casting to Roku, I'm not going to spend a lot of time and effort trying to resolve that issue. I'll just use the Chromecast. It makes my Streaming Life so much easier.

Tablo trouble

I recently switched from Air TV to Tablo for my over the air TV watching and recording. If you recall, I manage the TV setup for a couple of houses in the family, including, of course, my own. I utilized Tablo in one, and Air TV in one. I did that because I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go, and my research indicated either would be good.

So, I got one for one house, and the other for the other house. And, as my research indicated, both worked well. When it came time to put one in a third house, I decided to go with Air TV. But, instead of buying an Air TV, I bought a Tablo. Why? So I would replay my Air TV with a Tablo. I didn't feel bad about moving the Air TV to the third location because it was a good device. But, I liked Tablo better, so I replaced my Air TV with a Tablo, and assigned the Air TV to the third house.

All of that seems to indicate that everything is just rosy with Tablo. But it's not. I ran into an issue the other day.

I turned on the TV and launched the Tablo app, but it couldn't find the device. I rebooted the Tablo, and I had to add the device back to the network. I don't know why it lost network connectivity. It connects via Ethernet cable, not wirelessly. But, that's what happened.

The fact that I don't know why it happened makes me wonder if it will happen again. I certainly don't want it to, but I'm afraid it might. Manually rebooting the Tablo device and reconfiguring the network setup is not something I want to do.

Apart from this hiccup, I do like Tablo, and prefer it to Air TV. However, if it turns out the network connectivity isn't reliable, I will have no problem switching back to Air TV. To me, both are great options for an over the air DVR and for putting live local channels on the network, allowing me to watch them on any streaming device.

I thought Tablo would improve my Streaming Life. And it has. I just hope it stays that way.