Roku 11.0

The new Roku 11.0 operating system was released this week. I don't have it yet. They never send it to me in the first few days. Sometimes, I'll get Roku OS updates in the first month, sometimes in the second, and if not by the third month, it will come some time then.

The new OS is focusing a lot on sound. I listened to a lot of loud music in the 1970s, and was attached to an artillery unit for a brief time during my time in the Army. My hearing isn't the best, so I'm not sure how these new features will benefit me. But if it benefits you, that's a good thing.

They're adding some new Live TV features to the Home Screen of the main menu. Yeah, I don't care. But you might, so yay?

They have some new photo screensaver sharing feature. I can see some people liking that. Not me. But yay for those who do.

There will be a What To Watch section on the Home Screen. The other devices that offer things they suggest for me to watch usually get it wrong, so I expect Roku to get it wrong as well. However, a lot of people like features like this, so another ho-hum yay.

Additional language support for voice-enabled keyboard functionality is added.

Voice-enabled keyboard – Roku Voice simplifies device setup and channel login for supported apps by allowing you to enter email, password, and PIN information with your Roku voice remote. Voice-enabled keyboards are now available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese in OS 11.

While that brings nothing for me, it's good that they're expanding support in countries they support. Or half-ass support. This is better for those. So, actual yay.

Mobile app search improvements are included.

When you search for TV shows or movies, new visual elements with OS 11 highlights which channels are streaming the TV for free or where it can be streamed with your existing subscriptions. The new content details on the mobile app also show visual images of the cast and crew to assist with choosing what to watch. All of these updates are the perfect match to the recently added Save List, which allows you to save movies and TV shows while on the go so you can stream them when you’re back home and ready to watch.

I don't use mobile app very much at all, so nothing I care about. But yeah, I understand that many like to use the app. So yay for them.

All in all, Roku OS 11 brings nothing for me. But, it will improve the Streaming Life of others. So, yay.

Getting an antenna? Maybe an indoor will work. Maybe.

When it comes to cutting the cord, many believe it's a good idea to have an antenna for over the air channels. I'm one of those that believe that. However, I'm also aware that it may not always be easy to put up an antenna. Power lines are dangerous, running cable can be difficult, and paying someone to do it can be expensive. But does that rule out the possibility of having an antenna? No it doesn't.

Some people have good success with an indoor antenna. They're small, and are easy to install. Well, mostly.

Part of the installation process is to install it where it picks up the most channels. If the location of the antenna doesn't pick up channels, then it's not good location. Sometimes, it's trial and error. But there's a step you should try before you get an antenna.

There are Websites that can assist in determining where the nearest stations are, and how far away the stations are located. An indoor antenna doesn't have the range of an outdoor antenna, so if the towers are very far away, an indoor antenna won't do the job. But how do you know for sure?

The only way to be absolutely certain is to try one. But, that can be a lot of work that you can avoid. Those Websites I mentioned? Go to one, or more, and search based on your location. One good one is actually the FCC Website: https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

This example shows what someone at Fort Stewart would find if they searched the FCC Website for nearby stations. In this example, the closest station is 20 miles away. There is actually a tower that's closer, but it's a different direction. It's the public TV tower in Pembroke. The image is showing the major broadcast networks. They're 20 miles or more from Fort Stewart.

Will an indoor antenna work in this example? Maybe. But maybe not. You may find an indoor antenna claiming it will work for a large number of miles. I'm not saying the claims are false, but I am saying don't be surprised if it doesn't work. 20 miles may be close enough, and a good indoor antenna may indeed cover that distance. Environmental factors may interfere, but there's one other factor to consider.

Not all channels operate on the frequency you might think. In this example, notice the Band entry. That's important.

In this example, the stations are in the UHF or High VHF bands. So what are they?

Low VHF is the range of channels 2-6. High VHF is the range of channels 7-13. UHF is the band of channels 14 and above.

Notice, however, that WSAV, channel 3, is listed as UHF. But we just said that channel 3 is Low VHF. What's up with that?

As it turns out, not every channel is on the actual channel for which they identify. WSAV, for example, was indeed channel 3 and a Low VHF station for years. However, the channel repacking had stations moving to different actual channels. WSAV moved to channel 16, but kept the channel 3 identifier.

What that means is if you scan for the channels, you'll find WSAV channel 3. But it's actually channel 16. But on your TV, you'll go to channel 3. Because that's how it works.

So, when you go to get an antenna, it's a good idea to know what frequency bands you'll need. Not all antennae pick up all bands. If the antenna doesn't say on the box or in the description, it's probably UHF only. And that may or may not pick up the channels you want.

So, to recap, if you want to use and indoor antenna, you need to first find what stations are in range. You need to be skeptical of any range claims by an antenna manufacturer. (Some are reliable, but many make BS claims.) You need to know what bands you need, and the antenna needs to support those bands.

You know, all this should be easy. But then, a lot of things should be easy. Instead, things are sometimes complicated. But if you can sort through it all, an antenna may be a great addition to your Streaming Life.

Getting an antenna? Consider what channels you get and what you don't.

If you're a cord cutter, or thinking about becoming one, it may very well be worth looking into getting an antenna for watching local TV channels.

Sure, you can get a live streaming service that includes local channels, but those cost more. You may be able to spend a little extra money up front for an antenna and save money overall in the long run.

It's a little hard for me to make good comparisons for what you may want in a live streaming service, because I don't want a live streaming service. But, not everyone is like me. Some absolutely want the content they get from a live streaming service.

For this, I've decided to break things out a couple of ways. I'm using the Nielsen ratings for the most-watch networks. I'm looking at them two ways: overall viewership, and overall viewership excluding news and sports.

I'm breaking out the ones available over the air, as an antenna would cover those. These include:

• CBS (1st overall)
• NBC (2nd overall)
• ABC (3rd overall)
• Fox (4th overall)
• Univision (8th overall)
• Ion (13th overall)
• Telemundo (14th overall)
• CW (21st overall)
• Me TV (23rd overall)
• UniMas (29rd overall)
• Grit (38th overall)
• Others available in many markets

Broadcast networks and local affiliates adds a lot to the cost of a live streaming service. According to one recent study, it's at least $12/month, and as high as $20/month. Every month. Taking those networks out, I'm looking at overall viewership, which covers a variety of networks, and may be the best overall for many households. The top ten in viewership are:

• Fox News Channel (5th overall)
• ESPN (6th overall)
• MSNBC (7th overall)
• HGTV (9th overall)
• Hallmark Channel (10th overall)
• CNN (11th overall)
• TNT (12th overall)
• TBS (15th overall)
• TLC (15th overall)
• History (7th overall)

News and sports channels add a lot of cost to a live streaming service. The most recent study I found is two years old, and it was $9//month, just for ESPN. Removing news and sports channels from this, the top ten becomes:

• HGTV (9th overall)
• Hallmark Channel (10th overall)
• TNT (12th overall)
• TBS (15th overall)
• TLC (15th overall)
• History (17th overall)
• Discovery Channel (18th overall)
• USA Network (19th overall)
• Food Network (20th overall)
• INSP (22nd overall)

This makes it easier to pick the live streaming service you want. If you get an antenna, you get a lot of content. If you want more, consider what it is you want, and how much you feel good paying for it.

Life isn't simple. Your Streaming Life isn't either. But it doesn't have to be expensive either.

Dealing with idiots

Roku's recent revamp of their app system removed non-certified apps as they existed. The whole new process no longer has a Private Channel, or Non-Certified Channel, repository. By the way, Roku doesn't call them apps, but calls them channels. They're apps.

In the process, they also revamped their app development process. The paperwork I've seen -- it's publicly available -- allows for apps to be marked as "Adult."

Roku removed all non-certified apps. The app developers had the opportunity -- still do, by the way -- to code their app to standards and submit for certification. Most didn't.

However, what many adult services -- they're really porn, but call themselves adult, even PornHub -- have done is claimed that Roku targeted their apps. Roku didn't, but the facts don't matter to certain people.

And they've fired up their base. And "base" is indeed the correct term. One definition is "the lowest part or edge of something." And it's evident that some of their users are the lowest of the low.

Now, before you think I'm picking on porn Websites and services, what I just wrote is also true of many users of VidAngel. That's a service that operated illegally to edit movies to make them more presentable to family audiences. VidAngel lost a $62-million judgment for violating copyright of Disney and Warner Bros.

Some -- not all, but some -- of their users were fired up by mis-statements (lies) told by their respective services. And they descended on the Roku support forum.

I frequent the forums and have been able to help some people, and to provide information to some people, about their questions. Some of the users of apps that were removed had legitimate questions about what happened. And, I answered their questions. Others did too.

However, some people got it in their head that they were being targeted. Or they were crusaders for some noble cause. What the actual situation is, some of them are just plain nuts. One user described them as needing professional help, a padded cell, or both. I agree.

I've worked around people with mental issues. Most of the time, it's a result of physical or physiological trauma. Sometimes, they're just wired wrong. The end result is people that can't play nice. They often end up in jail, or in a mental facility, or both, often bouncing from one to the other.

Not all of them wind up in a system, however. Some get computers and get on the Internet. It's scary to think that they may be around people, possibly even children, and causing damage to others. I'm grown. I don't give a rat's ass what they say to me. But the thought that they may be around other people is sobering. And they could be potentially damaging the lives of younger ones.

That topic is one that our society hasn't addressed. Mostly because most of us aren't in a position to encounter those people on a regular basis. Well, except in the comment section of various Websites.

Calling them idiots is possibly an unfair thing. To actual idiots, that is. Some of these people are truly unhinged. They may respond to professional help, or they may be too far gone. I've seen a variety of people with mental issues of various degrees. And I see so much of the same thing in the comment sections and support boards.

I'm not worried about nuclear bombs. I'm not worried about Russians. I'm not worried about a lot of things. I am worried about what will happen if these people don't get help. Or those that are beyond help are left out in public. I'm not trying to be cute or funny. What I've seen on these boards is a small part of a larger problem we have in society.

We need a better awareness of mental illness, and a way to help these people if we can. And, sad to say, for those we can't, we need to keep them away from the rest of society if necessary. It's a shame we've allowed this to happen. We should be better than that.

TV antenna scams

I saw a post on Tablo's blog recently that talked about the scams some TV antenna manufacturers try. Now, this post is originally from a while back, but was updates about a week ago, and I saw it then. It has some good information.

You might already know this, but if you have friends or family that don't, Tablo' blog post does a great job of highlight some of the warning signs from these unscrupulous companies.

If you see an ad on TV or online for an OTA TV antenna and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

We often get asked about products like the Magic Stick, Clear TV, and LiveWave antenna. These products are about effective as a paper clip and should be avoided, especially since you can purchase much better options at similar price points.

It's good information for anyone looking to add an antenna to their setup. If you're a cord cutter, or looking to be one, an antenna may be a good thing to consider. I wanted to put one up for some time, but circumstances prevented it. However, I was eventually able to add an antenna to my setup, and I've been happy with it.

While I do suggest you look into adding an antenna to your setup, be sure you have good information about antennae and the ups and downs of it. An antenna may be a great addition to your Streaming Life, but do research before adding one.

Nvidia Shield testing postponed. Kinda.

I mentioned recently that I was getting an Nvidia Shield device. I had held out for a while but finally decided to give one a try.

Well, it arrived, and I set it up, which went very smoothly. However, I'm not going to talk much about that. That's because, I'm not using nor testing the Nvidia Shield as a streaming device. I have something else in mind.

If you saw my earlier post, you may have noticed that I had a second reason, above and beyond testing, for getting an Nvidia Shield device.

There's one other reason for getting the Nvidia Shield, but I'll talk about that another time. And that's the reason that tipped the scales. Yes, I'm ending on a teaser. But the truth is that without that other reason, it would still be a thing I should do, if I'm going to consider myself an expert on using streaming devices.

So what happened? Well, if you recall, I've been setting up another Plex server for a family member, and ran into some issues trying to use a Raspberry Pi device. I don't know if I misapplied an update, or what, but it went from working great to becoming a brick.

I was reconfiguring it, heck, I was actually using multiple physical devices -- I have more than one Raspberry Pi device -- and nothing was working. So, back to the drawing board. But before doing that, and since there is no rush on the Plex server, I decided to start testing the Nvidia Shield.

Getting it all set up, I saw the Plex server reference. You see, an Nvidia Shield also can be a Plex server. It comes with the server software, you just have to enable it. So, enable it I did. I put the external drive on it that I was using for the Raspberry Pi Plex testing, and everything started working great. Little bit of configuration of course, but it all worked quite well.

I immediately stopped my plans to do streamer testing of the device and went into Plex server testing mode. And I'm still there. So far, it's been great. So I'm focusing on that for now. I may have found my Plex solution. Wouldn't that be something.

I still plan to do testing on Nvidia Shield as a streaming device. But for now, using it as a Plex server is the focus of my Streaming Life.

How to Suppose.TV

First, let me state that I don't need or use a live streaming service most of the time. My viewing habits are such that if someone gave me free cable, I wouldn't watch it. I'm not exaggerating. I have had cable available free for extended periods of time and didn't watch it. But, those are my viewing habits. When I started streaming, I found a whole new world of content, and found that I didn't need a cable service at all. But that's me. However, I do mention it just in case it's something you haven't thought about.

But, what if your situation is that you have cable, want to cut the cord, but haven't because you want the ability to watch the channels cable offers. And you're not comfortable with finding alternate content without those specific cable channels? What do you do then?

I suggest an online tool called Suppose.TV. Now, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I simply find the tool useful. Very useful, in fact. If someone asks me how they can watch certain channels streaming, this is my go-to tool.

So, to use the tool, go to https://suppose.tv

Next, pick your TV market. Enter your ZIP code, or the nearest TV market, if you already know that. If you use your ZIP code, it will pick the appropriate market. Savannah is my closest. I could pick Jacksonville, which is the next nearest large market, but it's not really accurate. My ZIP code will choose Savannah, which is where the local channels will actually originate if I choose a live streaming service. So, ZIP code will pick the appropriate market.

Next, enter the channel you want. For example, if you want ESPN, enter that.

From the available list, pick the correct channel. A listing of various services will display, but it might not be right.

Next, pick the device you'll be using. If you want to use Roku, pick Roku. If you want Fire TV, pick Fire TV. You can pick more than one.

If you do, you'll get services that work on at least one of the devices you picked. Since most apps and services work on most platforms, this won't make a huge difference. But, if you recall when YouTube TV wasn't available on Roku, it would not have appeared if you picked only Roku. But if you added Fire TV, it would have shown up, because it would have been on one of the devices.

You can continue to pick more channels. However, if you pick a channel that one of the services doesn't support, then it will either go away, or move to the far right of the list of services.

Note you can make a channel a "must have" by clicking the heart icon.

Doing this actually removes any service that doesn't carry all of the "must have" channels.

This is where you have to actually think about if you really need the channel. How bad do you really want it? You may find similar content on other channels, some free in other apps. But whatever it is you want, this tool is useful for helping you find it.

Oh, one other thing. Don't trust the pricings listed. They are, for the most part, correct. But they seem to get the price of DirecTV Stream wrong. I don't know why. So, once you get it narrowed down to a few services, go to the actual services pages and verify the information and the pricing.

This tool isn't perfect, but it puts you in the right direction to find what you want. And for people new to streaming, direction can be a huge help. This has been a very helpful tool in my Streaming Life, and I think it could be helpful to you as well.

Fees!!

I'm not going to do a plug for Consumer Reports. I'm a member, so I guess I could, but that's not really a streaming topic. Well, it can be, but not right now. Well, okay maybe a little, with what I'm going to talk about right now.

Recently, Consumer Reports collected responses from members about router fees. The Television Viewer Protection Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2019, restricts certain fees, including router fees.

A report by ARS Technica says that some cable companies have continued to assess the fees, and many have stopped, have simple rebranded the fee as something else.

Congress subsequently passed the law banning such bogus charges. Complaints included in the Consumer Reports filing indicate that Frontier has complied with the law but is still annoying customers with other fees.

"Frontier FiOS used to charge me a router fee, although I have my own router. Now they don't have that explicit fee, but they do charge an 'Internet Infrastructure Surcharge' ($6.99) and a 'Frontier Secure Personal Security Bundle' ($5.99 after 'discount')," a customer in Torrance, California, wrote.

"After the router fee was made illegal by the act of Congress, I quickly called up Frontier to have the fee removed, which they did going forward," wrote a customer in Flower Mound, Texas. "However, a few months later, Frontier increased their infrastructure charge (another bogus fee) about $3 or $4 if I recall correctly. So in my mind, Frontier did a bait and switch and is just trying to play the bogus fee game but not calling it a router fee any longer."

This is why people hate cable companies. This is why I hate dealing with them. And the thing is, that's who many of us have to use for Internet. All those fees for things that don't mean anything are being assessed because they know new and different words to use. The bottom line is that they are assessing fees for nothing. Why? Because they can. Even when they can't, they call it something else, some fee that didn't exist and wasn't needed before, and are doing it anyway.

They do it, and many people just accept it. Sometimes, there's nothing they can do in response. Well, almost nothing. Things like this make me perfectly willing to pay more money to another company in the hopes that at least they're being open and honest with me. Like my sister did.

But would I really pay twice the money to Starlink instead of Comcast? Well, not right now. Because Comcast isn't charging me a bunch of fees. I have my own modem, my own router and switches, and it works great. And no extra fees. But if they do start up with nonsense fees for things I'm not using, then you bet your ass I'll switch and pay more.

I have to admit, though, that Comcast has been a good Internet Service Provider. I have no real complaints about that. They'll remain in my Streaming Life for the foreseeable future. But I understand if you want to drop your ISP.

March Madness streaming

Credit: Brian Spurlock

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is and has been one of the biggest sports events in the USA for some time. It's not as big as other events, even college events, such as the College Football Playoffs and New Year's Bowls, but that simply says how big football is. March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is big. Really big.

This year's tournament begins today, and many many people want to watch the games. Not just the games involving their favorite team, but many of tournament games. It's a big deal. So, if you're a streamer, how do you watch the games?

Some of the early games are on truTV. You may know that truTV used to be known as Court TV, before changing its name a few years ago. And, if you have a local station that carries Court TV, that's not the same thing. Court TV did relaunch a couple of years or so back, but it and truTV are separate channels. If you want to watch basketball games on truTV, you need truTV.

Other games will be on CBS, TBS, and TNT. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be on CBS and TBS. Final Four and Championship will be on TBS.

So, how do you watch those channels if you are streaming? Well, it's pretty easy, but not cheap.

truTV

The First Four play-in games are on truTV, as are some First and Second Round games. turTV is available from four services.

• Sling TV (Blue) ($35/month)
• YouTube TV ($65/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70.month)
• DirecTV Stream ($70/month)

CBS

The Tiffany Network is carrying games from First Round through (and including) Elite Eight games.

• Antenna (free)
• Paramount+ (Premium) ($10/month)
• Fubo ($65/month)
• YouTube TV ($65/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70.month)
• DirecTV Stream ($70/month)

TNT and TBS

TNT is carrying games from the First and Second Rounds. TBS is carrying all rounds after the play-in games, including the Final Four and Championship.

• Sling (Orange or Blue) ($35/month)
• YouTube TV ($65/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70.month)
• DirecTV Stream ($70/month)

The cheapest plan that carries everything is either:

• Sling TV (Blue) ($35/month) if you have an antenna.
• YouTube TV ($65/month) if you do not have an antenna.

However you choose to watch the games, you have options, lots of options, to include March Madness in your Streaming Life.

At the mercy of Comcast

Comcast is my Internet Service Provider. That's not really a bad thing. The service, branded as Xfinity Internet, is actually reliable. I never have to call with issues, and unless my electricity is out, it's always there. Well, nearly always.

There have been situations where Internet went out, but that has always been a tree falling and taking out a line. Never Xfinity Internet service just going out. It's been an external force acting upon it, and they do a good job getting back up and running. I have no complaints about my Comcast service in regards to Internet service.

So what's the problem? They're the only feasible option I have.

Oh, to be sure, there are other options, just not any good options. AT&T is available, right? Wrong.

That was a surprise, as AT&T Internet had previously been available here. However, what was available was the 3 Mbps service. Now that's not even an opttion.

Satellite is an option, but HughesNet, ViaSat, Windstream are options, but they have really small data caps. They would actually be good enough for anyone who isn't a gamer or a streamer. I'm not a gamer, but I am a streamer. The data caps would make it cost prohibitive.

Then there's the new kid on the block, the other satellite service called Starlink. Elon Musk's service is available here. There's a long wait for it, but it's available.

My sister and brother-in-law use that service, and they're happy with it. They said setup was easy, and service is fast and reliable. They're paying twice what I'm paying for Comcast, but that's because I'm only paying $49/month, which is less than many pay. I'm not special, I'm just not paying for faster service than I need.

So, I do have one reasonable option when it comes to an alternative to Comcast. And it has a long wait.

I haven't pursued Starlink for a couple of reasons. First, Comcast does provide reliable service. I have no problems with their service at all. 

Second, the price isn't bad. Whenever I'm talking with someone about Internet service -- they bring it up, I don't -- most around here are surprised that I am only paying $49/month. They all have higher and faster plans.

Third, that long wait. Now I could cut down on the wait by getting in line. But that's $99 to get in line, then another $500 when I get to the front of the line and the equipment is ready to ship. And that's to replace a reliable, relatively cheap service.

It all adds up to the cost of alternatives meaning that Comcast is my only feasible option. And I don't like that. But as much as I don't like not having any other feasible options, the option I have is actually a good one. Comcast makes my Streaming Life possible, and at a good price. I just don't like not having a choice.