NFL streaming, but not to streaming devices

Reports of the new NFL Plus streaming package don't seem to do much for streamers.

NFL fans (and I know there are lots of you out there) that are also streamers (and I know there are more and more of you out there) don't really gain anything from this announcement.

The service will allow fans to watch in-market games on mobile devices. It will not be available for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android/Google TV.

This is different from NFL Sunday Ticket, as that's for out of market games, and is carried only on DirecTV, the satellite service. Sports Business Journal says he price is cheap, as $5/month.

Live games on mobile phones and tablets will be the content centerpiece of NFL Plus, which will sell for about $5 monthly, though a source cautioned the pricing structure may change. It will likely include other content as well; possibilities include radio, podcasts and miscellaneous team-created content.

The live mobile/tablet games will be limited to what fans could otherwise see in their local TV markets. Until this year, those games were distributed to tablets and laptops via Yahoo and on mobile phones through major carriers, deals that have since expired.

No TV streaming, which to me means that it's not for streamers.

Will this change? Yeah, probably. One day. In the future. Maybe I'll live long enough to see it. Or not. I'm not holding out any hope.

The NFL isn't a part of my Streaming Life, as I don't watch their games, but it is important to a number of sports fans. And more and more of those are streamers. It would be great if the NFL recognized that.

Memorial Day (2022)

I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering works on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung. With words we make promises, plight faith, praise virtue. Promises may not be kept; plighted faith may be broken; and vaunted virtue be only the cunning mask of vice. We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. For the noblest man that lives, there still remains a conflict. He must still withstand the assaults of time and fortune, must still be assailed with temptations, before which lofty natures have fallen; but with these the conflict ended, the victory was won, when death stamped on them the great seal of heroic character, and closed a record which years can never blot.

Excerpt from the first Memorial Day proclamation, May 30, 1968, by President James A. Garfield.

Linux is still on the radar, but no closer

I mentioned as recently as last weekend that my plans to spend time working with Linux have gone slowly. They've gone slower since then.

For one thing, I needed to focus on a new TV. And I ordered a new TV and am installing it this weekend. I didn't install it the day it arrived because another issue arose. An issue with either my phone or Google app on my phone caused me to no longer be able to control my network as I like. Additionally, smart control of lights, air conditioners, and such are not not working on all devices.

After a few attempts to resolve that had the opposite effect, I decided that since I needed to disconnect a lot of stuff to hook up the new TV, I would reconfigure my network. It's a nightmare of switches and cables as it has grown over the years with stuff being added and removed. So, by taking the old TV down, I've had access to everything. And this is a good time to re-do it all in a much nicer and more organized fashion. You can't do that while tinkering with setting up a Linux device.

I'm actually setting up two. One is already set up: a Raspberry Pi. The goal is for that to be a Plex Media Server. It's been set up and running basic Raspberry Pi OS (nee Raspbian) for a bit. I has installed Plex Media Server, but haven't added an expansion disk (will need over 10 TB) yet. Once I do that, I'll be able to copy the content over and try that as my server for a bit. Whether its feasible long term, I don't know. I know I'll need another computer to prepare content for moving into Plex, as the Raspberry Pi can't really handle that. So it's sitting by, just chugging along, 

I actually looked in on the Raspberry Pi this weekend. It's been running through a KVM switch with my other project devices. It's sitting there quietly, awaiting my doing something. And letting me about updates that are available. So I updated and left it sitting there, awaiting the day it gets my full attention.

But my new Linux project is actually converting an older Windows PC to run Linux, as well as converting a older MacBook Pro to run Linux. And no progress there, either. I had hoped to get the desktop set up, but the TV and network re-work takes precedence.

This weekend hasn't been the day to start my Linux desktop, even though I have the new SSD drive I'll set up as the boot device. It's just awaiting me actually doing it, as all the parts are in. But, as I said, it had to wait. My new TV and my Streaming Life take precedence for now.

Never read the comments, or trolling the trolls

The old adage in online blogging and social media is "never read the comments." That's because that's where the trolls and jackasses hang out. Not everyone there, to be sure, but it sure attracts them.

I don't have that problem. I do get the occasional spam comment, but the overall commenting process here doesn't lend itself to trolls. I mean, sure, some can drop by and be total jerks, but that really doesn't happen. I require authentication to comment, meaning a commenter must have a Google account, or some other authentication measure that Google accepts in order to comment.

Why does that make a difference?

What happened to all the Fox News app complaints?

As you may know -- and if you didn't, you do now -- I frequent the Roku Community Forum and will occasionally offer help to those with issues, user to user.

One app that always received a lot of complaints was the Fox News app. No, I'm not talking about some lefty complaining that it exists -- that has happened because awful people gonna awful -- but users of the app complaining that it didn't work. Mainly, it logged them out constantly and they had to log in again and again.

To be fair, I never used the app. I don't watch Fox News. I also don't watch MSNBC, ABC News, CNN, CBS News, or any of the other talking head services. I use other news sources and news aggregators, plus some subscription services, to stay abreast of things. Streaming talking head apps aren't how I do it, whether from the left or right.

But, the app has generated lots of complaints over the years, mostly because of it never working correctly. Sometimes, I wonder if it's someone not understanding how the app works. That's an offshoot of the people who think a Roku is a magic box that gets you all the TV ever for free. It's not. And the Fox News app isn't a full Fox News source, live and free 24/7. It's an app that will get you access to some content that you may have to pay for.

Anyway, since early April, the complaints have died down. I don't know why that would be the case, but if Fox did fix the issues with their app, or change the interface to make it easier to use, then great. And it's about time.

I still won't watch it. Nor the other talking head channels. My Steaming Life is good. I don't need excitable people in suits to mess with that.

Time for a new TV

One of the reasons I cut the cord was to save money. In fact, that was the overriding reason I cut the cord.

I admit I was fascinated by the prospect of watching TV without cable when my son showed me how he was watching content back in, when was it? 2008? Around that time. Anyway, I was fascinated and wondered if it was the way to go.

He didn't really have a choice. He had moved to a new residence, and cable wasn't a priority. He had internet service, however, and either knew or found out he could use a device to stream (Xbox, I think). And liked it, so he stayed with it.

I spent two years researching the cost of equipment and comparing the cost of the content before I was able to show that it was cheaper for me.

All that to say I don't want to spend money if I don't need to spend money. However, right now, I need to spend money.

My TV has been having problems lately. I've had the device about five or six years, and it's been having problems for the last year or so. It will suddenly turn itself off. I don't like it when a TV does that. And this past weekend, it did it several times. I really don't like that. So, I think I need a new TV. And that means spending money.

I've actually been researching for a while, ever since this behavior started. And it wasn't doing it more than a couple of times a week. Now that it's up to a couple of times a day, I decided to get really serious about my research. And I think I've come to a conclusion.

My son has an LG TV, and it has worked well for him. One of my sisters really likes her Samsung TVs. But several years ago, I bought a Sony TV for one residence, and that TV has been rock solid. Great picture, very reliable. It's a good TV. Check that. It's a great TV. So, despite the good results from my son and my sister, I'm going to get a new Sony TV.

Consumer Reports gives it a rating of 84 and a "Recommended" rating. And one nearby retailer has that very model for $500 off. So, yeah, I've decided on the device I want.

I've made the purchase already, and it will be delivered in the next couple of days. I should be a happy TV watcher very soon. I'm not happy about spending the money, because Sony is an expensive brand. But, I'll spend the money where necessary. I'll save money where I can. And I'll be back to enjoying my Streaming Life in short order.

What's with the button hate?

Lately, I've seen a lot of hate for the app buttons that Roku puts on their remotes. There has always been some dislike by some users over the buttons, but it seems to have ramped up lately.

Most of the complaints are that Roku won't allow users to reprogram them. And some say they'll go buy a Fire TV because of it. Fire TV doesn't have any shortcut buttons, by the way. Meaning that if they can't get four out of four buttons they like, they'll take zero buttons.

One was unhappy that he couldn't be guaranteed that he would get a particular button, so he just wouldn't buy a Roku. Again, see the bit about Fire TV devices not having any buttons.

Some Android/Google TV devices have a Netflix shortcut button, but that's it. Fire TV and Apple TV don't have shortcut buttons. Roku has four, but there's no guarantee what they would be.

Roku sells the buttons to companies. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, and others will buy buttons for the device. They'll pay Roku good money to get a shortcut button on the device. And those four I listed are the ones on the Roku remote I use the most. Sling, Vudu, and ESPN+ are on other Roku remotes. The five Roku remotes I use the most have a total of seven different apps. So there's no guarantee of anything.

However, people get really ticked off about them. Another common complaint is that they keep hitting the buttons. Apparently not hitting the buttons is too hard.

I don't understand it. If I don't want to launch Apple TV+, I don't hit the Apple TV+ button. If I don't want to launch Netflix, I don't hit the Netflix button. This ain't rocket surgery.

But, people are different. And they get all bent out of shape about things like that. Rather than high gas prices. But me? I hate high gas prices. But I'm quite capable of not hitting buttons, so there's that. Of all the things going on that are wrong, my Streaming Life is surprisingly calm.

Watching everything, but cheaper

For some time I've been promoting the idea of hopping around with streaming services in order to save money.

Many "news" stories have taken the approach over the past couple of years saying that in order to watch everything you want, streaming is actually more expensive. And the data they give is quite compelling.

They list how much it costs each month to subscribe to the various services.

I recently ran down a list of 11 top subscription services:

• Netflix ($15/month; $10, $15, or $20 depending on tier)
• HBO Max ($15/month; there is a $10/month package)
• Disney+ ($8/month)
• Paramount+ ($10/month)
• Discovery+ ($5/month)
• Apple TV+ ($5/month)
• Hulu ($7/month)
• Prime Video ($9/month; $12/month package includes shipping benefits)
• Peacock TV ($5/month; there is a free tier that has about half content, and a $10 ad-free tier)
• AMC+ ($7/month)
• Starz ($9/month)

That totals to about $95/month. But I watch those services for around $10-15/month. How? I don't subscribe to all services every month. This month, for instance, Starz is ending. I'll pick it back up later this year, or early next year, whenever it has something that's of interest to me or family members. I'm subscribing to AMC+ and will catch up on Better Call Saul, then drop it for a period of time. Netflix may follow, or HBO Max. Perhaps Disney+ will have something. Or maybe Hulu will have a bunch of episodes built up and I can binge them.

I'll figure something out, but I won't subscribe to them all. Or to more than one. (There is a caveat I'll go over in a little bit.) Maybe two cheap ones.

And I'm not the only one suggesting this method of doing things. Ryan Downey over at The Streaming Advisor suggests something similar.

The thing that’s great about streaming is that there are no contracts. Maybe you took a step back and realized that maybe you were not actually watching a lot of your services very much. But when you thought about what you enjoy you realized you wish you had been. Are there tons of shows you meant to watch on HBO Max that you never got around to? Have you been meaning to catch up on The Handmaids Tale? Pick a month get one major service at a time and jump in eyes wide open and fully embrace the content of one thing. When you wrap up the month do the same with something else. That way you really enjoy what is out there fully and spend $10.00 on one service instead of 45 on six. Any service with at least a couple of series you enjoy probably has 80 hours of entertainment whether it’s Paramount with all the Star Trek stuff, Netflix with the Comedy specials and original series, and so on. But a deep dive will give you an appreciation for what you are spending on.

He has a few other tips and suggestions, and they can save you some change -- or some big bucks -- if you modify your streaming habits just a bit. Yes, it's work. But you're getting paid for it with the money you save. It's a way I keep the costs down in my Streaming Life, and a way you can as well.

Return to cable? It is to laugh

You ever read something and then wonder for a moment if the person is serious, or just writing clever satire? If so, you understand what I went through recently.

I saw an article on Kim Komando's Website that offered suggestions on when it might be time for a cord cutter to return to cable.

Albert Khoury actually wrote the article, and he was serious about it. Now, perhaps you're wondering if you should return to cable. Well, let's look at what was written, and I'll give you my thoughts on this.

Your combined streaming services are more expensive than your old cable bill

If you're paying more for streaming than you are for cable, you might be doing something wrong. First, do you really need a live streaming service? Don't just say "of course" because you don't. Well, probably don't. I certainly don't. Rather than pay $70 for the ability to watch Hulu+Live TV tonight, I'll pay $7 and watch the show on Hulu tomorrow, at a time of my choosing.

And, when it comes to a bunch of streaming services, well, we've covered before that. You can subscribe to a single service per month. If your streaming bill is higher than cable, rethink how you're doing things. The Streaming Advisor has a good article on that.

You only watch shows on network TV or cable channels anyway

I watch some network TV. I have this thing called an antenna, and there's no monthly bill for it. Of course, not everyone can do that, but more can than realize it. But if you watch that content live, there are streaming services that carry most things.

While we're talking about it, remember that time the cable channels changed and you stopped getting that one channel? Sure you do. Yeah, that one. So, cable doesn't always have everything either. Unless you want to pay for an even bigger package. And you only watch it because you got used to it. I found out real quick that I could easily get used to something else, and you know what? I like it better.

You won’t be subjected to price hikes between contracts

Yes, the article actually mentioned price hikes. Because cable prices never go up. You always paid the same amount for cable all the time. Didn't you? No. Huh. Imagine that. It's like someone wanted to write a disingenuous article.

Some streaming services might come included with a cable subscription

Did they really write "stop streaming so you can stream?" And the example given was along the line of if you subscribe to HBO, you'll be able to stream it too. Sure, pay $200 for cable and get HBO Max included. Or don't pay for cable, and get HBO Max for $15.

Some sports are ONLY included in cable/satellite packages

Okay this is actually valid. But if you're in such a situation, you probably didn't cut the cord anyway. Or if you did, you found out quickly that your team has a TV package straight out of last century.

Regional sports are part of DirecTV Stream. And Bally Sports is launching a standalone streaming service this summer. So, yeah, this one doesn't hold water either.

I get it. Kim Kommando appears as a guest on a lot of cable channels. So, I suppose "America's Digital Goddess" is throwing them a bone. Or maybe she agrees with Albert Khoury. Either way, I'm not giving up my Streaming Life. Well, under one condition. But I don't think that Hell will freeze over any time soon.

Linux goes slowly

As a side effect of my building both a streaming device from a Raspberry Pi, as well as building a Plex server from a Raspberry Pi, I got reacquainted with Linux. I haven't done anything with Linux in years, but did tinker around a few years back.

I haven't progressed much on this, even though it's something I want to do. The reason is that I'm working a project at work that involves a Linux server, and that is totally unrelated to what I'm looking to do at home. In fact, working on the Linux server project at work is what helped me decide to proceed with a home project as well. However, as I'm playing catchup on Linux, I don't want to have my work goals and home goals to interfere with each other.

If I was researching an issue for work, and ran across something that I could apply at home but not at work, I don't want to take work time away from work. Yes, overall, I would increase my Linux knowledge, but I want to ensure that it's targeted where it needs to go.

What's actually holding me up is locating a full-time Linux laptop. I have a desktop I could use for that, and the KVM switch would make it easy to hop from Windows to Linux. I don't want to dual boot either my MacBook or my Surface, but rather, I want a standalone Linux desktop. And I have a computer set aside for that. I'm refurbishing an older retired MacBook Pro, but it needs some work. Replacing the keyboard, the hard drive (it's older, so an SSD will be in), and battery is slow going, mostly because I'm taking my time, trying to do one thing at a time. Plus, MacBooks are notorious for being difficult to work on. And it is. They keyboard is slow. My eyes aren't as good as they once were, and the inside of a MacBook Pro is for the young.

Still, the project is proceeding, and I'm trying to do it as cheaply as I can. The expense of an SSD is not what I want to do, but I want to keep the old drive intact in case the whole project is a bust. I'll at least have an older but working MacBook Pro running Mac OS, if I keep the old hard drive.

I did install Ubuntu Linux on an old Dell laptop, but the graphics on the device is really inferior, and the device is heavy. It was an older, cheaper Dell Inspiron 15, but it works. But I want the MacBook converted, as the superior trackpad will make using it a whole lot easier.

This doesn't really impact my Streaming Life, but my Streaming Life did lead me to this. So, I'll see where this journey takes me. As, as frustrations arise, at least I'll be able to take a steaming break and get my mind of the silliness. By watching different silliness.