Tablo dropping new lifetime subscriptions

Being a fan of Tablo, I took notice when I got the email last week that the service was no longer selling new lifetime subscriptions to the user guide.

What they're talking about is the 14-day live TV guide that tells you what is coming up on the various channels.

They're not dropping the guides, to be sure, but they're only offering them as part of a monthly or yearly plan.

This week, we announced that Lifetime TV Guide Data Service plans will no longer be offered starting August 30th.

If you CURRENTLY have an active Lifetime TV Guide Data Service subscription, these changes DO NOT AFFECT YOU.

Customers who already have a Lifetime TV Guide Service subscription can continue to use it on their existing device and/or transfer it to a different Tablo DVR model at any time using the account portal at account.tablotv.com.

New and existing Tablo customers who own a network-connected Tablo DVR and are considering a Lifetime TV Guide Data Service subscription have until August 29th, 2022 to purchase one from the account portal. This service plan remains unavailable for TV-connected Tablo models.

For more details, including answers to frequently asked questions, check out the Tablo blog.

I already have the lifetime plan, so I am not impacted. I have network connected Tablo DVRs, and have used the plan since I first bought mine over a year ago.I never bought the HDMI connected devices, which are single-TV devices, and I don't plan to buy one, as I like the idea of having it available across the entire network.

If you have a network connected Tablo device, or are thinking of getting one, a lifetime subscription, which is equal to less than four years subscriptions, might be the way to go. But you have to do it by the end of August. But, if you don't, the $50/year price isn't a bad price for the two-week guide. It's something I'm glad I have as a part of my Streaming Life.

NFL+: A streaming service that is not for streamers

The NFL finally launched NFL+ this week, and, as I feared, it isn't really a service for streamers. However, it is something that fans can otherwise use.

Now, when I say "not for streamers," I mean streamers will not be able to watch some of the content that is available for non-streamers. You'll be able to watch games on your mobile device that you won't be able to watch on your Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android/Google TV devices.

Here is what the service offers, according to the NFL:

NFL+ offers access to live out-of-market preseason games across all devices, live local and primetime regular season and postseason games on mobile devices, live local and national audio for every game, NFL Network shows on-demand, NFL Films archives and more.

Notice that the only live games that will be available on all devices, which means your streaming device, are out-of-market pre-season games. No regular season games will be available on your streaming device, regardless of market.

Back in May, we worried that this would be the case. Our worries were well founded. You won't be able to watch other live content on your Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android/Google TV devices.

Looking at the bright side, it is more than existed before. So there's that. But is it really an improvement to your Streaming Life. Not much of one, that's for sure.

Why I didn't buy a Roku TV

Recently, I purchased a new TV. As I'm a Roku fan -- it's my streaming platform of choice -- I bought a Roku TV, right?

Nope.

I bought a Sony TV that runs Google TV. So, have I switched to Google TV as my primary streaming platform?

Nope.

I still use Roku. Well, primarily Roku. I use it most of the time, as I did with my old TV. No more, no less.

So why is that?

Simple. I don't feel I need to limit my TV purchases to platforms I like. I want a TV that has the features, the picture, the reliability that I want. The streaming platform doesn't matter. Well, not that much.

If it came down to two or three sets, and they all were equal apart from the streaming platform, then I would let the streaming platform be the deciding factor. Since it's so easy to add a streaming device to any TV, and since I already had a good quality streaming device, it was easy for me to not care what platform the TV had, or even if it had one.

So, when I bought my new Sony TV, it was a highly rated device -- I used Consumer Reports to help with that -- that I found at a good price, and with free shipping. The image looks great, and it's a really good TV. The only thing I would rather it have is a Roku platform. But, as I said, it's easy to add a Roku device to my TV.

If I was a huge fan of Fire TV, I could just as easily have added a Fire TV device. Or Apple TV device. And, in fact, I have added those. So I have the best of all worlds. I have a TV that I really like, and I have all the major streaming platforms available for it.

Should you shop the same way? Sure. It's a valid way to shop. However, if you really want a built-in platform, you can get Google/Android TV, Roku, or Fire TV built in, and get the best TV you want for that platform, that's an option too.

You should get whatever TV you like, and if it doesn't have the platform you want, you can add a device that gets you what you want. And, if you don't know what platform you want, you can rest easy knowing that whichever of the major platforms integrated into TVs you get -- Roku, Fire TV, Google/Android TV -- you'll have a good platform on which to base your Streaming Life.

A Linux laptop

Before we begin, let me start by saying when I mention Linux in context with a desktop or laptop computer, I'm talking GNU/Linux. If that distinction doesn't mean anything to you, that's okay. It's not all that important for the purposes of the discussion here. But I know how some Linux people are, and this is to shut them up. So, now I'll begin...

I've mentioned before that I finally got a Linux desktop computer running and had begun using it to write the posts here. And that has been true since then. Well, mostly true.

I'm not writing this post on my Linux desktop. I'm writing on my Linux laptop.

I had mentioned about having converted an old Dell laptop to a Linux device, but was not happy with the results. Not the Linux part, but the Dell part. It was a decent but cheap Dell laptop. And while Linux OS is a great way to extend the life of many computers, it doesn't do anything about the hardware. Cheap hardware is cheap hardware. So, I wanted something better. And I mentioned having a MacBook Pro that I wanted to use, but was having a time with updating or replacing parts.

Those concerns are no longer concerns. I'm writing this on a MacBook Pro running GNU/Linux. It has a 1 TB SSD I put in and that works great. All of the hardware is excellent, which you know if you've used a MacBook Pro. The only trouble I'm having is retraining my fingers for the Control and Command buttons.

When I'm on a Windows device, I have no trouble hitting CTRL+C for copy, CTRL+V for paste, and so on. When I'm on a Mac I have no trouble hitting COMMAND+C for copy, COMMAND+C for paste, and so on. However, using the default configuration, I need to use Windows key combinations when using Linux. That means CTRL+C not COMMAND+C for copy, and so on. And, for those that don't know, Mac keyboards have both Control and Command buttons, so keeping them straight can get confusing.

Still, I like using a MacBook for a laptop, so I'll be doing more writing on my laptop, as I used to do. I can now use either desktop or laptop and achieve my goal of trying to use Linux exclusively for my computer use.

There are still some things that require Windows or Mac -- nothing to do with what's written here, but other stuff I either need or want to do -- so I will use a Windows or Mac device when necessary. But I'm still trying to focus on using Linux, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I'm quite comfortable writing about my Streaming Life using devices that run the GNU/Linux operating system. I just need to get more comfortable using it with other things as well.

Free Live TV

There are two big ways to watch TV for free. And you can watch a lot of TV for free.

What do I mean by that?

Free Over the Air

Well, one way to watch TV for free is using an antenna. Of course, you have to buy an antenna, so that's not free, but once you do that, you're good to go. Depending on how far you are from the TV tower, you may be able to pick up a lot of TV channels. They're free over the air broadcasts, and you can watch it for free.

You can add DVR devices, multiple tuners that can be shared across your network, and several other things to improve your over the air (OTA) experience. You can even configure things so that you can watch OTA TV from home while you're away from home. I use Tablo devices to accomplish this, and can watch TV from my antenna when I'm traveling, if I want, using my phone or tablet.

Watching TV free over the air is a great option. And you can use it along with other options.

Streaming

One other way to watch free TV is by streaming. Of course, you have to have Internet access, and that's not free. But if you have Internet access anyway, then there is no additional cost. But how do you watch TV for free?

There are several options. One that Roku users will often avail themselves of is Roku Channel. There's also a Roku Channel app for Amazon Fire TV platform devices. There are over 300 live TV channels available through that service and app.

Pluto TV is another good way to watch hundreds of free TV channels. Likewise, Xumo, Tubi TV, and even Sling TV, which has a free tier.

Not Everything

Does this mean you can watch anything you want for free? No, it doesn't. These free channels are not the same channels you'll get when you pay for cable or satellite TV. There are paid live streaming services that can get you those channels -- Sling TV (Blue and/or Orange), YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubu TV, Vidgo, Philo, Frndly TV, and more -- but you can't get them for free.

However, you can get a lot of similar channels. No, it's not the same, but for some people, it may be close enough.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't subscribe to a streaming service, but it may mean you can get a lot of that type of content for free, and keep costs down. Check out the various free ways of watching TV. It may be a great addition to your Streaming Life.