LInux laptop update

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I got a Linux laptop running on an older MacBook Pro. I said at the time that it had been going well.

Well, it has been a couple of weeks -- a little more than that, actually -- and now I am no longer saying that it's going well. It's going really well.

I'm actually a little surprised how much I've gotten used to using the MacBook Pro running GNU/Linux operating system. I really do like the experience.

Now, much of it is because it's really good hardware. I know a lot of people that really hate Apple products, but I have to say that they make really good hardware.

In fairness, Microsoft makes really good hardware. In fact, there is a noticeable difference in running Windows on a Microsoft Surface laptop and running it on a Dell laptop. Or any other brand laptop.

I will say that a Dell XPS 13 running Windows is a good experience as well, though I prefer the Microsoft Surface to the Dell XPS 13, but not by much. Most of my Windows experience is on lesser devices, and most of those lesser devices are, in my opinion, the problem with Windows devices. Windows itself is actually an operating system I could get used to running at home again. I just don't want to.

I liked using Mac OS (formerly OS X) and was disappointed to learn that the new version due out this fall won't work on my older (2015) MacBook. I gave Linux a shot, and I'm actually quite happy with the move.

So far I've not run into any issues with the laptop -- it is a MacBook Pro, after all -- nor with the GNU/Linux operating system. I'm running Ubuntu Desktop 22.04.1 on my MacBook, and it works quite well.

Switching to Firefox has been a little adjustment, but as I used Firefox in the past, it was easy enough to switch to Firefox from Chrome and Safari. Firefox works well, and there are plenty of Chromium based browsers if I prefer to use one of those. I don't, so Firefox it remains.

Office software has been surprisingly easy to use as well. I'm using OnlyOffice as my Office suite. It's very compatible with Microsoft Office document formats. LibreOffice has been good as well, but I'm focusing on OnlyOffice at the moment. Apache Open Office doesn't quite cut it for me. I prefer the LibreOffice and OnlyOffice interfaces much more, and the compatibility issues of Open Office were the deciding factors on that.

I've not yet done any video editing on Linux. I haven't actually had the need to. I have done that on my MacBook running Mac OS in the past, and will probably edit some videos in the next month or two, so I'll get a better feel about how that goes. I'm hoping it goes smoothly.

I've not ripped any videos from DVD or from purchase downloads on Linux yet. That will probably need to happen soon, as Better Call Saul has wrapped up, and I'll rip my purchases (I already bought the final season) for playback on Plex.

So, the next month or two will be a real test of my Linux laptop, as I'll try to do as much as I can using that device. I could use my Linux desktop, but there's no advantage to that. Well, using a desk vs a recliner is a difference. I'll use whichever I feel like. Since the desktop and laptop are both using the same version of Ubuntu Linux, it won't make a bit of difference.

I never figured that my Streaming Life would lead me to start using Linux on my everyday computer, but here we are. And so far, it's going really well.

Watching college football games this weekend: Week 1, Weekend 2

College football kicked off last weekend, and Week 1 continues into its second weekend.

Yeah, things are weird at the start of the season. In the past, last weekend would have been called "Week Zero," but not everyone is doing that this year. Week 1 now covers two weekends.

There were 11 games last weekend, 10 that were broadcast. And there were 16 games this past Thursday, and another 8 yesterday.

There are only 57 games today, one tomorrow, and one Monday. Not every game will be broadcast, but most will. In fact, all of the games from the SEC, ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten will be broadcast. The Pac 12 and the other conferences all have at least one game that won't be broadcast.

So where can you watch the games? The games that are broadcast will be on one of these networks:

• ABC
• ACC Network
• Big Ten
• Big 12 Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN
• ESPN 2
• ESPN 3
• ESPN U
• SEC Network
• ESPN+
• Fox
• Fox Sports 1
• Longhorn Network
• Pac 12 Network

How do you watch these networks? Keep reading.

ABC

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

ACC Network

• Sling Orange, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.

Big Ten Network

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.

Big 12 Network

Big 12 Network games are available through ESPN+.

CBS

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• Paramount+ Premium, $10/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

CBS Sports Network

• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Ultimate, $105/month.

ESPN

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

ESPN2

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

ESPN U

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.
• Fubo TV Elite, $80/month.

ESPN3

ESPN3 is usually included with a service that carries standard ESPN/ESPN2.

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

ESPN+

ESPN+ is a standalone sports programming service. It is not the same thing as regular ESPN that you get with cable or one of the live streaming services. Some content from ESPN, ESPN2, or other ESPN networks may be available on ESPN+, but often, it's content that is only available on ESPN+.

• ESPN+, $7/month.
• Disney Bundle, $14/month.

Fox

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

Fox Sports 1

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

Longhorn Network

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.

Pac 12 Network

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• Fubo TV Pro, with Fubo Extra, $78/month.
• Fubo TV Elite, $80/month.

SEC Network

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.
• Fubo TV Ultimate, $100/month.

You may have noticed that NBC and Peacock are not listed. That's because they don't have any games so far. That will change when Notre Dame begins playing at home.

Those networks, and the services on which they're carried, will cover all but seven of the 59 games. So what's the cheapest way to watch (or have access to) all 52 of the games this weekend?

That's complicated. No streaming service carries both CBS Sports Network and Longhorn Network. The cheapest service with Longhorn Network is Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra. That's $46/month. None include ESPN+, so that's another $7/month. Meaning that the $80 Fubo TV Pro plan is the cheapest option to add to those, giving you a total of $133/month for those three services to get all this week's games.

I'm not interested in all those games, meaning I can get by with Sling TV Orange with Sports Extra, totaling $46/month. If I want more, I'd need to get YouTube TV for $65/month to cover the games I care about. But if it's everything you want, plan to pay $133/month.

If college football is something that you want as a part of your Streaming Life, you have options. And they can get expensive.

MeTV gains and losses

I've been a fan of MeTV for a while. It's family friendly entertainment of classic TV shows from the 50s through the 80s.

If I have to explain what MeTV is, we are definitely of different generations.

Losses

Anyway, I saw where some TV stations were dropping MeTV. Tyler the Antenna Man mentioned it in a video the other day, and cited several reasons this is happening. The main reason? Money.

Some stations that are dropping MeTV belong to companies that own their own channels. Maybe not the same thing as MeTV, but still channels the parent company owns, and can get a lot cheaper.

[YouTube]

This may be happening even more as time goes on.

So, how do you watch MeTV if your local station drops it? Well, it'll cost you. But not all that much. And, in fact, if you already use one (or both) of the streaming services that carries MeTV, it won't cost you a cent more.

Gains

I posted a while back about MeTV being added to the Frndly.TV lineup. So, if you already subscribe to this family friendly $7/month service, you already have another way to watch MeTV. And, if you don't, you can -- again, it's just $7/month.

And there's another way that somehow crept past me. Philo is now carrying MeTV as well. I last looked over the Philo list of channels in July, and MeTV was not there. But it is now. If you want a good, inexpensive live streaming service that carries many popular cable channels (but no sports or news; at least very very little), then Philo is an excellent option. And now it also has MeTV.

Summary

Money, the reason for most things happening, is the reason that some stations are dropping MeTV, meaning some of you won't pick it up over the air. But there are inexpensive (but not free) ways to get it.

If local stations have removed MeTV from your channel lineup, you have options to get it back as part of your Streaming Life. And that's good news indeed.

Kinda Cutting the Cord? Tablo has advice.

If you have started streaming, but still subscribe to a cable service, you really haven't cut the cord.

My mother was like that for a while. She began streaming, and even had a Plex server running for her DVDs ripped to stream, but still kept her cable subscription for a while.

It took a while for her to realize and acknowledge that she was paying for a service she wasn't using. She did use Roku as a Comcast/Xfinity TV box using the Xfinity app, but eventually realized that some free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services offered enough content of the type she wanted.

She did drop her cable bill from nearly $300 to less than $100 for cable and Internet, but later on realized she could do even better.

I'm not criticizing what she did, as her saving nearly $200 is a very good thing. And I never pushed, as she needed to be comfortable. So, it was kind of an insurance policy, but her cable watching was eventually non-existent.

Her experience is more common than you might realize. Or perhaps it's very similar to yours.

Tablo had an article this week talking about this. As you might expect, they pushed adding an antenna. That's understandable as they are in the over the air (OTA) TV recording, and that's antenna driven.

For times when you would normally reach for your cable remote to tune in to news, sports, or shows like Jeopardy, The Bachelor, or Abbott Elementary, you’ll want an Over-the-Air TV antenna.

With an antenna, you can watch major network channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, the CW, PBS, and many more subchannels with awesome retro content, perfect for times when you don’t want to pick something specific to watch.

And I have to agree. I'm not in the business of selling DVRs, but if you can put up an antenna, that is a great way to watch TV for free.

I suggest reading the entire article, as it offers good suggestions about the equipment you have for streaming, as well as suggestions on how to watch free streaming content.

I think Tablo, or any quality antenna TV DVR, can help your Streaming Life be better. I has certainly done that for me.

How to record streaming content

So, how do you record streaming content?

Short answer: You can't.

Long answer: You cannot or may not record streaming content, for both technical and legal reasons.

For some who are new to streaming, this may not make much sense. After all, if you subscribe to Sling TV (for example; any streaming service could be the example), you get cloud DVR functionality. So why can't you use a Tablo or other similar device to record streaming content.

Well, let's think for a second. When you record content from Sling TV using their cloud DVR, where is that content stored? That's right, in the cloud. And what is the cloud? That's right, it's somebody else's computer. And it's computers owned or controlled by Sling TV (in our example).

That means that the folks who got the original stream from the network and formatted that content to work with streaming are the ones who made the recording. They got to it before it ever went out the Internet from their servers to your location. It was all done "in house."

What they did with the streaming content was essentially turn it into what Hulu has: content that was sent out live earlier but nor in an on-demand format rather than a live streaming format (yes, they're different).

In order for, say, Tablo to record the streaming content, you'd need to feed it from your Roku (or other streaming device) to your Tablo. And the content from an on demand stream is a different format than the content Tablo is designed to get, from an antenna.

Sure, to you, they seem the same. But they are not the same, and being able to record one format (the over the air content) is not at all the same as being able to record live streaming content.

Besides the technical issues, there are the legal issues. I won't go deep into this, but the summary of it is that Tablo (or other local DVR) can't legally record it. Over the air is one thing. Streaming is a very different other thing.

If I want to keep content for a long time (what passes for forever), I'll simply buy the content. I can still watch it live if I want, or I'll watch it after it comes available via the purchase.

You may have noticed that I didn't say flat out that it is totally impossible. The Short Version was a summary only. The Long Version never said it was 100% impossible. Rather, I mentioned the obstacles with it, including the legal issues.

I'm not one to suggest, nor offer assistance to, some who breaks the law. I'm saying don't do it. I won't help you get around the legal stuff with technical stuff. Others might, but I won't.

I want to enjoy my Streaming Life knowing that I'm doing the right thing, and not depriving anyone, even a large fat company, of what is legally theirs.

Two antennae?

When I was younger, we had an antenna at the house. I was the one designated to go turn the antenna before my parents bought a rotor to turn it.

If you have no idea of what I'm talking about, I'll try to explain. At the top of the antenna pole was a motor to which was connected a short pole that contained the actual antenna. And running from the motor down to the TV was a power cord that attached to a controller that determined which way to point the antenna.

If it was set correctly, setting the controller to north pointed the antenna north. If it was moved to the east, the motor would turn and the antenna would point to the east. And it went the full 360° of the compass, pointing the antenna where you wanted it.

And, if you aren't sure why that would be needed, well, that was because we were one of many many families that could pick up TV from multiple cities, or at least, from multiple directions. For some nearer the big cities, there may be an antenna on one side of town and another on the other side of town. Or one of a bunch of other reasons why you would want to point the antenna to a different direction.

For us, it was Savannah in one direction and Jacksonville in another direction. We could pick up the stations from both, if the antenna was pointed that way.

Before we got an controller and rotor, I was the one designated to go outside and physically turn the pole to point to Savannah or Jacksonville.

Today, it may not be quite as easy. First of all, my antenna pole isn't as tall as the one my parents had. Next, the digital signals don't really pick up from Jacksonville as clearly as the old analog signals did. And part of that is because I'm in a slightly different terrain from where my parents' house was.

I don't know if I want to try to pick up stations from a location other than Savannah. I'm close enough to pick some up, from the charts I've seen, so it may be something I want to do. But if I do decide that, I don't want to turn the antenna. Rather, an option might be to put up a second antenna and combine the signals.

Here's the thing. That can lead to interference between the signals and make the channels unwatchable. How do you deal with that? Well, you can get antennae that are designed to do just that. Tablo had an article on their Website that covered that very topic a few days ago:

When you live in between two cities, or in places where local Over-the-Air TV broadcast towers are oddly distributed, your antenna needs may be a bit different than most.

Even 'omnidirectional' TV antennas can really only pick up stations from about a 40-degree spread. So if you're in a similar situation to Tom, you have two decent options: a TV antenna with poseable 'elements' or two directional antennas and a combiner accessory.

The articles goes on to mention a specific antenna sold for that purpose. It may be something that I look into, although I'm not sure I want to replace my current, works quite well, expensive antenna.

However, if you are thinking about putting up an antenna array that picks up stations from different directions, you should at least research if something like that is feasible.

If you are able to put up an antenna, or add an antenna to gain extra stations, you will probably be quite happy with the additional choices these offer to supplement your Streaming Life.

Plex breach

I've been a fan of Plex for quite a bit. But recently, Plex did something that I really didn't like. They got breached.

Sure, I know, these things happen. But these things should not happen.

Any company that pretends to be technology based or handles money -- and that includes companies such as Plex -- knows that there are people that will try to break in, and need to secure their servers.

Plex got hacked. Somebody broke in and got user information. And I got an email last week:

Dear Plex User,

We want you to be aware of an incident involving your Plex account information yesterday. While we believe the actual impact of this incident is limited, we want to ensure you have the right information and tools to keep your account secure.

What happened

Yesterday, we discovered suspicious activity on one of our databases. We immediately began an investigation and it does appear that a third-party was able to access a limited subset of data that includes emails, usernames, and encrypted passwords. Even though all account passwords that could have been accessed were hashed and secured in accordance with best practices, out of an abundance of caution we are requiring all Plex accounts to have their password reset. Rest assured that credit card and other payment data are not stored on our servers at all and were not vulnerable in this incident.

What we're doing

We've already addressed the method that this third-party employed to gain access to the system, and we're doing additional reviews to ensure that the security of all of our systems is further hardened to prevent future incursions. While the account passwords were secured in accordance with best practices, we're requiring all Plex users to reset their password.

What you can do

Long story short, we kindly request that you reset your Plex account password immediately. When doing so, there's a checkbox to "Sign out connected devices after password change." This will additionally sign out all of your devices (including any Plex Media Server you own) and require you to sign back in with your new password. This is a headache, but we recommend doing so for increased security. We have created a support article with step-by-step instructions on how to reset your password here.

The email was even longer than what I've posted here, but that covers the main parts of it.

I'll give Plex credit for not hiding it, as some companies have done, and letting users know, as well as suggesting that password changes be conducted.

But ... this never should have happened. No company worth a darn should let something like this happen. Somebody didn't do their job.

Things like this are quite aggravating. I want to simply stream content, both from the Internet and play my local content. I just want to enjoy my Streaming Life. I don't want to have to worry about my personal data being compromised because somebody was too busy to do their job.

Pi Hole testing, part 2

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had set up and was running Pi Hole, a DNS service that is often used to block ads. I also mentioned that I didn't want it to block ads, but rather, to block tracking of online activity.

I'm not doing anything that I would be ashamed for my kids to know about, but rather I don't like being tracked and the data being sold and used to target me for ads and emails.

During the initial setup, the default blacklist included information for ad services as well as trackers. I also used a Raspberry Pi device that was actually overkill for the job. I used a Pi 4 B with 8 GB RAM. That's more that is needed to do the job. However, a Raspberry Pi 2 that I had ordered arrived last week, and I set it up. I used Raspberry Pi OS Lite (formerly Raspian), which is a command line version of the OS. There is no desktop interface, and everything is command line. I added a USB connected Ethernet port and set a status IP address. I added Pi Hole service, and added the scripts. This was essentially my re-doing step one of the three step process on this project:

Blocking trackers is actually functionality that is built in to many Web browsers. However, I'm looking for a network wide solution to blocking trackers. That's where Pi Hole comes in.

It's a multiple stage process I'm going through. First, I want to see how easy it is to set up and run in general.

Next, I am researching how to block trackers on the network without impacting ad services....

Then, I want to confirm how well the process works on the network.

I'm at stage two, where I'm trying to block trackers without impacting ad services. I've turned off all of the ad blocking scripts. However, some ads are still blocked. That's because some ads also track your usage. Ads that don't track usage aren't getting blocked, but ads that do track usage do get blocked. This is more in line with what I've been looking to do. As I said, I don't mind ads. I do mind my online activity being tracked and sold.

It's been right at a week now that I turned off the ad blockers and are using only tracker and malicious Website blocking lists. That freed up 135,885 URLs (yes, I counted them). I'm feeling a lot better now knowing that I'm only blocking trackers and am letting regular ads through.

Actually, some of those are trackers and are in other lists, so I didn't actually free up 135,000 URLs, but I did free up a lot. If a Website or service has ads and the ads don't track my usage, then I'll see the ads, and I'm okay with that.

I understand why others use Pi Hole to block ads. And if you fall into that category, that's your decision, just as how I'm doing things is mine. My online experience and Streaming Life need to work as I want them to work for me, just as you should have yours work as you want.

Watching college football games this weekend: Week 1, Weekend 1

College football kicks off this weekend, and fans such as me have been waiting for this since January.

This season, if you've cut the cord, you'll be wanting to find ways to stream the games, or otherwise watch the games without cable. And ever since 2015, when Sling TV launched, it's been possible to watch nearly any major college football (Division 1-A/FBS) game as a streamer.

Week 1, weekend 1, is this weekend. If that sounds odd, it is. In the past, there have been references to "Week Zero" as the weekend before the official "Week One" that is when most of the teams start play. However, it seems that "Week Zero" isn't being used by everyone anymore. It was kind of stupid anyway, so I'm glad it's not being as widely used. However, now Week 1 covers two weekends.

Week 1 is games from Saturday, August 27th, through Monday, September 5. And yes, those 10 days cover two weekends. Week 1 has two weekends. So, I'm calling this Week 1, Weekend 1. Next week will be Week 1, Weekend 2. At least, that's what I'm calling it. I don't expect that to catch on. If you have a better idea, let's hear it.

All right, then.

There are only 11 games this weekend, none featuring ranked teams. Only 10 games will air. Sorry North Texas and Texas-El Paso; you'll have to go to the stadium, listen on radio (which is available online), or hope that one of the schools will carry it on their Website.

Of the games that you can watch, you have games being carried on ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN2, Fox, and Fox Sports 1. In future weekends, more networks will be carrying games, but this weekend, only these six are carrying the ten broadcast games.

So, how do you watch these networks?

ACC Network

• Sling Orange, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.

Big Ten Network

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.

CBS Sports Network

• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Ultimate, $105/month.

ESPN2

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

Fox

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

Fox Sports 1

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

If you only want a few of these, one service may do the job. But, if you want to have them all, the cheapest way is ...

YouTube TV. This weekend, if you want to watch every game on your streaming device, the cheapest way to get all 10 games is YouTube TV, at $65/month.

Note that later in the year, possibly as early as next weekend, it may be that there are games that YouTube TV isn't carrying. Let's go ahead and look at the games from next Thursday and Friday.

Some of the Week 1, Weekend 2 games are played on Thursday and Friday. And some of those games are on networks we haven't covered. So, what are they and how do you watch them?

ESPNU

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.
• Fubo TV Elite, $80/month.

ESPN3

ESPN3 is usually included with a service that carries standard ESPN/ESPN2.

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Fubo TV, $70/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Entertainment, $70/month.

ESPN+

ESPN+ is a standalone sports programming service. It is not the same thing as regular ESPN that you get with cable or one of the live streaming services. Some content from ESPN, ESPN2, or other ESPN networks may be available on ESPN+, but often, it's content that is only available on ESPN+.

• ESPN+, $7/month.
• Disney Bundle, $14/month.

Pac 12 Network

• Sling Blue, with Sports Extra, $46/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, with Sports Extra, $65/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• Fubo TV Pro, with Fubo Extra, $78/month.
• Fubo TV Elite, $80/month.

SEC Network

• Sling Orange, $35/month.
• Sling Orange+Blue, $50/month.
• Vidgo Plus, $60/month.
• YouTube TV, $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70.
• DirecTV Stream Choice, $90/month.
• Fubo TV Ultimate, $100/month.

That changes things. YouTube TV doesn't carry Pac 12 Network, and ESPN+ is a standalone package. So, what is the cheapest way to watch all of the games from August 27-September 2?

Fubo TV Ultimate and ESPN+, totaling $107/month is the cheapest way to get all of these networks. The networks that run the price up so much are Pac 12 Network and CBS Sports Network. Those are not carried on as many services, and limit your choices greatly. If you could do without one or both of those, you could get all the remaining games for a better price. But, if you want it all, that's what it will cost you.

Regardless, this does show that it's possible to keep college football in your Streaming Life. Cutting cable doesn't mean cutting out college football. The money you save on cable can be used to subscribe to a streaming service with the games you want. The money you still have left over after that can be used for nachos! Or whatever your favorite game snack is.

Making an old smart TV better

Imagine this scenario. It will be easy for some of you.

You bought a new TV, maybe during a Black Friday sale, and you go it home and it was absolutely wonderful. You were able to stream content, and that whole world opened up to you.

Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Pluto TV, and so many other services were just a few button pushes away. Life, particularly your Streaming Life, was good.

That was then. Time has passed, and things are not quite as good.

Oh, the TV picture is great. You can't beat the colors, the sharpness of the image, and even the sound. But, there's ... something.

When you press a button, or launch an app, things aren't quite as snappy as they used to be. Maybe things have slowed down a notch. Maybe you're just more aware of how long things are taking to happen. Not long, but long enough to notice.

Things aren't quite as great as they used to be, for whatever reason. So, what do you do?

Do you wait for the next Black Friday sale and buy another TV? I mean, that one has a good picture and great sound. It seems like it would be a waste of money to not get more life out of that TV.

Well, if you've experienced this, or know someone who has, don't you buy a new TV. Or let them buy one. Unless of course you just want one. But be aware that you don't need one.

You can treat the TV like it's not a smart TV. Get a Roku device. Or a Fire TV device. Or an Apple TV device. Or a Google TV device. If your TV is otherwise good, but the streaming experience has seemed to have gone downhill, replace the streamer, but keep the TV.

Adding a streaming device to a smart TV is actually a good idea, if the circumstances are right.

One reason, as we've been saying, is that the streaming functionality is now sluggish. It's not as snappy as it once was. So a streaming connected to one of the HDMI ports on the TV now turns your smart TV into a new streaming capable setup, with your Roku (or Fire TV, Apple TV, or Google TV) device now handling the streaming.

What other reasons might there be? Well, for me, it's because I want the same experience on all the TVs. I have Roku and Fire TV devices on all of my TVs. Roku is my primary streamer of choice, but I will use the Fire TV device on occasion, and can do it on all my TVs.

If  you have a streamer on one of your older TVs, and your newer smart TV is showing some age, get the same brand streamer for the smart TV. You'll get better performance, and a consistent interface.

There are ways to put some new life into your old TV. Add  your streaming device of choice, and improve your Streaming Life.