Netflix wants to charge more for password sharing

Netflix has a problem. People have, for years, been sharing their Netflix password with others.

Now, before you say "so what?" you should keep in mind that Netflix only allows password sharing for those in the same household. That means that sharing your password with your parents (or grandparents) who live separately from you is a violation of Netflix terms of service (ToS).

Of course, it's often that the parents (or grandparents) are the ones actually paying for the service that the adult children (or grandchildren) are using. Both happen, but it appears that it's the younger ones who are freeloading, not the older ones, more often than not.

Regardless of which generation is paying the bill, the mere fact that multiple households are sharing the same Netflix account is a violation of Netflix ToS.

So, what does Netflix do about it? Well, nothing. At least, so far, they have done nothing. But they do want to do something.

According to a recent report, Netflix said that they want to charge more for password sharing.

"While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly," Netflix said in a statement. "As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don't live with."

In short, Netflix wants you to pay more in order to share your subscription with other people who do not live with you.

This is not new, as Netflix has been busy working to stop the free sharing of passwords between friends and family members. Now instead of stopping it, Netflix is hoping you will just pay a little bit more to be able to share passwords.

In South America, Netflix has already started to test this by promoting users they suspect of sharing their passwords with an option to buy an extra sub-account. However, it has reportedly not been going well, as many have not opted to pay the extra fee voluntarily.

Most people simply won't pay if they aren't forced to. That's because most people are awful. Now, if that hits you, then that's your problem, not mine. I don't use Netflix a lot, so I am not impacted by this. But when I do use Netflix, I'm still not impacted by this. I don't share my password with others.

I did share it in years past, but I stopped doing that. It's not that I'm not nice -- I am actually a nice person -- but that I don't believe in violating ToS. If Netflix does what they did in South America and roll out a voluntary fee for password sharing, and if I were a regular subscriber, I would pay the fee if I were to share with family.

I'm all about saving money. That's the reason I started streaming and dropped cable over a decade ago. But I'm not going to violate ToS and essentially steal from Netflix. It's a matter of doing the right thing. I'll save money where I can, but I won't steal from others. My Streaming Life doesn't include the cost of my character.

Plex streaming overtakes Plex media server

A recent article and recent news release shows that Plex, which is my choice for a home media server, is now more of a streaming service than media server. And that worries me in a way.

First, let me say that I've seen nothing from Plex that makes me want to switch to a different media server platform. I really like having all my movies available on Plex.

However, according to a recent article, which included comments from Scott Hancock, Plex’s vice president of marketing, Plex is fully aware of the shift in usage, and may be focusing more on the streaming platform going forward:

While Plex's ambitions now stretch well beyond the media server, Hancock said the company hasn’t abandoned the server side of its business.

"We have resources dedicated to both, I guess I'll put it that way," he said. "It's not that we're not focused on one or the other."

To that end, users should expect some improvements to Plex Pass features such as downloads this year, along with a greater focus on Plexamp, Plex's standalone music player for folks who have their own music collections. (It also serves as an alternative interface for Tidal.) This year, the company plans to bring Plexamp to more devices while also refining its existing apps for iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows.

It is encouraging that Plex isn't abandoning the media server in favor of its live streaming platform. I hope that remains the case. Plex has been a part of my Streaming Life for some time, and I really enjoy the Plex media server.

Antenna range and outrageous claims

A few times, I started to write about the range some TV antenna brands and stores claim for their products. Many times, more than most people realize, the claims are out and out lies.

However, I haven't actually written about this to the degree I wanted, mostly because it's a lot of work and I'm lazy, but also because there are many other resources that provide good information. Why should I write something that is no better than what someone else wrote?

One good resource for this kind of information is actually a Website that doesn't sell TV antennae, but is dependent on a good TV antenna in order for their product to work well. I'm talking about Tablo.

Tablo is a good quality DVR that records over the air TV from an antenna, and can put the TV signal, as well as its DVR content, on your network. I'm a fan of Tablo.

Earlier this month, Tablo posted another article on TV antenna range claims. It gives some good information, and posts links to other good information.

Antenna mileage ratings are at best an estimation of how far away you can be from your local broadcast towers and still get a signal. At worst, they're lies told by disreputable antenna manufacturers to dupe consumers into purchasing lower-quality products. The Tablo article lays it out well:

A general rule of thumb is that beyond 70-80 miles, the curvature of the earth will limit ANY antenna's ability to 'see' your local broadcast towers. The larger and the higher up your antenna is, the more likely you'll be able to push those mileage limits. Anything more would be breaking the laws of physics.

If you didn't realize that TV antenna claims are often bogus, hopefully you now know. If you've been looking at getting an antenna, do the work and make sure about what it is you get. You don't want to spend any money and get nothing for it, or even less than you could for the money.

A TV antenna is a great addition to just about anyone's Streaming Life, and with a little work, it can make a world of difference.

New Chromecast with Google TV?

I said last Spring that I so wanted to like Chromecast with Google TV, but had a hard time liking it.

When I first tried it out, I did like it. However, it didn't remain a favorite for long. After a few months use, it became apparent that the device didn't match up to Roku in a couple of ways.

Most prominently was the fact that the storage for apps was small, even though it was larger than Roku devices at the time. The main difference is the way the two platforms handled apps.

On Roku, if you run out of space, Roku will remove the oldest app (in terms of how long it's been since you launched it) to make room for the newer app. Only, they still left a shortcut on your device, meaning that if you went to run the older app again, it acted as if it was still there, removed the oldest remaining app, and re-downloaded the app again for you to use it.

The effect was that it seemed as if the storage was never full, because it managed the storage space so well.

Other devices, including Chromecast with Google TV, don't manage storage well. They won't let you download apps if the device is full. You have to remove an app, which takes it from your menu. It's a pain, and the way Roku handles it, it's not a pain at all.

The device could use a bump in storage. And it could use a couple of other improvements as well, but the storage is the big thing.

Good news may be coming down the pike soon. According to 9to5Google, a new Chromecast device is in the works.

In the latest preview update to the Google Home app, the company includes early preparation for a new Google TV device, referred to as “YTC.” Elsewhere in the code, it’s directly confirmed that this is indeed a “Chromecast with Google TV” — alongside previous models “YTV” (Chromecast with Google TV) and “YTB” (Chromecast HD).

Considering Google has already released a lower-end model of Chromecast, we believe the company is on schedule to release something with a higher set of specs to replace its current flagship offering. For now, though, we’re not able to confirm any specs of Google’s next Chromecast.

At a bare minimum, we’d like to see Google include more storage on the next Chromecast with Google TV. The processor should also see an upgrade, as Android TV somewhat recently changed its hardware requirements.

We’d also love to see the next Chromecast include a second USB-C port for plugging in accessories or additional storage. To do this today, you need to purchase a USB-C dock/dongle with passthrough power, and this also prevents you from using Google’s official power adapter with Ethernet.

It would be great if the Chromecast got an upgrade, and got it soon. I so want to like the Chromecast with Google TV, but it just gets annoying after a bit. Some upgrades would make it something I would use, and recommend, for both my and your Streaming Life.

Streaming but not cutting the cord

Recently, The Streaming Advisor's Ryan Downey caught some flack online for his article Why Cord Cutting Is Not A Real Thing.

Do I agree with what he wrote in that article? No. And yes. And that may be his point. We're calling what people do "cord cutting" but is it really? Yes. And no.

I had cable TV from a local provider in 2011. Then, I canceled cable. But I kept service with that provider because they were my Internet service provider (ISP). So I didn't really cut the cord, I just cut one of the services that came in on that cord.

My mother began streaming in the last few years of her life. She was fascinated by the different content, and way of watching all content, that streaming offered. But, she kept her Comcast service until the last year of her life. She did cut back on her Comcast cable TV service, but didn't drop it all together.

It wasn't until the year she passed that the full "cutting of the cord" happened. I didn't pressure her to do it. She asked me what could be done to cut her Comcast bill, so we sat down and looked over all the content she still used Comcast to get. We went through every channel in her package, trying to see if there was a smaller package that carried what she wanted. We also looked at her streaming services -- mostly free services -- and looked for options there that allowed her to mark it off her Comcast "must have" list.

When we finished that, we double checked it to make sure, and we found the Comcast cable TV plan that worked for her: No cable. Everything she watched was available through a streaming service, mostly for free, but any cost was a cost she already had. That's when she decided to cut Comcast cable TV altogether.

My mother's situation for the last few years isn't really all that uncommon, according to another report that The Streaming Advisor mentioned recently.

For instance numbers from a new study show that for instance the rise in streaming popularity does not mirror the rise in people canceling pay TV services. A report by one of our favorite research firms MoffettNathanson shows that 82% of US homes use streaming services. But broken down in those numbers is that only 44 percent of those streaming customers do not have cable.

Too often writers in the tech world have tied the popularity of services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and HBO Max to the need to replace cable with a streaming service, but it turns out that millions of people out there just want more to watch along with the content in their big bundle.

When I cut the cord (still using that phrase) back in 2011, I cut the cord. The cable TV part. But for a month ahead of that, I did stream and have cable. In fact, I streamed for more that that, with TiVo's limited (at the time) streaming capabilities. But when I got a Roku device and an Apple TV device in late 2010, I started streaming all serious like. And a month later, cable TV was gone.

With me, it was only a month. With my mother it was for years. For others, it could be an ongoing thing. I think that in most circumstances, most people could save money by cutting cable and streaming, but I realize not everyone can. But streaming brings options to almost everyone.

My Streaming Life means I don't need any cable TV service. Others only use cable to a smaller degree. Others stream and do big cable bundles. The point is that they are able to watch what they want how they want. That's the real upside. Well, for many. Mine is saving money along with that extra freedom. I really enjoy my Streaming Life.

Privacy: Word processor concerns

This isn't streaming related. Maybe I shouldn't be posting this, since streaming is the focus here. However, this is something that I think is important.

I'm a privacy advocate. I don't like the idea of my information being collected by, well, anybody. That includes streaming. But, today, I'm talking about non-streaming privacy.

As a privacy advocate, I'm sharing this, and hope that you find it useful. I'm not trying to change your mind, or anyone's mind, about things. I'm wanting to provide information you may not have, and some thoughts that you may not have considered. Then, make up your own mind. If your opinion doesn't change, at least you have rethought things with more information. And I think that's a good thing.

Here are Naomi Brockwell's thoughts on security, privacy, and word processing.

[YouTube link]

This may give you information you didn't have before, and it may give you pause. It did me.

Cable TV fees up to $800/year

You know how high fees are for cable TV, right? Well, maybe not. I knew the fees were high, but it didn't hit me how high until I saw an article online this week.

According to a report from Cord Cutters News, the fees Comcast charges, above and beyond the regular cost of services, can total $800/year!

Recently it was announced that Comcast would be raising the fees on a wide range of plans. Comcast’s Xfinity Broadcast TV Fee is going up 11% this year to $21.30. Back in 2016, these fees were just $5 a month. 

RSN fees are also going up in Philadelphia to $13.35 a month, a 5% jump. This is up from just $3 a month back in 2016.

The cost of a TV box and remote will now be $10 a month, a 17% increase from $8.50 just a month ago.

Modem rentals for internet customers will now cost you $15 a month.

All of this is on top of your base package that can cost as much as $99.99 a month just for TV, according to Seniorliving.org.

All of these fees over the course of a year will add up to $715.80. It could be even higher as this assumes you are only paying for one TV box. If you have two TV boxes, your yearly fees will top $835. That is also before you pay for taxes and other fees imposed by the local, state, and federal governments. In total, the cost for TV and internet from Comcast could top $2,000 a year for some customers with these fees.

That's a lot of money that Comcast -- and other cable TV services, so let's don't just pick on Comcast -- get above and beyond the normal service customers expect to pay.

This is just one of the reasons that my Streaming Life makes me happier than my cable TV life ever did.

HBO Max price increase

The latest round of streaming service price increases is still going on. Maybe it's not a round, but a trend. Maybe it's just a thing. Regardless, along with everything else that's gone up in price over the last two years, you can add HBO Max to the list.

On yesterday, the streaming service announced a price increase, effectively immediately.

It's not a large increase, and it's only for one of the two plans, but it's still an increase, and not something any of us want.

Effective Thursday, Jan. 12, the price of a new HBO Max no-ads monthly subscription in the U.S. will increase from $14.99 to $15.99 (plus applicable taxes). That’s a nearly 7% increase. Existing HBO Max subscribers who are currently paying $14.99/month will see their monthly rate increase to $15.99/month effective their next billing cycle on or after Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023.

"This price increase of one dollar will allow us to continue to invest in providing even more culture-defining programming and improving our customer experience for all users," the company said in a statement.

While it is effective immediately for new subscribers, existing subscribers won't see it until February 11, four weeks from now.

Not news we wanted to hear, but it could have been worse, and it's only for the higher priced plan. HBO Max is still a pretty good bargain, and a service that I have in my rotation of services as a part of my Streaming Life.

Cord Cutters News is back!

I've been a fan of Cord Cutters News for some time. I was a reluctant fan at first, but I got over that quickly and became a big supporter of the Website.

Years ago, when I first decided to start writing about streaming and cutting the cord, I tried to do something like Cord Cutters News. I didn't know about Cord Cutters News, and I quickly realized how much work was involved in trying to cover all the things people wanted to know. Having a full time job made that impossible.

I tried to create a how-to Website, and quickly realized how much better others did that.

Finally, I realized that I was facing an uphill battle, and decided to simply share my thoughts and feelings about cutting the cord, so here we are.

Cord Cutters News became a regular place to visit, as they covered things very well. Then, around two years ago, things changed. Luke Bouma sold the Website and others took it over. They did a good job. For a while.

Philp Palermo was the face of the Website and YouTube project for a while, but last year, things changed. Those changes were not Mr. Palermo's fault. Family issues, including a seriously ill family member, caused Mr. Palermo to focus on those things and not some silly Website.

The other staff at Cord Cutters News carried the ball for a while, but it was a losing battle. And that was a very unfortunate thing for the Website and YouTube channel.

Now, Luke is back, and running things at Cord Cutters News.

[YouTube link]

I'm glad to see Luke back. I hate the circumstances that led to that, and wish Mr. Palermo's family the best during these trying times.

If you've missed Cord Cutters News, know that it's back. Reading it has been a part of my Streaming Life for some time, and I'm glad it's back to doing what it does best.

Xumo app is now Xumo Play, and I don't like it

Xumo is the new name of the joint venture between Comcast (Xfinity) and Charter (Spectrum), with a little Walmart thrown in. And prior to this week, it was the name of the free ad-supported television (FAST) service that Comcast owned.

With the Xumo name now applying to the project, OS, and devices, the streaming service has been rebranded as Xumo Play.

There are not a lot of changes to the app and service, apart from the new name and modified logo. There is one recent change that I really don't like, though. And I really don't like it.

When you launch the Xumo Play app, your live stream starts playing. And there is no option to stop that.

Let me first explain that Xumo Play, like the Xumo app before it, is similar to Pluto TV. The main difference in what the two apps/services do is mostly cosmetic and who owns them. Pluto TV is owned by Paramount. Xumo Play is (and has been) owned by NBCUniversal.

Previously, the Xumo app didn't autoplay. Now it does. And there is no setting to stop that.

Let me be clear that I absolutely hate autoplay and never use it. I hate it in every form it appears. I don't like content playing before I press Play. If I don't press Play, I don't want things to play.

I suppose it's there way of being helpful. It's not helpful. It's simply them forcing the playing of content on the customer so they can pad their playback stats. And those playback stats are used to justify their advertising fees.

I have no problem with autoplay being the default action of any app/service. Well, I do, but I can deal with it, as long as there is a way for me to turn it off. I prefer to play content when I want it to play, not when they decide. It's arrogant for them to decide that when I want the content to play, rude for them to not allow me to stop it, and deceitful for them to pad the playback stats in order to charge advertisers more.

The content of Xumo Play is great. The app itself is one that I will not use. I used to recommend Xumo Play as a great service, when it was simply Xumo. The rebranded service is one I'll not use until they either turn off autoplay or allow me that ability. Until they do, it's no longer a part of my Streaming Life.