Netflix buffering?

The focus of this is Netflix, but the ideas are applicable to all streaming services.

With that out of the way, I wanted to point you over to the TV Answer Man by Phillip Swann. He covers a question about Netflix buffering pretty well.

A reader of his Website asks about why there is so much trouble with the picture on Netflix so often. And Mr. Swann's answer is a good one.

There’s an obvious reason for this problem. Your Internet service’s speed varies and sometimes it will dip below the minimum requirement for a high-def or 4K picture.

(Netflix says you need a minimum speed of 5 Megabits (Mbps) to watch high-def and 15 Megabits to watch 4K programming.)

When this occurs, Netflix may post an on-screen message asking if you want to change the HD setting to SD, or the 4K setting to HD. I would not advise doing this very often. You are paying for HD and/or 4K and you want to watch your show or movie with the best picture quality possible.

He also points to another article he wrote about improving the situation regarding buffering.

I'll jump in and tell you how I solved the problem. I got a good network setup. You see, many times the equipment that ISPs provide is not good quality, and can impact the wireless signal. I got a good mesh network setup and solved all my problems. Good coverage means good coverage. No, it's not cheap. But it works, and my Streaming Life is the better for it.

Music streaming

I've not done a lot of music streaming. When I bought a new Chevrolet several years ago, it came with XM Radio. Later, XM and Sirius Radio merged to form SiriusXM. I've had XM Radio/SiriusXM Radio ever since.

In the last several years, there have been many music streaming services to emerge. I've tried a few, but have been happy with none of them. Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, LiveXLive, YouTube Music, Idagio, iHeartRadio, and Pandora are among the most popular. Oh, and SiriusXM has a streaming service as well.

I only listen to a few SiriusXM channels, and $15.77 is not a bad price. Sure, it's possible to get a lower price with a retention plan, and I might try that one day, but I'm pretty much okay with the price. Of course, if there's a cheaper service I like, I might change. But for an automobile radio, SirusXM is a convenient way to go.

Perhaps one of the streaming music services would be a better option. Of course, that would mean using a mobile device, and that would mean data usage. I don't have an unlimited data plan on my phone, but I never run over my plan. Then again, I don't do a lot of mobile streaming.

I'm thinking about using YouTube Music for a while. You see, I really don't like the commercials that YouTube has, and have tried YouTube Premium before. I like it, but it's kind of expensive. But, it does include YouTube Music, making the price a little better. So, for the price only a couple of dollars more than some streaming services, and less than some others.

That means I could get YouTube without commercials, and an unlimited music streaming services at a relatively good price. So, I think I'm going with that. YouTube Music, as included with YouTube Premium. Whether or not I stick with it, I don't know. But I do want to find a good music service to add to my Streaming Life.

TV Antenna scams

Back when I was a child, it was easy to watch TV using an antenna. I say that because, well, I was a child. I didn't have to deal with all the adult things. Everything was easier when I was a child. For me, that is.

Somewhere along the way, cable TV took over as the way to watch TV. Along with that way, many TV antennae came down and that technology was considered old technology, from the past. It was, but it wasn't dead technology.

Today, as cable TV use shrinks, more and more people are streaming, and are finding out that they can save money. I save money by not subscribing to a live TV streaming service -- essentially cable services delivered via streaming -- and a TV antenna helps.

But what about someone for whom a TV antenna is "new" technology? How do they navigate all the claims about a TV antenna and cheaply, freely, watch local TV? Well, Tablo, a quality OTA DVR has some suggestions:

Modern, quality antennas are designed to focus on today’s broadcast TV spectrum and limit interference from adjacent frequencies.

Older or lower quality antennas can still capture signals but may be less effective, so try to deal with reputable companies that specialize in TV antenna technology like Mohu, Antennas Direct, Winegard, and Antop.

Questionable TV Antenna Marketing

The more mainstream cord cutting gets the more TV antennas we’ve seen with wacky, and even all-out false claims on their packaging or in their marketing materials which can potentially lead consumers astray.

Avoid TV antennas with the following bogus claims...

It's a good article worth reading if you are looking to get a TV antenna. I'm glad I knew a little of this when I was shopping for mine. I certainly didn't know it all, because when I grew up, I didn't have to deal with it. My parent did, and then cable took over. But a TV antenna is an important part of my Streaming Life, and could be a part of yours.

Worst live TV streaming service?

I don't use live TV streaming services regularly. During football season, I use a service -- most of the time it's Sling TV -- to get access to ESPN. But for the majority of the year, I don't use a live TV streaming service.

Does this mean I'm not qualified to offer opinions on them? No. In fact, my low opinion of them is part of the reason I don't use one regularly. If I thought I got good value for the product, I'd use it more often. But, I can find the content I want without such a service.

When I recently saw a video on YouTube about the worst live TV streaming services, I was curious. And, after watching it, I gotta say, I have no disagreement with their thoughts and conclusions. I may have picked things in a slightly different order, but I think the opinion expressed is worth considering.

[YouTube]

I don't know how many people have one as part of their Streaming Life. If you use a live TV streaming service, I'd certainly be curious as to your thoughts.

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.