Friday, March 31, 2023

A new Roku update is coming ... eventually

One thing about Roku that some people don't understand, and really don't like, is the rollout process for updates.

People want, or expect, or both, the updates to come quickly, and all at once. But that's not how Roku works.

When Roku has a major upgrade, they roll the updates out over a period of time. Not days. Not just weeks. Roku takes months to roll them out.

Sometimes, your update will come the day that the update is released. Sometimes, your update will not come for a couple of months, or more.

Also (as if that's not enough), if you have multiple devices, not all devices will get updates at the same time. That is, your Roku in the bedroom may get the update the day it's released, but your Roku in the living room might not get the update until three months later.

Of course, you could get all your updates the very first day. But you probably won't.

Roku announced Roku OS 12 back on March 9. I haven't received an update on any of my devices yet.

When OS 11 came out, once device got it same day it was announced (actually, the day before, as the announcement was delayed until the next day), and other devices got it a month or two later. Usually, I don't get any updates the same day it is announced. Usually, it's a month or two, or three, until I get them.

So, what's up with Roku OS 12?

  • Local news on Live TV. Only, I see that with Roku 11.5. Are they expanding it?
  • Premium Subscriptions within Live TV. Again, something I already see with Roku OS 11.5.
  • Sports. Again, part of OS 11.5, but they promise more personalized. Which I hope means they'll quick suggesting ice hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, and such.
  • Continue Watching (in What to Watch). Again, I have this in OS 11.5.
  • Roku Mobile App Account Hub. I'm seeing the ability to do all the things it says.
  • Roku Mobile Home page streamlined. I see the features it promises already.
  • Live TV Guide Button on the mobile app. This is something I don't see. I'm curious to see if this actually rolls out with OS 12, or if it's a feature that is delayed.
  • Photo Stream improvements. As I don't use Photo Streams, I wouldn't know if this is an actual improvement or not. I'll take others' words for it.

Roku lists several things in the Roku 12 update, but I'm already seeing some of these in Roku 11.5. So, that makes me wonder if there are really any OS 12 changes. This is how Roku seems to have done things the last few years, and I don't particularly care for this.

It's great that features are rolled out, but to say "New in OS 12" when they are already there just seems wrong.

This won't impact, and hasn't impacted, how Roku is a part of my Streaming Life, but it is a sore spot with me.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Tips for Fire TV users

While I'm firmly in Team Roku, I have enough people in my life that use Fire TV devices that I like to keep up with them. In fact, I like to keep up with all four of the major platforms: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android/Google TV.

Several days ago, Cord Cutters News posted tips for Fire TV users, and I thought it worth sharing.

[YouTube] [CCN]

I find the tips from Cord Cutters News to be worthwhile, and I always check them out, even if it's on a platform I don't regularly use. It may not improve my Streaming Life, but it could help someone, and that's always a good thing.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Mounting a TV over a fireplace

Several years ago, there was a discussion in the family about mounting a TV over a fireplace. I was against it. I was the only one against it. I lost the argument.

When I saw a Q&A recently about mounting a TV over a fireplace, I wanted to see if I was right. Spoilers: I was.

TV Answer Man Phillip Swann says it's a bad idea, for a couple of reasons:

If you mount the screen too high on the wall, your eyes have to adjust to focus on the center point and, consequently, your viewing is not as smooth. You will feel like you are constantly adjusting your seat position and that’s no way to watch TV!

Plus, if the set is mounted above your eye level, you will indeed have to crane your neck to watch it. That may be okay for a few minutes, or even a 30-minute sitcom, but try watching a two-hour movie that way. (If you do, bring a bottle of Advil. You will get a headache!)

The other reasons is from the heat. Read his entire article for more information. Perhaps it will help your TV last longer, and help you enjoy your Streaming Life.


Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Scams as far as the eye can see

As more and more people enter the world of cord cutting and streaming, more and more scams pop up. It's how things are.

Wherever there are people, there are other people trying to separate them from their money. There are tales of pickpockets roaming the crowds at public hangings, where the people being hanged were convicted thieves. Even with the threat of death over them, thieves will be thieves, and will target wherever the people are.

So, with more people adding streaming, or moving to streaming, more thieves are moving there as well.

Recently, Cord Cutters News had an article outlining "The Most Common Cord Cutting Scams to Watch Out For":

Bill Pay Scams

Increasingly scammers are sending out emails that appear to be from Netflix, for example, asking you to update your billing info. Scammers are trying to get you to hand over your credit card info.

How to avoid this scam. Never click links in an email. Always look closely, not at the name used in the email but at the actual email address to make sure it is not from a random website. If in doubt, go to the website of the service to check your billing information.

They also cover problems involving:

  • Illegal Streaming Services
  • Stealing Your Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, etc Accounts

It's a good read, and something to consider if you're new to streaming, or even if you've been streaming a while. If you can keep others from taking your money, you'll enjoy your Streaming Life so much more.

Monday, March 27, 2023

Hulu layoffs?

A report last week said that Hulu may be laying off a lot of people.

It's never good when people lose their jobs.

Parent company Disney is laying off a lot of people, and Hulu is expected to get hit with a higher proportion of cuts than other divisions of the House of Mouse.

Hulu is not alone in the job cuts as Disney is reportedly planning to make cuts at ABC Signature and 20th Television also but Hulu's may be more significant. Deadline reports that Hulu's layoffs could start as soon as next week but may be done in waves and not all at once.

This all comes as Disney has a decision to make as time is running out to decide if Disney wants to sell off Hulu or complete its deal with Comcast to buy all of Hulu.

During Disney's last earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked if Disney would be open to selling off. In response, he said everything was on the table.

I've been a fan of Hulu for some time. It doesn't matter to me if Hulu is owned by Disney or not. It was originally owned by NBC, ABC, and Fox when they were all separate entities. Those three major networks had an interest in making Hulu work. Now, that's not so much the case.

I would hate to see Hulu go away. I have enjoyed the service for years, and hope to continue that. But things change, even my Streaming Life.

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Is your VPN stealing your information?

 If you're a streamer (and of course you are), you've found that some content is restricted in your area.

That can be from Major League Baseball (I can't watch the Braves live on MLB TV, for example) to football (Georgia Tech is often blacked out here) to movies (some content isn't available in the USA) to practically anything.

You'll hear some advocating to use a VPN to get around geolocation restrictions. I don't do that, for two reasons.

First, if content is restricted here, it's restricted here. I'll just deal with it.

Second, is I don't trust most VPNs.

Here's a recent video from Naomi Brockwell about how risky it is to use some VPNs.

[YouTube]

How big of a deal is this? I think it's a pretty big deal. I run my own VPN that allows me to connect to my home network. That's free, but takes some setup. I will look at some other VPNs that I can use, in case my home network is down and I need a VPN connection.

Why would I need a VPN? Well, if I get on an unsecure or untrusted network (because my cellular signal is not sufficient) I want to be able to secure my data, and a VPN to my home network does that.

If you are a streamer, and want to use a VPN in your Streaming Life, be careful. Be very very careful.

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Netflix and reasons to drop it

I don't watch Netflix.

The reason is simple: they don't carry enough content for me to watch to justify the cost.

Sure, Netflix starts at $7/month for the ad-supported plan (with content restrictions), and $10/month for the ad-free plan (without content restrictions). It's not that much.

However, it doesn't take many of those "not that much" subscriptions to end up paying almost as much as cable.

That's why I subscribe to a single service at a time. I'll subscribe to one service ($10-15) this month, then a different service next month, and a different the following month. And so on and so on. Over a year, I've watch a lot of content for not as much money.

Netflix sometimes is in the rotation, but I have gone years without subscribing once. That's because of the content. And the frustrating menu system that auto-launches content.

To be fair, Netflix finally stopped playing stuff automatically. Or at least, they allowed me more options to stop stuff from playing before I hit Play. So good for them for paying attention to what customers want.

However, none of that makes up for the limited amount of content that interests me. And, it seems there's another reason that some don't like Netflix. It has to do with their suggestions:

When I canceled Netflix, I mostly kicked it away because of a lack of pressing new programming. But earlier this week, I heard podcaster Merlin Mann (opens in new tab) declare that that Netflix "wants [him] to be somebody different than who" he is.

The second I heard that, I realized a significant reason why I canceled Netflix this year that I had never even thought of. Netflix, as you may find when you use it, really cares about promoting shows that you may have have zero interest in. I'm trying to see things with an open mind these days (heck, I started Yellowstone, which I thought I'd never do), but Netflix often seems to swing and miss.

Netflix has long pushed stuff I didn't like or care about. Did that enter into my decision to drop them? Actually, no. But it didn't help. And I did notice what they were doing.

I dropped Netflix because the value just wasn't there. But I understand about why others are frustrated with Netflix pushing content that is out of line with their viewing history.

I will add that the last time I looked at Netflix and their suggestions, they did a better job of not pushing uninteresting content. When I did subscribe, I took the time to give Likes and Dislikes to many of the things they pushed, and to their credit, they have done better. But they have a ways to go.

If you are frustrated with the way Netflix is promoting content that you don't have an interest, I understand. And if you drop them from your Streaming Life, maybe they'll understand as well.

Friday, March 24, 2023

New, cheaper Fire TV televisions

It looks like Amazon has introduced a new line of Fire TV televisions.

According to Amazon's official Fire TV blog, a 32-inch Fire TV device from Amazon is available for $200. That's not the only thing introduced by Amazon in their new lineup, but it is the thing I noticed.

Fire TV televisions have always been good TVs. I don't like the Fire TV interface as much as I like the Roku interface, but the quality of the devices have always been good.

Now that Amazon is making their own televisions, they seem to have kept up the quality, which would explain why a $200 television is a big deal, when you can get a Roku TV from Walmart for half that.

According to Amazon, there is a lot to crow about with the new TV updates:

Amazon is expanding the Amazon-built TV lineup with three new sizes of the Fire TV Omni QLED Series -- 43", 50", and 55" -- and introducing the affordable Fire TV 2-Series, starting at just $199.99. Amazon is also launching its Amazon-built TVs in more countries, bringing the Fire TV Omni QLED Series, Fire TV 4-Series, and the new Fire TV 2-Series to the United Kingdom, Germany, and Mexico for the first time.

"We knew we could build a better experience for the living room," says Daniel Rausch, vice president of Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services. "Televisions are the fastest growing segment in the Fire TV business. When customers love something, we double down."

Is the device better than the Onn Roku TV from Walmart? Probably. However, the 32-inch Fire TV television only supports 720p, same as the cheap Roku TV.

Is it worth the extra money? Possibly. If I was in the market for a TV (I'm not) I would consider it. Whether or not I'd pull the trigger is another matter. But it's worth looking at if you want a new TV, particularly a Fire TV platform set, in your Streaming Life.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Newsmax returns to DirecTV Stream

There was a dust-up recently about DirecTV (and DirecTV Stream) dropping Newsmax from its lineup. I didn't weigh in on it, but I probably should have.

Since I don't subscribe to DirecTV Stream (or any of the expensive live streaming services) it didn't impact me. Newsmax has a Roku app (although it's buggy) that I could use if I wanted to watch the content.

Honestly, any time something comes to or leaves an expensive live streaming service, I don't really care. I don't subscribe to those services (except for college football season, when I'll subscribe to Sling TV or some other service to get ESPN).

However, I do not like it when content is pulled from a service. Usually, it's over money. Heck, it's always over money. And the outcome is always people paying more for a service. (But not me, since I don't subscribe anyway.)

Now, word is that Newsmax returns to DirecTV Stream (and DirecTV satellite service) today:

"Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DIRECTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones," said Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax. "As a standalone company, DIRECTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that will deliver our network to DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM and U-verse customers over the next several years."

"This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to our customers," said Bill Morrow, CEO of DIRECTV. "Through our persistent negotiations, we reached a resolution under mutually-agreeable business terms allowing us to deliver the conservative news network at the right value -- a reflection of the free market at work."

Newsmax will be available on DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and U-verse customers, rejoining the now expanded and diversified news lineup, which includes six 24/7 news networks.

See? They're playing nice. Until the next time. Which again won't impact me, as I don't expect to be paying for a high-priced live streaming service, when I can get so much so cheaper in my Streaming Life.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Why costs for streaming keep rising

There is an analysis about the increasing costs of streaming services over on The Streaming Advisor.

Ryan Downey wrote his column after the recent announcement by YouTube TV of a price increase. I think he's on to something:

This has always been the issue with pay TV services since cable TV first hit the scene. If a service offers more content options it has to charge the customer more. But if it doesn’t offer certain content options customers may decide to jump to another service to get it. The problem is that the competition has not led to innovative pricing. It has caused them to balloon. That is because the channel owners demand what they consider fair fees for the content.

I don't disagree with Mr. Downey. Prices go up all the time. More competition usually leads to lower prices, but I think there is more to it than that.

A lot of things have gone up by a surprising amount in the last three years. I think that as a result, we are more accepting of price increases as a result. We're simply going along with it. They are raising the prices, not because they need to (though it may figure into it) but because they can.

The financial policies of the country have created an environment that is not consumer friendly. As a result, every aspect of your life, including your Streaming Life, has suffered.