Watching the NBA playoffs (2023)

Not only did I miss the beginning of the NHL playoffs, I also missed the beginning of the NBA playoffs as well.

Same reason, as well. I don't normally watch basketball at any level. And wouldn't you know it, the playoffs started a few days ago and I missed the beginning.

The games are airing on ABC, ESPN, and TNT.

ABC

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

ESPN/ESPN2

• Sling (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

TNT

• Sling (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling (Blue), $40/month.
  
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

My Streaming Life doesn't usually include basketball, but if you want it in yours, then you have plenty of options.

Streaming NHL playoffs (2023)

Oopsie! I missed the fact that the NHL playoffs were starting. They started yesterday.

Part of the reason I missed it is that I don't watch hockey. Actually, that's the entire reason. I don't watch a lot of sports. I used to watch baseball and football, but nothing else. Now, I don't even watch much baseball any more, and only college football. I'm not sure if that's because of age, or my getting fed up with the behavior of professional athletes. Probably both.

However, just because I don't watch it doesn't mean it's not important for others. And if watching the NHL playoffs is important for you, then here's how you can watch the games.

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT will carry the various games throughout the playoffs, with the finals on TNT.

ABC

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

ESPN/ESPN2

• Sling (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

TBS

• Sling (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling (Blue), $40/month.
  
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

TNT

• Sling (Orange), $40/month.
• Sling (Blue), $40/month.
  
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

My Streaming Life doesn't usually include ice hockey, but if you want it in yours, then you have plenty of options.

AMC+ ad-supported

I've mentioned before about unknowingly been a subscriber to AMC+. Briefly, I subscribed, then forgot I had subscribed and it renewed at an annual rate. It expires in November.

Why does this matter? Well, it doesn't, not really. Except that a new plan that AMC+ is planning would save some money.

According to a report, AMC is planning a new ad-supported tier:

AMC+ is joining a long list of premium subscription streaming products that have opted to embrace advertising alongside their ad-free tiers. In the last 6 months, both Disney+ and Netflix have launched cheaper ad-supported tiers, while HBO Max launched its ad-supported tier in 2021. Among major streaming services, only Apple TV+ remains completely ad-free (though its Major League Soccer games do have sponsors).

I like the idea of ad-supported tiers being available to save money, while those that want to pay more to keep commercials away can do so.

My Streaming Life would include the ad-supported tier if it was available when I (unintentionally) subscribed. And if I do renew, it will be at the lower rate. I can deal with ads, and with saving money.

New roof and indoor antennae

Some years back, my mother replaced her roof. She had wanted a metal roof for some time, and finally pulled the trigger and got one.

It did not impact her TV viewing, since she had cable at the time. When I put up an antenna at her house, I put up one outside because her house is over 40 miles from the TV towers.

But, what if she lived closer? What if an indoor antenna would have worked. Would the new roof have caused a problem?

Well, yes, it would have.

Tablo answered a question recently from someone who was looking to put a metal roof on a house. As the questioner has an indoor antenna, that will be a problem:

Investing in a metal roof can be tempting since they last more than twice as long as more traditional asphalt shingles.

But whereas asphalt, wood, and clay shingles do absorb some Over-the-Air TV signal reducing overall signal strength, metal will completely block signals and prevent them from reaching your antenna.

Unless Glenn is willing to relocate his antenna outdoors, he should probably stick with what is currently installed.

My mother's situation was that an outdoor antenna was necessary anyway. She didn't have the issue that questioner Glen will have. My Streaming Life has had to overcome the distance to the TV towers. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to re-do anything when my mother replaced her roof.

A glimmer of hope for in-market baseball streaming

People in Georgia and four other states can't stream Braves baseball live unless they subscribe to an expensive service that includes regional sports networks Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast.

Fans of other teams have similar problems, as Major League Baseball has teams locked into regional sports contracts that blackout live games in large areas.

This could change as regional sports networks are having a very hard time right now. AT&T SportsNet has shut down, and Bally Sports has missed some payments and has filed for bankruptcy.

Businesses shutting down and people losing their jobs isn't how I wanted the dam to break, but this appears to be going on, and an upside of this is that baseball teams may not be restricted from streaming in-market games live.

According to an analysis from Cord Cutters News, the end of blackouts for live streaming games won't happen all at one, and the final end to it is years away.

Any time that has a contract with AT&T SportsNets are likely to be some of the first to offer in-market streaming. Warner Bros. Discovery has already said they plan to shut down AT&T SportsNets this year just. The question now is when will AT&T SportsNets shut down. After that happens, it is reported that the TV rights will return to MLB, allowing them to be resold or allowing them to be streamed online. For now, though, there are rumors that AT&T SportsNet may keep running until the end of the 2023 MLB season.

The teams with AT&T SportsNets contracts include the Astros, Pirates, and Rockies at this time.

Bally Sports is also reportedly struggling to make payments to some MLB teams. Now MLB is asking for these teams to be released from their RSN contracts. If that happens, The Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, and Minnesota Twins could be free to stream online as soon as this season.

Fans of these teams may be the first to benefit from an otherwise difficult situation. My Streaming Life may eventually benefit from it as well.

Watching USFL Season 2

Spring football, specifically the USFL's sophomore season, begins today. Eight teams will be playing this season.

• Birmingham Stallions
• Houston Gamblers
• Memphis Showboats
• Michigan Panthers
• New Jersey Generals
• New Orleans Breakers
• Philadelphia Stars
• Pittsburgh Maulers

Seven of those teams played last season, with the Memphis Showboats beginning play this season, after the Tampa Bay Bandits decided to not play in 2023.

A ten-week season with four games each week (all eight teams playing) means 40 regular season games. All will be available to watch.

Fox

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

Fox Sports 1

• Sling (Blue), $40/month.
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• Vidgo (Plus), $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

NBC

• Antenna, over the air, free.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

USA

• Sling (Blue), $40/month.
• Sling (Orange+Blue), $55/month.
• DirecTV (Entertainment), $65/month.
• Hulu+Live TV, $70/month.
• YouTube TV, $73/month.
• Fubo (Pro), $75/month.

Peacock

All games on NBC or USA will also be on Peacock ($5/month).

With an antenna, Peacock, and Sling (Blue), it's possible to watch every game for $45/month. My Streaming Life might just include some spring football.

New Onn box is coming

A couple of years ago, I tested the Walmart streaming devices. I was less than impressed.

In recent months, word was that Walmart was discontinuing the devices. They became hard to get as the stock dwindled and the items were not replaced.

There was speculation that Walmart was moving to the Xumo device, as they had partnered with Xfinity and Spectrum to carry those.

The other speculation was that a lineup refresh was coming.

Well, why not both?

Why not indeed.

Turns out that while plans for the new Xumo device are still in the works, a new lineup of Onn streaming devices have been announced. And while the devices have some upgraded hardware, they're still pretty skimpy in regards to the specs:

Under the hood, the new 2023 Onn 4K Streaming Box is powered by an Amlogic S905Y4. This is a very minor update over the 2021 model which used an Amlogic S905Y2. The only real difference between the two is the addition of AV1 video decoding on the newer model. It’s still a quad-core CPU and still has a Mali-G31 GPU. Like the old one, the new Onn streamer still has 2GB of RAM and, unfortunately, still has only 8GB of internal storage.

I'll probably get one to test it -- it is pretty cheap, after all -- but don't have high hopes about it. My Streaming Life is just fine without it. If I want a good Google TV device, I have an NVIDIA Shield.

Google TV expands live coverage

Google TV has integrated more live TV into its interface.

A post on the Google Chromecast blog give the details about the addition of live streaming channels from some of the most popular free ad-supported television (FAST) services:

... we’re integrating access to free channels from Tubi, Plex and Haystack News directly into the Live tab, alongside the existing lineup of channels from Pluto TV. We’re also launching free built-in channels from Google TV that you can watch without even downloading or launching an app. In total, you can now browse over 800 channels and premium programming, including news channels from NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX. You can also tune in to channels from around the world, with programming in more than 10 languages including Spanish, Hindi and Japanese.

The post says it's available for Sony TVs. Well, if that's the case, it hasn't rolled out to mine yet. I saw the post and ran a check for updates on my TV. I did it again this morning, and I still haven't received the update.

Maybe I'm missing something. I'll keep playing with it. It looks like a good thing, but I've not seen content from the new services yet. My Streaming Life is good, but this just might make it better.

Does everybody have a smart TV?

I have a smart TV. I've had a smart TV for years. It's not always been the same smart TV, but several years ago, I got a smart TV and when I replaced it, I got another smart TV to replace it.

Here's the thing: I don't use my smart TV.

Oh, to be sure, I use my TV. I just don't use the "smarts" in my smart TV.

It's a good TV. It's a Sony, with a really good picture, and a Google TV interface. But I don't use the Google TV interface that comes with my Sony smart TV.

Why is that, you ask?

No really, go ahead and ask.

Well, since you asked, here's why I don't use the smarts in the smart TV.

First among the reasons is that I already had a Roku device. And an Apple TV device. And a Fire TV device. And a Chromecast (Google TV) device. And an Nvidia Shield (Google TV) device.

I have the best streaming platforms there are. My personal preference is Roku, but I find the others to be good devices as well.

Another reason I don't use the Google TV interface is I don't like the remote on the Sony TV. It's not bad. Well, it is, but it's better than some I've seen and used. But I like the remotes with the Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, and Nvidia Shield better. All of them are superior remotes to the Sony remote.

Another reason is that I want the same interface on all my TVs. Sure, I could put Chromecast or Nvidia Shield on my secondary TV, and I do have a Chromecast on it, in fact. Actually, I have a Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku device on my secondary TV. But the remote figures into this again. I want the same experience on all my TVs. Unless I replace my TV in the bedroom with a Sony TV, I will still have a difference experience, even if I use a Google TV interface. And I'm not going to replace the TV in the bedroom. Not any time soon, anyway.

So, the only way to get the same experience is to use the same platform and same remote. And that means a separate streaming device.

Since I had these streaming devices on my old TV, it was a simple matter to put them on my new Sony TV and keep using them.

Right now, my platform of choice is Roku. So, I use Roku on both my main living room TV, and on my bedroom TV. If I want to change to Fire TV, I can do that easily enough, as I have that platform on both TVs as well. And I have Chromecast with Google TV on both TVs. I don't have two Nvidia Shield devices, and while I have a second Apple TV, I'm out of HDMI ports on the bedroom TV. Apple TV got the boot while I try out Fire TV on it.

According to a recent report, 80% of homes in the USA have smart TVs. Ryan Downey from The Streaming Advisor nailed it, though. People are buying smart TVs because that's what the stores carry:

While this is being lauded as some kind of milestone it is simply a reflection that consumers really have no choice but to buy a smart TV when they get a new set. There is no doubt that people are enjoying the features and apps. But the fact that they are buying them does not mean that they prefer them. They are the only choice. There will soon be a day when over 90 percent of TV sets in the us are smart TVs. People will buy new ones to replace non-smart TVs as they go bad or need to get replaced for one reason or another.

I didn't buy a new smart TV because I wanted a new smart TV. I wanted a new TV. What they had was a smart TV. So, I got a smart TV. Then I put a Roku on it. I didn't want a smart TV, and I bought the TV based on how the picture looked, and my previous experience with a Sony TV. So it's a TV with a Roku attached. Nothing more.

My Streaming Life includes a smart TV, but only as far as it is a TV. The smarts are from my platform of choice, Roku, and not the platform that came with my TV of choice, Sony.

Disney Bundle Basic on Hulu at last

I've subscribed to Hulu for years. Ever since Hulu started a paid subscription plan, I've been a subscriber.

For those that don't remember, or never knew, originally Hulu was a free Web-based service that was supported by ads. When streaming devices became more popular, around 10+ years ago, Hulu started a subscription service called Hulu Plus.

Later, Hulu dropped the free ad-supported service and it became a fully paid service, still supported by ads. Later, Hulu added an ad-free service. Then live TV. And then the Disney Bundle. And now, the Disney Bundle with ads or without.

Early on, Roku had Hulu Plus (later called just plain "Hulu") and had all the Hulu options available. Until the Disney Bundle with ads that launched a few months ago. Hulu only supported the Disney Bundle ad-free version. The cheaper "with ads" version wasn't available on Roku.

That's now changed. The Disney Bundle with Ads is now available on Roku. It's about time.

I think Disney was the holdup on this, not Roku. But, wherever the issue was, it's not an issue any longer. It's now a thing. I can watch Disney Bundle with Ads on Roku. And I'm trying it out. I've modified my subscription to the ad-supported version and will try it for a bit.