DirecTV streaming rates going up

DirecTV's streaming service is the latest to raise its prices.

According to a report, and confirmed by small print on the DirecTV Website, prices are going up next month. Cord Cutters News reports the price increase is $5/month on average across the services plans:

DIRECTV has confirmed both its satellite and streaming services will be going up in November. Both DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM will go up between $2 a month and $11 a month, depending on your package. The average price hike is $5 a month for most customers.

This news comes a few weeks after DISH announced it would be raising the price of its satellite service.

DIRECTV says they are raising the price of DIRECTV STREAM because they are “adjusting the price of your television package in order to remain competitive in the marketplace, while still delivering the best possible programming. TV networks are continuing to increase the fees they charge DIRECTV® for the right to distribute the content they produce, including movies, shows, and sporting events. We remain steadfast in our commitment to bring you the best programming at a fair and reasonable price.”

The Website shows small print with pricing listed three ways: current, special, and future.

$74.99/mo.
$64.99/mo. + tax

Price subj. to change. $10 off current price for first 3 mos., then prevailing rate. Cancel anytime. Price for new and existing customers changes to $79.99/mo + tax on 11/5/23.

This is just the latest increase over the last 2-3 years, when prices really began to jump. My Streaming Life doesn't use DirecTV streaming, or other similar services. Well, certainly not all the time. I'm not adversely impacted. But a lot of people are impacted, and this is bad news for them. It's harder and harder to find good value, when the price goes up but the content isn't better.

Sunday security posts

I know the focus of this Website is streaming. I know that often on Sundays, I'll vary from that a little bit and talk about security. And I know that while my original security posts were related to streaming, I've done more and more non-streaming security posts on Sundays.

I'll say that there is a justification in that streaming is a field that can be exploited by scammers. Anything that is new and different and that receives an increase in users can get the attention of scammers, and become a focus of scammers. Streaming can be that.

I focus on security and privacy in my day to day life, partly because it was my job for a while, but also because I realize that anyone can be a target, even me. Even you.

Since streaming does grow day by day, scammers will be targeting streamers. I should say more scammers will be targeting streamers. Because it is happening.

The best way to stay safe as a streamer is to be security and privacy conscious. After all, you do it in your every day life, don't you? Don't you?

Do you leave your keys in your car? People used to do that, but not any more. People take their keys when they get out of the car. And they should. Security is important.

Do you leave your house unlocked when you leave, or when you go to bed at night? People used to. Heck, I know some that still do, although they recognize that they shouldn't. Many people lock their house, and they should. Security is important,

Do you have a party line? Okay, some of you may not have any idea what I'm asking there. But long ago, families shared a phone line. They'd have different numbers, but they all shared a single line. We used to have a party line. But I don't know of anyone that has one today. About 20 years ago, there were at least 5,000 still in use. I don't know how many there are today, but party lines still exist. Most people don't have a party line though. Privacy is important.

Security and privacy, two distinct things although there is some overlap, are important. Having focused on that in my work, I may have a higher awareness than many, but I do think that everyone should have security and privacy as a normal part of their lives.

My Streaming Life is secure -- well, I try to keep it secure. My Streaming Life is private -- well, I try to keep it private. My Streaming Life is enjoyable. Security and privacy are second nature to me. I hope it becomes second nature to you as well.

Watching College Football in 2023: Week 6

We're now in Week Six of college football for 2023. There are 51 Division 1-A/FBS games on tap this weekend, counting the six already played (two Wednesday night, three Thursday night, and two last night).

Today, there are 52 games on the schedule. There are five games that feature two Top 25 teams playing each other:

• 12 Oklahoma at 3 Texas
• 23 LSU at 21 Missouri
• 20 Kentucky at 1 Georgia
• 10 Notre Dame at 25 Louisville

Penn State (6), Washington (7), Oregon (8), Utah (18), Duke (19), and Tennessee (22) all have open weekends.

Today's games will be broadcast over several networks. Here are the channels or networks you'll need to watch all the games:

• ABC
• ACC Network
• Big Ten Network
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• CW
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• ESPN+
• Fox
• Fox Sports 1
• Longhorn Network
• NBC
• NFL Network
• Pac 12 Network
• Peacock
• SEC Network

Note: No games are on Longhorn Network this week.

Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are ten games involving Division 1-A/FBS teams, one involving a ranked team. Those ten games will be broadcast on:

• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• Fox Sports 1

Later in the season, there may even be another network or two that carries games, but these are the ones that are confirmed as the season begins. Here's how to get all the networks:

ABC

• Antenna (free)
• Sling TV (8 markets only) ($45/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ACC Network

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Big Ten Network

• Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

CBS

• Antenna (free)
• Paramount Plus (Premium) $12/month
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

CBS Sports Network

• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Ultimate) ($139/month)

CW

• Antenna (free)
• Not available streaming.

ESPN, ESPN2

• Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ESPN+

• ESPN+ (standalone) ($10/month)
• Disney Bundle ($15/month)

ESPNU

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro + Fubo Extra) ($83/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Fox

• Antenna (free)
• Sling TV (18 markets only) ($45/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Fox Sports 1

• Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Longhorn Network

• Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

NBC

• Antenna (free)
• Peacock (Plus) ($12/month)
• Sling TV (11 markets only) ($45/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

NFL Network

• Sling TV (Blue) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Pac 12 Network

• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)

Peacock

• Peacock is its own service, and can be used to watch NBC live programming with the $12/month plan.

SEC Network

• Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
• Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
• DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

That's this week in Division 1-A/FBS college football, and covers all the networks -- so far -- that are carrying college football games in 2023. My Streaming Life focuses on college football during this time of year.

Chromecast with Google TV interface issue

I've been testing the Chromecast Google TV interface. There was a little hiccup when my new Chromecast device ran into some issues.

I'm using my older HD model, and it works fine. So, I've been using the Chromecast and so has a family member. She noticed something that was of concern. She said that the Chromecast was not as responsive. So, I decided to check it out.

Turns out that the device is as responsive as my Roku device, but the way the interface works makes it appear slower.

On Roku, if I launch, say, Peacock, the screen blanks and within 2-3 seconds, the Peacock splash screen displays. However, on Chromecast, when I launch Peacock, the screen remains on the menu, and within 2-3 seconds, the Peacock splash screen appears.

The difference is that Roku indicates that it accepted your button press by changing the screen. Even though it was to a black screen, it still was a change, and you knew that your button press did something.

With Chromecast, the menu doesn't change until the splash screen displayed. That means that for those 2-3 seconds, you had no indicator that it had accepted your button press. And, if it had indeed not accepted it, then those 2-3 seconds would have been the same.

Roku letting you know visually that your button press was accepted and that the device was doing something is a better experience than 2-3 seconds of no activity on the Chromecast. Chromecast could learn a thing from Roku about this.

The end result is that the Chromecast is as responsive as the Roku, it's just that it seems that it's not. That's a bad experience. My Streaming Life isn't as much fun if I'm not sure my streaming device is working.

YouTube: More than just cat videos

I'm one of those old guys that has a hard time letting go of how things used to be.

That's not to say I wish things were like they used to be. Well, okay, in some cases, I do wish something things were that way. But not everything. That's another way of saying that not all change is good change.

What I'm talking about is that I see or experience something -- or someone -- and base my thoughts about it -- or them -- on that impression. I'm not talking about a quick first impression. I'm talking about experiences that go on for a while. I do something, experience something, interact with someone, multiple times over a long period of time. And over that time, I develop an impression. That impression changes and refines, but eventually solidifies. That then I have my final opinion on something.

That's not always the right thing, though. That's not to say my "final opinion" is wrong. At the time, it could very well have been correct. And, as arrogant as this sounds, it probably was.

The problem is that things and people change. Not always drastically, but in small ways. And, over time, these small changes can add up to big changes. And those changes, given enough of them, can cause a "final opinion" to become outdated.

That's me and YouTube.

I've always liked YouTube. However, there was a time that the cliche about it being a bunch of cat videos was true. And that was a way that I described YouTube. That's not to say I thought it was nothing but cat videos. It's a shorthand way of saying it's content that isn't serious content. Fun, but not really a serious source of anything of consequence.

That was true. Well, okay, it was mostly true. YouTube has always had good content that was more than cat videos. Come to think of it, I'm not sure the last time I saw a cat video on YouTube. And I certainly don't know the last time I saw a new cat video. If I search for cat videos, most of the results are videos I've seen before. Maybe uploaded by someone other than the original, but the content itself is old. Mostly.

The reality is that I've watched a lot of YouTube over the years, and I've never really let go of the idea that it was a bunch of cat videos. But the reality is that it's so much more than that.

Let me say now that this is not a new opinion of mine. I concluded that there was a lot more to YouTube some time back. But I did have the "cat videos" thought for a long time.

Recently, I sat down and reviewed by videos on my Roku device and was wondering if I needed to rearrange the order. If I'm always scrolling down for one particular app, maybe I should move that app to the top, or closer to the top. Most used first, least used last.

I review my app lineup, to include the order, every so often. And the first app is, and for some time has been, YouTube. And the last time I did an app menu review, I thought about how I used to think it was just a bunch of cat videos. And that led to my whole thinking about how it, like so many other things, gets judged, and left with a judgement that could be outdated.

My Streaming Life has included a lot of YouTube content over the years. And YouTube is my most used app. I'm never gonna give it up.

Netflix rumored to be raising prices again

Netflix has not announced it, but there is a report that Netflix is going to raise prices again soon.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that after the actors strike ends, Netflix is planning to increase the cost of its service.

The increase won't impact the lowest cost service, the ad-supported tier, but will impact the other price tiers:

The streaming service is discussing raising prices in several markets globally, but will likely begin with the U.S. and Canada, according to people familiar with the matter. It couldn’t be learned how much Netflix will raise prices by or when exactly the new prices will take effect. Netflix declined to comment.

Over the past year or so, the cost of major ad-free streaming services has gone up by about 25%, as entertainment companies look to bring their streaming platforms to profitability and lead price-conscious customers to switch to their cheaper and more-lucrative ad-supported plans.

Currently, the Standard with Ads Plan (ad-supported, HD, two concurrent streams) is $7/month. That's expected to remain the same.

The Standard Plan (no ads, HD, two concurrent streams) is $16/month (actually $15.49), and that's expected to increase.

The Premium Plan (no ads, 4K/UHD, four concurrent streams) is $20/month. That's also expected to go up.

My Streaming Life rarely includes Netflix. The only time I ever subscribe is to check out a new feature, and then I only do it for a month. Normally, I don't subscribe to Netflix. I can find plenty other stuff to watch for free, or with other services (Paramount Plus is included with Walmart Plus, Prime Video included with Amazon Prime, and so on).

Chromecast testing interrupted

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to spend more time with Chromecast. Specifically, Chromecast with Google TV. I like the overall interface. I like their Live TV section. I was planning to write next about another feature that a family member really likes, but some problems got in the way.

I started with my Chromecast HD device, but purchased one of the new 4K models. Last Monday, the new Chromecast arrived, and I swapped it out with the older device. That was a mistake.

Well, maybe it wasn't, but that is what started the problems. The new Chromecast 4K was not as responsive as the older Chromecast HD. Also, the remote would repeat arrow presses. Specifically, I would be on the menu, say in the YouTube app, and pressing the right arrow would sometimes keep scrolling to the right, as if I was continuing to press the right arrow. Same thing on the down arrow.

This wasn't a YouTube thing, as it happened when using Hulu, ESPN, Plex, and even on the actual Google TV interface. It wasn't the app. It was the device. Maybe the remote, but that was part of the device.

Last night, I was finally fed up with it and started a return. I don't really want my money back. Rather, I want to exchange it for another one. I want a Chromecast 4K. At least I think I do. When I upgraded to Chromecast with Google TV from the older Chromecast (the one that was for casting only with no remote) I liked the device. Later, I obtained one of the newer and lower priced HD models. That was what I had put, and left, on my primary TV.

After deciding to spend more time with Chromecast, I ordered the new Chromecast with Google TV 4K. That arrived last Monday, and I switched my testing to that. And that's when the trouble started.

So, I wanted to exchange it, but that's not an option. So, they've issued a return, and I'll be shipping it back today. I expect they'll refund the money, but I'm just going to turn around and buy another one. Whatever it takes, I suppose. I want one of the newer ones.

In the meantime, I've put the HD model back on my living room TV. My Streaming Life will still focus on Chromecast Google TV for the next month. I just want the new device to work right.