If you wanted to try Linux, perhaps because of its increase stability, security, and privacy, then one way is to be able to boot to Linux or Windows on the same computer. You can check out Linux in a real world enviornment while keeping your Windows envioronment intact.
Britec recently has a video on doing just that.
[YouTube]
My Streaming Life doesn't normally use desktop or laptop computers, but security and privacy are a concern for me. If Linux is an interest, I hope this helps.
College basketball has reached the end of the playoff. The 68-team tournament is down to four: Connecticut, Perdue, Alabama, North Carolina State.
This evening, North Carolina State faces Perdue and later tonight Alabama plays Connecticut. The two winners will face off Monday night.
A lot of people watch the NCAA Final Four. So, if you're a streamer, how do you watch it?
Todays games are being broadcast on several networks:
Here is how to watch the channels if you are a streamer:
The cheapest way to watch all the games is via Max, which is as low as $10/month.
Oh, there is a March Madness Live app from the NCAA, but it authenticates against one of the services listed above. The app by itself doesn't get you the content, much like the ESPN app doesn't get you college football unless you authenticate against your ESPN provider.
My Streaming Life doesn't involve much basketball at all. But a lot of people enjoy this. If this describes you, then you have ways to watch the games.
Sling TV is $40/month, and has the most popular cable channels. It has entertainment channels, news channels, sports channels, but it's missing one thing: local channels.
Now, in some markets, where ABC, Fox, or NBC owns the local stations, local channels are available. But, in most markets, this isn't the case. Sling.com has a chart that shows where local channels are available.
Because local channels aren't usually available, the price is lower for Sling TV than for other services, such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV streaming, and others. However, the sports and news runs up the price, which is why Sling TV is more than Philo, which doesn't have news or sports.
But, if you want a service that has news and sports, then Sling TV is the best bargain.
If you look at their offerings, you'll see they have two plans: Orange and Blue. They are the same cost, but have some differences. And it's those differences that make a lot of difference.
Lets start with the channel offerings. The bulk of the channels are available on both services. There are some channels that are only available with the Orange package, and some channels that are only available with the Blue package.
Orange has these 6 channels:
Blue has these 14 channels:
The remaining 26 channels are on both Orange and Blue:
Of course, there are other channels that can be added to packages, but we're only talking the base package, as it give a good idea of the differences.
Oh, there is one other difference. On Orange, you get one stream. On Blue, you get three simultaneous streams.
There is a $55/month package that combines the two packages. It's as if you have two services, meaning you get all the channels in both packages, with one stream for each Orange channel and three streams for each Blue channel. For the 26 common channels, you get four (one for Orange and three for Blue).
So, which is the one for you? I use Sling Orange during football season to get ESPN, but the rest of the year, do without. I have plenty to watch using other paid or free services. My Streaming Life is all about saving money, and I don't pay for stuff I don't watch. But, if the content on Sling is worth it to you, knowing what channels and how many streams you get is helpful.
Is that you? If so, you may wonder if you ever should re-scan your channels.
Well, yes, you should. For example, I ran a scan a couple of months ago, and found more channels that I had before. I hadn't run the scan in a couple of years, and new channels were available in that time. I should have run a scan, but when? And when should I run another?
The answer to that question isn't easy. There are different reasons that the available channels could change, and that could mean that I may need to scan more often than you, if our local circumstances are different enough.
But maybe there is a simple answer. And maybe experts in over the air channels would have an answer.
Well, recently, Tablo posted about this very topic:
"Is there a rule of thumb for how often I should run a new channel scan on my Tablo?"
You should always run and save a fresh channel scan with your Tablo if you are experiencing issues with antenna TV reception or have recently changed or moved your TV antenna.
Outside of those situations, we recommend running and saving a new channel scan with your Tablo at least once every three months.
They go on to list various benefits of doing this. It's an interesting read. I still wonder if that's too often, and more work than necessary. But, they are the experts.
My Streaming Life uses over the air antenna to supplement the streaming channels. I'll start scanning more often. Maybe I'll come around to there way of thinking.
The breakdown isn't simple, because nothing is every simple. The two largest groups in the survey pay over $40/month, even though those two groups together fail to make a majority.
Here is the breakdown:
According to our readers, more than 66% of cord cutters spend $50 or less on services each month. Only 23.5% of our readers pay $51 or more each month.
Here is a full breakdown of how much our readers spend of TV content each month.
- 5.7% spend $0 to $10 a month.
- 10.1% spend $11 to $20 a month.
- 12.5% spend $21 to $30 a month.
- 19.9% spend $31 to $40 a month.
- 23.9% spend $41 to $50 a month.
- 23.5% spend $51 or more a month.
4.5% declined to answer or said they don’t pay anything for video services. (This group was not included in the 66% of cord cutters who pay less than $51 a month.)
That last paragraph explains why the numbers only total to 95.6%. Of course, that makes the total 100.1%, which is impossible, but rounding accounts for that.
So, what do I spend? Well, I decided to run the numbers, and was surprised by just how much I spend, and how much I don't spend, depending on how you count it.
Here's the complication: Prime Video. I pay for Amazon Prime. But, I paid for Amazon Prime before Prime Video even existed. I subscribe for shipping benefits. I rarely watch Prime Video, and when I do, it's because somebody else wants to watch something there, and I go along with it. So, not counting Prime Video, and not counting a large portion of Paramount Plus -- the basic service is included with Walmart Plus, and there is a large discount on the upgrade -- it turns out that I only pay $16.74/month for streaming services.
Only, that's not right either. You see, during the college football season, I pay for Sling TV. I do it in a way that four 30-day subscriptions cover the entire season and bowl games, so I don't pay that every month. But, I do pay $40/month for those 4 months, and $0 the rest of the year. That averages out to $13.33/month over the year, bringing the total to $30.07/month.
But wait, I actually use ESPN Plus during college football season, bringing the average over the year to $33.73/month. Still not bad. And that's my number.
Of course, if I were to count Prime Video (which I pay for but don't use; family members have subscriptions and I watch it with them), the number jumps quite a bit, to $45.32.
My Streaming Life costs more than I expected. I thought I was under $33.73/month, but I'm not. Still, it's not bad, and a lot cheaper than cable.
A Roku TV? If so, which one? Hisense? TCL? Roku Plus Series?
A Fire TV set? If so, which one? Insignia? Toshiba?
A Google TV set? If so, which one? Hisense? TCL? Sony?
A Samsung TV?
What is the best one to get?
Here's the answer you may not expect. The platform doesn't matter. Get the one with the best picture and sound. Forget about the platform (Fire TV, Roku, Google TV, Tizen). Well, lower that to tie-breaker status. Look at all the other features instead.
Why doesn't platform matter? I mean, if you're a fan of Roku, shouldn't you get the best Roku TV? No, not necessarily. If you're a fan of Fire TV, shouldn't you get the best Fire TV set you can find? No, not necessarily.
You see, even if you get a Roku TV, you can still put a Fire TV device on it. If you get a Google TV, you can put a Roku on it. The platform of the TV really doesn't matter. What is most important is the value in price compared to picture and sound quality. And if you get a sound system, even a sound bar, then only the picture really matters.
For example, suppose you really like Roku, but you found a great Toshiba TV that has the Fire TV platform. If the Toshiba is the best TV, apart from the platform, get it, and put a Roku device on it.
Likewise, if you really like Google TV, but the best TV you found is a Samsung, get the Samsung. You can put a Chromecast on it, and you have a Google TV devices with a great picture.
The only time that the platform of the TV really matters is if you can't decide between two TVs, and one has your platform of choice, and one doesn't. Get the one that has your platform.
My Streaming Life has mainly used Google TV for the last several months. I even bought a Sony TV, running Google TV, during that time, but still put a Chromecast on it, because I didn't like the Sony remote. I bought the TV because I liked the TV and didn't care about the platform, even though it was my current platform of choice. Focus on the TV features. The streaming platform can always be added.
Recently, Tom's Guide published an article about the best streaming services in 2024. I don't agree with it all, but it is a good write-up on the services. They make good cases for each of the services they list.
So, what is this list?
Here's what Tom's Guide says:
These services are just one-half of the streaming equation, though. As the cable box slowly withers away, it's being replaced by smart TVs and the best streaming devices, which include Rokus and Chromecasts. And by testing the best streaming services and devices side-by-side, we figure out the best way to build the ultimate streaming setup with the best selection of content and live channels.
- Max - The best streaming service overall
- Hulu - The best for new TV shows
- Netflix - The best streaming service for variety
- Disney Plus - The best streaming service for families
- Sling TV - The best streaming service for live TV
- Peacock - The best cheap streaming service
I'm not sure I agree with all these selections, but they are pretty good selections. But I have some different thoughts.
Best cheap streaming service is Frndly TV, followed by Philo. Paramount Plus should be considered. I would put Peacock no higher than 4th place.
Best for live TV would be YouTube TV. It's a lot more expensive than Sling TV, and Sling TV is my go-to in the fall for college football via ESPN, because of the price. But overall? Not just sports? Probably YouTube TV.
Best for families would be either Disney Plus or Frndly TV. For children, Disney Plus, but for the whole family, I think Frndly TV is better.
I agree with Hulu for new TV shows, and Netflix for variety.
For overall, I'm not sure I agree with Max, but I don't strongly disagree. Paramount Plus is a good alternative and one I'd pick instead. Prime Video is an alternative to consider as well. It should be better organized, as it's the streaming version of the bargain bins at Walmart. Not in quality, but in arrangement. Lots of stuff, some really good, but not as easy to find.
My Streaming Life doesn't use all these services all the time, but I do use them on occasion. I like to rotate them, and doing that, then lists such as this don't carry as much weight. These services are all good, and have different benefits. By rotating them, you get to sample them all a month at a time. It works for me. And I'd suggest rotating services to see what works for you.
