HBO Now is the name of the service, $15 /mo. is the cost. http://qz.com/356106/hbos-streaming-service-for-cord-cutters-now-has-a-name-and-price/
And HBO just announced that if you want it, you're going to have to have an Apple device, as it is an Apple exclusive. No word on when it'll be available for things like the Roku, Android TV, or other devices.
We're actually switching back to cable this week. Time Warner, my internet provider, offered me a really good price for cable, internet and phone. They gave me a non-promotional price, which means it doesn't skyrocket after a year. Right now we're paying $140 a month just for a standard HD package satellite (DirecTV has gone insane). TWC set me up for 300 channels with HD, a DVR, they're doubling my internet speed, and adding in home phone for $132 after taxes and equipment. They said as long as I stay with that package, the price will remain the same. I agreed. Then thunder happened, and also blood skies, but I feel good about the choice.
Wow. You were getting raped. Because my mom lives out in the country (no cable) I've been paying for her to have DirecTV for the past three or four years. I forget what package she gets, but it's definitely more than just the basic HD stuff and I pay a little more than half of what you were paying.
Exactly. My parents watch History channel, Encore Westerns, and RFD-TV. To me, that's just not worth $140 a month. I just think prices have gone insane, so when TWC came along and said "we'll do it all for less than what you're paying for DirecTV," I couldn't pass it up. Hell, the rep on the phone thought I was joking when I told her how much we were paying for about 120+ channels. The HD receiver alone was $35. We'll have to get used to different channel numbers, but it's worth it. Plus, they're bumping my 15 Mbps service (which I was very happy with) up to 30 Mbps at no charge, since I was opting for TV service.
It launched today, and signing up for it via Apple TV was easy as pie. (Yeah, I got an Apple TV as well as a Roku. If you can only have one, then get a Roku, but the Apple TV is nice to have as well.)
And this is why having a "smartTV" is a bad idea, and you're better off with a box like a Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or Chromecast. If your TV/Blu-Ray player is older than 3 years, the YouTube app on it is probably a goner. If you really like watching it on your TV, then you're either going to have to plunk down money for a new set, or buy a streaming box. Given how cheap the streaming boxes are compared to a new TV, the choice is fairly obvious.
Showtime plans to join HBO in offering a standalone service. http://mobile.pcmag.com/news/56016-standalone-showtime-streaming-service-coming-soon No word on price, but I'd be surprised if it was as much as HBO.
The ISS Stargazer channel streams video from the ISS. Its just shots of the Earth, with some new agey music, but it shure does look purdy on my TV!
Shit's about to get real. Showtime and Hulu join forces. HBO Now was the most profitable app on iOS. Amazon to offer HDR programming to Prime members. (You'll need a new Samsung TV to watch it, however.)
If you have a newer Roku or Chromecast, you'll want to check out https://channelpear.com/ (it doesn't work so well on older Rokus for some reason), anyways, it has a lot of unique content, some of which may or may not be legal (apparently, you can get access to HBO feeds for free, I've not been able to do that, but its kind of cranky on my nearly 3 year old Roku).
Roku leads the pack of set top boxes. The next version of Apple TV is rumored to launch soon. Yeah, I can't see blowing $150-$200 on an Apple TV, even with apps and Siri.
Plex made available to non-paying customers their newest Roku client the end of August (2015). I'm using this side by side with Emby (previously Media Browser). Emby Pros/Cons Supports Roku 2/3 and HD or Standard Def (if you have TVs from the last century) Lackluster Roku user interface (probably what allows SD) but very functional Will stream live TV from a WMC enabled PC with a tuner card and ServerWMC installed Buggy. Requires a geek to keep running Server interface is complicated but comprehensive for administration. Winphone client is unusable (and $5) Plex pros/cons Supports Roku3 in HighDef Plex Classic supports Roku2 but doesn't have many features of the newer client on Roku3s Roku3 Plex UI is very slick and offers a random selection of movies on the landing page nicely categorized. Sometimes it's a bit klugey if you want to find a specific type of movie. Roku3 Plex client (but not Plex Classic) supports live TV from a WMC enabled PC with a tuner card and ServerWMC installed, but the browser for live TV isn't as good as Emby Haven't tried the Winphone client (but it's also $5). It's nice they play nice with each other. I can have both Emby and Plex servers and clients running on the same devices (both Plex clients in the case of Rokus) until one or the other is a clear winner. In case you're not following along, these software suites allow you to stream your media stored on a drive somewhere on your home network to just about any device, computer, phone, or TV set top box, just about anywhere. For popular media (movies, music) it downloads metadata for display in menus on the devices in a slick interface (netflix slick). It also will serve your home videos and pictures. Plex goes further and lets you upload media to a cloud service (i.e. google drive) and serve it from there.
So, Roku just added a "Star Trek" channel. Pickings are slim on it, but it was created by the folks who do the official Star Trek website, so I'm thinking that there might be more on it in the future.
It's not actually ran by the people at StarTrek.com. It's ran by a couple of fans. You can tell when you visit the few videos available, that they say "More full episodes, previews, and extras on www.starttrek.com (note the two 't's)." When you visit that site, it's an empty domain. There's more info here: http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?p=478027&sid=afef61703b021770e6f1f328a139f6cb
The folks over at the Cordkillers podcast have done their annual episode on cutting the cord. They also have an ebook on the subject for less than a $1.
And if you needed more evidence as to why a set-top box like a Roku, Apple TV, or similar device is better than a "smart TV," 50 models of Sony TVS (all of which are only about 4 years old) are losing their ability to play YouTube content. A lot cheaper and easier to replace a $20-$120 box, than a $200+ TV.
Okay, from a Facebook discussion I'm gonna carry over this question that's stumping me (since this thread turns up among the new posts): I've been reliably informed that Chromecast will throw anything that's on the computer/tablet/etc to a television - which is cool. BUT what if you are using two TVs which are not intended to be on the same program? What if you want to "flip channels" on either or both? How do you replicate the casualness of changing channels on cable/satellite when using such a device?
You can only use Chromecast on one TV. While you *can* use it on multiple TVs, it will only show the same signal on both. There has been talk of Chromecast offering dual tuners, but nothing has come to fruition. So for now, one Chromecast to one TV.
Several cable companies have responded to fewer subscribers by... Raising their fees in order to keep profits from dipping. This, of course, just results in more people dropping them because who the fuck wants to pay $150 a month to watch garbage you don't care about and can easily replace for $20 a month?
You know, 5-10 years ago, if the cable companies had allowed me to pick ala-cart channels, I would have been all over that. However, after having discovered the joy of services like Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and others, where I can pick what I watch, when I want to watch it, there's no frickin' way I'd go back to cable, even if I did get ala-cart service.
That's why I love my Sony TV's. I have a 65" in my living room, and 55" in my bedroom. I can run Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc on them. And for streaming sources that aren't supported on them, but do work on my computer, I can cast to them since they have ChromeCast built in. The best part about the casting, I run AdBlock on the computer (laptop) and it will block ads/commercials from sources such as AMC when I'll watch Better Call Saul. I'm usually asleep by the time it's on. If I watch it on demand through Comcast, I have to watch the commercial, which sucks. And the TV's will also run Kodi, so I can watch pretty much anything I want. I'm also considering upgrading the living room TV to a 75", putting the 65" in the bedroom, and then giving the 55" to my mom. If I don't go up to the 75", I'm also considering upgrading to this 65" Sony.
I had to spring for a new Roku box this week. The old one still worked, but it had the annoying habit of crashing on certain channels unless I rebooted it. I figure I'll move the old one into the bedroom, where it'll be easier for me to reboot the thing when I need to. Got nearly 5 years of use out of the old one, so I can't complain, and the new model was almost the same price as the old. ($5 more.) It's presently installing all the channels I had on the old one (764). The set up was pretty easy. Unplugged the old box, plugged in the new one, turned on the TV, gave it the wifi password, it updated its software, and then gave me a code to enter on the Roku website. I had to enter my Hulu and Amazon passwords there, and then it started adding channels. Will see how it goes. It's been about 10 minutes and it hasn't finished installing all the channels. Hopefully, I can remember my Netflix password if I have to enter it when the box finishes setting up.