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Reality Check
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#1

Post by Reality Check »

I think something happened in 2022 that has kind of gone unnoticed but is a big deal. We for the first time have selected NFL games exclusively on paid streaming services. Amazon Prime has Thursday night football excursively and ESPN+ is streaming 9 games. Only one is exclusive and that was the game in London yesterday. I could not watch the game yesterday because I do not subscribe to ESPN+ or any bundle that has it. (The NFL has its own paid streaming service that carries every game I believe.)

Of course everything the NFL does is about money and that includes these streaming deals. ESPN and Amazon know the NFL is a major draw and they will pick up subscribers if the games aren't available elsewhere. They NFL played hardball with the cable outlets by moving some games to the NFL Network to put pressure on cable companies to add the NFL Network at a fairly hefty price per viewer.

I will add some comments about streaming services in general. One thing I have noticed is the difference in watching games on Amazon Prime vs. YouTube TV. I use YouTube TV for live TV. It works very well for pausing and fast forwarding through games. Amazon Prime has been awful so far. I get lots of buffering and trying to fast forward makes it even worse. The Amazon app on my 2018 vintage Samsung TV does not even record the game. I had to go to my Chromecast app to get that to work. And even there I had issues.

Speaking of terrible apps... Peacock is the worst. On the same Samsung TV it is hard to navigate and tends to just freeze to black screen if I have it open, go to another app and then come back to it. A while back the same Samsung app had no sound for weeks. I reported it to Peacock and they kept asking my over and over for the same information like the model and serial number of my TV. They claimed they could not replicate the issue but it magically fixed itself after about a month.

I think an issue with using the native TV apps is that as the TV's get older the apps do not work as consistently as they do on newer models. I had a much older Samsung that died over the summer that I could not use any of the installed apps on. They either were not available or did not work. One problem the streamers all face is that they have to support apps that run on all the different brands of TV's and all the various streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple, Google Chromecast, and so forth. It is probably a nightmare writing apps to run on all those platforms.
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#2

Post by Dr. Ken »

Reality Check wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 11:54 am I think something happened in 2022 that has kind of gone unnoticed but is a big deal. We for the first time have selected NFL games exclusively on paid streaming services. Amazon Prime has Thursday night football excursively and ESPN+ is streaming 9 games. Only one is exclusive and that was the game in London yesterday. I could not watch the game yesterday because I do not subscribe to ESPN+ or any bundle that has it. (The NFL has its own paid streaming service that carries every game I believe.)

Of course everything the NFL does is about money and that includes these streaming deals. ESPN and Amazon know the NFL is a major draw and they will pick up subscribers if the games aren't available elsewhere. They NFL played hardball with the cable outlets by moving some games to the NFL Network to put pressure on cable companies to add the NFL Network at a fairly hefty price per viewer.

I will add some comments about streaming services in general. One thing I have noticed is the difference in watching games on Amazon Prime vs. YouTube TV. I use YouTube TV for live TV. It works very well for pausing and fast forwarding through games. Amazon Prime has been awful so far. I get lots of buffering and trying to fast forward makes it even worse. The Amazon app on my 2018 vintage Samsung TV does not even record the game. I had to go to my Chromecast app to get that to work. And even there I had issues.

Speaking of terrible apps... Peacock is the worst. On the same Samsung TV it is hard to navigate and tends to just freeze to black screen if I have it open, go to another app and then come back to it. A while back the same Samsung app had no sound for weeks. I reported it to Peacock and they kept asking my over and over for the same information like the model and serial number of my TV. They claimed they could not replicate the issue but it magically fixed itself after about a month.

I think an issue with using the native TV apps is that as the TV's get older the apps do not work as consistently as they do on newer models. I had a much older Samsung that died over the summer that I could not use any of the installed apps on. They either were not available or did not work. One problem the streamers all face is that they have to support apps that run on all the different brands of TV's and all the various streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple, Google Chromecast, and so forth. It is probably a nightmare writing apps to run on all those platforms.
Lets not talk about the thursday night games. Every game that's been on amazon has been boring as hell. I know paramount plus also has some games live but it's not just NFL that's on these services now. I'm seeing NHL and baseball as well.
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#3

Post by Reality Check »

Dr. Ken wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 12:17 pm Lets not talk about the thursday night games. Every game that's been on amazon has been boring as hell. I know paramount plus also has some games live but it's not just NFL that's on these services now. I'm seeing NHL and baseball as well.
Good point. I have heard complaints that some baseball games are only on Apple TV. I think Peacock had some baseball games on their paid service. I am not going to buy 4 or 5 of these dang services.

Yes, the Amazon games have been stinkers. Poor Al Michaels must be regretting leaving SNF. He and Herbstreet just are not working out together at all.
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#4

Post by MN-Skeptic »

Reality Check wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 11:54 am ...my 2018 vintage Samsung TV...
As I sit here watching TV on my 32" Samsung TV, bought in January 2010. Definitely not a smart TV. I guess I never thought of it as vintage.

It would be great to have a new, larger TV, but half the TV I watch is over-the-air. I need a TV tuner for that. I'm fine with my Roku stick and Google chromecast, both received free, which work great on my ancient TV.

To me, it makes more sense to build the smarts into an add-on stick rather than building it into the television.
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#5

Post by RTH10260 »

To note that there are several Android-TV interface boxes on the market (I guess pried around US60) that will load apps from Google Play. The box connects by HDMI and can be hooked up on elderly tv sets (like my 2011 Samsung device).

Some will have gadgets like a voice mic on the remote control, or special (sponsored keys) to call a couple of apps directly (and they often cannot get reprogrammed).
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#6

Post by Reality Check »

MN-Skeptic wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 1:19 pm :snippity:
To me, it makes more sense to build the smarts into an add-on stick rather than building it into the television.
Yes, it does especially for older TV's with older slower processors. That's why I usually pick up a 4K Fire Stick when Amazon puts them on sale for $25 on Prime Day every year. I also got a free Roku from my daughter and free Google Chromecast when I signed up for YouTube TV. I like the native Samsung apps on my new 65" 4k TV though. It is just fewer clicks to get to where I want to go. Yeah, I am lazy I guess.

Of the several streaming devices I own I think I prefer the Chromecast.
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#7

Post by Kriselda Gray »

I've got an older Samsung TV and use the Echo/Firefox TV cube from Amazon for all my streaming services with Hulu for live TV. Prior to that we had Google Fiber TV. We got a notification from them they were "upgrading" our service and making it cheaper. It took a bit to figure out what was really going on but I eventually figured out what they meant was that they were getting rid of the TV service (though they're still offering Fiber Internet) and trying to get people to switch to a YouTubeTV/Google ChromeCast bundle. :roll:

Unfortunately, YouTubeTV didn't have all the channels I wanted, but so far my setup is working pretty well for me.
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#8

Post by keith »

Reality Check wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 11:54 am :snippity:

I think an issue with using the native TV apps is that as the TV's get older the apps do not work as consistently as they do on newer models. I had a much older Samsung that died over the summer that I could not use any of the installed apps on. They either were not available or did not work. One problem the streamers all face is that they have to support apps that run on all the different brands of TV's and all the various streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple, Google Chromecast, and so forth. It is probably a nightmare writing apps to run on all those platforms.
The cablecast protocols changed over time - everybody has adopted MPEG4 or whatever it is. I bought a Sony TV that used to work perfectly for "SBS OnDemand" - an Australian streaming service for the SBS FTA network. We hardly ever used it though because we used a cable box service instead. The cable box received regular upgrades, Sony chose to not upgrade the apps on its 'older' sets, preferring to 'force' you to buy a new set.

I don't use a cable/satellite anymore. We have a Settop box that uses internet instead. In Australia its called FETCH. Works great for us.
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#9

Post by Foggy »

I think this thread has had time to ripen, and maybe it needs an update, because streaming video is not slowing down, it's accelerating at breakneck speed, and we should probably try to keep track of the changes/improvements.

On a personal note, ol' Wifehorn was hesitant about moving to all-streaming (all-internet?) Tee Vee, but she was all done with AT&T, so she did her research and we switched over to Google Fiber, and she is loving it. I know she has Netflix and Hulu and my Amazon Prime Video, but I don't know what else. She, like me, was around when you could get 3 black and white channels, and you had to get up to change channels. Weird, I know.
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#10

Post by Kriselda Gray »

Foggy wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 8:16 pm so she did her research and we switched over to Google Fiber, and she is loving it.
We're on Google Fiber, too. We've had it for several years now (our area was one of their pilot test areas.) We've been really happy with the service, and I've never had any trouble using it for TV.
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#11

Post by neonzx »

Foggy wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 8:16 pm On a personal note, ol' Wifehorn was hesitant about moving to all-streaming (all-internet?) Tee Vee, but she was all done with AT&T, so she did her research and we switched over to Google Fiber, and she is loving it. I know she has Netflix and Hulu and my Amazon Prime Video, but I don't know what else. She, like me, was around when you could get 3 black and white channels, and you had to get up to change channels. Weird, I know.
:oldman:
They didn't have PBS yet? On a UHF channel? We had the 3 networks on VHF and PBS on UHF(I think) in the mid 70s. (PBS is were they started showing Dr. Who from the BBC -- hence my avatar)

No plans for Google Fiber in SW Florida from what I can see, so I am stuck with Comcast/Xfinity -- which is pretty reliable and the price is good.
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#12

Post by keith »

neonzx wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 8:59 pm
Foggy wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 8:16 pm On a personal note, ol' Wifehorn was hesitant about moving to all-streaming (all-internet?) Tee Vee, but she was all done with AT&T, so she did her research and we switched over to Google Fiber, and she is loving it. I know she has Netflix and Hulu and my Amazon Prime Video, but I don't know what else. She, like me, was around when you could get 3 black and white channels, and you had to get up to change channels. Weird, I know.
:oldman:
They didn't have PBS yet? On a UHF channel? We had the 3 networks on VHF and PBS on UHF(I think) in the mid 70s. (PBS is were they started showing Dr. Who from the BBC -- hence my avatar)

No plans for Google Fiber in SW Florida from what I can see, so I am stuck with Comcast/Xfinity -- which is pretty reliable and the price is good.
PBS was never a station as such. It was a content provider and consolidator from the get go. Public stations, usually associated with a University, would buy the content from PBS. I assume that is still the model. Not everyplace supported a public station and they were only loosly associated through industry orgs, not formal networks.
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#13

Post by Sequoia32 »

I'm old :oldlady: and still have chemo-brain. I just don't get this streaming stuff.

Watch whenever you want!

All I can see is that I have to watch what is streaming at that moment with no way to pause, rewind, ff or save it to watch later.

I too have an old 32" Samsung tv. I bought a new firestick to watch Very Local. With my my chemical-fogged brain I managed to hook it up with the extra thingy with a usb drive and I find out I can only save apps to it. Well, the only apps I am interested in are Very Local, YouTube and Amazon Prime so my baby (my Odie kitty) and I can cuddle and watch bird/squirrel videos. And it turns out Very Local doesn't mean MY locality necessarily. Mostly Boston, Kansas City, etc. And crappy creepy crime shows.

I just looked. Google fiber is not available here. In Sacramento, California! :o
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#14

Post by Volkonski »

Before there was PBS we had NET, National Educational Television, on Channel 2 out of Boston.

During elementary school we kids were marched into the auditorium daily to watch a 15 minute show teaching us to speak French. ;)
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#15

Post by sugar magnolia »

Hi Sequoia!!!!!
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#16

Post by Slim Cognito »

With the exception of watching svengoolie on the local MeTV station Saturday nights, all we do is stream, stream, stream. i lurves it. We have a fire stick that's probably about 2 years old, it still works pretty well. I kept all the old ones just in case and stick them in different TVs when we have company, out on the Lanai, the guest room, my office which also has a daybed. Then Xfinity gave us a little box that does the same thing as the fire stick, but we're so comfortable navigating the fire stick, it just sits on the counter. The only time we use it is when fire stick does its annoying updates that take four or five hours. But we haven't had cable or satellite for years and years. Everything I want to see I can stream and if I can't get it for free on the stick, I can probably find it at the library on a DVD. I am content.

Our main TV is a Samsung Smart TV with a couple of apps on it, I think Hulu and prime. But that whole setup is hard to navigate so back to the fire stick.
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#17

Post by tek »

It was 1971 before we had PBS where I grew up
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#18

Post by Foggy »

1. Hi, Sequoia! :mbounce:

2. Now I gotta investigate fire stick.


3. I mentioned 3 channels because that's what most people had, if'n they had a Tee Vee at all. UHF was unusable, there was so much static on the screen, and they had no shows that were interesting to children. When I visited grandma's house, you couldn't get any UHF channels at all. If you lived in the big city and pointed your coat hanger antenna just right, you might be able to get some crappy UHF show. But functionally, you only had 3 channels.

Fire stick. :think:
Some things are simply too fast, or too relentless to avoid. Like the North Carolina rain.

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#19

Post by neonzx »

I tried a Firestick that someone gave me several years ago for free (used). But I didn't care for it as I'd been on Roku -- and you know the sayin' of teaching an old dog new tricks.

I did have to replace my Roku a year ago because one of the apps (Netflix, I think) was no longer compatible with my 2014 Roku hardware. Good upgrade though, so much faster and was only $39.
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#20

Post by Maybenaut »

We get all of our teevee over cellular. Seven or eight years ago we got an ATT cellular hotspot for the cabin so I could get teevee in an emergency. They were running a special - truly unlimited cellular data, no throttle-back, and direct-tv over cellular. And since ATT owns HBO, they threw that in, too. When we moved up here permanently, we brought that hotspot up to the house. It costs about the same as we were paying for FIOS in Northern Virginia. The only downside is on the direct-tv the local channels come in standard definition, but I almost never watch that stuff anyway.

When we moved here I tried to get another one for the cabin and the guy was like, nope, we’re never going to offer that again. I do have a cellular hotspot at the cabin but it’s spendy and they throttle back. Our daughter is living there temporarily while their house is being built, but I’m cancelling that plan when they move out.
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#21

Post by p0rtia »

Here's my setup:

Hardware:
- 40" FireTV
- Roku box*
- Chromecast dongle*
- Antenna (gets about 35 channels were in SW FLa, counting those 11.1, 20.3 channels)

I pay monthly for:
- Tennis Channel
- ESPN
- Paramount+
- Comcast/XFinity Internet (no TV)
- VPN so I can stream international sports, mostly.

Through my AT&T account (which I happily do not pay for), I get:
- HBO+
- Peacock (I think this freebee ends soon)
- Other stuff I don't use.

I also use my brother-in-law's Verizon acc't to log into the streaming
apps for whatever is in his Verizon cable package. In return, he uses my
login/PW for TC and ESPN.

That's about it. Runs about $80 a month for internet + anything I ever want to watch. I don't have a landline.

Families should be sharing their app and cable login/PWs. They are insanely expensive for a single home. I share everything I can, including my internet: I share my internet w my neighbor and he pays half the bill.

*Why do I have a roku in addition to the FireTV? Because 1) there is a small selection of channels that one gets that the other dose not. 2) Channels frequently glitch on one device, so I have the other as a backup. If I only picked one, I'd stick w the FireTV and jettison the Roku, because the Roku remote remains ungodly hard to use. PS Why do I have a Chromecast? Because when I'm using the VPN on my laptop, I can cast it to the TV. And in those cases when both Roku and Fire glitch on a channel, I can bring it up on my computer and cast it (talking about you, Tennis Channel).
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#22

Post by W. Kevin Vicklund »

Back in mid-2018, we realized the last show we had watched was the Olympics, so we decided to cut TV from our Comcast service (AT&T keeps coming by offering fiber, but it turns out the last quarter mile is copper, which effectively negates the fiber). I also have a MoCA 2.x system, which converts our ethernet connections into coax, so the whole house is hardwired at highspeed (MoCA is the same protocol that cable companies use for multiple cable boxes on a single service). In late 2019, Disney+ was offered for a year free by Comcrap, so we added it, just in time for the pandemic. We don't use it often (Dr. Vicklund is more likely to want to play video games), but it has been nice. But...

Just this week, MetroNet finally made it into my subdivision - on Wednesday, they dug up a narrow trench in my yard and installed a hand hole in the front corner. Did a nice job of repairing the yard, the original sod was put back that evening and you could barely tell any work was done when I mowed this morning. MetroNet is a fiber service, so as soon as they can connect me to the box, I'll finally be ditching Comcast. Which means I'll have to make a decision soon about what streaming services (if any) I'll want to subscribe to. I don't see us giving up Disney+, but I'm not sure what beyond that to look at. I do enjoy sports, but I'm a Detroit fan, so I haven't really missed anything the past 5 years.

Suggestions?
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#23

Post by Phoenix520 »

Sequoia! :bighug: :bighug:
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