Love streaming apps but don’t love cable? Your friendly (ahem) neighborhood Comcast cable franchise would like to rent you a streaming set-top for $5/month. Of course, most cord cutters aren’t exactly interested in the ongoing fees and platform limitations associated with hardware rentals. Hence, the meteoric rise of Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku. Yet, … Read more
While it still may be some time before we see an Amazon Video app on Apple TV, the retailer’s streaming service continues to see improvements. And one of the more interesting developments has been the aggregation of third party video services — including on-demand and soon, in some cases, “live” content. Presumably, like Roku, Amazon is compensated for new … Read more
After about a year of limited geographical release, Sony has slimmed down their Playstation Vue over-the-top (OTT) television streaming service to accommodate nationwide availability. Specifically, to get this done, the new packages do away with the locals (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) as those require market-by-market negotiation due to affiliate forces. Sling TV, the leader in this space, starts … Read more
Giving or getting a Roku this Christmas? The streaming pioneer has lined up an impressive array of free trials. Some of the more compelling offerings: Hulu – 3 months free HBO Now – 1 month free Netflix – 1 month free Showtime – 1 month free CinemaNow – 3 movie rentals Some of the promos, like Netflix … Read more
I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news. Which are one in the same. It’s a matter of perspective, I suppose. As we twiddle our thumbs in anticipation of TiVo Bolt, the DVR pioneer’s next streaming app has presented itself. Nope, it’s not HBO, Showtime, nor ESPN. It’s WWE. Although I’m not overly … Read more
This weekend, Hulu and Roku are offering two months of free streaming to new customers. Where “new” generally means new email address. Given the imminent arrival of Showtime on Hulu (for an additional fee), I figured I’d strike while the iron is hot. However, the signup process was something of a turn off. Hulu, Roku, or maybe … Read more
Roku Feed and voice search now available through the Roku mobile app for Android and iOS The CW Network has picked up “The Flash” and “Arrow” spinoff, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” Sonos spends millions fighting ‘patent troll’… and wins We should rent our Nest thermostats, Sonos speakers and smartlocks, according to the CEO of internet-of-doorlocks … Read more
Given periodic tuner conflicts with my Premiere XL4/Elite, due to recording duties and Mini streaming, and a desire to periodically offload DVR-ed shows, something the devalued Slingbox cannot offer, I’ve been quite pleased since taking TiVo up on their 10 year customer deal last month for a 6-tuner Roamio. Indeed, while TiVo’s “Stream” functionality isn’t currently as robust … Read more