Winter Movie Draft, Sherlock (402), Justified (501), Westworld revisited.
00:36 – Winter Movie Draft
03:10 – Sherlock (402)
19:33 – Justified (501)
25:15 – Westworld revisited
Cordkillers 153 – T-Mo Singing the Credo
Netflix streaming turns 10, Apple may make original TV shows, Amazon launches an anime channel. Light Sherlock and Battlestar Galactica spoilers 30:03-30:35. With special guest Justin Robert Young.
CordKillers: Ep. 153 – T-Mo Singing the Credo
Recorded: January 16 2017
Guest: Justin Robert Young
Intro Video
Primary Target
- 10 years ago Netflix to offer online movie viewing
– Quick shoutout that it was 10 years ago today that Netflix launched it’s “Watch Now” service. Netflix subscribers got one hour of watch time per $1 they spent on the service for DVDs and could choose from “more than 1,000” titles. (Windows IE Only) - Apple said to be seriously pursuing Netflix-style scripted TV and movies
– The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is talking with veteran TV and movie producers about commissioning high quality scripted series and feature films. The Journals sources say the project would start with a handful of carefully selected shows and movies. No deals have been made and questions remain about how the shows would be distributed. Apple has some original content already with Carpool Karaoke, documentaries and an upcoming series based on the life of Dr. Dre. - Jimmy Iovine Addresses Apple Music Expansion Reports
– Apple’s Jimmy Iovine told the Television Critics Association “we’re trying to create is an entire cultural, pop cultural experience, and that happens to include audio and video.”
“If South Park walks into my office, I am not going to say you’re not musicians, you know?We’re going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose. We’re going to try.”
Iovine was promoting the HBO documentary The Defiant Ones about him and Dr. Dre partnering to launch Beats.
How to Watch
- A Studio Ghibli-Produced TV Show Is Coming to Amazon Prime Later This Month
– Studio Ghibli’s 2014 series Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter comes to Amazon Prime video January 27th. It’s based on a book by Astrid Lindgren and directed by Goro Miyazak. It’s the story of a thief’s young daughter who befriends a rival’s son, linking the two opposing ideologies. - Amazon launches the first of its own subscription VOD channels, Anime Strike
– Amazon has launched its own Anime channel called Anime Strike featuring collections of classic movies and TV shows along with currently airing Japanese TV. Amazon Prime Members can add the service to their existing subscription for $4.99 a month. Amazon sells add-ons from other services like Starz, Showtime and Cinemax.
What to Watch
- Netflix’s ‘iBoy’ trailer introduces smartphone superpowers coming January 27
- Twitter to live stream the US Presidential inauguration in partnership with PBS
- Joel and Ethan Coen have written and will direct a TV miniseries called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a Western
What We’re Watching
- Brian: RedLetterMedia, Sherlock 402, Justified 501, VICE
- Tom: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, This is Us, Twin Peaks, Star Wars: Rebels, Justified (501), Sherlock (402)
- Justin: Sherlock
- On the Lookout: Travelers
Front Lines
- PBS KIDS debuts a new channel and live TV service, available via web and mobile
– PBS launched a new 24/7 PBS KIds channel available on 107 over the air stations but also for free on the PBSKids streaming app and at PBSKIDS.org. Later this year PBS will integrated games that extend what’s happening in the live stream. And starting April 21st the channel will have “PBS KIDS Family Night.” From 7 to 9 PM on Friday evenings. - DirecTV Now appears to be a complete mess
– DirecTV Now seems to have constant problems still, a month and a half after launch. The Verge notes more than 200 active forum threads complaining about DirecTV Now as well as almost daily apologies from the DirecTV Now twitter account for various bugs, outages, login and billing problems. - Star Wars will not digitally recreate Carrie Fisher for future movies
– Lucasfilm issued a statement Friday that it, “has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher’s performance as Princess or General Leia Organa.” Carrie Fisher had shot all her scenes for Episode VIII. For Episode IX, Hollywood Reporter said one of Lucasfilm’s options was using CG to create new scenes and BBC said Lucasfilm was in discussions with Fisher’s estate about the use of her likeness. - Game of Thrones: Could Season 8 Consist of More Than 6 Episodes?
– HBO programming president Casey Bloys told TVLine are still deciding how many episodes season 8 of Game of Thrones will have. Originally we were supposed to get 7 this year and 6 next but it looks like there’s a possibility of more than 6 in season 8. - Apple TV app changes pave the way for better gaming
– Apple has increased the maximum size of apps that can be submitted to the Apple TV App Store from 200 MB to 4 GB. That could mean new Apple TVs coming with larger drives than the 32 and 64GB models currently offered. It could also mean a focus on games since those apps are much larger than streaming video related apps. - ESPN brings Apple’s handy single sign-on tool to its iOS apps
– The WatchESPN and ESPN apps now supports Apple’s single sign-on feature for Apple TV. The main ESPN app also adds picture in picture so you can watch a game while tapping around reading news. - Also Shield TV users, Amazon Video is available in the latest software update!
Dispatches from the Front
Hi Guys, on the last Cordkillers, Jason asked about streaming in an RV. This link is invaluable for info on just that subject. Please pass it along, thanks ~ Steve Lamb TV & Movie Entertainment on the Road: Streaming, Downloading & Alternatives – RV Mobile Internet Resource Center
Stephen
Hey guys, one of your bosses, Rick from outside Orlando here. read on Zatz not funny this week slingplayer is discontinued. As a long time user this upset me greatly as I use mine every time I travel to connect to my Tivo Roamio at home, and also have one in my parents house across the country to watch my favorite sports teams, not to mention slinging to my PC in home for background TV when I’m surfing the net. Can you guys tell me if there are any viable alternatives as I have not found one?
– Rick
- Slingbox Manufacturing Halted… In Favor Of Video Production Ecosystem
– “Fortunately, existing owners have nothing to fear in the short term as Slingbox services will carry-on. Although I wouldn’t hold out hope for much in the way of application enhancements.”
Hey Tom and Brian,
On episode 152 you guys were discussing streaming services with Cloud DVR options. Long term, do you really think cloud DVRs will be the best way to do things or is just a holdover from the cable and satellite tv days?
I’ve had DVRs from DirecTV and TWC in the past, but since becoming a Cord Killer, I’ve enjoyed the freedom of on demand and not having to mess with a DVR.
Isn’t On Demand a better solution? I don’t have to worry about remembering to record a show or hope the game doesn’t go long and bump the schedule back 5 minutes, or run out of space on a DVR.
Also, how dumb is a storage restriction on a cloud DVR. We all know they probably aren’t actually recording shows to individual DVRs for each subscriber, its just a database entry of what shows you are recording. This will be like cell phone minutes or texting plans, where we get billed like crazy for small uses at first but then eventually get unlimited once demand is high enough.
Keep up the great work,
– Josh
I’ve been running my own DVR (MythTV) for around 10 years now and while I use to love it, both my wife and I have been slowly using it less and less ever since we subscribed to Netflix in 2012. It was to the point that when I had a motherboard go bad, I had to figure out if it was worth the time/cost to replace it. In the end I decided to but since I stopped even watching GMA in the morning like I use to, then unless it is for a special live event, I just don’t use it anymore.
Even shows that I have several seasons worth on my DVR, Simpsons, Bobs Burgers, Family Guy, etc., I realized most of those shows are now on Netflix so I determined the last episode I saw and started watching that episode on Netflix. I’ve now seen more Bob’s Burgers over the past month then I have over the past few years just due to moving it to the interface I’m always on (Netflix). Simpsons I had to leave due to them not being on Netflix yet, but I’m sure I could find them via one of my friends on Plex if I cared to look.
The point it, even consumers like me who loved OTA so much to build our own machines to watch, just don’t care anymore…but I will probably continue to keep it around for live programming or others events that are nice to be able to pause, or time-shift just enough to skip commercials but still enjoy majority of the event live.
As a side-note, if I actually cared about local news, Roku’s NewsON app lets me watch local news. I even saw some of GMA this morning when our weather turned bad and my antenna wasn’t picking up the best signal. But that’s the first time I’ve turned GMA on in months.
Thanks for the great work guys!
– Greg (Kansas City)
Brian,
This last week I found a great, but limited use for my over the air antennae. I live in the Portland, Oregon metro area and we recently had a very bad snowstorm. The local early morning traffic report OTA was amazing quality. Using the local news streaming sites was a horrible experience, max 720p streaming and even then it struggled (I have 300mbs fiber).
Before this I was with you, but after rediscovering the OTA part of my TV I am amazed at the visual quality (better than my 4k roku ultra using 4k uhd hdr samsung) and the diversity of channels is great….
THE COMMERCIALS KILL IT THOUGH!!!! lol our household can’t stand commercials and my 6 year old has no concept of them… “where’d my show go?, this isn’t my show!”
Netflix, Amazon and commercial free Hulu are how our household views it all. We tried SlingTV and PlaystationVue and didn’t even finish the free trials because of the commercials.
Keep up the great work!!
– Brandon from Oregon
Hi, Tom, Brian and <insert the name of your guest so I sound clairvoyant>
Comcast is getting sneaky trying to get people to subscribe to cable TV. The other day I was helping my uncle setup a new wireless router he bought. We called Comcast and at the end the tech said “For only $5 more a month you can get 8 times the speed increase on your internet”. We figured he had some old outdated plan and thought that sounded like a good deal. After 10 minutes of the tech setting that up he comes back and says “Oh by the way that includes cable TV as well”, which he was not subscribe to before. We put the brakes on that quick and there was no way to get the speed boost without getting cable TV. Sorry Comcast stop trying to sell me cable TV, its never going to happen.
See ya
– Adam
Hey Tom & Brian,
My sister has a question regarding piracy. She’s working on a project that started out as trying to get enough YouTube clips from Captain America: The Winter Soldier to make a short movie, but it quickly turned into a quest to see how many clips she could find. We’re editing the clips together, but she keeps asking me if doing this is illegal. Ordinarily I would say “Of course, we’re cropping out Facebook links and editing out the curse words. It’s not the full experience.”, but she has 2 hours worth of clips out of a movie that’s 2 and a half hours long! What should I tell her?
From,
– Amar
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 152
Winter Movie Draft, Rogue One revisited, Sherlock (401), Justified (411-413). With special guest Roberto Villegas.
00:38 – Winter Movie Draft
04:33 – Triage (Westworld)
06:15 – Triage (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
07:01 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
14:36 – Sherlock (401)
22:00 – Justified (411,412,413)
Cordkillers 152 – When the Sun Explodes
Hulu shares some sneak peeks about their live service and the hottest over the air hardware out of CES. With special guest Roberto Villegas.
CordKillers: Ep. 152 – When the Sun Explodes
Recorded: January 9 2017
Guest: Roberto Villegas
Intro Video
Primary Target
- CBS signed a deal with Hulu to bring the CBS broadcast network, CBS Sports and entertainment channel Pop to Hulu’s forthcoming live streaming service.
- Disney classics going to Hulu in exclusive deal
- Hulu privately demos live TV service
– Chris Welch from The Verge got a look at Hulu’s forthcoming Live TV service
– It will be available in the Hulu app, not from a separate app.
– Priced less than $40
– Two simultaneous streams, cloud DVR with a small amount of storage
– New users answer questions about movie and TV tastes including shows and networks
– Main screen “Lineup” shows on demand and live things Hulu thinks you’ll want to watch
– Notifications based on preferences
– Other sections similar to existing Hulu
– Live TV section (no guide) and “leaving Hulu soon” section
– Pause any network show and rewind from where you started watching
– Pay extra for more DVR storage and more simultaneous streams
– Signed deal with CBS, meaning only NBC left to bring in.
– “in the coming months”
– Multi-year deal with Disney to bring animated classics and live-action catalog
How to Watch
- Sling TV set to debut the AirTV Player, which combines local channels, Sling’s service & Netflix
– Dish announced the Air TV set-top box running Android TV that can integrate over the air channels into it’s Sling TV channel guide. It can also run all Android TV apps and comes with Netflix and YouTube pre-installed. The bluetooth remote has voice control and infrared for controlling sound systems. The Air TV is available today for $130 or $100 without the antenna adapter. You can buy the adapter later for $40. - Mohu’s wireless AirWave antenna makes cord-cutting simple
– Mohu Airwave
– Antenna that streams OTA TV over WiFi
– Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, iOS, Android, Web
– $150 late spring - Tablo Droid
– Connect USB antenna to Android TV (starting with Nvidia Shield)
– Software can work with Hauppage tuner as well
– Software is free with free 30-day trail , guide data is $3.99 a month
– Coming to Google Play Store in Q2
– Device oming Q2 no price
– Tablo Live
– One-tuner, no storage
– Streams OTA TV to Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast and mobile
– Q2 for $99
-Upcoming Tablo Cloud feature for storage in the cloud
What to Watch
- ‘Twin Peaks’ Gets Premiere Date, Episode Count On Showtime
– Twin Peaks will debut on Showtime May 21. Right after the premiere airs, you’ll be able to watch episodes three and four on Showtime’s digital streaming service. - Hulu and the BBC Are Making a Cop Show Set Five Years Before the Apocalypse
– Hulu is teaming up with the BBC to make a series called Hard Sun from Luther creator Neil Cross. Earth is five years from an apocalypse that can’t be avoided and follows detectives trying to enforce the law. - Twitter will livestream portions of PGA golf tournaments
– Twitter continues to add live sports coverage with an exclusive deal to stream parts of 31 PGA golf tournaments this year. It involves pre-grame and the first two holes of each days marquee group. It’s free no login required. - Netflix lands its first original drama from Korea, a series based on a love-finding app
– Netflix has commissioned Love Alarm, a 12-part series based on the Korea comic about an app that helps people find love within 10 meters. Jaemoon Lee will produce, set for debut in 2018. - The Man in the High Castle Gets Another Season and Another Showrunner
– Amazon renewed The Man in the High Castle for a third season. Eric Overmyer, who ran Bosch, will serve as showrunner and executive producer in the third season - What is VRV?
– Elation’s (AT&T subsidiary, Crunchyroll owner) new multi-channel streaming service, VRV, went live. Announced in June. Aggregates premium content from digital networks like Crunchyroll, Nerdist, Rooster Teeth, Tested, RiffTrax, Machinima, and more. Offers a “combo pack” with 8 channels for $10/mo. Focussing on mobile and TV apps first, web player coming later. - ‘Powerless’ trailer pits DC superheroes against ordinary people
– A trailer is out for NBC’s Powerless about the people of Wayne Security who protect the people of Charm City from the effects of superhero fights. Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi and Alan Tudyk are in the cast. Premieres February 2. - Watch the first trailer for the CBS All Access ‘Good Wife’ spinoff
– There’s also a trailer out for The Good Fight, a Good Wife spinoff and the first CBS All Access original to premiere on the service, starrting February 19. - Watch the chilling first trailer for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale
– Hulu released a trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale starring Elizabth Moss as Offred set to premiere April 26th.
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Justified 411,412, 413,Sherlock, Jackie
- Tom: Justified (411,412, 413) Sherlock, Gilmore Girls, Hidden Figures, Passengers
- Roberto: RWBY vol 4, Rogue One, Viva Amiga
- On the Lookout: The OA, People of Earth
Front Lines
- Netflix & Amazon score a few Golden Globes, HBO won none
– Amazon’s theater-released movie Manchester by the Sea received a Golden Globe for best actor for the performance by Casey Affleck. The movie comes to Amazon Prime 90 days after release so sometime in late February. Amazon also won for Goliath and Netflix won for The Crown. However NBC blocked the stream from Sling TV, PS Vue and DirecTV Now services. - Nvidia debuts new Shield with 4K, an AI mic add-on and Google Assistant
– The Nvidia Shield TV is available for preorder at $200 shipping later this month. It supports Netflix and Amazon 4K HDR, and YouTube, Google Play Movies and Vudu in 4K. An upgrade in the coming months will add Google Assistant as well. - Amazon Fire TV and Alexa will power new 4K TVs from a trio of third-tier brands
– Tong Fang Global introduced 4K TVs under its Westinghouse, Element and Seiki brands, ranging in 4 sizes from 43-inches to 65-inches running Amazon’s Fire TV OS and Amazon Voice Services. Available later this year, no price. - TCL adds Dolby Vision HDR to more of its 4K Roku TVs
– TCL debuted 25 TV models running the Roku OS with HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR. The 50-inch P-series TV will launch for $500 all coming to North America. - The Most Popular TV Show of 2016 Was Not from a Big Network
– Ratings startup SymphonyAM put out its ratings for most popular shows in 2016 based on viewership within the first 35 days after premiere. Ornage is the New Black was tops followed by Big Bang Theory (CBS), Stranger Things, Fuller House and Designated Survivor (ABC). - Netflix is still renting out DVDs to millions of customers in 2017
– Netflix just launched a new iOS app for DVD.com which is the part of Netflix that still rents DVDs. About 4.2 million people in the US still rent DVDs from Netflix. Netflix is still seeing quarterly revenues to the tune of $132 million from them.
Dispatches from the Front
Happy Holidays guys! I recently rediscovered your show, and am enjoying it immensely. Quick question, do you have any recommendations for streaming in an RV? Because I don’t want to use all of my telephone data in on weekend, and I don’t want to watch the same old DVDs. I guess this is more of a internet question, but I figured I would ask the people who knew the most about streaming. If you can offer any help, we would greatly appreciate it.
Yours,
– Jason
I hope this gets to you before you record for the week.
I just tried to download a couple of shows from Netflix for my ride home on the bus and Netflix told me that I could only download this title one more time before “”December 22, 2017″”.
In preparing for a cross country flight before Christmas, I had downloaded a bunch of stuff and didn’t watch it. So I deleted it to free up space. Now, I’m learning that you can only download something 3 times a year.
– Tim
Do you guys have a suggestion of a good app to keep track of all the TV shows and movies you want to watch? Every time you guys mention what you’re watching, I want to add this somewhere, but I don’t have a good hub for this (other than an endless Google spreadsheet, which isn’t that convenient), or tracking it on watchlists across multiple apps. If it happened to allow for music too, and maybe notes about why I’ve added it, that would be amazing. Thanks!
– Tim J
To Brian,Tom, and Bryce:
Enjoyed the KILLIES Show very much! You all had very good choices! Cordkillers is one of my best recommendations for Discovering new shows and movies.
I am especially happy that Tom included the CROWN and DOWNTON ABBEY on his list. I am also an Anglophile and enjoy those kinds of shows too. I normally watch zombies and science fiction, but enjoy History too.
Thanks much! Best Wishes in the New Year!
– Michael K.
Hey Killers… just LOVED The Killies 2016. It would be cool if you guys did it quarterly. Much fun had by all!!
– Dan
Links
The Killies 2016
Getting a new streaming device this holiday season? Here are our favorite shows and movies we discovered in 2016 (and a few we abandoned). With Cordkillers producer Bryce Castillo ( http://twitter.com/brycas )
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rojhCSmQZjE
Download video: http://archive.org/download/Killies2016_201612/Killies2016.mp4
Download audio: http://archive.org/download/Killies2016_201612/Killies2016.mp3
THE KILLIES FOR 2016:
Preacher (AMC, not streaming)
Polygon ( http://youtube.com/polygon )
Expanse (SyFy, Amazon)
Moana (movie)
Insecure (HBO)
La La Land (movie)
Doctor Strange (movie)
Terrace House (Netflix)
Mr. Robot (USA, Amazon)
Movies With Mikey ( http://youtube.com/chainsawsuitoriginal )
The Grinder (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
Red Letter Media ( http://youtube.com/redlettermedia )
The Path (Hulu)
Zootopia (movie, Netflix)
10 Cloverfield Lane (movie, Epix)
Atlanta (FX)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Narcos (Netflix)
Last Man on Earth (Fox, Hulu)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Documentary Now! (IFC, Netflix)
Better Call Saul (Netflix)
Downton Abbey (PBS, Amazon)
Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz)
Empire (Fox, Hulu)
Arrival (Movie)
Brian’s Abandie: The Profit
Tom’s Abandie: Agents of SHIELD
Bryce’s Abandie: Scandal
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 150
Winter Movie Draft, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Justified (410)
00:39 – Winter Movie Draft
06:21 – Triage (Westworld)
09:55 – Justified (410)
16:26 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Cordkillers 150 – Seat Punchers (w/ Nicole Spagnuolo)
Cord killing slows but saves money, best OTA antennas, Amazon Prime goes worldwide. With special guest Nicole Spagnuolo
CordKillers: Ep. 150 – Seat Punchers
Recorded: December 19 2016
Guest: Nicole Spagnuolo
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Here’s Why Many Cord Cutters Often Pay More for Video
– PriceWaterhouse Coopers surveyed 1200 US adults and found 51% of those who reduced their cable package ended up paying more money per month on video than before because of streaming packages they added. While 68% of those who cut cable entirely spent less per month on video. Also 84% of current cable subscribers plan to keep their connection next year up from last year when only 77% said so. Pay TV lost around 1.4 million subscribers in the first 9 months of 2016.
How to Watch
- The cord-cutter’s guide to the best indoor antennas
– CNET’s Ty Pendlebury put 6 over the air antennas to the test in Manhattan and Long Island. The $10 Channel Master Flatenna fared well enough to make it the pick for best antenna on a budget. The best overall was the Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse for $59 or $79 with amplifier. The $40 MoHu ReLeaf got a nod for being the best performance in areas with less than optimal coverage. - Amazon expands its Prime Video service to over 200 countries, but China isn’t included
– Amazon made its Prime Video service available in more than 200 countries Wednesday. It’s free where Prime membership is available or standalone for $5.99 or €5.99 a month. Amazon Original content comes in English, with French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles and dubbed versions in some markets.
What to Watch
- Woody Harrelson will shoot his next movie while streaming it live into movie theaters
– Woody Harrelson will live stream his film Lost in London to theaters as it’s being shot in real time. The 100-minute story based on Harrelson’s actual arrest in London will take place in 14 locations and be shot in a single take. Harrelson, who wrote and directed the film, will also star in it, alongside Owen Wilson and Willie Nelson. Lost in London will stream on January 19th at 9PM ET. - Star Trek: Discovery Casts The Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green as Its Lead
– Sonequa Martin-Green aka Courtney Wells on the Good Wife, aka Tamar on Once Upon a Time AKA Sasha on the Walking Dead will add aka the lead on Star Trek; Discovery. The show will focus on the Lieutenant Commander of a ship rather than the captain and Martin-Green will be that LT-Commander. Michelle Yeoh is the Captain. Star Trek: Discovery is coming to CBS All Access in May. - Twitter to live-stream Golden Globes red carpet
– Twitter will team up with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions to live-stream the official red carpet pre-show for the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 8 - Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale starring Elizabeth Moss as Offred, will premiere on April 26th, 2017
- The first official trailer for BladeRunner 2049 is out. The movie comes out 10/6/2017
- Duck Tales Summer 2017
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Justified 410, Rogue One
- Tom: Justified (410), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Man in the High Castle (201-205), Star Wars: A New Hope
- Nicole: Last Man on Earth, The Goldbergs, The Middle, FreeForm – 24 Days of Christmas Kid Shows: , Peppa Pig, Team UmiZoomi, Teen Titans Go
- On the Lookout: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Front Lines
- Facebook says it’s in talks to buy its own video shows
– ReCode reports Facebook is in talks with studios to license TV shows. The talks are being led by Ricky Van Veen, the College Humor co-founder who joined the company earlier this year said “we’re exploring funding some seed video content, including original and licensed scripted, unscripted, and sports content, that takes advantage of mobile and the social interaction unique to Facebook. The deals are said to be around $1 million a year, much less than budgets for shows by Netflix or Amazon. - Amazon’s new Fire TV interface is what it should have been from the start
– Amazon updated the interface for its Fire TV. The menu moves to the top, a larger space for art and horizontal rows for shows or app options, with Recent shows in the top row. It’s available for “second-generation” Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick and will come to older models in the coming months. - New streaming service BritBox brings British TV to the U.S.
– BBC, ITV and AMC are teaming up to bring the US a streaming service called BritBox, promising the largest catalog of British TV shows available. Shows that haven’t ended up on BBC America, PBS or other networks may show up within 24 hours of airing in the UK. That includes Eastenders, Emmerdale and Holby City. It will also have loads of older titles like Brideshead Revisted, Upstairs Downstairs, Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers. It’s set to debut before the end of March but no price has been announced. - NBC Is Teaming Up With Olympic Committees to Launch a TV Channel
– NBC and the International and US Olympic Committees are planning to launch an Olympic TV channel in the US in the second half of 2017. The channel will stream Olympic sports and related content year round. NBC will also add additional olympic sports coverage to NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Digital. - T-Mobile Offers a Year of DIRECTV NOW to AT&T Users Who Switch
– Thursday T-Mobile announced that it will give AT&T customers who switch to T-Mobile a $35 bill credit for 12 months to pay for AT&T’s DirecTV Now service. DirecTV Now is also part of T-Mobile’s BingeOn which does not count video from partners agains data caps. - Vimeo releases apps for tvOS, Android TV, and Samsung’s Tizen-powered TVs.
– Vimeo updated its apps for Apple TV, Android and an HTML5 app for Samsung TVs powered by Tizen. The app will begin playing from its curated cinema experience at launch. You’ll also be able to access your customized feed, uploaded videos, as well as any videos you’ve purchased previously.
Dispatches from the Front
Hey Tom & Brian
I have been a cord cutter for 4 years now and have loved it. However this summer I expanded this to the theatre and did not see any movies in the theatre. I waited for the movie to come to iTunes and purchased it. When you look at the cost of a ticket it is about the same cost of purchase. The cool part is if I like the movie I now own it if I don’t then I delete and it is the same loss of a ticket price. Thought you guys might want to add this to the chicken challenge.
P.S. I know this idea could destroy the movie draft but Brian we all know Tom is going to win.
– Josh
I’ve made a decision: If I don’t end up liking Voltron, I am going to stop using Netflix. They have surprising a lack of family-friendly content, and what content they did have that I watch, they get rid of! I was watching the Disney XD Avengers cartoon, they got rid of that. Then I started watching Columbo and the A Team, and they’re getting rid of that! Are they trying to lose me? Of course, that might not matter to them, because my little brother Adam still watches DinoTrux, but if I don’t like Voltron, which my siblings say I absolutely must watch, than I am done with Netflix. It isn’t worth it to me to try to hunt continually for things to watch on Netflix when there are other things available, like Designated Survivor on the ABC, Falling Skies on Amazon, or Cord Killers on DiamondClub.tv.
From,
– Amar
I’ve been enjoying the new TV app on tvOS, but I have a bit of a conundrum when it comes to the new single sign-on feature.
My internet service includes a very bare bones cable package (so they can count me as a subscriber), from which I have access to HBO and Showtime, and I use that login for HBO GO and Showtime Anytime on tvOS. Additionally, we use my in-laws’ login credentials from a different cable provider to get access to other apps like FX, USA, Disney, etc.
In this scenario, can I use my in-laws’ credentials for single sign-on and still do a manual login for HBO GO and Showtime Anytime? Or, will using single sign-on always favor one set of credentials?
Thanks, and love the show!
– Jesse
Tom,
I heard you sort of dismissing the new TV app on the Apple TV – can’t recall if it was on DTNS or CK, or both.
But I’d recommend you really try it. It’s incredible, and exactly what has been needed for years. Especially for cord cutters.
One of the biggest problems is keeping on top of what we’re watching in each of the apps. While Netflix is excluded, it has Hulu, CBS, CW, Showtime, HBO, and of course iTunes, as well as many others (but I think they need a cable sub).
And of all those apps, only Hulu has any semblance of a “now playing” (a la TiVo), or watchlist. CW has nothing. CBS has a favorite shows list, but doesn’t let you know when something new is on. HBO Now is surprisingly bad for maintaining a watchlist. SHO at least keeps track of what you last watched, but not what’s new. And even Hulu’s watchlist has a bizarre algorithm for ordering things.
With the new TV App, I basically subscribe to all my shows in all those apps, and iTunes, and when a new episode shows up anywhere, it pops to the front of the list. If I’m binging a show that’s already done, it shows me the next one available (and bumps it to the front after I watch a show). And for shows I know I want to watch at some point later and don’t want to forget about, I just add it to the list.
You can even put movies you want to watch in it. And if you want to check out the series (e.g. to play an older episode), you can just long-click on the show.
This app solves nearly all my problems, and I think these problems are fairly common among cord cutters. We finally have one place to go to maintain all our “to watch” shows across nearly all apps, and to get notified when new episodes pop up wherever they are.
What’s missing? Netflix of course, and that app has a fairly awful watchlist function currently (my “List” row is often impossible to find). And perhaps integration with the PlayStation Vue DVR would be nice.
But harping on the single log-in issues, which do seem pretty bad, but are basically irrelevant for cord cutters.
Just thought you’d appreciate some real world feedback from a very satisfied customer. And a suggestion to try it out to really appreciate it.
Thanks,
– Mark
Tom,
Are you going to do another episode of Pretend I’m Dumb about Star Wars for Rogue One? If so, are you going to pretend that you’ve seen the prequels, but not the original trilogy?
That way you will be acting as if you saw this movie in the chronological order of the story instead of the order the movies came out in, which I believe was the original idea for Pretend I’m Dumb about Star Wars.
– Bill near Athens, Georgia
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 149
Winter Movie Draft, 3% (101), Justified (409)
00:48 – Winter Movie Draft
06:48 – 3% (101)
19:27 – Justified (409)
Cordkillers 149 – Planes, Trains & Downloadables (w/ Ek)
Apple brings a TV app and single-sign-on without a lot of useful apps at launch. TiVo’s secret Aereo replacement.
CordKillers: Ep. 149 – Planes, Trains & Downloadables
Recorded: December 13 2016
Guest: Eklund
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Apple releases TV app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
– Apple’s TV app is out for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV Monday as part of iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1. The app tracks shows you’re watching and sends you into the right service to watch it. It can send you into the right spot on a partially watched episodes and notify you when a new episode is available across Apple devices. It makes recommendations of what to watch but not based on viewing habits. HBO and Hulu work with the new TV app but Netflix does not. ReCode’s Peter Kafka points out that Netflix does work with the Xfinity X1 box’s similar guide features though. - Apple’s TV single sign-on feature goes live in the US
– Apple launched its single sign-on feature for US Apple TV users. The feature is meant to eventually let users sign in once to all TV apps from various networks that they have access to. At launch subscribers to DirecTV, Dish and Sling can sign in. A&E, Bravo, NBC, Syfy, USA, ABC and Disney are among the apps that support single sign in though not all apps that support it work with all services that support it. For instance at launch Sling only worked with FXX Now. - Comcast subscribers can now log into apps for ESPN and HBO Go on the Sony PlayStation 4.
- Apple Is in Talks With Hollywood for Early Access to Movies on iTunes
– Bloomberg’s sources say Apple is negotiating with movie studios for the rights to offer higher-priced rentals of movies still in theaters. Bloomberg says Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures are all considering a deal with iTunes some wanting to make movies available as soon as two weeks after theatrical release. Theaters usually get a 90-day exclusive. The studios are considering prices of $25-$50 and could go with a partner other than Apple.
How to Watch
- TiVo appears to be testing cloud DVR recording
– Previous leaks pointed to a TiVo box codenamed Mantis that worked with a cloud DVR (FCC filing)
– ZatzNot Funny posted a picture of a “Cloud Recording Feature No Longer Available” screen from a TiVo Bolt.
– TiVo website setup page refers to a product called Mavrik. Also filed a trademark with USPTO on Mavrik.
– There also appears to be an Amazon Android app liosting that describes itself as “OTA Streaming, Diskless Cloud DVR TiVo Device Mantis”
What to Watch
- Netflix got weird on Twitter and Instagram for its new show
– Netflix posted cryptic messages like “Have you seen darkness?” to Twitter and even a video depicting a person jumping off a bridge. There’s also a normal trailer in support of The OA which comes out December 16 and focuses on a young blind woman who was missing for seven years and returns with sight. - A new trailer for The Expanse from SyFy was unveiled this week that shows off more of season 2. The Expanse returns Februrary 1.
- Lemony Snicket the eight episode series premieres January 13 on Netflix.
- Watch the first Fate of the Furious trailer
- NBC’s Powerless Has Turned Bruce Wayne Into a Con Artist
What We’re Watching
- Brian: The Profit, 3%, Justified 409
- Tom: Arrow, Flash, This is Us, La La Land, Justified (409), The 3%
- Ek: White Rabbit Project (Netflix), Being Erica (Hulu), Better Things (FX)
- On the Lookout: The 4400
Front Lines
- HBO leads the Golden Globes again, as attention for Netflix and Amazon cools
– Netflix was nominated for five TV golden globes down from three last year and one film nomination. Amazon had five TV nominations and 6 film nominations. Hulu didn’t get any this time around and HBO has 14 nominations.
–Netflix
– The Crown – best drama, best actress, best supporting actor
– Stranger Things best drama, best actress
– FILM
– Divines – foreign language nomination–
Amazon
– Mozart in the Jungle – best comedy, best actor
– Transparent – best comedy, best actor
– Goliath – best lead actor
– FILM
– Manchester by the Sea – five nominations
– The Salesman – one foreign language nomination–
HBO
– Westworld
– The Night Of
-Veep
– Game of Thrones
– Insecure
– Divorce
– FILM
– All the Way
– Confirmation - Amazon’s ‘Grand Tour’ Is the Most Illegally Downloaded Show Ever
– The first three episodes of Amazon’s The Grand Tour have been illegally downloaded a total of 20.7 million times according to analysts at anti-piracy firm Muso. This is believed to make it the most illegally downloaded program ever. - National Amusements Pulls CBS, Viacom Merger Proposal
– National Amusements, the company that owns the majority share of both CBS and Viacom, withdrew its merger proposal for the two companies Monday. CBS and Viacom were separated 10 years ago. - Hulu will now let you create profiles for up to six people
– Hulu now allows up to six profiles to be created per account, though at launch it only works on the website.The profiles will keep separate viewing history, watchlist and recommendations.There’s also a kids-specific profile that will exclude adult shows - Netflix rolls out video previews worldwide, but only on its TV app
– Netflix will now show video previews when you are browsing through the library on TV and set-top box versions of its app. The previews offer a synopsis of the content and only start if you pause to read a title. - 4K movies come to the Google Play Movies & TV app
– Google has made more than 125 movies available in 4K to buy or rent from the Google Play store. Thjey work with the Chromecast Ultra, Sony Bravia, Android TV and Xiaomi Mi boxes.
Dispatches from the Front
Sweaty from my daily workout, I sat down in front of my locker cooling off to some CordKillers. I opened my locker and pulled out my kids’ iPad mini. Then I launched Netflix and checked to see if all of the episodes of Rescue Bots had finished downloading off of the gym’s WiFi. At that exact time I heard the voice of Merritt speaking directly into my earholes and asking for my opinion about the new Netflix feature. Divine providence?
I’m a dairy farmer and former software consultant living in Olympia, WA. I have no access to cords. No TV. No Internet, except LTE. Netflix changed the game when it offered downloadable content because now I can go to any place sharing their Internet with my tablet, download the shows my family wants to watch (legitimately), and then watch them in comfort of my own smelly farm. Sounds a little like watching what I want, where I want, on what ever damn device I want.
Sincerely,
– Chris
Hi guys,
You guys scared me! When you mentioned the new Netflix offline download feature in this week’s episode, you said that episodes would only be available for 72 hours. I downloaded a bunch of Netflix Originals last week-end in preparation for a week-long european trip and thought it would all be gone.
I checked my IOS device, which has been offline since I downloaded content, and thankfully all episodes are still there and I can watch them. Searching online, I only saw references to a 72-hour limit on Amazon Prime offline viewing, not on Netflix. Was that a mistake, or perhaps only Netflix Originals don’t have a time limit?
You also asked why people would be interested in this feature. I travel regularly, within North America and abroad, and being able to download content and view it on the plane or in hotels with spotty wi-fi is a dream come true. It’s just too bad that all Netflix Marvel series are not available for offline viewing.
Thanks for the great podcast!
– Yannick
Montreal, Canada
My sister and brother-in-law were excited for car trips. They regularly drive 8 – 10 hours in Texas and 15 hours to go skiing in New Mexico with their kids 12 and 9 and assorted cousins 2 yo – 14 yo. The problem is spotty coverage in the middle of No Where Texas. They aren’t cordkillers yet – because sports. So they don’t have Amazon.
Sincerely
– Texas Teacher
I have a 3 hour commute to and from work each day on the train and I’m on a pay-as-you-go mobile plan with Ting. But even if cost weren’t an issue, wireless coverage on the train route is spotty at best and the commuter rail’s public wifi is a joke. So watching movies off-line is really my only cost-effective means of wasting exorbitant amounts of time during the workday. What else would you have me do? WORK? Nonsense.
Love the show!
– Rob
Dear Employees (Tom, Brian, and Bryce),
I am a frequent user of the download feature on Amazon Prime Video (and now Netflix) and I can say that for me it is HUGE! I take commuter rail to work and having the ability to download stuff to watch makes the hour long train ride downright enjoyable. With a family at home keeping me busy, frankly, its just about the only time I have to watch TV by myself. Streaming via the mobile network doesn’t really work since we hit a few dead zones or poor signal areas, which makes it things frustrating (not to mention the mobile data costs). The alternative would be paying for every episode to be able to download it locally (which I’ll do for a select few shows I can’t get for free, thanks to my monthly cord-cutting savings).
One thing to note: the Starz add-on for Amazon does not offer the download feature. I was excited to watch Ash vs Evil Dead on the train, but quickly saw there was no option to download so I cancelled the trial. I’m guessing the other add-on services for Amazon work the same way.
Love the show! Keep up the great work! Annual performance reviews are coming up and I think you’re due for a raise!
– Rob
Hi Guys,
Okay, I am sure that DirecTV will get better over time but I tried it for the 7 day trail and quickly backed out.
First I could not get it running on Apple TV. This was the first day. It kept asking for locations and when I clicked okay it would take me right back to the asking for locations. I gave up. Two days latter I tried again and got the location taken care of. I’m 35 miles from Seattle (OTA is great). Now it told me that DirecTV Now was not offered in forgien countries and when I returned I could sign up. The next day I got it running.
It is not really cheaper. Vue is cheaper with just a few less channels. DirecTV Now does what DirecTV always has done and offer a bunch of channels you are not going to watch. I also did not like the vertical channel menu.
I use a Paystation 3 with a remote to watch Vue. The menu is great and horizontal. You can select a show and put it into My Channels and later you can check and it will tell you if there is an new episode. I watch all of Mr. Robot this way.
I am still using SliingTV but my quite it soon. It is easier to watch many of the channels I like but Vue is just a better deal and psreformance.
I’m sure DirecTV NOW will get better over time but it has a long ways to go to equal Vue.
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 148
Winter Movie Draft, Moana, Justified (408), Westworld (110).
00:51 – Winter Movie Draft
03:29 – Moana
08:31 – Justified (408)
16:07 – Westworld (110)