Cordkillers Ep. 6 – Get off your apps!

Cordkillers / February 11th, 2014

Lamarr Wilson joins us to talk about HBO and Netflix’s size debate and whether the Olympics are anti-cordkillers.

Download VIDEO

Download AUDIO

CordKillers: Ep. 6 Get off your apps!
Recorded: February 10 2014
Guest: Lamarr Wilson

Intro Video: 

Primary Target

Secondary Target

Signal Intellegence

Gear Up

Under Surveillance

Front Lines

On Our Radar

On Screen

Dispatches from the Front

  • Big thanks to Jay in Toledo who’s sent us great feedback from the TV side of things and hooked us up with an interview with Jerry Anderson at his station in Toledo! You rock Jay!!

     

  •  Check out one of my fave web series, the very funny @SubmissionsOnly. http://www.afollowspot.com/2014/02/its-date-submissions-only-comes-back.html

    Lisa Glassberg

     

  • I honestly don’t believe I did this https://soundcloud.com/sebgonz/cordkillers

    @sebgonz

     

  • Message: On the cordcutting decision… I set my directv account on vacation mode (six months) just to try cordcutting. After setting up a windows media center system I can now kill the directv account with confidence as I’ll be ready to counter any argument with the Directv retention department. Great Show!

George
 

  •  I’m proud to say after a long time watching another show about cord cutting and moving to Cord Killers after it was cancelled about a month ago, that I have taken the plunge and cancelled DirecTV.

I cancelled my service on the day of the Big Game, and was able to watch the death of the Broncos just fine with my brand-spanking new Leaf antenna. Go figure.

I had been wanting to cut the cord for a while. Holding me back was my local NHL team, and wrestling. The WWE Network announcement was a game changer for me. A complete no-brainer purchase for me, not just for the PPVs. The weekly shows would be made available on it immediately after they air, and I don’t normally watch Monday Night Raw until Tuesday anyway. I was suddenly only being held back by arbitrary blackout decisions enforced by a regional sports channel. Right as I began seriously considering the feasibility of cord cutting my first year of DirecTV passed and my bill increased by $40 a month. It was a sign.

I put together a spreadsheet showing what my costs would be and I would be saving over $1000 a year. That included a way to watch the Carolina Hurricanes on NHL GameCenter Live. The decision was made. I got the usual retention offers, but their best effort wouldn’t even save me $500 a year.

What was really interesting to me was that I didn’t get any real fight after mentioning the WWE Network. I was expecting to have to explain the crazy notion that I don’t have to spend $55 on a pay-per-view ($65 for WrestleMania). Instead I got sad understanding from the other end of the line.

Charles in Raleigh, NC

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmPuGnaNHdHd5VDZCTFgxYk9WMTFrNDYwV1hVbEE&usp=sharing

 

  • Hey guys, after episode 5 I finally decided to get rid of my cable with Verizon. They offered to charge me $94 for internet and basic cable but I turned them down. I went from paying $213, which also included home phone service I stopped using to $106 a month for a 75/35mbps connection. Thanks guys, keep up the work.

    Mike

     

  • I’m a long-time listener of yours from the TWiT days, and have happily followed you to the new cordkillers show, to which I donate through Patreon.I just listened to the most recent episode, and there’s something that bothers me as a listener. When comparing devices to use to cord cut, consistently, there is misinformation pushed about the AppleTV and airplay. As is often the case, the impression is given that AirPlay only supports mirroring mode, in which essentially the app takes over the screen, and is mirrored to the television, rendering the device (tablet/phone) un-useful for any other purpose. This is always contrasted against the Chromecast, which does not dominate the device after the video is slung from the device (android/ios) to the Chromecast. This is NOT the case at all. Mirroring is but one AirPlay mode. Almost all apps though support the second mode, where, just like the Chromecast, the video is targeted to the AppleTV, but then the device is free for other work. Often, I sling a Netflix, YouTube, DailyMotion, etc, etc, etc video to the AppleTV using a button that looks just like the Chromecast button, then continue on to read my email, play a game, etc. It absolutely does NOT dominate the device. Every app doesn’t support it, but most apps do. I think by continuously misrepresenting the capabilities of the AppleTV, which supported this years in advance of the Chromecast, you are spreading misinformation. I say this as a person who owns Android and Apple devices, and has both an AppleTV and a Chromecast. I just tire of the misinformation out there.

Bob

Links

Cordkillers: Ep. 4 – You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, Brian.

Cordkillers / January 28th, 2014

Netflix defies net neutrality foes, Why Intel ditching it’s Internet TV effort, is not what you thought, and TiVo tries really hard to convince you of something. 

Download VIDEO

Download AUDIO

Cordkillers: Ep. 4 – You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, Brian
Recorded: January 27 2014

Intro Video

Primary Target

Secondary Target

Signals Intelligence

Gear Up

Under surveillance

Front Lines

  • HBO Showtime say not losing subs.
    Remember NPD said Pay TV channels lost 6% of Internet household subs in the last 2 years. HBO and SHO say NO WAY! HBO says it added 1.9 million subs in 2012. SHO said it has added 1 million a year in 6 of last 7 years. NPD Group removed the press release from its website and issued a “data clarification” statement on Wednesday that said it “should not have called out declines in subscribers for specific premium TV channels, HBO and Showtime.” fewer households are subscribing overall, but those households that are subscribing are subscribing to more premium channels.
  • Sources say new Apple TV box likely coming soon.
    App/Game Store possible — 9to5 Mac’s sources say next Apple TV will still be a set-top box coming first half 2014. New OS like iOS 7. Previously sources indicated possible new input methods like motion control. iLo8unge reported possible gaming content.
  • Netflix now lets you disable Post-Play to avoid binge watching entire TV seasons
    You can now uncheck “Play next episode automatically” in Netflix settings.
  • Tarantino shelves ‘Hateful Eight’ script after leak.
    Hateful Eight leaked so Tarantino will publish a written version and then move on to next project. He may revisit Hateful Eight as a film in five years or so. Only gave the script to 6 people. Suspects CAA showed it around.
  • Google can now say if your internet connection is quick enough for YouTube
    Google launched Video Quality Report reliability rankings for YouTube by ISP. Canada got it first. Coming to other countries soon.
  • ESPN is wary of cord-cutters, says protecting pay-TV is first priority
    Monday WSJ interview with ESPN execs. Priority is to protect pay TV profits and the $5.50 a month per sub ESPN gets paid. Company trying to improve selling ads int apps.

On screen

Dispatches from the front

  • Hey Brian and Tom,
    I know the movie draft is over but i noticed they re-released Gravity into theaters. As a result Casey is now within 10mil of taking 2nd place from Justin so by the end of this weekend it could be very close. I would say this is more evidence that the draft is fine staying the way it is. That there is no need to split up movies.

    Thanks really enjoy the show,
    Nathan 

 

  • Purchasing streaming media isn’t always the best decision me thinks. Let’s say for example I want to watch the first season of “Person of Interest” Let’s use Amazon Prime, as an example of the provider of said content. I can buy the full season from Amazon Instant for $40 Or, I can buy the DVD set from Amazon for $19. Yea, I have to wait two days to watch, but I save $21 and I have hard copies with re-sale value. There is no value in a “instant video” purchase. I can understand 30 or 40 dollars for a season currently in the process of airing, but for previous seasons? No way! If Netflix, Prime, and Hulu remain somewhat limited in mainstream variety, and Instant video remains costly, I wonder; that as cord-cutting increases, will disc media sales also begin to increase?

    Richard Bixler

 

  • Hey guys,

    I’m Zaz: a big fan and patreon of the show. I’m also a product manager for SideReel and would love your feedback on our Cord-Cutting Guide. Our hope is to help our users navigate some of the many hardware and service options out there and maybe even expand to include options outside the U.S. Let me know what you think!

    Great job on the new episodes — I’m so glad you found a way to continue!

    http://www.sidereel.com/topic/cord-cutting

    Thanks,
    Zaz

 

  • Another reason to hope Aereo wins it case in the US Courts:
    So the networks go off the public airways (like they said they would) and they can stop bleeping every other word on award shows.

    Joe Gasz

 

  • Hey Killers… I have questions that haunt me and I needs answers.

    The premise: I have a cable account or OTA, I have a DVR or even a DVD Recorder. (for arguments sake). With that said….

    Lets say I wanna watch a show either on an OTA or Cable. The logical side of my brain says I have a right to do the following:

    – Watch the show, live when shown
    – Watch the show on its numerous re-runs (if available)
    – Record the show via any device including a DVD recorder or DVR.
    – Keep this recording as long as I want.
    – Watch this recorded show as many times as I want.
    – Copy this recording to any device I choose.

    I have almost unlimited rights once the content is available on my T.V. (whether I watch it, tape it, DVR it or not). I paid for the right to watch it. Didn’t I?

    Is the fact I didn’t watch it when it was shown or forgot to record it negate my rights to it?

    With all these rights, how are these rights taken away if I watch this show online, on any site legal or not. I paid for the right to not only watch these shows but also record them and store them for future use. The fact that I didn’t watch it when it was shown or DVR it when it was on, didn’t I still pay for the right to watch it?

    Ever since Frame Rate this question has haunted me.

    No one can watch and record the 200+ channels available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

    Am I not entitled to watch every show on T.V? Doesn’t my cable subscription pay for this? I am pretty sure I am being charged for 200+ channels, I should have the right to watch every one of them, is how I watch them the issue, if so why?

    Discuss!

    Sorry so long, condense for the show.

    A CordKiller Fan,

    Ron 

     

Links

Cordkillers: Ep. 3 – We got them HBO Go Passwords here

Cordkillers / January 20th, 2014

We chat with Plex developer Tobias Hieta about why HBO doesn’t care if you share passwords, and Netflix is flying high to quality.

Download audio

Download video

Cordkillers Episode #3 We got them HBO Go Passwords here
Recorded: January 20 2014
Guest: Tobias Hieta, Plex Developer

Intro Video

Primary Target

Secondary Target

Signals Intelligence

Gear Up

Under surveillance

Front Lines

On our radar

On Screen

Dispatches from the front

  •  Cricket Australia started offering streaming of the entire cricket season this yr for 19.99 – for Aussie IP addresses

    @strumpet101

 

  • I was just listening to Spoiler Time 2, and wanted to throw my thoughts into whatever mix there is.

    With ad-supported television, it is not the viewer’s responsibility to ensure that the ad is seen, or effective. If we decide that the viewer has an obligation to the show/network/advertiser who is ‘paying’ for the show then we have a whole host of problems to deal with about viewers who mute the ads, change the channel (to another show that they’re not ‘paying’ for) or otherwise somehow dilute the ad’s effectiveness.

    I feel like in our consumer-focused economy we’ve been lulled into thinking that ‘watching an ad’ or paying for cable/netflix is the same as buying a good at the store. Services are not tangible items, and there’s a lot of ambiguity as to what you gain when you pay for a service. When you pay for Netflix, you’re not paying to watch a show. You’re paying to access the system. It’s even worse with cable (which is why we’ve all eschewed it, right?)

    With region-locked media, we’re equating ‘where you are’ with ‘should you be able to watch’. This is a really poor model, because it assumes consumption generally. From tvlicensing.co.uk:

    “You need a valid TV Licence if you use TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV.”

    Excellent! I don’t ever consume BBC programming when it’s being shown on TV, I’m exempt!

    This of course, doesn’t make sense. (I’m also fortunate in that I’m watching programs, rather than programmes, another exemption!) Likewise, the person in the UK who tunes in (yay for anachronism) a few times a year to watch a live special is paying the same fee as a person watching every night.

    While a lot of this comes across as ethical/moral justification, the counterbalance is that the people making these rules (both in ad-supported as well as pay-for TV) have left a large gap – and one that I suggest is there such that they do not wrap themselves up in legal red tape. Laws are things that function as double-edged swords for content providers. The Aereo stuff being a prime example.

    There are a LOT of layers between a studio getting paid to make a show, and the cost to a viewer to see that show.

    So – I’ve written a lot, and edited a lot. If any of it doesn’t make sense, let me know and I’ll deny it completely 🙂

    Thanks for a great show (One which, I will add some amount of irony, I am happy to pay for)

    Aaron

 

  • First, Sherlock and if it’s a gray area to watch it via Hola or whatever ‘VPN’ tech du jour.

    My academic response would be, “As a security professional, I can easily say that you are using a technology intended to provide privacy, encryption and non repudiation as a form of obfuscation to circumvent security controls (in this case Region control of BBC Intellectual Property). As with any cat and mouse game, security tools are invented for specific purposes but will be used in a way never intended by the creator. And not to get to Jurassic Park Goldbloom on you, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Clearly its a gray area……

    Now to talk out of the other side of my mouth… I did the EXACT same thing. The internet was not designed or created with International boundaries in mind. The BBC has to know that the lines drawn on paper by whatever her or his majesty ordered them to be don’t translate into a world without arbitrary walls built on the blood of past generations.

    Second issue, I feel better….. and worse….

    http://www.tvovermind.com/hbo/hbo-doesnt-care-youre-sharing-hbo-go-password-227861

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattlynley/hbos-ceo-doesnt-care-that-you-are-sharing-your-hbo-password

    So basically this guy’s marketing strategy is the same as a Philadelphia crack dealer, “Give them the first 8ball for free to get them hooked. “

    J Snyder

 

 

  • It’s good to see you continue to help those of us who want to cut the cord!

    Let me start with the back story to my current cord cutting results. We have been Time Warner Cable customers for almost 10 years now but about 2 years ago, I called to cancel our subscription because we were interested in switching to DISH. At the time, we had digital cable with DVR. The customer service rep sold me on upgrading to a whole-home system with 3 extra boxes at the same price we were paying at the time, around $150 or so per month. Since then, costs slowly rose while we found ourselves streaming more and more content from Netflix and Hulu Plus and various content providing websites. We decided it was time to cut the cord so I called TWC to do so. When I explained that I wanted to cancel our TV subscription but keep our internet service, the customer service rep immediately put me on hold to talk to his supervisor. In less than a minute, he was back on the phone and offered me basic cable while allowing us to keep all of our current equipment (3 cable boxes plus DVR) at a cost reduction of $1.25 from what we would have paid for internet service BY ITSELF! So they are paying us $1.25 to watch basic cable on their free equipment. We lost the whole home setup so the remote boxes don’t read from the DVR and we can no longer use the TWC app on our iPads but I have an AverMedia device hooked up to one box and a Slingbox Solo on the way to hook up to the DVR for my wife. We are now saving around $115 per month which after less than a month paid for both the AverMedia and Slingbox devices together. The only program that we can’t watch with the basic subscription is The Walking Dead but guess what? They feed it to us through the on-demand service that we still get! So, we really lost none of the programs we were watching with cost savings that will put almost $1400 back in our pockets this year!

    Yeah, cord killers! Thank you for keeping us informed and encouraging those that are interested in cutting the cord!

    Your faithful listener,
    Glenn

 

Cordkillers: Ep. 2 – Sony: Dreamweaver or deceiver?

Cordkillers / January 14th, 2014

Tom takes Brian and guest Nicole Spagnuolo on a roller coaster ride of emotions as he explains the ins and out of Sony’s online TV announcement. Also can Aereo win at the Supreme Court? If they lose it might affect you more directly than if they win. Find out why.

 

Download audio

Download video

 

Cord Killers Episode #2 Sony: Dreamweaver or deceiver?
Recorded:  January 13 2014
Guest: Nicole Spagnuolo

Intro Video

Primary Target

Secondary Target

Signals Intelligence

Gear Up

Moving targets

Front Lines

Winter Movie Draft

  1. Fr. Robert Ballecer:  $599,679,357

  2. Justin Robert Young: $526,820,937

  3. Casey McKinnon: $506,462,602

  4. Jeff Cannata:  $420,370,709

  5. Tom Merritt: $317,689,929 

  6. Brian Brushwood: $226,142,950

On our radar

Under surveillance

Dispatches from the front

  • As fan from the 90s I am not too interested in the current product, but for $9.99, having the pay per view shows and the large library from when I was a religious viewer makes this a viable option and worth the price alone.

    I think the more interesting development though is that the WWE ended up here after they had been trying to pitch this network for years through conventional means. By deciding to go this route in the end, they have become the guinea pigs for a full streaming model, including their original content along with the full library and the live shows. 

    I’m rooting for their success as I would love to see more “”””online networks”””” if the model starts to take off. “””

    Carlos

     

  • I am donating to the CordKillers show via Patreon. After you get some money in the coffers do you think there would be a Roku app in the future.

    In the meantime, I have a work around viewers can use to watch the shows on on Roku:

    Just install the hidden Roku Channel and type: ITPC code to add it. That will give you access to all of the audio and video podcasts in iTunes right on the big screen. Of course it will allow you to listen to DTNS as well.

    I wrote a step-by-step “How to” article about it if you’re interested, or want to share it with your fan base.

    http://www.groovypost.com/howto/itunes-podcasts-channel-roku/

    Hope this helps. And as always, love everything you’re doing!

    Brian Burgess
    Editor in Chief – groovyPost.com

     

  • Hey guys, loving the show so far. I’ve been trying to cut the cord for a year now, but haven’t been able to fully pull the trigger yet. My only available internet is Verizon FIOS. With their currently price plans, Internet is just about the same price as their Internet and TV bundles, so its hard to justify the jump. I’ve already switched to a TiVo with a CableCard over renting Verizon’s set top box, so I think when everything is all said and done, I’d only save about $10 more.

    Any advice to making the jump in this situation?”

    Dennis