Search Results for "september 24"

Cordkillers 132 – No, That’s RedTube

Cordkillers / August 8th, 2016

Hulu ends their free service, but gives it to Yahoo! And has Apple given up on providing a TV service?

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CordKillers: Ep. 132 – No, That’s RedTube
Recorded: August 9 2016
Guest: None

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • Time Warner Acquires 10% Stake in Hulu for $583 Million
    – Time Warner announced it will invest $583 million in Hulu and receive a 10% stake in the company. It will not bring any additional content to the main Hulu service but its Turner networks will become part of Hulu’s forthcoming live streaming TV service set to launch next year. TimeWarner operates its own on-demand services like HBO Now, DramaFever and the yet-to-be-launched FilmStruck. 
    – Time Warner gets 10% stake in Hulu
    (Joins Disney and 21st Century Fox plus silent partner Comcast who all now own 30%)
    – Turner networks will come to Hulu streaming service in 2017
    – Time Warner paid $583 million in cash valuing Hulu at $6 billion
    – Time warner owns HBO Now and Drama Fever (subtitled programming from 12 non-English countries) as well, launching FilmStruck in fall (rotating collection of art house and indie films managed with Criterion collection)
    – Some content deals with current Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime
  • Hulu ending free service
  • Hulu is jettisoning their free tier to Yahoo View, a new free viewing site using Hulu player and ad sales team.
    – Yahoo View will launch distributing Hulu shows for free. 5 recent eps from ABC, NBC, Fox, 8 days after air, plus other network shows, clips and full seasons of anime and Korean drama

Signal Intelligence

  • YouTube Kids rolls out an ad-free option
    – YouTube Kids is now bundled in with the YouTube Red program in Australia, New Zealand and the US. That means if you’re a YouTube Kids user you can upgrade to Red for $10 a month and remove ads from the Kids videos. You also get Red’s ability to save videos for offline viewing.

Gear Up

  • Apple looking into digital program guide
    – ReCode reported sources say Apple is talking to TV programmers and other video companies about creating a digital TV guide.
    – The idea is to surface programming without opening an app and access it with one click
    – Single sign on announced at WWDC would aid this.
    – TV executives worry it would reduce their ability to promote shows.
    – It could also irk cable providers who monetize their own guides. 

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Hey Tom and Brian,

Quick question for Tom since he’s the OTA veteran. When you record shows using a Romeo or OTA solutions, are you able to select closed captioning or audio description after recording a show or can you tell the device to record the secondary audio channel? I’m wondering about cutting the cord but i fear losing audio description for the visually impaired as it is the lazy man’s TV experience. I usually record shows like NCIS or Suits on USA. I may just be stuck with Time Warner Cable or dream of the old VCR.

By the way, the NBC coverage of the Olympics is offering “some” audio description, but it mostly seems to start in the prime time blcok of programming.

Thanks,

– Rodney
Raleigh, NC

 

 

 

After listening to your podcast for the last 3 months I’ve been trying to cut out AT&T U-verse television service. This weekend of the Olympics I finally did it.

I’m already a Netflix/Hulu+Showtime subscriber and I hooked up Digital Antennas for the three TVs in my home and use one fourth gen Apple TV in the main room where we watch TV. The other TVs I have two third gen Apple TVs connected as I only watch most tv in the main room.

The main room Apple TV has Sling TV installed and I’ve been enjoying the Orange channel selection works for me so far. I’m a disappointed about the sling interface and lack of pausing and on demand shows but I’m happy so far and I gained channels via digital antenna as I had only basic service for tv before.

All in all I’m much happier than before.

Thanks for you inspiration.

– Jason

 

 

With the Olympics starting, I have been watching via my Roku and NBC sports app. The streaming quality has been poor on my fast (150mbps) connection. I have heard rumors that some boxes (apple TV) have better streaming quality through the NBC app. Has anyone done a comparison of this one app between the Roku, apple tv and fire TV?

 

– Jason N. 

 

 

 

 

Hi Tom and Brian,

Do you think that more streaming services will (or should) offer yearly subscriptions at a small discount in addition to the standard pay-per-month option?

I think Netflix missed an opportunity to say “You want to keep the old monthly price? Fine, here’s a $100 per year (or $8.33/month) subscription.” It reduces the monthly temptation to evaluate whether it’s worth keeping it each month. As we get closer to “subscription fatigue” and with it taking so little time to cancel/renew, I think we’ll see more people choosing their months for each service.

The yearly subscription model seems particularly strong for services with a few major hits (e.g., House of Cards or Game of Thrones). People that want to subscribe for just those services would be more inclined to pay for only a few months and cancel, but if a discounted yearly rate is offered, might stick around to browse the rest of the catalog.

Amazon started with the yearly subscription and only recently added the monthly option, but for me their “major hit” is the 2-day shipping, for which I’m happy to pay a yearly subscription as opposed to month-by-month for just their video catalog.

Your happy boss,
– Tom

 

 

 

 

 

Again I would reiterate that Comcast got me back as a corded user when they offered a combined package of basic cable with Showtime or HBO and it cost less than my internet alone was (at least for 12 months). So I am essentially paying for internet and getting Showtime and Streampix for free and they get to tell their stock holders that they are not losing as many subscribers as some of their competitors. It is essentially, semantics or outright lying. I would at least consider myself a cord trimmer and relate more to a cord cutter that is enjoying a few perks from his ISP.

Very Respectfully,
– Gregory

 

 

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

2016 Summer Movie Draft

Weekly Tech Views (The Tech, No Logic Blog) – July 30, 2016

Daily Tech News Show / July 30th, 2016

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Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.

Two weeks of presidential nominating conventions are behind us, and we’re certainly all deeply disappointed with both parties for failing–after eight days and dozens upon dozens of speeches–to address the truly pressing issues facing us, like how to make more of the nation’s populace aware of the Weekly Tech Views and… well, the one pressing issue.

There Used To Be A Sports Illustrated Till Grandma Learned About The Swimsuit Issue
Google Family Library launched this week, allowing up to six people to share Google Play purchases, including music, movies, TV shows, books, apps, and games. The amount of shareable content is, to say the least, impressive. Bordering on overwhelming, really. Do you have times when there’s so much to choose from that you suffer a little paralysis by analysis and have trouble choosing anything? It sometimes makes me long for the simplicity of a childhood trip to my grandmother’s house, where the “family library” was the three most recent Reader’s Digests in a decorative wicker basket beneath the toilet paper roll.

Yeah, But What Can It Do With Loaves And Fish?
Scientists at a Belgian university have created a machine that turns urine into drinkable water. But wait, there’s more! They used the machine at a music festival where they were able to obtain a thousand liters of water from bladder-emptying music fans–which they are turning into beer. “If they figure out wine, I’m gonna have to step up my game,” said Jesus.

Watch For It On The Horseshoes And Hand Grenades Channel
Apple will be hosting sixteen episodes of Carpool Karaoke, based on James Corden’s Late Late Show recurring segment that features him humorously driving around with celebrities and singing. Apple’s show, however, will differ slightly in that it will have a “to-be-determined” host, meaning a stunning lack of James Cordens. The show will be part of a programming block including The Ellen Show without Ellen, The Walking Dead without zombies, and Big Brother without a house full of douchebags.

What Happens In Vegas, Will Happen More Often In Vegas
Hyperloop One, one of the companies working on high-speed passenger transportation (600-750mph) via vacuum tubes, announced it will be opening its first manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas.

Yeah, a factory. That’s all it is. They certainly aren’t building a hub through which all Hyperloop cars will pass. It’s not like casinos, who are willing to spend $4 billion on a hotel, would be interested in keeping those hotels filled by chipping in a billion each to make the trip from LA or San Francisco or Seattle a don’t-give-it-a-second-thought trip of twenty or forty or sixty minutes.

Sure, Vegas is the perfect city for Hyperloop–name a place people want to get both into and out of faster–but those elevated tubes you’ll see leading into the facility will just be for “supplies” and there’s probably no chance that ten years from now on a nationally-televised event David Copperfield will make the 105,000 square foot “factory” disappear to reveal a Hyperloop terminal (designed to look like a 1920’s Grand Central Station or Buckingham Palace or something) branching out to every major city in the country.

I’m sure it will just be producing rivets.

Who Needs “Virtual” Reality?
Amazon is furthering their drone testing by having one person operate multiple drones simultaneously, a necessary action to be able to institute drone package delivery, and also for the ultimate goal of playing real-world Galaga.

I Thought I’d Be Getting New Information
Microsoft Office is getting a new Editor feature which uses machine learning to suggest stylistic corrections beyond simple spelling and grammar checks. And when it does check grammar, it will now go into greater detail, explaining why what you typed was a mistake. And more. For example, at the beginning of each Weekly Tech Views, I say “Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.” The previous grammar check would simply point out that these are fragments, not sentences, while Editor went the extra step of suggesting that “maybe something with numbers” would be a better career track for me.

Fifty Percent Off The Original Price? Nice Try, Xbox
Microsoft reduced the price of the Xbox One to $249, the third price cut in two months, bringing it down to half of the original $499. This is great news–only two years and eight more price cuts until I can follow my usual upgrade path of picking up a system for $79 at Gamestop.

Spam Calls Are Just Annoying Pains In The Rear You Haven’t Met Yet
An Android update will help some phones block spam calls by marking suspicious calls in red, after which the user can confirm that they should be blocked. Good tech, but I’ll probably just stick with my proven method of “if the phone rings, it’s a spam call.” But enjoy this exciting new feature, people with friends.

Next Feature Is GPS Guidance To The One Available 8-Inch By 8-Inch Space To Squeeze Into On The Next Bus
A Google Maps update that would provide customizable notifications for mass transit delays was noticed when it showed up briefly this week for one user, but then disappeared. It’s amazing the effort Google put in to replicate my actual bus riding experience of a bus showing up randomly, picking  up one person, only to stop working.

The App Is Free, But There Are In-Apple-Store Purchases
Apple announced that iPhone sales were down 15% last quarter, but were expected to rebound sharply due to market conditions known in the industry as “overly-exuberant collection of Pokeballs at concrete-based Pokestops.” (1)

Pokemon Went (2)
Nintendo’s Pokemon Go Plus wrist accessory has been delayed until September for software adjustments. You have to commend the company for wanting to have things just right for the thirteen people who will still be playing then.

 

(1) Damn. Thought I was gonna get through an issue without mentioning Pokemon.

(2) What the heck, I already ruined it.

 

Movie Draft Update: Things are about to get interesting. Trailing the leaders by $252 million, Tom and Jennie are in 4th place, but have Star Trek and potential blockbuster Suicide Squad. They’ll be in 2nd place in no time, but will they catch the leaders? It’s going to be a fun final six weeks. Follow along with the CRUMDUM.

 

Cheap Book Update: And, as always, The Internet is Like a Snowblower (And 200 Other Things I Got Wrong About Tech This Year) holds 2015’s collected Weekly Tech Views for your Kindle-aided perusal for $.99. That’s half a cent per thing I got wrong. Try and beat that deal! Or just check out a preview HERE.

The Internet is Like a Snowblower: (And 200 Other Things I Got Wrong About Tech This Year) by [Range, Mike]

 

Now, does anyone happen to know the Green or Libertarian Party’s position on getting people to read ridiculous tech news?

 

Mike Range
@MovieLeagueMike

Creative Commons License
Weekly Tech Views (The Tech, No Logic Blog) by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Cordkillers 130 – Subscribe, Binge, Unsub, Repeat

Cordkillers / July 25th, 2016

Cord-cutting conquers Comic-Con, Netflix finds out people don’t like price raises, and Twitter becomes a sports network.

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CordKillers: Ep. 130 – Subscribe, Binge, Unsub, Repeat
Recorded: July 25 2016
Guest: None

Intro Video

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

  • Netflix price rises prompt subscribers to turn off
  • Netflix Added Way Fewer US Subscribers Than Anyone Expected
    – Netflix announced it earned $0.09 per share in Q2 with revenue of $2.11 billion. Analysts had expected earnings per share of $0.03 at the same level of revenue.
    – Netflix also announced it now has 83.18 million subscribers worldwide.
    – Of concern to investors, the company missed its subscriber growth projections, adding only 160,000 subscribers domestically, and 1.52 million abroad. Previous guidance expected 500,000 and 2 million, respectively.
    – Netflix CEO Reed Hastings cited increases in subscription prices as driving increased subscriber churn, resulting in the lower overall subscription numbers, however Hastings remained confident stating: “in terms of new members, which is most of what drives growth, the new pricing is working great.”

Gear Up

  • NCTA’s final counter-offer on setttop boxes
    – The National Cable and Telecommunications Association filed 33 pages reponding to FCC questions about setttop boxes
    – Will not pledge to make DVR, FF, REW functions standard
    – Will not charge extra for third-party apps or boxee
    – Proposed HTML5 apps for third-party devices w/ all liner and on-demand programming
    – NOT managed over the Internet

Front Lines

  • Twitter will livestream weekly games from MLB and the NHL
    – Twitter seems to be becoming a sports network for cordcutters. It will stream a weekly MLB game worldwide, and a weekly NHL game plus a nightly sports highlights show called the Rally in the US. The NBA will create two original weekly live pregame shows for Twitter. Twitter is partnering with Campus Insiders to stream over 300 “live college events” from Mountain West Conference, Patriot League and West Coast Conference. Yes, that includes live games and competitions spanning football, basketball,and more. Twitter is also getting news and highlights from the ACC. 
  • NFL Network and NFL RedZone Coming Soon to PlayStation Vue
    – Sony announced the NFL Network and the NFL RedZone will be available on PlayStation Vue in time for the 2016 season. Pricing and packaging were not announced but users will be able to authenticate on NFL apps and websites.
  • Redbox is testing its second attempt at a streaming service
    – A Redbox spokesperson told Variety Thursday that it has started testing its own streaming service called Redbox Digital. Redbox published an iPad app for the service which will sell and rent video on demand. A cast button shown in the app store listing suggests it will work with Chromecast. Variety says Redbox is also looking at Roku. Redbox launched a Netflix-like streaming service with Verizon in 2013 and shut it down 18 months later. Redbox’s parent company Outerwall reports earnings this Thursday.
  • Netflix orders more episodes of true-crime doc series ‘Making a Murderer’
    – Netflix has ordered more episodes (we don’t know how many) of Making a Murderer which explores the defense of convicted murderer Steven Avery and his co-defendant, Brendan Dassey. AND Netflix is getting the global rights to stream season one of FX’s American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson in 2017. 
  • Comcast to offer prepaid TV and internet service
    – Comcast will offer prepaid Internet and TV service in its markets in the US, starting in Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Indiana. TV subscribers will pay $80 for a starter kit then refill their subscription every 7 to 30 days for $15 or $45. No contracts no credit checks.
  • Amazon to invest $300 million in India to make original Prime Video content, says report
    – Amazon plans to launch it’s Prime Video service in India this year and will invest $300 million to make original content for the market. Amazon hired veteran film producer Aparna Purohit as Head of Creative development last January. Netflix announced last month it is partnering with India’s Phantom Films to make a series based on the gangster thriller novel Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. 

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

I am a long time listener, recent cord cutter. Before the fall season starts up, I want to get myself set up with a DVR, because I have great OTA reception where I live, BUT I want to be able to watch those recordings on my home computer sometimes too. It looks like Tivo recently stopped selling its software for this, and Channelmaster’s transfer of randomly-named files sounds odious. What solution am I missing?

Your boss,
– Andrew

 

 

Brian, I too am a fan of having closed captioning on. I’ve come to notice another benefit to closed captioning. In Preacher, in the scene when young Tulip over hears the Jessie’s dad talking on the phone. It just sounds like murmuring, but CC spells it out for you. Also, there was a movie where the tv was on in the background with no sound, but CC showed what the Reporter was saying, which was pertinent to the show.

– Chris

 

 

I’m in the process of cutting the cord. The main problem is that my wife likes the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies Channel. Is there a place to stream these without a cable/satellite subscription? Thanks love the information you provide.

 

– Robert

 

 

 

It is a sad day. No more VCR. 🙁 I guess i can finally throw away that box of Disney movies I have.

 

– Shawn

 

 

Links

www.patreon.com/cordkillers

2016 Summer Movie Draft
 

Cordkillers 112 – DVD Swingers Club (w/ Ben Howard)

Cordkillers / March 14th, 2016

Would you pay $50 to see a brand new movie in your house? And why PlayStation Vue is not what you think it is. With special guest Ben Howard.

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CordKillers: 112 – DVD Swingers Club

Recorded: March 14 2016
Guest: Ben Howard

Intro Video

Primary Target

Signal Intelligence

  • PlayStation Vue service goes nationwide in US
    – PS Vue added outside New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Miami without local channels
    – Packages are cheaper $30, $35 and $45
    – New packages offer ABC, FOX and NBC on demand with CBS to be added “at a later date”
    – PS4, PS3, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire TV Stick, iPad and iPhone Google Chromecast on iOS

Gear Up

  • 4K Roku TV from Best Buy starts at $400
    – Best Buy’s Insignia brand beat TCL to the punch to become the first 4K TV with Roku built-in to hit the shelves. 43, 50 and 55-inch models run $400, $500 and $650 respectively. Online now and in stores in April.

Front Lines

  • Comic-Con will launch a streaming service on May 7th
    – The company Comic-Con International is teaming up with Lionsgate to offer a streaming service of classic SciFi and Fantasy as well as live streams of select panels from conferences like San Diego Comic-Con. The service called Comic-Con HQ soft launches on Free Comic Book Day May 7th for free with a formal launch (and likely a fee) in June. Adam Sessler will host an interview series and Kevin Pereira will executive produce a talk show, also Impossible Science, Her Universe (Geek fashion) and Kings of Con (scripted)
  • Vimeo unveils its next set of Originals, including its first-ever feature film and concert
    – Vimeo announced Thursday its second slate of original programming. Vimeo’s first feature-length film is a documentary called “Wizard Mode” about one of the world’s greatest pinball players. its first concert film features indie “chillwave pioneer” Toro y Moi. CollegeHumor’s Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld (“Jake and Amir”) bring a series called “Lonely and Horny. “Garfunkel and Oates: Trying to be Special,” features Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. All four premier this year at various times starting in April.
  • YouTube Gaming expands to 4 new countries alongside new pop-out player feature
    – YouTube Gaming announced it’s iOS and Android apps are now available in Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia. The app also got some changes, removing the sidebar for a simplified homepage and adding a Live tab. The Android app gets a pop-out player for watching video while using other apps as well as adding in DVR and 60fps playback support.
  • Following YouTube Red, video subscription service Vessel goes ad-free for paying subscribers
    – Vessel is now ad free for all paying subscribers and there’s a new subscription plan where you can choose to pay$19.99 for a year instead of the normal $2.99 a month.
    Vessel also announced plans to offer year-long exclusives on some shows from creators like Linus Media Group, Brittani Louise Taylor and JeromeASF.
  • Another Vote for Sports on the Web: Fox, Sky Invest in Streaming Soccer Startup FuboTV
    – 21st Century Fox and Sky are investing in soccer subscription service FuboTV. 40,000 subscribers pay $10 a month for a mix of matches from La Liga, the MLS and others. 

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Hey Cordkillers,

Wanted to share my experience when I called Charter to ask about their internet only TV package called Spectrum TV Stream. The first part of the call was a combination of the customer service person not knowing what I was talking about, and then being transferred several times. The person who finally know something about what I was talking about had to look it up. Bottom line is that it is $13/month for a bunch of crappy channels (i.e. HSN), and ‘local’ 3 network channels. Its $19 if you want anything decent. I took a pass.

 

 

Hi Tom and Brian,

Any chance of getting Tom’s cord cutting guide in iBook or PDF format for us non-kindle users?
Love the show and I just became a Patreon or as you all like to say, I am now one of you bosses. 🙂

– Jimmy

 

 

 

Long time supporter here to chime in about your recent conversation about HBO and how it’s performing.

While I think Tom and Brian have both brought up good points, you may be overlooking one thing.  You may recall when HBO launched a year ago it did so only on the Apple TV when the new season of Game of Thrones started.  It wasn’t until after the season concluded they launched on other devices including the device with the most penetration in the market, that being the Roku.  

This combined with HBO making the recent season available for purchase around the same time they launched their service on these other devices, in my opinion led to the masses choosing to purchase the season as opposed to the service.

I think once the new season of GOT comes and goes we’ll have a much better idea of how HBO is doing as many people, including myself, won’t be trying the service until that new season is aired.  If I like HBO enough I might just stay for more.

– Gary

 

 

Fan TV, after telling it I was interested in this show many moons ago, just notified me that Don’t Trust Andrew Maine is now available on Amazon instant video. I’m watching it now, finally.

– Ben

 

 

 

Hey Dudes!

This kickstarter is intended to share physical dvds over the internet. It reminds me of some odd mix of Napster and Aereo. 

So, they’re screwed right? 

Or is it saved by the European/French court system?

Rock and Roll!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1151191861/movieswap-join-us-to-freethemovies

– Ryan

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers

Weekly Tech Views – 25 – Best of 2015 – Top Ten!

Daily Tech News Show / January 2nd, 2016

 

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Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.

The Top 10.

Debate raged on at WTVB headquarters–which stories would make the top ten? There were strong opinions on all sides, and I’ll admit things got heated at times–insults were hurled, Christmas gifts rescinded, turkey legs brandished threateningly–but finally a consensus was reached. And though I’m unlikely to get the blood and gravy stains out of my favorite GRISWOLD FAMILY CHRISTMAS sweatshirt, I’m happy with how the list turned out.

The final order of the top ten was determined by a blue ribbon panel comprised of me and a six-pack of Redd’s Wicked Apple Ale.

So here they are, the top Weekly Tech Views stories of 2015. Remember when…?

Number 10 (July 25, 2015)...
We Will Rule The World… Sometime Between One And Five
Breakthrough Listen, a project designed to search for alien life, was announced on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The big question seems to be if we do find life, should we contact it? While there are very smart people on both sides of the debate, I find myself leaning toward the argument that says HAVE YOU SEEN THE COMMERCIALS FOR PIXELS?! The Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man? If pop culture has taught us anything, it’s that the odds of Independence Day aliens showing up are much greater than those of E.T. dropping by.

But suppose we get a best-case scenario. Say we’re the advanced race. We somehow pick up a stray transmission of their version of I Love Lucy (Ahd Vhrdaqqz Vggzzp). That’s where they are technologically–TV’s infancy. We contact them, and they’re ecstatic to hear from us. “Come visit. Share your technology.” And we go, with the best of intentions. But our nature being what it is, eventually there are a couple of superpowers battling to rule this planet, power and domination their only goals. And no matter which of these evil empires wins, be it Comcast or Time-Warner, this naively innocent planet will be subjected to customer service atrocities that they simply can not endure, lacking the decades of escalating inhumanities that have thickened our skins.

Number 9 (August 22, 2015)…
They’ve Got Their Spotif-Eye on You
Spotify’s new Terms of Service allows the company–which, you may recall, is a music-streaming service–to access your phone’s sensor to determine your GPS coordinates, whether you’re walking, running, or standing still, access your photos and examine your contacts, all of which it may share with their partners. “Wow. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen anything that invasive,” said a proctologists convention.

Number 8 (August 15,2015)…
Racing Drones Look to Nab NASCAR’s “Do You Think He’s Dead?” Fan Base
While the Drone Racing League is getting significant financial support, there is concern over how viewer-friendly the sport can be in person. Realizing that many NASCAR fans show up in hopes of seeing crashes, the DRL fears that unmanned drones may not provide high enough stakes, so when a drone does crash, the pilot on the ground–his or her image projected on a 400-foot Jumbotron–will be beaten around the head and shoulders with a bag of nickels.

Number 7 (September 12, 2015)…
Say, I’ve Been Looking for a New Way to Look Like an Idiot in Public
Nintendo is preparing to release Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game for smartphones that has you chasing the game’s characters in the real world. It looks interesting, but the promotional video’s scene of Pokemon characters running through Times Square is nothing new. If you don’t see a sprinting Pikachu carrying an Elmo head and being chased by a cop (and the rest of Elmo) on a Thursday afternoon, you’re not paying attention.

Number 6 (November 21, 2015)…
Emoji To Your Mother
Oxford Dictionaries named their annual Word of the Year this week, and the winner was… “Face with tears of joy” emoji. Of course, this emoji is not, if you’re going to nitpick, actually in the Oxford Dictionary, nor what uptight purists would technically call a “word,” but there you have it.

Whether or not this is just another flashy publicity stunt from the perpetually attention-seeking dictionary industry, it opens the door to a busy award season for the world’s most popular emoji. With the ridiculous onus removed of having to officially belong to a group in order to be judged the best of it, FWTOJ is now the frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar and NBA Player of the Month.

Number 5 (August 8, 2015)…
Philadelphia Delinquent Apologizes for Killing Robot: “I Thought It Was Human”
Hitchbot, the hitchhiking robot that traversed Canada via the kindness of passing motorists, had less luck in the U.S., its travels coming to a violent end in Philadelphia, the town known for hundreds of years as The City of Brotherly Throwing of Ice Balls at Santa Claus During Eagles Games, at the hand of local thug Brucie Peterson.

“I was really drunk,” said Mr. Peterson. “I saw this little dude standing on the corner, and I asked if he had a smoke. He ignored me, like he was better’n me, so I beat the crap out of him with the tire iron I carry. But, I swear, if I’d known it wasn’t alive, I wouldn’t have did it. I’m not a monster.”

Number 4 (September 12, 2015)…
Hard Core Star Wars Fans Rebel Against Force Touch
An angry mob of Star Wars fans gathered outside this week’s Apple event to protest the company’s Force Touch feature, claiming it was intentionally deceptive. “They have shown with the Apple Watch that Force Touch does not mean you can control your device with your mind,” said Tommy McCourty, raising and shaking his left arm, where a space black stainless steel Apple Watch rattled against the gold plastic of his C-3PO costume. “And just try to return it because of that. I’m pretty sure…” He turned to face the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where Apple executives were, after eight hours, guiding the press event toward its halfway point, “…YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT CUSTOMERS!

“And now they want to claim the iPhone will have Force Touch? Enough is enough.”

Just then, word reached the crowd that Apple was not, in fact, using the term Force Touch for iPhone interaction, but rather 3-D Touch. There was a momentary silence, and then a 250-pound man wearing a Princess Leia slave costume shouted, “We won!” and the air was filled with jubilant droid screams and Wookie bellows.

At last report, the vigilant crusaders were headed for the Glad company to demand the dismissal and possible execution of the creator of the ForceFlex garbage bags, which, it turns out, have to be tied by hand.

Numbers 3a, 3b, and 3c. (With the abundance of material the company provided, Ashley Madison was the Weekly Tech Views MVP, and these three stories ran consecutively on July 25, 2015)…

So You’re Saying What Happens Between Two Consenting Adults Behind The Back Of A Non-Consenting Adult Isn’t Private Anymore?
Earlier this week, Target and Home Depot shook their heads pityingly and said, “At least we aren’t those guys,” crooking their thumbs toward Ashley Madison, an adultery-promoting web site that was hacked this week. The group claiming responsibility for the hack has demanded the site be taken down, threatening, otherwise, to publicize the data they have obtained on the site’s 37 million clients. If they do release the information, we expect to learn that:

1) The most requested username is Phil Landers.

2) The top reasons for joining are a) “He doesn’t understand me,” b) “She’s frigid,” and c) the classic, “Defiling the holy sanctity of my marriage vows is the only thing that makes me feel alive anymore.”

3) Upwards of 60% of member bios include the phrase “I like pina coladas.”

If We Learn Just One Thing…
Aside from the lascivious curiosity a story like this engenders, there are important issues that we need to take pains to understand–the vulnerability of data, the ethicality of “good” hacks–but the most vital takeaway, the one thing we all need to comprehend–and this is especially true for anyone related to me by marriage–is that I had never heard of this site before this week.

When It Rains…
Asked if he had any advice for the Ashley Madison management team, having gone through a serious hacking incident of his own, a Sony Pictures executive whispered, “Ashley Madison was hacked?” He followed up by repeatedly hitting his head on his desk and shouting, “Oh, come on!”

Number 2 (Never officially published in the blog, this comes from the proposal I sent to Tom in June, 2015)…

The Internet Is Like A Snowblower
The company Vivint wants to provide free WiFi to one household in a neighborhood in exchange for allowing the placement of three antennas on their roof to share that WiFi with up to 128 neighbors. The obvious question is… where was this kind of thinking when I bought my snowblower? Pretty sure my Husqvarna serves up to 128 leeches–ha! I mean neighbors–too. The difference is, I didn’t get my snowblower for free. Oh, one Christmas a neighbor gave me a plate of cookies. Great–we’re all square, neighborhood! Everyone has now pitched in equally to cover the $850 piece of machinery I bought and you all use! But I’ll bet the cookies were great! I didn’t actually eat them, despite hardly any visible cat hair. You bragged about your kids helping, and little Tina can’t make a baloney sandwich without licking her fingers a couple dozen times, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. You know what would be another good thought for the kiddies? If they thought about getting their ice skates off the sidewalk before you ran over them with my snowblower. No, you didn’t mention that when you returned it, but I heard it and felt the blade-on-blade violence in my soul.

So I think I’ll let Vivint give the free WiFi to a neighbor. I’ll stream Game of Thrones on a different device in every room of my house, then when my connection gets wonky I’ll just climb up and clomp around on their roof (maybe wearing ice skates) and wiggle the antenna to my heart’s content.

Number 1 —
The New York Times ran a story in which former Amazon employees decried extremely stressful working conditions and unrealistic expectations. Others claimed they knew what they were getting into and the management style made them better workers. Where does the truth lie? I have no idea. But it’s probably not this. (August 22, 2015)…

Amazon: River of Tears?
Based on comments by some former Amazon employees, I envision this typical Tuesday morning:
“Well, Janet, I really hate to do this, but we have to let you go. This is the second time in the last 24 months you’ve been late.”
“But, it was only three minutes. And I was in a bad car accident.”
“Well, that may be so, but you know our philosophy here at Amazon: Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.”
“But I live only fifteen minutes away and still I leave home an hour-and-a-half early to make sure I’m on time every day. It was the accident. It was an Amazon truck that hit me; it wasn’t my fault. The paramedic said I should be in the hospital; he said I broke my leg in two places and there’s a good chance I ‘dented my brain’ but I came to work instead.”

“That’s all well and good, Janet; I’m not saying I don’t believe you–say, could you grab those? I think a few of your teeth landed on the corner of my desk… and here, have a couple more Kleenex, that nosebleed doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.”
“It’s broken.”
“Yes, I would have guessed, the angle it’s at. Anyway, I’m sure you think you tried your best, but like our twelve-inch plush Talking Yoda–a Lightning Deal today at $16.99, with free two-day shipping for Prime members–would say, ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’ So, thanks for coming by; we’ve cleaned out your desk and Security will escort you to your car–or, I guess it’s the bus stop, now, isn’t it? And on your way, could you send Mr. Hibberd in? Guy’s been here sixteen years; you’d think he’d know better than to put a photo of his kid up on his cubicle wall during work time. It’s ironic, too–you’ll find this funny, Janet–he gets fired just minutes after getting the $19.84 bonus for turning you in for being late.”

 

And that brings our slightly skewed view of 2015 tech to a close. I hope you enjoyed these top ten stories as much the second time around (I know, that implies you enjoyed them the first time; welcome to 2016–The Year of Positive Thinking!).

Keeping that positivity in mind, I’m assuming many of you have been too busy during the hectic holiday season with your selfless shopping for others to do the thing you’ve been wanting to do for yourself–grab a copy of all 200+ WTVB stories (plus the complete “audition” issue that was never published) in The Internet is Like a Snowblower (And 200 Other Things I Got Wrong About Tech This Year).

Now that things have calmed down, here’s your chance to get this Amazon-ranked collection of snarky misinformation (“You say ‘Amazon-ranked’ like it’s something special. Isn’t every book on their site ‘Amazon-ranked’? Even if the rank is, like, 1,574,286th?” I get that question a lot. Let me explain it this way: Yes.).

Only $2.99? Heck yes, I want one! I’ll just click here!

Snowblower Cover - Original - Final

Happy New Year, and thanks, as always, for taking time to read these.  I hope you’re back for more in 2016.

Mike Range
@MovieLeagueMike

Creative Commons License
Weekly Tech Views Blog by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Cordkillers 95 – Too Much TV

Cordkillers / November 10th, 2015

Should TV networks hold back content from Netflix? Netflix says there’s not enough TV. Time Warner wants to reduce commercials.

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CordKillers: 95 – Too Much TV
Recorded: November 9, 2015
Guest: Lamarr Wilson

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • TV Studios Plan to Cut Back on Netflix, Digital Subscription Sales
  • Time Warner Says It Will Hold Back Shows From Netflix, Other SVOD
  • Time Warner plans to win back cord cutters by showing fewer ads
    – Peter Kafka at ReCode reports TV execs signaling they will stoff selling best stuff to digital services, netflix in particular
    – 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch September changing “business rules”
    – Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes: “[undercut] yourself by having somebody else pay a fraction of the cost and create a better inventory on the various shows you yourself invented.”
    — Also said may retain rights longer delay/forego licensing
    – Discovery CEO David Zaslav: “It’s just not rational that all of us in the content business sold our content to a distributor and have allowed that distributor to gain so much share and offer it without our brands.”
    — May make them ONLY available on cable VOD “Tv Everywhere”
    – Another reason CBS ALL Access got Star Trek
    – Netflix to shareholders last month: “Some studios will choose to license content to SVOD services like Hulu, Amazon – –  – Prime Instant Video and Netflix. Others may not,”
    – Netflix point out show’s creators/producers want to make sure the show has been maximizing money
    – Time Warner networks will cut down commercial inventory
    – HBO, movies and games all strong
    – Turner revenue declined
    – will reduce ad load starting with younger-skewing nets like TruTV
    – From 18-19 minutes all the way to 10-11 per hour
    – Said would have little to no impact on revenue

Signal Intelligence

  • Netflix CEO: Actually, There’s “Not Nearly Enough” TV
  • Netflix’s short episodes helps parents negotiate kids’ bedtime
  • Netflix will produce original Bollywood and anime programs
    – FX CEO John Landgraf over the summer: “simply too much television.”
    – At NYTImes DealBook conf last week Reed Hastings: “He’s wrong. There’s not nearly enough.”
    – Consumer spending on entertainment, which he said has been “growing faster than disposable income for decades.”
    – “We need to go beyond the normal spectrum to get quality,” he said. “I’m hopeful that over time we can make a great Bollywood show, that we can make a great anime show.”
    – Hastings said TV Everywhere that brings network content to multiple devices is what he’s always been “most scared of”
    “The big system has to figure out TV everywhere.”
    – Netflix Notes: Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites series features three short episodes based on Dreamworks’ popular Netflix show, that give kids their final fix of TV for the day in a small dose before bed.

Gear Up

Front Lines

  • Sony’s PlayStation Vue picks up ESPN, Disney, and ABC in huge content deal
    – Disney announced a deal bringing ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC, and ABC Family to the PlayStation Vue service. All ESPN-related channels will be included. Local ABC affiliates may opt in as well for live programming. No word on when or if it will add to the $50 a month price.
  • Fox Shows On Hulu Will Offer Reduced, Only 30-Second-Long Ad Option
    – Hulu subscribers on tiers that still see ads can choose to have an interactive ad that gets rid of ad breaks in exchange for interacting with one 30-second ad. The ad comes at the beginning but can also be chosen during the first ad break or when the user presses pause. These engagement ads are more expensive than traditional ads and will only be available on current season shows when an advertiser has bought one. They are launching on Web and mobile but will eventually be on all Hulu apps.
  • Vice’s cable channel, Viceland, will launch February 2016
    – Our emailer from last week was right. Vice and A&E announced they will launch the channel Viceland in February 2016. Spike Jonze oversees Gaycation with Ellen Page and Portraits with Marc Maron, as well as versions of its YouTube shows. No waiting period between Web and TV for shows either. It will replace H2 on lineups. 
  • NewsON Brings Your Local News Stations To iOS, Android And Roku
    – NewsOn has launched offering local news for subscribers on iOS, Android, and Roku. Backed by TV stations it will offer local news coverage from 118 stations in 90 markets which NewsON says is about 75% of the US.
  • Tidal has decided to get into original TV shows
    – Music service Tidal will now offer some original TV shows. No Small Talk is a half-hour stand-up comedy show, comprised of five episodes and hosted by Cipha Sounds which premiered November 3rd. And the second season of YouTube series Money & Violence, which is about a group of criminals living in Brooklyn, created by and starring Moise Verneau. That one is on Tidal for a week exclusvie before coming to YouTube.
  • Jon Stewart has signed a four-year contract with HBO
    – HBO announced that Jon Stewart has signed a four-year production deal to focus on short-form digital content meant for HBO Go and HBO Now, with the possibility of making other film and TV programs. Stewart’s job will be to “view current events through his unique prism.” 

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

Hi guys,
Coming from a lifelong Trek fan, I understand why the internet exploded over CBS’s decision to bury the new series behind a paywall. I also see CBS’s side, they are taking a huge risk with what will likely be a cast of unknowns, a huge f/x budget and a hard sell to top advertisers.
No matter how good the pilot is, though, I won’t be subscribing to All Access. Not because CBS shouldn’t do what they did, they have every right, but because they don’t offer any other programming that interests me right now. I already own everything Star Trek that I like so I really have no need for the back catalog. I’m only moderately interested in Supergirl (which is also All Access only online) as it’s clearly targeted at a female audience and the whole Kryptonian on TV thing has been done to death.
I do want to watch the series, so I am going to take the Netflix approach. As Tom so eloquently stated, you can subscribe and unsubscribe to these services at will. When the first season is complete, I’ll join All Access for a month and binge watch the whole thing in a weekend. Problem solved and no internet cursing!
Of course, it will end up being really good, or during that month I’ll find something there that I’ll have to watch and I’ll end up subscribing long-term. Then all the CBS executives will hold their pinky up to their mouth and laugh that evil laugh. Those bastards.

– Paul

 

 

 

I’m a huge Star Trek fan. Not go to conventions and dress up huge, but otherwise yeah. I have no problem paying for CBS All Access to get Star Trek. And it would have be horrible past the second season for me to stop watching. Every Star Trek series is notorious for having a slow first couple of seasons (well except for TOS). Plus, if ST fans don’t show their support, we could lose out on future properties!

Live Long & Prosper
– Tom

 

 

 

New TV shows need to hit a critical mass before they attain true popularity.  Putting the first season of any TV show behind a paywall that hardly anyone is using yet, is a huge mistake.  Even a brand as big as Star Trek can flounder with such a definitive barrier. 

Yes, Trek fans will be happy to pay and CBS will gain subscribers, but will it be enough?  CBS has a track record of cancelling shows in their first or second season if the views are low.  Everything from the original Flash TV show to The Crazy Ones to Extant.  Will they give Star Trek a chance if too few subscribe?

What about those that decide to wait for the season to end, and binge watch the whole thing in one month and cancel?  Star Trek does not seem like a property that should be used as a test in this way – it has been off the air for too long and has too much to prove.

In the end I believe this experiment will fail even if the show is actually good, as we will once again have to wait another decade for more Star Trek on the small screen.  After all, it was the CBS acquisition of Paramount studios in 2005 that finally spelled the end for Enterprise.”

– Paul

 

 

 

Star Trek will have to be as good as Star Wars makes the audience feel. If SW doesn’t live up to the hype, there is no hope for ST. Because of the timeline, ST will be a television complement to the massive SW movies, sort of like a pacifier in between the bottle. At this point, we don’t know if the audience viewing ST will be on an intergalactic high or going through space fatigue.

On another note, Childhood’s End is coming up in December which is not soon enough me. I think it was Brian that mentioned how much he loved the book and that convinced me to read it. I loved it enough to seek out my own copy at a local free bookstore (1960 edition). Thanks!

And thank you both for all the hard work you do.

– Abry 

 

 

 

Hi guys,

I’ll put my vote in for not reading Preacher. I read it, and while I didn’t dislike it, it was hardly my favorite book. Not anywhere near my top 10 or even top 20.

It feels oddly dated. When I read it, I assumed it was made in the 80’s because of the art style, but was surprised to find that it came out from 95-00. I guess my other problem is that it’s a Garth Ennis book, and while I don’t mind violence he seems to relish in it and write for it. He seems to like the shock value.

Anyway, there’s more I could say, but it’s not really worth it. I say skip it and read something by Brian K Vaughn instead. Can’t ever go wrong with that 🙂

– Matt

 

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers

2015 Winter Movie Draft

Weekly Tech Views – 11

Daily Tech News Show / September 26th, 2015

 

Untitled drawing (1)

Real tech stories. Really Shaky Analysis.

Welcome to early fall, that magical time of year when many of us get to both rake leaves and mow the lawn! Take a well-deserved break with a few minutes of pseudo-technology nonsense.

For the week of September 21 – September 25, 2015

 

It’s All About That Face, ‘Bout That Face, New Pebble
Pebble announced the Pebble Time Round, its first smartwatch with a round face. This is how I hope the press conference went:

[A round stage is designed to mimic a watch face and at each hour sits a two-year-old dressed like Fred and Wilma Flintstone’s kid. Center stage, Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky takes questions]

“Why does the new watch have a shorter battery life than previous versions?”

“It’s round.”

“Do you think the smaller display will hinder it’s functionality?”

“It’s round!”

“What’s that smell?”

“Three o’clock Pebbles peed.”

“Why wasn’t the $249 price rounded to $250?”

“We’re done here.”

Starbucks Makes it Easier Than Ever to Spend Seven Bucks on a 900-Calorie, Nutrition-Free Breakfast
The Starbucks app is now available for Android, providing the ability to order and pay with your mobile device. This will work in 7,000 U.S. locations, which, according to the most recent census, covers nearly three-quarters of the stores in eastern Connecticut. The next update to the app is expected to include the Digital Barista, a feature that lets you speak your order into your phone–“a Venti Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino and a Pumpkin Scone, for Charles”–and then, at the very moment your order is ready, you will get a voice message stating “Your order is ready, Caramels.”

And While You’re At It, Tattoo Your Bank Account Info on Your Forehead
The Indian government had proposed a law requiring smartphone users to keep any encrypted information stored on their phone, in plain text, for ninety days, so the government could have a little look-see if they felt like it. Thankfully, this provision was removed in a later draft, along with the less-publicized requirement that citizens keep all web site passwords written on a piece of paper and kept in their sock drawer.

At Least There Was No Vomit Involved
When Amazon Web Services went down over the weekend, writer David Gerwitz reported that his Echo–Amazon’s personal assistant device–didn’t take it well. When he spoke requests such as “turn on the lights” or “turn off the alarm,” the only response from Alexa–the Echo’s “brain”–was to initiate a spinning red light (a light that is normally blue) and slowly speak a series of meaningless words. Analysts expect Mr. Gerwitz to add some levitation and a swarm of flies and get cracking on a first draft of The Alexorcist.

Yeah, But How About the Fun We Had With Fahrvergnugen?
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a notice of violation (known in official government parlance as “calling shenanigans”) to Volkswagen after discovering that some of their diesel vehicles were cheating emissions tests. The German auto manufacturer had installed software to determine if testing was being done, and only under those conditions would emissions be scaled back.

No question, Volkswagen (motto: “If the car doesn’t emit, you must issue a permit“) did a lousy thing. They duped the EPA and screwed their customers by taking an axe to their car’s resale value. But I think we can all agree the big picture takeaway is this: machines continue to become more like us every day.

As anthropologists have said for centuries, the ability to control when we emit gasses is what separates us from the animals.* Which of us hasn’t, when being “tested”–at a job interview, on a date, sitting through the third hour of a play you didn’t want to go to in the first place and has you questioning whether it was really worth promising this to be able to go to the Browns game with your friends last week–altered our natural tendencies and contained emissions that would put us in a bad light in the eyes of others, and then, once free of the testing scenario, emitted something not only harmful to the immediate environment, but capable of jiggling the needle on a nearby seismograph?

Fingerprints Are Like Snowflakes–Neither Is Safe Inside a Federal Government Building
Previously, The U.S. Office of Personnel Management stated that the fingerprints of 1.1 million government employees were accessed during a data breach this summer. That number has now been updated to 5.6 million. Demoralized by the extent of this hack, officials performed an extensive cost/benefit analysis and decided they could save taxpayers millions of dollars and be nearly as secure by uninstalling all computer security software and asking the world to go on the honor system.

If It Wasn’t Important, It Wouldn’t Be On Twitter
On this episode of Priorities Playhouse, we eavesdrop on a technology conversation taking place in thousands of homes, workplaces, dorms, and coffeeshops between two web surfers:

Web Surfer A: “Wow, listen to this–a paraplegic was able to walk by wearing a cap that sent signals from his brain–bypassing his severed spinal cord!–to his leg muscles via electrodes around his kn–”

Web Surfer B: “Hey–you can get your selfie printed on a pancake!”**

There Ought to Be a Law
A U.S. District Judge ruled that the Fifth Amendment prevents someone from having to divulge their mobile phone passcode to provide authorities access to the contents. It turns out, however, that it does nothing to prevent your fantasy football leaguemates, after listening to you brag all off-season about going 12-1-1 and winning the league championship, from guessing that your passcode is 1211 and leaving images on your camera roll of the trophy you bought to commemorate your accomplishment being subjected to contact with parts of their bodies that only the most intimate of medical specialists would normally see.

 

* Journal of Obnoxious Smells (June, 1981)

** Yes, it’s true: http://laist.com/2015/09/24/pancake_selfies_are_the_future.php

 

Thanks for spending some of your non-yard work time with the Weekly Tech Views. If you know someone else who needs an excuse to put the rake down for a few minutes, send them by.

Mike Range
@MovieLeagueMike

Creative Commons License
Weekly Tech Views Blog by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Cordkillers 88 – Involuntary “Dammit!”

Cordkillers / September 21st, 2015

Why the new Fire TV beats Apple TV and BBC streaming is a bad thing.

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CordKillers: 88 – Involuntary “Dammit!”
Recorded: September 20, 2015
Guest: None

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • Latest Amazon Fire TV Features 4k Video, Alexa Voice Assistant
    – Amazon Fire TV $100 ships Oct. 5
    – supports 4K HEVC (High efficiency video codec)
    – Alexa integrated into voice search (discover content queue up media; it cannot set timers or alarms just yet.full feature set coming next year)
    – New 64-bit quad-core processor and a dedicated GPU.
    – $50 Fire TV Stick with voice search ships Oct. 22 ($40 w/o voice still available)
    – A bundle called the Amazon TV Gaming edition packs a Fire TV with a game controller a 32GB microSD card and two free games for $140. Ships Oct. 5
  • Amazon boasts Fire TV is better at turning you into a couch potato
    – Amazon says Fire TV ranks among the top for customer loyalty for Internet-television app Sling TV. 16 hours per week on Fire TV
    – Amazon says it has more channels apps and games than any other
    – Roku claims 2500 channels

Signal Intelligence

  • BBC to offer streaming in US
    – BBC will offer a streaming service in US
    – Programs that aren’t already screened on TV channels or available on existing streaming services
    – No price announced
    – Coming sometime in 2016

Gear Up

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

 On your last show you guys talked about how it would be nice to easily be able to download Netflix shows for off- line viewing. I’ve been able to download shows from all the major online sites ( Netflix, Hulum amazon, YouTube, the networks, and many more using a companion program to playon called Playlater. HD quality, easy to use and then to transfer to my Tivo using Tivo desktop or my ipad using itunes. one time cost right now for both programs of $49 and no monthly fees

– Anonymous

 

 

 

 Do you know of a way to translate DVDs into digital format? I know DRM makes this hard, but I was hoping the production studios would get behind this as we transition from DVD to digital as a society.

Secondly, what options do you know of for renting movie content? iTunes and Amazon are great for this, but subject to delays in the studio’s distribution plans (movie is available to buy only for a few months before rental is an option). 

– Tyler

 

 

 

I was listening to episode 87, where the listener wanted to use an antenna and split it off to multiple TVs. Let me tell you what I did. I bought four “flattenas” from Channelmaster.com. Each cost me $10. I went to Alltex computers in Austin Texas and bought some coaxial cable, some end thingies, and a crimper thingy. Oh, I also bought four switches that could switch from cable to antenna. I did not want to run the cable from my attic to the TVs. I just split the existing cable from Time Warner (that was already in the attic) and added the splitter. I then added a piece of new coax that went to each of the flattennas and connected it to the splitter (that was mounted where I cut the Time Warner coax). I mounted the antennas with a pushpin toward the bottom of my roof (as high as I could get them). I then put the switch to the antenna side and now each of my cable connections in the house go to the antenna instead of to the outside cable box. Now I can always switch it back to the cable side in case I ever want to subscribe to cable again. I learned how to create those correct cables by watching YouTube videos. It was simple. And cheap. I get about 23 English-speaking channels here in Cedar Park Texas. Works great!

Thank you for all you do,

– Steven
Cedar Park, Texas

 

 

 

 

Dear Tom and Brian,

I want to keep you updated on the new revolution in cord cutting in the Middle East and North Africa: icflix.

The Netflix clone just surfaced in the area with a huge selection of movies and TV shows and it costs just 8 US$ a month. It comes pre-installed in all new LG and Samsung smart TVs and has apps on consoles, smartphones, and tablets.

The price includes simultaneous streaming for 5 devices of libraries of movies of Hollywood, Bollywood and Jazwood (the latter two are Indian and Arabic movies.)

The Walking Dead is the first thing I searched for and surely, it was there.

And since all major Football (soccer) are already available for paid streaming on Bein Sports, and NFL Game Pass available for the middle east, everyone in the Middle East and North Africa can finally cut the cord and never go back.

Yours,

– Fares

 

 

I can already stream Cordkillers on my Apple TV, through the Podcast channel.

– Sara in Sunny Seattle

 

 

 

Brian and Tom,

On the most recent show, you were talking about scenarios where offline streaming would be useful outside of planning trips. I watch a ton of video on my tablet in my tractor. I’ve got an unlimited data plan, so the 70 gb or more per month of mobile data doesn’t cost anything, but there is a lot of my farm where Verizon doesn’t work well enough for streaming video. I usually fill up my tablet at night using Plex, which isn’t always as legal as I’d like, so having an offline option with Netflix would be huge. Imagine burning through a 12 episode season of TV every day for a month, and you can see just how nice it would be to have to work a little less hard at sourcing content.

– Aaron @Traffas from smoggy Sharon, Kansas
 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers

2015 Winter Movie Draft

Cordkillers 87 – Show Us What You Got

Cordkillers / September 14th, 2015

Hulu goes commercial free-ish, Voice search comes to Apple TV, why Netflix won’t let you watch offline. 

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CordKillers: Show Us What You Got
Recorded: September 14, 2015
Guests: Kristi Kates, Mulango Akpo-Esambe 

Intro Video

Primary Target

  • Hulu Starts a Commercial-Free Option to Rival Netflix and Amazon
    –     Hulu launched a commercial free tier for $12 a month
    – Exceptions are shows that Hulu hasn’t got the license to show commercial free
    – Those shows will have a commercial before and after each episode.
    – Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon A Time, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scandal, Grimm, New Girl, and How To Get Away With Murder.
    – Shows only available because you authenticated through a cable service will still have commercials

Signal Intelligence

  • Netflix Exec: No Offline Downloads Because Too Much Choice Is Bad
  • Rakuten’s Wuaki.tv Beats Netflix To Offline Downloads, Starting First With Mobile Devices
    –     Amazon and Wuaki now offer the ability to download certain shows fro offline viewing.
    – Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt told Gizmodo that offering offline video options is too much choice
    – “One of the things I’ve learned is that every time you offer a choice, you paralyze some people who can’t decide if that’s what they want to do or not. Now, that sounds really stupid and self-serving, but it is in fact true.”
    – He said tests have shown adding an addition step in the decision-making process can stop people from watching anything at all
    – Netflix would rather make the existing service work in more places like planes, trains and hotels

Gear Up

  • Apple Unveils A More Powerful Apple TV, Shipping In October
  • It’s hard to build Apple TV apps and that’s good for users
  • Plex will bring its media streaming to Apple TV
    – 4th gen Apple TV (Eddy Cue senior vice president of Internet Software and Services)
    – “The future of TV is apps”
    – “Over 60% of pay TV streaming video is consumed on an Apple device.”
    – Remote – touchpad, airplay button, voice control “siri” button,
    – Searches across multiple apps: iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime
    – Plays screen savers that are daypart appropriate
    – movies/tv shows/app store/photos/music
    – FF, rewind, with thumb on touchpad “what did she say?” skip back
    – Can use phone or tablet as a controller
    – Can ask Siri for weather and sports scores
    – Runs TVOS
    – App store including games and shopping and even Zillow?
    – 64-bit A8 chip, Bluetooth 4, 802.11ac MIMO, IR
    – 32GB for $149, $199 for 64GB, late October
    – SDK Available for devs today, no webkit, so no browser

Front Lines

Under Surveillance

Dispatches from the Front

With Hulu going commercial free (Hey Tom, take $4 of my dollars I send you and get a month commercial free and then go back to the commercial version and then tell me if you don’t really notice the commercials on Hulu 😉
Also Sling TV giving me access to Rugby (and my dad is waiting for Apple TV to have sling on it so he can start watching Tennis. He worked in TV for years and only does OTA for his tv viewing)
I am so close to being totally Cord Free but I have horrible reception here in West Hollywood so I still have a TiVo with local cable channel service. We use the Tivo for recording live events like award shows. Is there a service out there that allows me to record / view these shows for later or live viewing? Or is it just a matter of time to wait for it to happen. (AKA Apple TV live streaming coming early 2016/2017/2018….)
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.

– Blair in West HollyWeird

 

 

I’m ready to kill my cord. I love my Fios, but I’m done giving that much money to Verizon every month.

I love with 2 teenagers who are mostly cord-free anyway, but I do have 3 TVs I need to drive OTA signals to. I know about the Channelmaster for OTA DVR action but I really need the potential to run all 3 TVs simultaneously live for local sportball. Is there a solution for this that only involves 1 antenna shared somehow? I’m in a remote suburb and need to get my antenna in the attic or on the roof and don’t want to have to do it x3.

– Rob Damascus, MD

 

 

 

Hey Tom and Brian,

Today marked week one of NCAA Football. Over the last few years conferences have created their own networks; SEC network, Big 10 network, ect. These can usually be found in cable sports packages. While a lot of the networks are aligned with ESPN, they require their own authentication. SLING to the rescue. I added the sports package to my Sling subscription today and was off to the gridiron. The authentication on the ESPN website is pretty flawless. To activate the app on my Amazon Fire TV stick I had to enter a code on another connected device.

I have noticed some streaming issues, I have Optimum 100MBPS (down) internet, but the picture goes form 480 up to HD and back regularly. The audio also drops out sometimes while the video continues in the ESPN app. On the sling app, I would get total black screens with no audio then everything would come back.

While it is not as nice as cable was to watch sports, it was so much easier to add the sports pack and will be easier to remove it. I am just starting my post cord cutting experience. Moving 1/3rd of the way across the country was a great motivator. I am still getting all my devices unpacked and hooked up, but it feels nice to be saving effectively $80/month and getting more content I am interested in.

Your boss,

– Sean

 

 

 

Amazon has acquired video technology company Elemental – Full disclosure, I was employee #12 at elemental six years ago. …

Companies like these three are very much infrastructure companies – they’re features are the guts of the video workflow….

Think about one of Amazon’s other big recent purchases – twitch. Twitch is the eyeballs, Elemental is the efficiency of delivery on that service (and improved quality i imagine). Between just Amazon Instant Video and Twitch, there should be a pretty big value in having elemental onboard.

Here’s one last piece and then i’ll shut up. Elemental has a lot of big broadcast customers – the Olympics, BBC, ESPN, Disney, and even google and Microsoft. Imagine how interesting license rights negations get when your talking to the platform that delivers the content AND the company encoding your content.

– Andy Beach

 

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers

2015 Winter Movie Draft

Weekly Tech Views – 9

Daily Tech News Show / September 12th, 2015

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Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.

Give me five minutes and I’ll give you the week in tech, without the annoying facts or common sense.

For the week of September 7 – September 11, 2015

We start, of course, with news from the Apple Press Event…

You Can’t Spell Tablet Without Table

Apple is expanding their tablet line with the iPad Pro, which, despite being nearly twice the size of the iPad Air, actually conserves space in your home by converting, with the optional fold-out legs, into a dining room table.

Hard Core Star Wars Fans Rebel Against Force Touch

An angry mob of Star Wars fans gathered outside this week’s Apple event to protest the company’s Force Touch feature, claiming it was intentionally deceptive. “They have shown with the Apple Watch that Force Touch does not mean you can control your device with your mind,” said Tommy McCourty, raising and shaking his left arm, where a space black stainless steel Apple Watch rattled against the gold plastic of his C-3PO costume. “And just try to return it because of that. I’m pretty sure…” He turned to face the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where Apple executives were, after eight hours, guiding the press event toward its halfway point, “…YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LAUGH AT CUSTOMERS!

“And now they want to claim the iPhone will have Force Touch? Enough is enough.”

Just then, word reached the crowd that Apple was not, in fact, using the term Force Touch for iPhone interaction, but rather 3-D Touch. There was a momentary silence, and then a 250-pound man wearing a Princess Leia slave costume shouted, “We won!” and the air was filled with jubilant droid screams and Wookie bellows.

At last report, the vigilant crusaders were headed for the Glad company to demand the dismissal and possible execution of the creator of the ForceFlex garbage bags, which, it turns out, have to be tied by hand.

A Rose Gold By Any Other Name…

Of course, Apple’s most anticipated announcement came when Tim Cook unveiled this year’s wacky, made-up color option for devices. The winner, as we all know now, was “Rose Gold,” which, according to insiders, narrowly edged out “Chrysanthemum Platinum” and “Fuchsia.”

And, in non-Apple news…

Whisky-A-No-No

In one of mankind’s most vital experiments, a Scottish distillery sent whisky to the International Space Station for three years to find out what effect microgravity would have on flavor. The control sample kept on Earth had hints of raisins, toffee, vanilla, and creamy fudge, while tasters found the “space whisky” to have aromas and flavors of smoke, violet perfume, and antiseptic lozenges, a combination classified by whiskey aficionados as “My Grandmother’s Purse.”

Say Cheese

Canon is introducing a 247-megapixel image sensor that they say can make out the lettering on a plane eleven miles away. If my calculations are correct–try and follow my logic here–that means someone on a plane eleven miles away could capture images on the ground. Which is bad news for our neighbors, Ed and Judy. They just dropped five grand on a community-mandated eight-foot privacy fence after a dozen seven-year-olds at Tina Nelson’s birthday party paused festivities (according to reports, this was a spirited game of Who Can Wear the Most Cake Frosting?) to watch Ed, Judy, and their Labor Day picnic guests playing a spirited game of their own–Nude Bocce. “It’s the way God intended bocce to be played,” Judy told them, just before the kids’ horrified parents yanked them into the Nelson’s house, a process that took longer than expected, because frosting is slippery.

It seems Ed and Judy, following their recent retirement, had pledged to avoid “growing old” by living life “unconventionally,” or, “in a creepy and obscene manner” as the Neighborhood Association put it in the complaint filed with the city.

“Now what, does this camera mean we have to put up a dome because some kid in a window seat on his way to Disney World might snap a photo of our backyard on badminton night? I’m telling you, Thoreau had the right idea; if we could find a nice, secluded, away-from-uptight-humanity spot in the woods we would go full-on Walden Pond, right now. I mean, if it got at least twelve meg internet access. Jude and I have to have our Netflix. Catching up on True Blood, you know.” He nudged me and said, “We watch an episode, then play act it. Getting me some Sookie nookie, right?”

There is no fence tall enough to keep that image from my mind. Thanks, Canon.

Say, I’ve Been Looking for a New Way to Look Like an Idiot in Public

Nintendo is preparing to release Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game for smartphones that has you chasing the game’s characters in the real world. It looks interesting, but the promotional video’s scene of Pokemon characters running through Times Square is nothing new. If you don’t see a sprinting Pikachu carrying an Elmo head and being chased by a cop (and the rest of Elmo) on a Thursday afternoon, you’re not paying attention.

That’s Exactly What He Wants Us to Think

The latest car hack comes from a scientist who claims that, using a low power laser and pulse generator, he can make a self-driving car think there is an obstacle present when there isn’t.

Or is there?

Did anybody stop to think that maybe this guy is an evil genius who has developed an Invisible Obstacle-inator which is placing all too real hazards in the car’s path, and the car is correctly identifying them? Huh? As usual, nobody is going to believe the poor car, the Haley Joel Osment of the vehicle world, that sees things nobody else does. “Just another run-of-the-mill car hack,” the media says. And nobody questions it, because these days, apparently, anyone with a Raspberry Pi and a garage door opener can hack a car. So the mad scientist gets to test his dastardly invention without anyone catching on. Then, when it’s too late, he takes over the world by–

Hey, here’s a question: is it possible to take too much cough syrup?

 

Thanks again for stopping by the Weekly Tech Views Blog. If you enjoyed it, feel free to send a friend or five this way. If you weren’t so crazy about it, we’ll just pretend this never happened.

Mike Range

@MovieLeagueMike

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