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

• Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War – Trailer 2

Primary Target

• New system to let you rent movies from home while still in theaters
• Hollywood’s biggest directors want to bring new movies straight to your living room
  – The Screening Room
  – Same day as theaters in home movies
  – Set-top box costs $150
  – $50 per movie (48-hour window)
  – Two free tickets to theater
  – Exhibitors cut in on revenue (as much as 20%)
  – Supposedly finalizing a deal with AMC theaters
  – Universal Fox and Sony all interested
  – Screening Room wants to be exclusive partner
  – Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, and Peter Jackson support the idea
  – Backed by Sean Parker

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

• Game of Thrones Season 6 starts April 24
• Captain America; Civil War comes May 6
• Amazon’s first live show debuts online tonight
  – Amazon launched a live daily 30-minute show called “Style Code Live.” It will stream M-F at 9 PM Eastern. There’s no advertising but viewers can purchase beauty projects mentioned in the show through a gallery located below the video player. And there’s a chat room.  
• Yahoo, NHL enter pact to stream four live games a week
  – Starting LAST Friday, Yahoo began streaming live hockey matches four times a week under a deal with the NHL. The streams will be free to viewers outside the competing teams’ home markets. Yahoo has a separate deal with NBC Sports to stream two additional games a week. Yahoo also has deals with MLB and the PGA and is bidding on rights to NFL streams.
• Netflix’s Luke Cage will premiere on September 30th
• The New Voltron Cartoon on Netflix Is Being Headed Up by Legend of Korra Alums
  – Netflix’s reboot of Voltron have named Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos as showrunners. Dos Santos directed and produced for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and Montgomery was a producer and storyboard artist for Korra.
• Netflix Buying Will Smith-David Ayer Supernatural Cop Movie ‘Bright’
  – The Hollywood Reporter says Netflix is the top bidder for a movie called Bright about a magic-infused cop starring Wil Smith and Joel Edgerton with David Ayer directing. Max Landis wrote the script. The deal has not been completed yet.
• Brian: 10 cloverfield ln, Justified, 11.22.63, more House of Cards, Great Minds with Dan Harmon
• Tom: Better Call Saul, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Justified, 11.22.63 (105)
• Ben: Vinyl, People Vs OJ Simpson, Love
• On the Lookout: You’re The Worst

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

Netflix is 50% killing television, Facebook might get NFL games, and Roku won’t take the FCC’s side. With special guest Andrew Mayne.

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CordKillers: Cordkillers 111 – Technology Make Things Fast
Recorded:  March 7 2016
Guest: Andrew Mayne

Intro Video

• Mr. Rogers learns breakdancing

Primary Target

• News flash, Netflix not killing television
• Netflix Caused 50% of U.S. TV Viewing Drop in 2015
  – MoffettNathanson report
  – Netflix equivalent to mid-size cable network
  – ~6% of traditional TV hours
  – Cause of ~half of decline in TV hours
  – HH w/ young people raise TV hours when subscribed to Netflix (watch more ESPN and Adult Swim)

Signal Intelligence

• Facebook Wants to Pay for NFL Streaming Rights but Apple Doesn’t
  – NFL selling digital rights (owners meeting March 20)
  – Stream 18 regular season games
  – Peter Kafka ReCode says these are the interested parties
  – Facebook
  – Amazon (looking for streaming sports exec too)
  – Verizon (has mobile rights)
  – Yahoo (submitted preliminary paperwork)

Gear Up

• Afraid Of Upsetting The Cable Industry, Roku Won’t Support FCC Quest For Increased Set Top Box Competition
  – Roku’s spokeswoman Tricia Misfud to IBD: “We have not been advocating for a rule making in this area at this time. While we are known for selling streaming players, it is only one area of our business. Customers also access our platform through smart TVs and streaming players that operators deploy.”
  – Roku partners w/ TWC and Charter on skinny bundles over Internet, Telstra and Sky license hardware for co-branded streamers
  – Working on a hybrid streaming/cable box (sky etc.)
  – Investment by Viacom, 21st Century Fox, and UK cable operator Sky might be shaping Roku’s thinking as well
  – Essentially Roku thinks it wins either way
  – No FCC rule, first in line for slower cableco adoption (the TiVo route)
  – FCC rule, Roku probably gets a big chunk of the market.

Front Lines

• $25 ‘skinny’ TV packages called a ‘ripoff’ as industry ‘stares down’ CRTC
  – Starting March 1st Canadians could purchase basic TV packages for $25 plus add small bundles of favorite channels. But the new packages end up being almost as expensive as the old when you count in fees or lack of discounts for triple play and such. 
• AT&T to launch three DIRECTV video streaming options
  – AT&T said it will launch three online-only TV services by the end of the year. DirecTV Now will offer content from its current packages including live and on-demand video. DirecTV Mobile will be for phones only. And DirecTV Preview will be a free service centered around the Audience network channel. 
• Sony reduced its three PlayStation Vue packages by $10 to 40, 45 and 55 a month. And the ABC channels have been added including local channels and ESPN.
• Your favorite YouTube stars are heading to the Emmys
  – The Emmy Awards are adding new and updated categories for short-form content in reality, variety and comedy categories under 15 minutes. Each episode must have more than six episodes to qualify. There are also now awards for the best actor and actress in a short comedy or drama. The awards will be presented as part of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which happens a week ahead of the main event.
• Entertainment Weekly says HBO programming president Michael Lombardo confirmed that, for the first time will not be sent out for review.
• In its latest quarter, TiVo added 337,000 subscriptions bringing its total number of subscribers to 6.8 million, up from 5.5 million a year earlier.

Under Surveillance

• New Ghostbusters trailer hit last week, coming July 15
• Google’s ‘Moon Shot’ web series profiles Lunar Xprize hopefuls
  – JJ Abrams is producing and Orlando von Einsiedel is directing a documentary series about Google’s Lunar X Prize,called Moon Shot, debuting March 15 on Google Play and on YouTube March 17.
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens is coming on digital April 1st and Blu-Ray April 5.
• K Troop is a movie about the rise of the KKK coming from Amazon produced by and possibly starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Still in early development. No screenwriter.
• Netflix’s Fuller House got renewed for a second season despite being panned by critics.
• Stephen King confirms Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey will star in The Dark Tower coming January 13, 2017
• Actor Ian McShane will play the central role of Mr. Wednesday in ‘American Gods’ on Starz 
• Brian: Better Call Saul 203, House of Cards (thru 7), Justified 108, 11.22.63 (104), Great Minds episode 2
• Tom: Better Call Saul (203) The Walking Dead, Vinyl, House of Cards (Season 4), Justified (108), 11.22.63 (104)
• Andrew: Vinyl, Creed, The Tripods
• On the Lookout: Bates Motel

Dispatches from the Front

Great work guys I was just listening to your latest podcast and I have to tell you that I am cancelling my Sling TV service. The concept is great but it is the only application that doesn’t seem to take take full advantage of my 150mbps connection at home. It constantly pauses, stops and otherwise finds ways to make me unhappy of my TCL Roku TV, my windows 2in1, my iPad AND my MacBook Pro. The connection is not the problem. Either the app or the infrastructure is. Too bad. But I can’t continue to pay for something with promise that continues to not work.

Oh, and little to no problems with any other similar app.

– Jay

 

 

Hey Tom and Brian,

Long time listener and fan of the shows. You guys have talked about the X-ray feature on Amazon Prime and needing to pause and such like that.  I wanted to mention I have the Amazon Prime app on a Nintendo Wii U.  I love the Wii U as a streaming device for a variety of reasons, but that’s for another time.  The Wii U, if you recall, has a tablet screen as part of the main controller.  In Amazon Prime, while you’re playing a show on your TV screen, the controller tablet screen lets you do things like show cast members, the synopsis, as well as a live version of Prime’s X-ray.  So as characters come on/off screen and scenes change, I can see who’s playing those people as well as get more info.  I can prop up the controller and sneak a peak at this 2nd Screen or pause and do the same.  I think this feature works similar on the Nintendo 3DS, but I don’t have experience there.  Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.

Your fan,
– Stuart

P.S. Tom, Citadel 32 is next on my list.

 

 

 

Dear Tom and Brian,

I thoroughly enjoyed your discussion about HBO NOW and wanted to chime in on a few points.

First, I wholeheartedly agree that $15/month is too much to pay for the service when you compare the available content with other services. The best direct comparison IMO is Showtime Anytime. For $12/month (same as Hulu ad-free) I get access to a lot of quality programs (though a rather poor movie catalog). Better yet, I can save $3/month by subscribing through Hulu, Amazon or PS Vue. Likewise, I can subscribe to Starz via Amazon for $9/month and get access to some movies before they’re available on HBO.

The other point I wanted to hit upon is the quality of HBO’s programs. Throughout your discussion, Tom echoed that HBO hasn’t produced a major hit since Game of Thrones. I would propose that HBO has produced some fine programs since then that have celebrated various levels of success, but just not on the same level as GoT (I would include Veep, Girls, The Newsroom, True Detective and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the latter two Tom mentioned). Each of these programs has done well to very well in terms of Golden Globe and Emmy wins and nominations (I’ve included a breakdown below, along with GoT’s stats for comparison), and while awards aren’t exactly the best measure of success (I’m looking at you Arrested Development) they can at least indicate a high-level of quality.

Call me crazy, but I would compare GoT to the iPhone, in that they’re both a once in a lifetime blockbuster product that people are fanatic for around the globe. Apple has since released popular products like the iPad, AppleTV, Apple Watch and new iterations of the Mac lineup, all of which have done so well that they would be a very good businesses all on their own, but are nowhere at the iPhone’s level. I suspect it will be a long time that we’ll see HBO (or most other content providers) release a mega-hit GoT that has captured the world’s imagination like GoT has.

Love the show!
– Jesse (a.k.a. hometownrival)
Indianapolis, IN

 

 

 

Tom and Brian, 

I enjoyed your lively discussion regarding HBO on the last episode. I have to agree with Tom about the lack of high-quality content coming from HBO at the moment. The only show I gravitate to HBO for right now is Game of Thrones. 

Take a direct competitor, Showtime, for instance. Showtime introduced Showtime Anytime, which I can add to my Amazon Prime subscription for $8.99 month. I understand that on other platforms, the price is different, but still cheaper than HBO Now.

Showtime has been killing it, in my opinion, with original shows recently:

Homeland
Masters of Sex
Billions (*new)
Ray Donovan
The Affair
Shameless
The Tudors
Penny Dreadful
I would much rather pay for Showtime than HBO right now. Game of Thrones is still the best show on TV and one that I will always find a way to watch HBO for – but once it’s done, they better get some more quality content to get viewers coming back. 

AMC and FX are two other networks that are doing a great job with original content, but don’t yet have stand-alone streaming services. If they did and the price was reasonable, I would much rather pay for them than HBO. Hopefully HBO can get back to attracting amazing shows, because people will follow the content. 

– Sean

 

Links

patreon.com/cordkillers