Should Apple make James Bond, Plex gets easy with Kodi, and Netflix takes on an anime parody? Is it parody? With special guest Roberto Villegas.
The draft is next week! Here’s the movie list.
CordKillers: Ep. 186 – I Like The Way I Said it Better
Recorded: September 11 2017
Guest: Roberto Villegas
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Apple, Amazon Join Race for James Bond Film Rights
– Sony’s deal to make James Bond movies ended in 2015 and bids for the rights are being negotiated now. Hollywood Reporter has sources who say Apple and Amazon are in the running with Warner Brothers and Sony to buy the rights to make the movies for MGM. Former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht are leading the push for Apple.
How to Watch
- Plex for Kodi is now free for everyone
– Plex has made its add-on for the Kodi media center software free. This allows both systems to run at the same time and share settings. Some settings like multiple users and parental controls will not carry over but most basic ones will. Plex has been taking legal action against unofficial add-ons. - The new Apple TV 4K will be a much more powerful streaming box than its predecessor
– There will be probably be a new Apple TV with 4K announced Tuesday. We’ll talk all about it next week
– Same processor as the 2017 iPad Pro, 3 GB RAM
– 4K? (HDR10m Dolby Vision) - Apple fights Hollywood to price 4K movies on iTunes at $20
– The Wall Street Journal says its sources say Apple and movie studios are having difficulty agreeing on the price of 4K movies to be sold in Apple’s iTunes store. Apple supposedly wants 4K movies to sell for $20, which is the top price for current HD releases. The studios would like a price point of $25 or $30. - Apple bolsters its TV unit with more top Sony talent
– Apple has hired for Sony exec Kim Rozenfeld as head of current programming and lead on documentaries.
What to Watch
- The First Trailer For Netflix Anime Parody Neo Yokio Showcases Its Bonkers Cast
– The Netflix Anime parody Neo Yokio arrives September 22. EP creator and writer is Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Jaden Smith voices Kaz Kaan a demon slayer. Credits also include Susan Sarandon, Jude Law, Richard Ayoade, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Fry and a lot more. - Lore the podcast debuts as a 6-episode Amazon original October 13th.
- Amazon picks up James Gunn’s ‘Starsky and Hutch’ reboot
– James Gunn will reboot Starsky and Hutch for Amazon. It will supposedly continue the original and be a “deconstruction of the buddy cop genre.” - Netflix orders eight-part musical drama from La La Land director Damien Chazelle
– Netflix ordered an 8-part musical drama called The Eddy from La La Land Director Damien Chazelle. Chazelle will direct two episodes and Jack Thorne of Skins will write most of the episodes. The show will take place in a Paris nightclub. The series’s score will be written by Glen Ballard, a six-time Grammy winner known for co-producing Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill - Hulu recruits Chris Pine for Bobby Kennedy miniseries
– Deadline reports Hulu is developing a miniseries about Robert F. Kennedy starring Chris Pine as Bobby. Todd E. Kessler of the Good Wife is writing the adaptation of the Larry Tye biography.
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Preacher, Firefly, me on TEDx, Logan Lucky, Rick and Morty, Narcos season 3
- Tom: Preacher, Outlander, Firefly, Weather Nation, Rick and Morty
- Roberto: Bojack Horseman
- On the Lookout: All the Stations
Front Lines
- Amazon’s new flagship Fire TV looks like a square Echo Dot
– AFTVNews says it has sources who say Amazon will release two new Fire TV models later this year. One will be a square FireTV stick and the other a regular box that has Amazon Voice Service far-field microphones and speaker built in. Both will support 4K. and HDR. - Disney’s streaming service will exclusively get Marvel and Star Wars movies
– Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney will make its Star Wars and Marvel movies exclusive to a new streaming service launching with Disney and Pixar content in late 2019. - Disney Movies Anywhere drops Microsoft as a partner
– Disney Movies Anywhere sent out an email saying it no longer works with Microsoft’s Movies and TV Store. That applies to future purchases. Existing linked movies will remain available. - Roku files for $100M IPO
– Roku filed paperwork for an IPO. The filing shows 15.1 million active accounts streaming 3.5 billion hours last quarter, up 60% on the year. Revenue per unit is up 35% on the year to $11.22 for a total annual revenue of $398 million. Advertising and platform subscriptions make up 81% of company profits, up 104% over the last six months, while profits from hardware fell 28% in the same span and represents 19% overall. Roku also launched its own channel for Roku users that streams free movies licnesed directly from studios by Roku and supported with advertising. - AT&T’s DirecTV Now is testing a cloud DVR with 100 hours of storage
– TechCrunch confirmed a Cord Cutters News leak that DirecTV Now’s forthcoming DVR plan will have up to 100 hours of storage managed from a “My Library” feature. No word on the price. - Netflix and Hulu already won 21 Emmys ahead of the main event
– The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were given out this weekend These are the ones they give away a week before the main awards broadcast, which is this coming Sunday September 17. Stranger Things took home 5 awards include sound and picture editing as well as main title. Netflix documentary 13th from Ava Duvernay got four awards. Handmaid’s Tale got three including production design and cinematography. Overall Netflix got 16 Hulu five and Amazon two.
Dispatches from the Front
Hey guys. Since becoming a cordcutter, I’ve been more attentive on how people get their media. This is only anecdotal, but one thing I’ve noticed over the past year is how widespread the knowledge and use of “Amazon fire sticks with access to everything free” has become. People come to my house and I show them how to watch stuff on my apple tvs and remind them that I don’t have cable. People from 14 year old cousins to 50 year old uncles will say “oh do you have the fire stick where it has everything free”? I tell them I don’t and then they tell me I should get one. I will admit I’ve done my fair share of pirating back in the day. However, I now consider myself a born again cordkiller that is mostly legit because there are actually easy legal options to access content these days which is what I thought everyone wanted. To me, it seems getting it free may still be a larger component to the equation for some people. I’ve never used a “special” fire stick , but if it’s as easy as ordering it and plugging it in to your tv , I don’t know how big media can compete with that if there truly is a growing population that doesn’t see any issues with it.
Your favorite boss
– Jerry
Hello Tom and Brian,
Do you know of a box or app that will allow me to use single sign and create playlists of the shows I watch in all of my steaming services (Hulu, Netflix, Amazon).
Thanks
– Chuck
Hello fellow cord cutters,
The best website I found for comparing and choosing a streaming service is suppose.tv. You can set your location and choose local channels and cable channels to filter by and determine which service they are available on. You can even compare costs and filter by streaming device. This is the tool you are looking for.
– Zach
Links
Xiaomi announces new phones and laptop, Apple iPhone leaks, China cracks down on cryptocurrency exchanges.
1928 – Radio station WGY of General Electric made the first simulcast in Schenectady, New York. A play called “The Queen’s Messenger” had its audio broadcast over radio with the picture in sync over television at same time. 
Equifax breach exposes information on 143 million US residents, US FBI investigating Uber and RED has more details on its holographic smartphone. 