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To Subscribe Or Not To Subscribe, That Is The Question: Paid Streaming Services


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26 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

In other news, I would like to see the new Psych movie, and it's on the new Peacock.  I have Spectrum, and a roku and a fire stick.  How can I access Peacock (even just for a night or two to see the movie)?

At the moment it’s only available to comcast customers. The official launch is on July 15th but they don’t have a deal with Roku or amazon. You may have to watch using your computer or phone.

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m going to search for it when I get to my tv later this week. The firestick is brand new and the tv was bought at a Christmas.  If I don’t see it, I’ll try on amazon site. 

Philo is definitely available on Firesticks. I still have the app downloaded from when I had it before.

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7 minutes ago, Dani said:

At the moment it’s only available to comcast customers. The official launch is on July 15th but they don’t have a deal with Roku or amazon. You may have to watch using your computer or phone.

Philo is definitely available on Firesticks. I still have the app downloaded from when I had it before.

Is it free or $20 per month?

I guess that’s not so bad, but, I have to keep my figures in mind. If you add them up....I may come out just as cheap getting regular cable.

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(edited)

Philo is available on most streaming devices. The app and their free trial are free but the service as a whole has a monthly cost of $20 plus whatever taxes are included. They have epix and Starz available to add on each for an additional fee. Pluto is free and it starts with a P too.

Edited by Jaded
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27 minutes ago, ketchuplover said:

Peacock video incompatible with Chrome,Edge,and Firefox browsers 😞

Wow. It’s also not working currently with chromecast.  The ad-free version has 30 second ads. They didn’t make a deal with Amazon or Roku. And I thought HBO Max had a bad launch. 

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59 minutes ago, Dani said:

Wow. It’s also not working currently with chromecast.  The ad-free version has 30 second ads. They didn’t make a deal with Amazon or Roku. And I thought HBO Max had a bad launch. 

Ad-free has 30 second ads??  So what does the ad-supported version have?  Ten minutes?

We got Peacock Premium with our Cox cable, but I haven't tried watching anything yet.  How can Cox have Peacock loaded up and ready to go on day 1, but they still can't manage to get the HBO Max app.  So I stick with my standalone HBO Max that I also can't watch on my Roku.

1 hour ago, ketchuplover said:

Peacock video incompatible with Chrome,Edge,and Firefox browsers 😞

What's left?  Safari?

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(edited)
4 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Ad-free has 30 second ads??  So what does the ad-supported version have?  Ten minutes?

 

The ad-free premium version has a 30 second Peacock promo that you can’t skip. Similar to what Amazon Prime and HBO Max does but much more annoying. The free version has one 45-60 second commercial break in the middle of tv shows and before movies. I’m not sure about the ad-supported premium version but I’m assuming it’s the same as the free version with more content. 
 

The user interface on my iPhone is really bad. The design is more like a social media site than a streaming service. 

Edited by Guest
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The few times I have tried to watch Peacock through Comcast/xfinity everything freezes after about 15 minutes.  It doesn’t seem to matter if I am attempting to watch a movie or a tv show, they all lose audio then a minute or two later the video freezes.  Needless to say, I haven’t been impressed.

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COVID-19 is obviously going to be around for quite awhile so this rush to NBC rushing to get Peacock out there was really stupid. It would have been better to wait longer to see how it performed for people who got early access through cable companies, look for ways to fix reported issues, make sure it worked on multiple browsers and make sure they had deals with everyone (or almost everyone). You know it's bad if Peacock makes CBS All Access look better. CBS All Access needs an overhaul which I'm hoping they get including tech wise when they add more content.

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It's just horrible. I tried launching it and the only original content available was Where's Waldo? Like I give a crap about that.

So I called ComCRAP and the person I spoke to told me my box wasn't compatible and that they wouldn't send me a new one and i had to wait. Ohhhhh no. I was not accepting that. I told her that back in April they sent me a new box even though, according to them, I already had the most upgraded box. I ended up sending it back to them. So they better send me the box that is compatible. And not charge me, either. The clueless person kept me on hold so.many.times. while she "confirmed" this, instead of looking at my account's history--where she would be able to confirm what happened a few months ago.

So now, she says okay, we'll send you a new one, no charge. And I can return the old one at their store.

No. And no, I tell her again. That the Xfinity "store" is too far away and I'm not going anywhere while there is a pandemic. You can email/mail me a UPS return label and I'll drop it off at a UPS store. On hold again while she confirms. I said, LOOK. YOU did this the last time. 

45 frackin' minutes.

NBC SUCKS. Peacock SUCKS. ComCRAP SUUUUUUUUUCKS.

Because apparently only Psych II: Lassie Come Home isn't launchable to view.

Another poster in the Psych thread said they were able to watch on computer: windows 10/Google with no problem. I tried to download the stupid app/go to Peacock's website and all I got was churning, churning, churning!

So, Saturday at the earliest to get my Gus and Shawn Fix.

They should have kept this on USA.

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(edited)
2 hours ago, Jaded said:

COVID-19 is obviously going to be around for quite awhile so this rush to NBC rushing to get Peacock out there was really stupid. It would have been better to wait longer to see how it performed for people who got early access through cable companies, look for ways to fix reported issues, make sure it worked on multiple browsers and make sure they had deals with everyone (or almost everyone).

July 15th was always the launch date to coincide with the Olympics which were supposed to start on the 23rd. There was talk of maybe moving it up from the 15th when the Olympics got cancelled but they decided to keep the original launch date.

Edited by biakbiak
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(edited)
2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

July 15th was always the launch date to coincide with the Olympics which were supposed to start on the 23rd. There was talk of maybe moving it up from the 15th when the Olympics got cancelled but they decided to keep the original launch date.

They seem to have made a mistake by keeping the original launch date. It's been known for quite awhile now that the Olympics wouldn't be held this year so the need to get it out in July could have been put off for a bit until they at the very least got things working better since it has limited device availability.

Here's a way to sideload the app onto Amazon Fire devices.

Edited by Jaded
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46 minutes ago, Jaded said:

things working better since it has limited device availability.

It and HBOMax not being on Roku, Amazon and other devices isn’t about it working better or them not realizing they weren’t going to be on them it’s about them not being able to strike a deal they find favorable. 

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Just now, biakbiak said:

It and HBOMax not being on Roku, Amazon and other devices isn’t about it working better or them not realizing they weren’t going to be on them it’s about them not being able to strike a deal they find favorable. 

I know about what's been going on in regards to Peacock and HBOMax not being able to work out deals with Amazon and Roku . When I say working better I mean ironing out the technical issues before releasing it to everyone.

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12 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I know about what's been going on in regards to Peacock and HBOMax not being able to work out deals with Amazon and Roku . When I say working better I mean ironing out the technical issues before releasing it to everyone.

I suspect that some of the technical issues are not bugs but the result of them trying to limit account sharing and illegal usage. They have blocked VPN’s, external monitors and mirroring which seems to be creating a lot of issues. They seem to be trying so hard to protect the service that they are making it difficult for everyone to watch. 

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5 hours ago, Jaded said:

COVID-19 is obviously going to be around for quite awhile so this rush to NBC rushing to get Peacock out there was really stupid. It would have been better to wait longer to see how it performed for people who got early access through cable companies

Peacock has been available to cable customers for quite a few months now so  don't think it was a rush. 

If they're having issues now, it may be due to the increased content and access.

Their interface (like so many interfaces) sucks but I've been able to watch stuff.

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Just now, Irlandesa said:

Their interface (like so many interfaces) sucks but I've been able to watch stuff.

Yeah I have had it since April and haven’t had any issues with it. Luckily I know what I want to watch on it so just launch it through Xfinity. But as noted Hulu has been around for years and their interface blows and it often freezes so waiting wasn’t going to do anything.

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15 minutes ago, Dani said:

I suspect that some of the technical issues are not bugs but the result of them trying to limit account sharing and illegal usage. They have blocked VPN’s, external monitors and mirroring which seems to be creating a lot of issues. They seem to be trying so hard to protect the service that they are making it difficult for everyone to watch. 

That's probably true too. Not that it's a surprise to anyone it was mentioned in this Variety article I read saying that companies like WarnerMedia and NBCU are coming to the table with an “old TV mindset.” I agree about Hulu @biakbiak . I haven't even been tempted to try out whatever they did thinking it improved their interface. I've seen screenshots of it and comments that it's not much better.

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10 minutes ago, Jaded said:

That's probably true too. Not that it's a surprise to anyone it was mentioned in this Variety article I read saying that companies like WarnerMedia and NBCU are coming to the table with an “old TV mindset.”

That’s the perfect description.   The thing that amazes me is that the new services had a perfect example of what works in Netflix and yet only Disney seems to have been paying attention. 

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Hooray, Amazon Prime has finally, finally added profiles.  No more do I have to scroll through all the shows my daughter watches, or be bombarded with recommendations based on what she watches.

Now if I could just get Netflix to stop its damn autoplay (yes, I have the settings correct, and it autoplays anyway), all would be right with the world.

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On 7/16/2020 at 6:25 AM, Dani said:

I suspect that some of the technical issues are not bugs but the result of them trying to limit account sharing and illegal usage. They have blocked VPN’s, external monitors and mirroring which seems to be creating a lot of issues. They seem to be trying so hard to protect the service that they are making it difficult for everyone to watch. 

And they haven't been very good at that because Brave New World is already on the illegal file sharing sites. And maybe other content from them as well, but BNW was their only show that I'm interested in that already premiered. So I didn't pay attention to anything else.

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ComCrap just suuuuucks. I ended up watching Paych 2: Lassie Come Home on my phone because the app requires Google or some variation of a browser in order for me to watch on my teevee. Which is a brand new Samsung HD I got in January. Too much a pain in the ass.

And apparently the new box by ComCrap is needed for me to watch it-I had them send it and they send me one with a DEFECTIVE cord!🤬🤬🤬🤬 it looks cheap and is smaller. I’m sending it back. The only other show I was interested in watching was the original Law & Order the EARLY seasons, but guess what? Only seasons 13-20 are available. I’ll wait until 1-10 are available before I ask for the “new” box. Maybe by then Peacrap will deal with Amazon, Roku so we can just download the stupid app like ABC, CBS, USA...

I SOOOOO wanted to see ❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️GUS❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️And❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️Shawn❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️ on my big teevee! At least I got to rewatch the unedited series on USA back in April.

So much for James Roday Rodriguez thinking the movie being on Peacrap would be better for more people to access and watch!

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3 hours ago, paulvdb said:

And they haven't been very good at that because Brave New World is already on the illegal file sharing sites. And maybe other content from them as well, but BNW was their only show that I'm interested in that already premiered. 

Psych is as well.

I just started The Morning Show and I am very annoyed that appletv doesn't take you back to where you left off if you exit the app before finishing an ep. That's so irritating and stupid.

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On 7/18/2020 at 9:01 AM, meowmommy said:

Hooray, Amazon Prime has finally, finally added profiles.  No more do I have to scroll through all the shows my daughter watches, or be bombarded with recommendations based on what she watches.

Now if I could just get Netflix to stop its damn autoplay (yes, I have the settings correct, and it autoplays anyway), all would be right with the world.

I didn’t know that! I will investigate Amazon prime profiles. 

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11 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

How in TARNATION do I get HBO Max on my teevee??????

Why do these bastards make everything so bloody difficult???!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

I don't know, but it's pissing me off since I signed up for the early deal but can only get Max on my iPad, and HBO Now on my boob tube.  Supposedly my cable company (Cox) will sell it to you, but it's not included in their Contour apps and their fine print says you can watch it on your tablet or phone.  Nothing about the TV.  It's all gotta be $$$ since they had the Peacock app up and running on day one.

Roku and Amazon and HBO need to grasp that they're not going to make any money if they keep effing with their customers.

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37 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

I don't know, but it's pissing me off since I signed up for the early deal but can only get Max on my iPad, and HBO Now on my boob tube.  Supposedly my cable company (Cox) will sell it to you, but it's not included in their Contour apps and their fine print says you can watch it on your tablet or phone.  Nothing about the TV.  It's all gotta be $$$ since they had the Peacock app up and running on day one.

Roku and Amazon and HBO need to grasp that they're not going to make any money if they keep effing with their customers.

 

24 minutes ago, Jaded said:

HBO Max can be sideloaded to the FireTV too like the Peacock app. It takes a few steps. It will allow you to watch on an actual TV though.

Yeah. I cancelled the free trial, because I'm not watching on my teeny tiny phone screen. Then when I typed "how to watch on my tv" HBO Max listed instructions as to "cast" to my teevee. Like, I have to log/sign in on my phone, then hold it against my teevee or some such and it will "cast" into it. Or something. BAH! I don't know why it won't show up as its own app, when Go and Now frickin' frackin' do!

I'm not even going to attempt to type in Google Chromecast or whatever like I did for Peacock, which failed utterly.

I'll try the cast thing this weekend. Maybe. When I have time and am not tired.

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I've run out of things to watch on Britbox.  I've seen all of the interesting British shows, and whenever I try to start a new show, it's just so dang depressing!  Why do the Brits like grey, gloomy, depressing shows?  I like Endeavour, I like Morse, I like Vera, I like Shetland.  Those shows just don't drag you down into the depths like all of the things I've been trying to watch lately do. Unforgotten, Silent Witness, Capitol Murder, The Bletchley Circle.  Can't there be a little lightness?  Does every character in the shows have to be a nasty bastard?

 

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1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

I've run out of things to watch on Britbox.  I've seen all of the interesting British shows, and whenever I try to start a new show, it's just so dang depressing!  Why do the Brits like grey, gloomy, depressing shows?  I like Endeavour, I like Morse, I like Vera, I like Shetland.  Those shows just don't drag you down into the depths like all of the things I've been trying to watch lately do. Unforgotten, Silent Witness, Capitol Murder, The Bletchley Circle.  Can't there be a little lightness?  Does every character in the shows have to be a nasty bastard?

 

Have you made it all the way through Midsomer Murders yet? There are endless seasons and they are not grey or gloomy at all. Also try Rosemary and Thyme - a lovely series about a pair of professional landscape/garden women who also solve murders and such!

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3 hours ago, isalicat said:

Have you made it all the way through Midsomer Murders yet? There are endless seasons and they are not grey or gloomy at all. Also try Rosemary and Thyme - a lovely series about a pair of professional landscape/garden women who also solve murders and such!

Rosemary and Thyme is so much fun! I don't even care about gardening, but I had a lot of fun with that show. 

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6 hours ago, isalicat said:

Have you made it all the way through Midsomer Murders yet? There are endless seasons and they are not grey or gloomy at all. Also try Rosemary and Thyme - a lovely series about a pair of professional landscape/garden women who also solve murders and such!

I thought Rosemary and Thyme was too twee.  And I do keep going back to Midsomer Murders and watching a few, but then I wander off to come back later on.

 

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5 hours ago, ABay said:

Along the lines of Midsomer and Rosemary & Thyme, have you tried Shakespeare & Hathaway? It's on Britbox or Acorn.

I have peculiar tastes, I guess.  S&H was just boring, to me.

Also, I tried Blue Murder (actually there appear to be three different series from different countries with the same name), and the British version is as grey and depressing as the others I complained about,.

 

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Today (Aug 1, 2020) CBS All Access has added five channels to its service:  BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Smithsonian Channel.

I already had access to the others, but Smithsonian is a premium channel on my Xfinity, so this is good news for me!

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7 hours ago, kassygreene said:

Today (Aug 1, 2020) CBS All Access has added five channels to its service:  BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Smithsonian Channel.

Highly appropriate, since MTV originally launched on Aug 1, 1981.

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On 7/16/2020 at 12:50 AM, Jaded said:

That's probably true too. Not that it's a surprise to anyone it was mentioned in this Variety article I read saying that companies like WarnerMedia and NBCU are coming to the table with an “old TV mindset.”

By the way, that article does an excellent job explaining the financial fight between Warner Media (HBO Max) and Amazon & Roku.

Companies like Roku get a cut of subscription fees. Roku apparently gets 20%.  Per the article:

Quote

The issues are the extras Roku and Amazon want thrown in, including ad inventory (Roku’s standard ask is 30%), rights to resell services in their channel stores and “free content” for the ad-supported Roku Channel and IMDb TV. Roku also asks for a marketing-spend commitment from partners, which among other things grants their channels preferred placement on the menu. (Roku and Amazon declined to comment on specific negotiating points.)

Apparently, whatever Amazon and Roku are asking for has been deemed "egregious".  The article also points out that Roku and Amazon represent a very large percentage of the streaming views, so they believe they have power now to negotiate. And for sure, not being on those two platforms has hurt HBO Max's launch.

 

I am with everybody else here who has been frustrated to only have HBO Max on my tablet/phone. I have Roku's attached to my TVs.  However... my Roku devices are actually pretty old. I'm seriously considering dropping $50 on the new-ish TiVo Stream 4K device. My primary TV watching isn't streaming, so I just need something that will have a nice interface for stuff like HBO Max, Disney+, Neflix, and some of the other networks.  The TiVo guide and interface is really slick and really easy to use. 

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2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I'm seriously considering dropping $50 on the new-ish TiVo Stream 4K device. My primary TV watching isn't streaming, so I just need something that will have a nice interface for stuff like HBO Max, Disney+, Neflix, and some of the other networks.  The TiVo guide and interface is really slick and really easy to use. 

I've not heard of a Tivo streaming device. Would HBO Max and/or Peacock be available on it? You have me thinking about getting it too lol. My roku is super old as well.

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1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I've not heard of a Tivo streaming device. Would HBO Max and/or Peacock be available on it? You have me thinking about getting it too lol. My roku is super old as well.

HBO Max is not only available but integrated as a channel along with Netflix, Prime, Disney and a few others. Im guessing Peacock is available through the regular android app feature. 
 

It might not be good for everyone.  Here is a review of it and what it does. 
 

ETA: that article says it doesn’t have HBO Max, but it does now.

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