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

[meowmommy]

We're slowly working our way toward cable-cutting, especially as Cox just added yet another price increase.  I bought a Tablo device about six weeks ago, and while it took a while for all the glitches (like being repeatedly kicked out of the app) to work out, it's working pretty well now.  So we can watch all the antenna-based channels and subchannels, and by plugging in an external hard drive that I already owned, have a DVR function. 

I was going to go with Fubo until I discovered the sports fee they require whether you watch their sports or not, and then Hulu Live, since we already have Hulu and Disney.  I tried YouTube TV last year; I realized almost instantly that I didn't like the interface and cancelled immediately.

But other than a few channels that don't have a standalone service, like TCM and MSNBC, almost everything we actually watch can be found through a few streaming services that, even combined, are much less expensive than cable.  How badly do we need any kind of cable substitute?

It's been just about ten months since I cancelled Netflix, so I guess it's about time to make a decision about re-subbing.

[cynicat]

5 hours ago, meowmommy said:

I was going to go with Fubo until I discovered the sports fee they require whether you watch their sports or not, and then Hulu Live, since we already have Hulu and Disney.  I tried YouTube TV last year; I realized almost instantly that I didn't like the interface and cancelled immediately.

I have YouTube TV and definitely hated the interface at first.  It took a bit but once I figured out how to move around channels, and only see favorites, I've come to  like it.  The same thing happened with Roku.  YT may not be the right one for you, but sometimes it takes a bit of time, especially when you first cut that cord.

[Mabinogia]

Netflix cancels pretty much anything I would pay to watch so unless they offered a free, ad financed tier, I have zero interest in getting into any of the shows they offer for a week before cancelling for some crap show that is cheaper to make. 

I have been toying with getting youtube as it seems the closest to actual cable, which I cancelled and no matter how many times Comcast sends me mail (2-3 times a week, sometimes multiples daily) I am not going back! I have never had as terrible a customer experience as I've had with Comcast. They are DEAD TO ME!!!

For a couple years now I've gotten by nicely watching reruns on PlutoTV and whatever Amazon Prime has to offer. 

There is very little I miss from back when I had cable or Netflix. TV always seems to go through phases and the current phase of reboots and franchises isn't my jam. 

[meowmommy]

I know I just said I was inching toward cord-cutting, but I just got through cutting it with a knife.

This morning, I went on their app to downgrade my internet speed as I've been paying for more than I need, and discovered this afternoon the side effect of them erasing my DVRs.  Tried rebooting the main DVR and it wouldn't boot up.  That was it.  Took the boxes to Cox and said internet only. 

Times have changed, I guess.  When I threatened to leave several years ago, they worked magic to get me to stay.  Today, the rep didn't bat an eye when he took my equipment. 

What's weird, though, is although they've taken my DVRs, they haven't cut off my access.  I'm still watching HBO Max through my Cox subscription.  I am ready to switch my billing but I can't because Cox hasn't told them yet that I've cancelled.

[Mittengirl]

I am getting ready to cancel my Comcast cable because I realized that 80% of the time the tv is on in the background while I am reading or messing around on my iPad.  I just can’t justify the ridiculous cost just for background noise.

 I have a subscription to Hulu for $0.99/month for a year and will switch between Netflix, Acorn and Britbox as my shows of interest become available.  I will subscribe to whatever entity is streaming the Detroit Tigers for the duration of their season and will probably keep Peacock until after the summer Olympics.  I haven’t yet figured out how much I may save, but something is better than nothing.

[Soapy Goddess]

Mittengirl, where did you find Hulu for 99 cents a month for a year?

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Mittengirl, where did you find Hulu for 99 cents a month for a year?

For quite a few years Hulu has offered the 99 cents a month for a year deal around the end of summer when a lot of college kids are leaving Mom & Dad's house, and also around Black Friday or Cyber Monday later in the year.

I have November 20 marked on this year's Google calendar to cancel.

[ABay]

Concurring with @possibilities. I took the 99 cent deal on Amazon around Thanksgiving.

[Mittengirl]

12 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Mittengirl, where did you find Hulu for 99 cents a month for a year?

I got my subscription around Black Friday;  I think they may have had the offer available for a week or so.

I know in the past, after canceling Hulu, a few months later they offer me a pretty good deal to resubscribe - usually at least half-off for 6 months or so.  
 

I don’t recall Netflix ever offering me a deal to resub, usually just an email every week or so telling me what shows they have added.

[possibilities]

Netflix actually threatens to punish you if you unsub. They say that if you come back, you will pay MORE than what you paid before. At least, that's what I've experienced-- but I have the cheapest ad-free sub, without high def or bells and whistles. One screen (I'm single and live alone).

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, when I cancelled they told me that my plan wouldn't be available anymore so if I ever resub I'd have to pay more. Initially I kept it but then I ended up cancelling because it's just too expensive for what they have nowadays. Most of the shows I watch on there are ending with their next season or 2 anyway so I'll just get it for those. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, when I cancelled they told me that my plan wouldn't be available anymore so if I ever resub I'd have to pay more. Initially I kept it but then I ended up cancelling because

I can't be the only one who feels such "marketing" tactics are just bullying. 
Fastest way to make me quit. 

— except for Medicare health insurance threats for those of us with pre-existing conditions (go to the Health and Wellness thread to discuss further).

[DearEvette]

On 12/29/2023 at 4:23 PM, DearEvette said:

Oh... and Paramount because, hilariously they keep giving it to me for free.  I went to cancel it again and they gave me two more months for free.  I don't think I've paid for Paramount since March.

Pour one out.  My free ride with Paramount+ has sadly come to an end.  As of Feb 16th I'm out.  No two more months free extensions for me.  For almost one year I think I have only paid about 3.99 total for Paramount+.  It was good ride P+!

[Miss Anne Thrope]

5 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Pour one out.  My free ride with Paramount+ has sadly come to an end.  As of Feb 16th I'm out.  No two more months free extensions for me.  For almost one year I think I have only paid about 3.99 total for Paramount+.  It was good ride P+!

I signed up for the 3 months at 3.99 deal at the end of November and marked Feb 19 on my calendar to unsubscribe.  Mid-January P+ sent an email notifying me I'd be charged 11.99 on Jan 22 -- cutting me off a month early, in fact.  At least I got to watch all of the Evil they had, which was my primary motive in subscribing. Still, bad taste in my mouth regarding P+ -- it's like everyone is following Netflix's lead and tightening things up and starting to charge up the wazoo.  

[SoMuchTV]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, when I cancelled they told me that my plan wouldn't be available anymore so if I ever resub I'd have to pay more. Initially I kept it but then I ended up cancelling because it's just too expensive for what they have nowadays. Most of the shows I watch on there are ending with their next season or 2 anyway so I'll just get it for those. 

 

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I can't be the only one who feels such "marketing" tactics are just bullying. 
Fastest way to make me quit.

This is in no way trying to defend Netflix (quite the opposite), but rather than "marketing" tactics it seems more like the perfect storm of consumer-unfriendly actions on Netflix's part.  First they announced the crackdown on password sharing, which rubbed me the wrong way even though it didn't affect me directly.  If I remember correctly, that happened not too long after a round of price increases.  Then there was another round of increases, and somewhere in there, they were announcing record profits.  Then... they increased the price of the lowest-tier no-ads plan, then they announced that they were eliminating it altogether, but current planholders were grandfathered in.  That was the point where we bailed - we'd watched all we wanted to catch up on for now.  And they did warn me that I couldn't get back on that plan.  No problem, Netflix.  When or if I sign up again, it'll be on the ad tier (which allows more screens and has better picture quality than plan I dropped, for several dollars less).  The ads give me time to check Primetimer and see what everyone else is saying about whatever I'm watching.

[meowmommy]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

This is in no way trying to defend Netflix (quite the opposite), but rather than "marketing" tactics it seems more like the perfect storm of consumer-unfriendly actions on Netflix's part. 

As I said above, I'd been off Netflix for almost ten months, resubbed at the middle tier for one month and almost immediately cancelled.  That will give us time to catch up on GBBO and anything else I might have remotely cared about.  I see very little that is new and different.  I don't even want to finish The Crown.

Cox finally put through my cancellation so I had to re-order HBO Max.  Somehow now it's getting billed through my Roku account, but I don't care. What I did care was that they offered an annual subscription, so even with taxes, the ad-free tier works out to $13.25 a month with taxes, which is a whole lot less than the $180 I was paying every month for the three or four cable channels I watched.

Went and got an annual Paramount + Showtime annual plan, too, for $10/month + taxes.

Knowing that people start and drop Netflix like it was a hankie, you would think by now they'd offer an annual subscription.

The only real bummer for me in giving up cable is that I can't get CNN or MSNBC without some kind of cable/satellite/streaming subscription, as they don't offer a standalone product.  You'd think Peacock would carry MSNBC programming, but it's very limited and on a delay.

[peachmangosteen]

10 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Knowing that people start and drop Netflix like it was a hankie, you would think by now they'd offer an annual subscription.

It's crazy to me that they don't offer an annual subscription. They must be literally the only streaming service that doesn't.

Has anyone ever had the ad version of Netflix? I'm wondering what the ads are like.

I've been watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Prime and the ads are only like 40 seconds and all before the episode. That's how it is on Paramount as well, for their supposed ad-free tier lol.

Edited February 11 by peachmangosteen

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

The only real bummer for me in giving up cable is that I can't get CNN or MSNBC without some kind of cable/satellite/streaming subscription, as they don't offer a standalone product. 

I may be misremembering but I thought I heard recently that Max now has live CNN available. Maybe it was a different news network. Can’t check now, because, you know, Super Bowl. 

[meowmommy]

Just now, SoMuchTV said:

I may be misremembering but I thought I heard recently that Max now has live CNN available. Maybe it was a different news network. Can’t check now, because, you know, Super Bowl. 

I'm watching SB now, too, but I know the CNN feed on Max is not the same as the live feed from the network.

[possibilities]

Does anyone remember when long distance telephone got deregulated and all of a sudden there were competing companies with different plans? It was chaos for a while. I remember a lot of them had a "friends and family" discount of a hiuge amount, like 50% off, if whoever you called was also on the same plan you were (not like what cell phone family plans are now; it was like this: if everybody is a Spring customer, talking to another Sprint customer, 50% off). 

Eventually, it seemed to settle down into a much less confusing situation. 

I keep hoping TV will also get simpler, but it looks to me like it's going the opposite way.

I realize it's a more complicated industry, but still-- I feel like it'e becoming a lot of work to watch TV, when it's supposed to be something I do to relax.

[SoMuchTV]

17 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Does anyone remember when long distance telephone got deregulated and all of a sudden there were competing companies with different plans? It was chaos for a while. I remember a lot of them had a "friends and family" discount of a hiuge amount, like 50% off, if whoever you called was also on the same plan you were (not like what cell phone family plans are now; it was like this: if everybody is a Spring customer, talking to another Sprint customer, 50% off). 

Eventually, it seemed to settle down into a much less confusing situation. 

I keep hoping TV will also get simpler, but it looks to me like it's going the opposite way.

I realize it's a more complicated industry, but still-- I feel like it'e becoming a lot of work to watch TV, when it's supposed to be something I do to relax.

I remember when we were able to shop around for long distance plans! We were very happy to find one that included an incoming 800 number (so the kids could call home from college or wherever they were at that point in history).  And then we got cell phones where every minute and every text ratcheted up the bill.   Now we still have both landline and cell plans, but all-inclusive and much cheaper than they were in the good old days. 

I can only hope tv content goes that direction! But as you say, that sure doesn’t look like the way things are going. I guess we can hope. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I've been watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Prime and the ads are only like 40 seconds and all before the episode. That's how it is on Paramount as well, for their supposed ad-free tier lol.

I was worried about the new ads on Prime but so far they haven't been very intrusive.  Certainly not something I'd pay $3.00 more a month to get rid of.  The same amount on Paramount, however, annoys the hell out of me because it's supposed to be ad free.

10 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can only hope tv content goes that direction! But as you say, that sure doesn’t look like the way things are going. I guess we can hope.

The difference between phones and TV/streaming is that phones were competing with the same service.  You didn't need a phone from Verizon and a phone from AT&T.  Streamers offer different content so they may be competing for disposable income but they offer enough different things that subscribing to many different ones doesn't necessarily become redundant the way multiple phone lines do.

The competition should have happened with cable back in the day except for some reason cable companies were mostly allowed territories. 

[tessaray]

For those that just want MSNBC and/or CNN, the cheapest service is probably SLING Blue at $40/mo. TCM is available for an extra $6/mo. 

Eta: Sling only has local channels in a few places, which is probably why they are cheaper than the others. But if you have an antenna it shouldn't matter. 

I have YTTV, thanks to being part of my daughter's family group. I only use it for HGTV and MSNBC though, so if I were footing the bill I'd do Sling. I also have a Tablo with decent local reception so it would be fine. 

Edited February 12 by tessaray

[Soapy Goddess]

9 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Has anyone ever had the ad version of Netflix? I'm wondering what the ads are like.

I have the ad version. They're approx. 1 minute long...and frequency is sporadic depending on what I'm watching. Sometimes I'll only get one ad for the entire show, while other times I'll get two ads for the entire show. But if it's a new show, maybe 1 ad quarterly. Still not that bad.

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I was worried about the new ads on Prime but so far they haven't been very intrusive.  Certainly not something I'd pay $3.00 more a month to get rid of.  The same amount on Paramount, however, annoys the hell out of me because it's supposed to be ad free.

Same. I was so pleasantly surprised by the Prime ads. And exactly, if Paramount wasn't claiming I had ad-free service then they'd be fine, too.

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I have the ad version. They're approx. 1 minute long...and frequency is sporadic depending on what I'm watching. Sometimes I'll only get one ad for the entire show, while other times I'll get two ads for the entire show. But if it's a new show, maybe 1 ad quarterly. Still not that bad.

Thank you for the info. It sounds similar to Hulu. Hulu's ads are too much imo but for .99 a month they're fine. I'd never pay full price for it though. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Hulu's ads are too much imo but for .99 a month they're fine. I'd never pay full price for it though. 

Same here.  I have Hulu, Peacock, and now Prime with ads, and Hulu's ad breaks are much longer (and much more repetitive) than the other two, plus on some programs the ads cut off the first several seconds of the scene that follows an ad break.  Fine for the .99/month I'm paying, but I'd never pay full price for that kind of disruption. 

Prime's are the shortest, and maybe they're just doing that at first and will make them longer, but so far they're fine.  I figured my friend (through whose account I access Prime) would upgrade to ad-free, but she hasn't watched anything on there since the change while I've been watching it this weekend.  She told me if I want to click on the upgrade to go ahead, but I don't want to make that decision for her.

 

[Enigma X]

Last month, I was paying for Peacock Premium. I went in to update my address and started getting an error.  I looked this error up, and it had something to do with Peacock not recognizing the payment (although it had for over a year before this). I ended up calling, and the customer service agent said my only option was to use a service like PayPal. I realize that Peacock is not showing me anything worth that hassle.

I bank with Chase. This is where the debit card I use is from.

Anyway, last week I lost my card and received a new one. Today, I decided to check if Peacock would take this card. Nope. Same error message. Oh well.

[BetterButter]

Amazon Prime Video Ad Tier Sparks Class Action Lawsuit From Subscribers

[meowmommy]

17 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I realize that Peacock is not showing me anything worth that hassle.

I looked through their program listings the other day, and there’s almost nothing I’d watch, even if it was free.  (And Cox used to include it for free until they abruptly pulled it.). Plus I still have a bad taste over them trying to force people to subscribe to watch a single NFL playoff game.  I might maybe might get it for Olympics coverage, or maybe not.

But what kind of penny-ante operation tells you they only take PayPal?

On 2/11/2024 at 9:47 PM, tessaray said:

For those that just want MSNBC and/or CNN, the cheapest service is probably SLING Blue at $40/mo. TCM is available for an extra $6/mo. 

Eta: Sling only has local channels in a few places, which is probably why they are cheaper than the others. But if you have an antenna it shouldn't matter. 

I have YTTV, thanks to being part of my daughter's family group. I only use it for HGTV and MSNBC though, so if I were footing the bill I'd do Sling. I also have a Tablo with decent local reception so it would be fine. 

I have a rooftop antenna, and discovered Tablo at the end of December.  Almost returned it to Best Buy because it kept kicking me out.  Somehow it settled down and the reception is indistinguishable from cable or streaming.  DD loves that she can FF through the commercials frame by frame during Wheel and Jeopardy and not overshoot the programming.

I’ve looked at Sling and it irritates me that ESPN, which I only use for Monday Night Football, is carved out to Sling Orange.  OTOH, NFL Network is on Blue, so I could just wait for them to air the replay.  50 hours of DVR space is not very much, though.  

We already pay $20 for ad-free Hulu and Disney, so adding Hulu Live would cost $70 more, for a bigger channel selection than $40 Sling Blue and unlimited DVR.

Because I can’t make a decision, I haven’t picked anything, and every day I delay is $6 I’m no longer paying in cable fees.  😏

[AstridM]

On 2/11/2024 at 9:02 PM, Irlandesa said:

I was worried about the new ads on Prime but so far they haven't been very intrusive.  Certainly not something I'd pay $3.00 more a month to get rid of.  The same amount on Paramount, however, annoys the hell out of me because it's supposed to be ad free.

The difference between phones and TV/streaming is that phones were competing with the same service.  You didn't need a phone from Verizon and a phone from AT&T.  Streamers offer different content so they may be competing for disposable income but they offer enough different things that subscribing to many different ones doesn't necessarily become redundant the way multiple phone lines do.

The competition should have happened with cable back in the day except for some reason cable companies were mostly allowed territories. 

I would love a cheaper cable plan with NO sports. I have less than zero interest in any sport (other than ice skating at the Olympics) and from what I understand, it’s the sports channels that hike up the price of most cable plans. How is it that none ever offer a cheaper, sports-free option? I can’t be the only one who wants this. 

On 2/11/2024 at 11:47 PM, tessaray said:

For those that just want MSNBC and/or CNN, the cheapest service is probably SLING Blue at $40/mo. TCM is available for an extra $6/mo. 

Eta: Sling only has local channels in a few places, which is probably why they are cheaper than the others. But if you have an antenna it shouldn't matter. 

I have YTTV, thanks to being part of my daughter's family group. I only use it for HGTV and MSNBC though, so if I were footing the bill I'd do Sling. I also have a Tablo with decent local reception so it would be fine. 

Unfortunately, antennas don’t allow me to tape shows for later. It sucks being stuck watching a show only when it’s broadcast.

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, AstridM said:

How is it that none ever offer a cheaper, sports-free option? I can’t be the only one who wants this. 

My guess is because sports is one of the few shows that people feel a need to watch live.  There likely aren't enough people willing to pay for a bundle to watch their favorite television program live.  Some still value that but others already subscribe to a service that lets them watch the show the next day.

[meowmommy]

3 hours ago, AstridM said:

Unfortunately, antennas don’t allow me to tape shows for later. It sucks being stuck watching a show only when it’s broadcast.

That’s why I got a Tablo.  If you attach an ordinary external hard drive to it, you can record up to two shows at a time and watch them whenever you want.

They have two versions — one if you have an antenna already, and one if you don’t.  The wireless connection means you can stream live or recorded programs from any TV or device where you’ve installed the app.

And best of all, it’s cheap and there are no monthly fees.

[peachmangosteen]

Unfortunately, I can't get any channels in my area with an antenna.

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Unfortunately, I can't get any channels in my area with an antenna.

On the outside chance I haven’t already suggested this here:
Did you try putting the (leaf) antenna high on the wall by the ceiling instead of in the window?

[stewedsquash]

On 2/12/2024 at 4:37 PM, BetterButter said:

Amazon Prime Video Ad Tier Sparks Class Action Lawsuit From Subscribers

I heard about that when I was listening to Handel On The Law podcast. Another thing Prime did within the last two weeks is stealthly emailing that Prime is offering a 7 day free trail for Acorn and then automatically charging your Prime account $6.99 a month with auto renewal. It took a LOT of effort to be able to opt out of this. 

[peachmangosteen]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

On the outside chance I haven’t already suggested this here:
Did you try putting the (leaf) antenna high on the wall by the ceiling instead of in the window?

I've never actually tried one. When I do the 'search what channels you can get in your area' on them (I've tried the Tablo thing and some others) it tells me there are none.

[Affogato]

10 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I heard about that when I was listening to Handel On The Law podcast. Another thing Prime did within the last two weeks is stealthly emailing that Prime is offering a 7 day free trail for Acorn and then automatically charging your Prime account $6.99 a month with auto renewal. It took a LOT of effort to be able to opt out of this. 

It is fairly easy to manage this in your amazon account, to cancel something related to amazon. 

[stewedsquash]

3 hours ago, Affogato said:

It is fairly easy to manage this in your amazon account, to cancel something related to amazon. 

It should be yet this wasn’t. Prime automatically did a 7 day trial. It did not show up in my subscriptions. I then had to go through a lot of fine print to find the opt out link on the email. The link was not highlighted as a link. Then I was taken to three options which were accept trial,  accept trial/sub/autorenew, accept trial/sub. When you accepted trial you then had to put your email into a tiny, tiny box that did not show the whole email. Then you had to start the process of cancelling the subscription and auto renewal. 
 

It was very tedious and deceiving.

[Eri]

After Netflix ceased password sharing, I lost access to a friend's account when I relocated to a new city - now that I've found other places to watch wildlife documentaries and K-dramas, I've boycotted them ever since 😂I really hope that the password sharing option doesn't jump to other platforms.

In the meantime, my only main subscriptions outside Prime Video have been to Acorn and PBS Masterpiece classic (I too had the $0.99 monthly subscription for 12 months). $5.99 or $6.99 isn't too bad for all I get out of it. I am annoyed that they are beginning to move shows I once had access to other platforms such as Britbox but I'm still debating whether or not it'd be worth investing in the future 🤔

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, Eri said:

I really hope that the password sharing option doesn't jump to other platforms.

Hulu and Disney+ have already jumped on the no password sharing bandwagon; the subscriber agreements were amended as of January 25, and they're supposed to start cracking down March 14.

[Eri]

Nooooooooooooo 😭

[shapeshifter]

23 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Hulu and Disney+ have already jumped on the no password sharing bandwagon; the subscriber agreements were amended as of January 25, and they're supposed to start cracking down March 14.

Pretty aggressive language, no?:

Quote

Account Sharing. Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein. Additional usage rules may apply for certain Service Tiers. For more details on our account sharing policy, please visit our Help Center. 

We may, in our sole discretion, analyze the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access to the Service and/or take any other steps as permitted by this Agreement (including those set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement).

You will be responsible for any use of your account by your household, including compliance with this section.

I wonder if this is going to be triggered by simultaneous logins on more than one device or by IP addresses?

[Guest]

On 2/11/2024 at 3:11 PM, peachmangosteen said:

Has anyone ever had the ad version of Netflix? I'm wondering what the ads are like.

 

The ads themself aren’t bad but their placement is horrible. I’ve seen ads placed mid-scene. I’ve had most of the streaming services with ads and Netflix is the only one I can’t stand. Plus some content isn’t included in the ad supported tier. 

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

Hulu and Disney+ have already jumped on the no password sharing bandwagon; the subscriber agreements were amended as of January 25, and they're supposed to start cracking down March 14.

I have the Disney bundle and my brother uses my account so I should hear soon what this will look like. 

I’m not happy but can’t really complain since I get it free through Verizon. 

[Miss Anne Thrope]

On 2/13/2024 at 6:31 PM, shapeshifter said:

On the outside chance I haven’t already suggested this here:
Did you try putting the (leaf) antenna high on the wall by the ceiling instead of in the window?

 

On 2/14/2024 at 9:33 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I've never actually tried one. When I do the 'search what channels you can get in your area' on them (I've tried the Tablo thing and some others) it tells me there are none.

 

If you live in a valley -- like I do -- you can do all kinds of things with an antenna and still not get any OTA channels.  (I'm sure other geographic factors can affect reception, but that's my particular circumstance.)  

[krankydoodle]

I know Peacock isn't that popular, but I think it's become my favorite streaming service. It has interesting originals (Mrs. Davis, Poker Face, Dr. Death, the new Mike Judge show In the Know), great British shows (We are Lady Parts, Vigil, The Capture), and gets movies like The Holdovers and Oppenheimer first.  And I haven't found the ads too intrusive.

Speaking of ads, though, I watch Prime Video and Freevee through my Roku and have noticed that the sound of their shows is so low that I have to crank up the volume but then the ads are significantly louder so I have to rush to mute them. I didn't have any issues with the volume on Prime before ads were introduced. Is anyone else having this problem?

[possibilities]

I like Poker Face a lot. 

[ABay]

@krankydoodle I have that issue with Hulu but not Prime. At least not yet.

O

[Raja]

My brother blew my speakers by turning the volume up for Netflix but not turning it back down when changing back to TV.

[buttersister]

Thanks for the Peacock reminder! I needed to cancel by 2/24 when my 99 cents trial expires. Hadn’t watched in months! Ha, now I see I have til then to watch Oppenheimer for free. Or 99 cents.

Looking forward to the Prime class-action suit.

 Brit Box went after Jimmy left Shetland. Hopping on and off seems smart for some services. I’m sure they’ll attach penalties one day. Meanwhile, I subscribe to a bunch of stuff on free YT and watch on TV—getting real good with skip ad!

[peachmangosteen]

Paramount+ & Peacock Are Reportedly in Talks to Merge Into a Single Streaming Service