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

[Shrek]

11 minutes ago, ABay said:

Dear PBS, at least I know you haven't wasted my donation on creating a user friendly interface for your app. So...thanks? Please feel free to spend a couple of bucks on redesigning it so it knows where I stopped and doesn't want me to watch the entire episode again, and to cut down the number of steps it takes for me to get to an episode in season 1 when season 3 is currently airing.

This is how it works, or doesn't, for me. I stop in the middle of season 1 episode 3. I go back later and instead of picking up where I left off, it wants to play the most recent episode that aired (3.6) or to replay the episode I was watching from the very beginning. Usually, I have to click on the program, scroll to list of seasons, click on 1, look through the list to find the episode, click on episode, click play again to start the episode, fastforward to where I was. Occasionally, it will half remember where I was and only replay the previous 20 or so minutes.

It would also be nice to see what a show is about without having to click on it, but that's a problem on several apps including Disney+ and at least on PBS the images are large enough to read the titles.

CNN is exactly the same, I've been watching "the history of Las Vegas" & their ap doesn't even recognize the fact that I've watched any episodes & I have to go hunt for it every time. If you really want to get annoyed try using the Vice tv app, there was 20 minutes between me downloading it & deleting it, that's how frustrating it was.

[meowmommy]

7 hours ago, ABay said:

Dear PBS, at least I know you haven't wasted my donation on creating a user friendly interface for your app.

I considered getting PBS Passport but when I looked at their offerings, I was unpleasantly surprised at how little legacy programming they have.  I want old Masterpiece Theatre and old American Experience and Ken Burns and Ric Burns documentaries, among others.  Perhaps it's a licensing issue that prevents them from sharing their full catalog, but I'm not paying for another streaming service that doesn't have what I want to watch.  There seems to be more classic TV on Kanopy, which is free through the library, than on PBS.

[Affogato]

Apparently my comcast wifi only platinum account (i don’t pay for the appellation) comes with peacock. I just happened to look and did not know. Maybe someone else is equally clueless. 

[jah1986]

It does come with Peacock for the 1st year, then you have to pay whatever the monthly/annual fee is.

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, jah1986 said:

It does come with Peacock for the 1st year, then you have to pay whatever the monthly/annual fee is.

I’m just happy to watch resident alien and night court. Not a lot else I want to see. Saw Oppenheimer in the theater and I’m feeling once is enough, for example. I’m sure there are other things. 

[Miss Anne Thrope]

8 hours ago, Affogato said:

Apparently my comcast wifi only platinum account (i don’t pay for the appellation) comes with peacock. I just happened to look and did not know. Maybe someone else is equally clueless. 

 

8 hours ago, jah1986 said:

It does come with Peacock for the 1st year, then you have to pay whatever the monthly/annual fee is.

 

I got it free for 2 years.  On the billing page of your account, it gives the end date (at least on mine it does, under Add Ons). 

Edited March 29 by Miss Anne Thrope

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/24/2024 at 4:46 PM, meowmommy said:

There seems to be more classic TV on Kanopy, which is free through the library, than on PBS.

Thank you for mentioning Kanopy.  I've never heard of it, and it has a decent amount of artsy and foreign movies I want to see.  And my library gives me access to four per month, so there's a veneer of scarcity.

[meowmommy]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

And my library gives me access to four per month, so there's a veneer of scarcity.

If you get membership at other libraries (I belong to about ten) that participate in Kanopy, you can link your accounts together and stack your credits.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, meowmommy said:

If you get membership at other libraries (I belong to about ten) that participate in Kanopy, you can link your accounts together and stack your credits.

How do you join (is that the word?) different libraries?  I just got my library card about a month ago.  I signed up online but had to pick up my card in person and present proof of a local address.  Actually, I travel fulltime and whenever I've looked at getting a library card, they all required a local address.

But a few months ago I was visiting my sister in the D.C. area and I was lamenting not having a library card because I'm not a resident of the places I'm traveling, and her friend said you can get one in Arlington, Virginia, even if you're not a resident.  So I looked it up and that's sort of true--you can get an Arlington library card if you live in a reciprocal jurisdiction (covers basically the D.C. area).  It sounds like someone who lives in that area could get cards for a bunch of different libraries.  So maybe you're doing something like that? 

Being able to stack the credits would be a hell of a deal.

[possibilities]

There's another online service that might work as a supplement to Kanopy, or for people who are on the road a lot.

It's called HooplaDigital. You have to have a card at some library somewhere, but they loan out digital only materials, and I think they let you borrow 10 items per month. 

From their FAQ:

hoopla Digital partners with libraries across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to provide online and mobile access to eBooks, audiobooks, comics, music, movies, and TV. With hoopla and a valid library card, patrons can borrow, stream, and download dynamic content via hoopla’s mobile app or www.hoopladigital.com.

 

 

[ABay]

@StatisticalOutlier, check whether your library is part of system that lets you use your card at any participating library. In CT, my local library card is good at every public library in the state, in NYS and Ohio it was county level. I haven't tried to use Kanopy or Hoopla for video here but I'm going to try now that @meowmommy has suggested it.

Edited March 30 by ABay

[meowmommy]

8 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

It sounds like someone who lives in that area could get cards for a bunch of different libraries.  So maybe you're doing something like that? 

Yes.  I am in Arizona, and almost — not all — every library in the state will allow me to get a card.  Most of them — not all — let me apply online, but usually the nonresident card is only good for one year instead of three.  YMMV. 
 

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

It's called HooplaDigital. You have to have a card at some library somewhere, but they loan out digital only materials

I have Hoopla also, and they also allow stacking.  I don’t use it much, though.

[possibilities]

 

In MA, I can borrow anything from any MA library using my one branch card and inter-library loan. But I find that Hooplah has things I can't get anywhere in the MA library system. I've been getting e-books (which I like because you can enlarge the print and my eyes are problematic), and audiobooks, of titles the MA interlibrary loan options only have in regular print.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I got my library card in Austin, Texas.  I got to looking and there's something called the TexShare card, which gives me borrowing privileges at other libraries in Texas (once I've had my APL card for six months).  I have to get a paper TexShare card at my library, and present it along with an ID and my APL card to another library and fill out a registration form at that other library.

However, on the APL website, it says people who use a TexShare card have only these privileges:

Quote

10 physical item checkouts (books, DVDs, etc.)

7 holds

No interlibrary loan

No Digital Resources* (no OverDrive, hoopla, databases, etc.)

So it looks like Texans are SOL on this stacking thing for streaming.  Then again, maybe we should just be grateful they allow libraries at all.

[DearEvette]

1. Cosign on getting as many library cards as you can.  I live in New York and any resident of New York state can get a digital library card from the New York Public Library.  But I also have cards in my local county (which has reicprocal agreements with other library systems) and the county I work in.  I have actually begun doing a search to see what other regional libraries allow reciprocal memberships. 

2. I love Hoopla.  I am a huge consumer of audiobooks and sometimes my librar(ies) will have long waiting lists but if Hoopla has it they are available without a wait.  Also I have discovered some great tv shows and movies.  One of my favorite discoveries was this stylish, sexy french tv show called Detectives.  It was only two seasons but I enjoyed the heck out of it. They also have movies/shows that are on streaming services that I may not be subscribed to.

3. And yes I can stack.  One of my libraries allow 5 loans from Hoopla a month.  One allows 7 and another allows 3. So I get 15 loans from Hoopla a month.

4. I also use a library extension on my browser.  So if I am browsing a book site (such as Goodreads, Amazon or Audible) it will let me know if a title I am browsing is at one of my libraries, if it is an e-book or audiobook and if it is available or has holds. And the extension will take me directly to that book on my library's website to the borrow or hold button.

Edited March 30 by DearEvette

[Bastet]

I figured Kanopy and Hoopla would be things I could only watch on my computer - and I won't watch programming on a 24" monitor - but I just looked them up and apparently there are apps for each available on Fire sticks, so I could watch on a TV.  So I'm glad these were mentioned, and will have to look up my library system's access to them.

Edited March 30 by Bastet

[Affogato]

15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

How do you join (is that the word?) different libraries?  I just got my library card about a month ago.  I signed up online but had to pick up my card in person and present proof of a local address.  Actually, I travel fulltime and whenever I've looked at getting a library card, they all required a local address.

But a few months ago I was visiting my sister in the D.C. area and I was lamenting not having a library card because I'm not a resident of the places I'm traveling, and her friend said you can get one in Arlington, Virginia, even if you're not a resident.  So I looked it up and that's sort of true--you can get an Arlington library card if you live in a reciprocal jurisdiction (covers basically the D.C. area).  It sounds like someone who lives in that area could get cards for a bunch of different libraries.  So maybe you're doing something like that? 

Being able to stack the credits would be a hell of a deal.

The boston public library gives you ten kanopy credits and you can join other libraries in the area, most are on one connected system and you can order books from all over the state. 

[AstridM]

On 3/24/2024 at 10:31 AM, ABay said:

Dear PBS, at least I know you haven't wasted my donation on creating a user friendly interface for your app. So...thanks? Please feel free to spend a couple of bucks on redesigning it so it knows where I stopped and doesn't want me to watch the entire episode again, and to cut down the number of steps it takes for me to get to an episode in season 1 when season 3 is currently airing.

This is how it works, or doesn't, for me. I stop in the middle of season 1 episode 3. I go back later and instead of picking up where I left off, it wants to play the most recent episode that aired (3.6) or to replay the episode I was watching from the very beginning. Usually, I have to click on the program, scroll to list of seasons, click on 1, look through the list to find the episode, click on episode, click play again to start the episode, fastforward to where I was. Occasionally, it will half remember where I was and only replay the previous 20 or so minutes.

It would also be nice to see what a show is about without having to click on it, but that's a problem on several apps including Disney+ and at least on PBS the images are large enough to read the titles.

I have the same issues with the PBS app - so frustrating!

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I also use a library extension on my browser.  So if I am browsing a book site (such as Goodreads, Amazon or Audible) it will let me know if a title I am browsing is at one of my libraries, if it is an e-book or audiobook and if it is available or has holds. And the extension will take me directly to that book on my library's website to the borrow or hold button.

What's the extension called?

[DearEvette]

https://www.libraryextension.com/

 

this is what is looks like in Goodreads for instance when I am looking an John Grisham's 'The Firm'

 

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

8 hours ago, DearEvette said:

One of my favorite discoveries was this stylish, sexy french tv show called Detectives. 

Sounds interesting.  How do the credits work on Hoopla for multi-episode shows?  I get four "borrows" a month (and no access to multiple library cards).  Is each episode one borrow?  I don't want to "test" it and inadvertently get too far in the process and use up a credit.

[ABay]

Detectives is available on Britbox, or possibly Acorn. I wish they'd made more episodes.

[AstridM]

14 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Sounds interesting.  How do the credits work on Hoopla for multi-episode shows?  I get four "borrows" a month (and no access to multiple library cards).  Is each episode one borrow?  I don't want to "test" it and inadvertently get too far in the process and use up a credit.

I think 4 credits per season, but I’m not 💯.

[StatisticalOutlier]

17 hours ago, ABay said:

Detectives is available on Britbox, or possibly Acorn. I wish they'd made more episodes.

Aah, you have to pay for those.  The way these streaming services operate so annoyingly (especially cutting off the credits, and in some cases the very end of the program!) has made me vow never to pay full fare for any of them.  I have the Black Friday specials for Hulu (99 cents?) and Max ($1.99?) and you can bet your life I have it marked in my calendar to cancel them before they jack me up to regular price. 

I will say I'm pleased with Kanopy and Hoopla in that so far, neither has cut off the credits in a desperate and unseemly attempt to keep me watching something, anything, to keep me from clicking away from that platform. 

[DearEvette]

18 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Sounds interesting.  How do the credits work on Hoopla for multi-episode shows?  I get four "borrows" a month (and no access to multiple library cards).  Is each episode one borrow?  I don't want to "test" it and inadvertently get too far in the process and use up a credit.

It depends on how the shows are set up within Hoopla.  Some shows you can get for a single "borrow" for 7 days if they are on something called a 'Binge Pass'.  If they are not, then each episode is a borrow.

If you are really interested in Detectives, it is also on MHz Choice which has a 7 day free trial.

 

[Bastet]

43 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The way these streaming services operate so annoyingly (especially cutting off the credits, and in some cases the very end of the program!) has made me vow never to pay full fare for any of them.

Seriously.  The only one I pay for is Hulu, and I only got it because it (the ad-supported version) was available as a Black Friday deal for .99/mo for one year.  The rest I have access to someone else's account.  Hulu's ad breaks are so annoying I'd never pay them more than .99/mo (and I certainly wouldn't shell out the bucks for an ad-free plan), so that will be canceled as soon as I've finished watching my list.  The others, if I lost access to my parents'/friend's accounts I'd just do without other than Netflix.  I have the longest watch list by far on that one, so I'd wait for a good deal, power through the list, and then cancel.  There's not one of these services I'd pay full price for.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/31/2024 at 2:55 PM, DearEvette said:

If they are not, then each episode is a borrow.

Ouch.  I get only four credits a month. 

However, I can record to a standalone DVR, and Season 1 of Detectives has 8 episodes.  So at the end of April I could borrow the first four episodes, and at the beginning of May I could borrow the second four episodes.

But then I searched for it on my TV interface for Hoopla, and Detectives isn't on there.  But it IS on Hoopla's website.  So I figured I could add it to my watchlist via the website, and it would show up in the watchlist on my TV, like how it works on Max and Hulu.  But no.  There's no favorites or watchlist.  Just borrow.

Then I noticed that under each episode of Detectives on the Hoopla website on my PC's browser, it says "This title is available for streaming and downloading (mobile devices only)."  So it really isn't available to watch on TV no matter what I do?  But there's a "borrow" button on the screen on my PC, which isn't a mobile device.  But I don't want to click it because I don't want to burn a credit.

Argh.  I give up.  I think I'm best served using streaming only to the extent I can bend it to my will, and just doing without everything else.

Edited April 1 by StatisticalOutlier

[AheadofStraight]

I let Peacock expire when my 1.99 offer was over. Happy to report that I just got an email offering me 1.99 again for another 6 months. I was waiting to see of Paramount+ does the same. I'm actually surviving just fine with the CBS app but I do want to see the Billy Joel special coming up. The commercials say it is live on CBS and streaming on P+. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see it with just the CBS app though?

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/30/2024 at 12:41 PM, DearEvette said:

1. Cosign on getting as many library cards as you can.  I live in New York and any resident of New York state can get a digital library card from the New York Public Library.  But I also have cards in my local county (which has reicprocal agreements with other library systems) and the county I work in.  I have actually begun doing a search to see what other regional libraries allow reciprocal memberships. 

2. I love Hoopla.  I am a huge consumer of audiobooks and sometimes my librar(ies) will have long waiting lists but if Hoopla has it they are available without a wait.  Also I have discovered some great tv shows and movies.  One of my favorite discoveries was this stylish, sexy french tv show called Detectives.  It was only two seasons but I enjoyed the heck out of it. They also have movies/shows that are on streaming services that I may not be subscribed to.

3. And yes I can stack.  One of my libraries allow 5 loans from Hoopla a month.  One allows 7 and another allows 3. So I get 15 loans from Hoopla a month.

4. I also use a library extension on my browser.  So if I am browsing a book site (such as Goodreads, Amazon or Audible) it will let me know if a title I am browsing is at one of my libraries, if it is an e-book or audiobook and if it is available or has holds. And the extension will take me directly to that book on my library's website to the borrow or hold button.

NYPL does not have Kanopy. Probably because it’s too big a system. But my Suffolk County library does. I use Libby to search for and borrow digital books and audiobooks from both systems stacked. I also have Brooklyn Public library for Libby, and it’s also stacked with the other two. 

[DearEvette]

When I first got my NYPL card they had Kanopy and then about 3 years into they no longer did.  But it was nice because Kanopy had the Criterion collection. 

[meowmommy]

Grrr.  Just went onto Paramount+ website to delete a few of the programs I don't care to continue from Keep Watching, because they won't let me do it from the TV itself.  It deleted every single show on the list as well as my entire watch history, so I now have to open my watch list and then guess what episode I was on or at what point of the movie I stopped, if I'd actually like to continue.

[BetterButter]

Disney Password-Sharing Crackdown for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Accounts Will Begin in June

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

Disney Password-Sharing Crackdown for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Accounts Will Begin in June

Quote

The term “household” means the collection of devices “associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein,” according to the agreements.

So, nothing about people who live part time in 2 or more places or who spend a lot of time caring for elderly relatives or young grandchildren etc.? 
— which can include people who travel a lot for their jobs.
The wealthy who have 2 or more homes would not even notice the "spare" change.

Maybe a class action suit challenge in the future?

[EtheltoTillie]

20 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

So, nothing about people who live part time in 2 or more places or who spend a lot of time caring for elderly relatives or young grandchildren etc.? 
— which can include people who travel a lot for their jobs.
The wealthy who have 2 or more homes would not even notice the "spare" change.

Maybe a class action suit challenge in the future?

This was the same problem with Netflix.  Thus far, we have been able to avoid problems with the two house situation.  I wonder whether Disney will do the same.  I have two homes, but I would notice the extra bill. 

[MaryMitch]

Seems like it would be a lot easier for them to enforce a specific number of users at a time, so Grandma could use the account for the kids to watch while she's babysitting.

[Eri]

The more I see people getting new 0.99 deals after letting their subscriptions expire, the more I want to see if it works for me. I cancelled my PBS Masterpiece and Acorn subscription and all they offered was a slightly less monthly rate ($3.49 instead of $5.99 for the next 3 months) 🙄

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Thus far, we have been able to avoid problems with the two house situation.

Do you select the "I'm traveling" option at the second home to get temporary access each time, or do you somehow have them both recognized as part of the household?

Edited April 5 by Bastet

[EtheltoTillie]

25 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Do you select the "I'm traveling" option at the second home to get temporary access each time, or do you somehow have them both recognized as part of the household?

I have to select I'm traveling from time to time.  It's inconsistent.

Edited April 5 by EtheltoTillie

[Irlandesa]

In all this talk about password crackdowns...etc., I've been relatively lucky.  I've had to verify that I'm traveling a few times but no other hiccups when I use it on my regular devices here or when I'm at my mother's house. 

Except for today.  I was watching MHZ and had a pop-up come up and tell me that I was streaming on three devices at a time and I needed to manage my devices.  The thing is, even though I'm logged into MHZ on all the TVs in my house, I am the only one to stream from that app.  No one else uses MHZ so it's impossible for it to be streaming in three places at the same time.

I am very annoyed the pop up made me agree that I'd log out of other devices where I'm signed into MHZ. 

[MaryMitch]

On 4/8/2024 at 2:56 AM, Irlandesa said:

Except for today.  I was watching MHZ and had a pop-up come up and tell me that I was streaming on three devices at a time and I needed to manage my devices.  The thing is, even though I'm logged into MHZ on all the TVs in my house, I am the only one to stream from that app.  No one else uses MHZ so it's impossible for it to be streaming in three places at the same time.

I've often wondered if you just leave the TV on the streaming service and turn off the TV if the streaming knows the TV is off. Never bothered to check it, though; I always leave the streaming service before turning off the TV.

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, MaryMitch said:

I've often wondered if you just leave the TV on the streaming service and turn off the TV if the streaming knows the TV is off. Never bothered to check it, though; I always leave the streaming service before turning off the TV.

On my 2 Roku TVs
(different ages and manufacturers, so look different and work differently in some ways),
if I just turn off the TV without leaving the streaming app, when I turn it back on I am at the Roku home screen.

[Shrek]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

On my 2 Roku TVs
(different ages and manufacturers, so look different and work differently in some ways),
if I just turn off the TV without leaving the streaming app, when I turn it back on I am at the Roku home screen.

You can set it (Roku) to turn off after a certain time or to just stay on in the background, my 3 are all set to turn off after 30 minutes.

[meowmommy]

6 hours ago, Shrek said:

You can set it (Roku) to turn off after a certain time or to just stay on in the background, my 3 are all set to turn off after 30 minutes.

That's my favorite way to go to sleep.  I put on something mindless, that I don't have to pay attention to, and set the timer on the Roku for 30 minutes.

We have three Roku TVs and one Roku streaming device attached to the dumbest smart TV ever.  I do worry that if we turn off the dumb TV without backing out of whatever Roku app we were streaming, it will continue to run, ad infinitum, eating up data.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, Shrek said:

You can set it (Roku) to turn off after a certain time or to just stay on in the background, my 3 are all set to turn off after 30 minutes.

Sure.
But when your turn the TV back on, it still just goes to the Roku home screen, not back to whatever you were watching, right?