YouTubeTV Price Increase

Having made the leap to cutting the cord a couple of years ago, I still don't regret the move.

We have seen price increases across the board now with most of the services, so it seems like a great time to reevaluate all the services that we are using, and maybe, not using.

I have acquired quite a few online digital services for my online entertainment content. I listen to quite a few audio books and I was quite lucky to be able to take advantage of my early membership with Audible to have latch on to the 5 credit per month at the 2 credit price. They don't even offer more than 2 credits anymore! This kind of membership allows me to quickly take on a new author's book series and consume it. This is not even on the table.

We also have the Kindle Unlimited service. This is probably one that we could dial back on but my wife is starting to better understand that service. So it is another one that for now we will keep but watch if it continues to be something we take advantage of.

Now back to what originally started this article! YouTubeTV. It is my core TV service so it has to stay in as well as the 4K option. With the increase in the primary and the decrease in the 4k I still have a net $2.00's savings. This is a no brainer. However, we have Hallmark Movies and I think this is going to go. my wife just like gave me confirmation. This service will be terminated. Sorry Hallmark!

Amazon Prime has to be a keeper as well. It has a couple of series that I enjoy and the other benefits of service makes it a service to keep as well.

Hulu is a strange one that we don't visit much. With YouTubeTV giving us the opportunity to record anything with unlimited storage, why would we? That is another expense that I’m having a hard time justifying.

Netflix we use a lot for comedy specials and of course movie's so I am pretty much stuck there.

Peacock is another example where special content makes you come back.

Acorn has become our go to service for our favorite TV series to watch. We just love British shows and believe it or not, this is the least expensive of all of the services. I have to keep this one, too.

Add them all up and I really still feel that we are getting good value for our money compared to what cable offers. l am still quite happy with our decision to cut cable television from our lives.

How about you?

Note: Hallmark Movies gone! Hulu is still making the cut!

Cord Cutting–Is YouTube TV an alternative for you?

Do you live in Chicago, San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, New York or Philadelphia? Then you have an alternative to Cable TV. YouTube TV is now available in the areas mentioned above for just $35/month. The channel line up is okay but doesn’t have a lot of what my family watches at this time. YouTube TV is planning on adding more options as well as locations as time goes on and if you sign up and are out of the current supported areas you will be notified when the service is available in your area. The best thing is that if you don’t like the service there is no commitment.

Currently you can purchase Showtime ($11/mo) and Fox Soccer Plus ($15/mo) as add-on channels. You get 6 accounts and everyone in your household gets their own login and personal DVR library. Also, the DVR storage is unlimited so you can save to your heart’s content. There is also no limit to the number of simultaneous shows that you can capture as well.

My only issue is that some of the stations that my wife watches all of the time are not part of the selection. But in time they may show up. I was sort of surprised that HBO isn’t available as an add-on nor are Hallmark or PBS available as part of the lineup.

For more information look here.

Wanting to use Amazon Prime Video to help cut the cable?

Amazon Prime users can opt into some of the prime cable channels (HBO, STARX and SHOWTIME) on a subscription basis. Amazon is providing a 7 day free trial to check it out for yourself. After the trial period you be looking at paying $8.99/month for STARZ, $14.99/month for HBO and $8.99/month for SHOWTIME.

If you want to see all the channels available on Amazon Prime click here.

HBO GO released for ios devices

It wasn’t that I could hardly wait for this to be released but I was surprised how well it works in its first iteration. It is fast and seemed to stream very well over my WIFI network. You must be an HBO subscriber to access the content but after you key in your account information up pops all of the current movies and shows playing on HBO as well as past documentaries, sports and HBO produced series. So if you haven’t been following a current series, missed a passed series or episode you can quickly come up to speed with this application. This app works on all of you ios devices so you can watch you HBO content on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

HBO GO allows users to view programming over either a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, making the entire lineup of HBO shows and movies available while on-the-go. Bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras are included in the HBO GO service and the app allows users to also create customized watchlists and smart “Series Pass” lists to easily follow their favorite shows. HBO GO is available only in the U.S. and requires a 3G or Wi-Fi connection for viewing content. The universal iOS app requires iOS 3.2 or later and an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, third- and fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad. HBO GO isavailable from the App Store as a free download.

CES 2011

Last year Jude and I had launched our video studio right about this time and had produced some videos about products that we thought were neat and that we wanted to have. Many of these products never came into production as is the nature of the beast, but it is still interesting that the same basic theme this year seems to be the same as last year.

Hands down I think that one of the most exciting products of last year was the iPad and I am so glad that I found a way to justify my purchase because once I did get it into my hands, I found many more uses for it then I originally imagined. One of the things that I do daily is look for either new applications or peripherals to add to my collection of supporting items for my iPad. My two newest purchases being speaker docks that charge my iPad and iPhone while playing content. Productivity enhancements and ease of sharing data between systems is still my biggest concern when choosing a new application.

So, enough of my Bully Pulpit! The main focus of new and improved upcoming products include iPad type devices either using Android and Microsoft's Windows for operating systems. Throw in products from HP and RIM and we have a large number of choices in many varying sizes. For many of these we will still have to wait and see if they will actually reach production.

Another carryover from last year is the eBook reader. My feeling is that Amazon and Barnes and Noble are our two leaders with Sony in as a distant third. I am not sure that there is any more room for anything else out there but when people see a successful product they will try to ride the coattails of those products with what they feel is a better mousetrap.

3D TV was introduced last year but this year we see it being put into almost everything with a screen. I am not sold on this yet as anything more than a gimmick, but there is a lot of money being poured into it.

Believe it or not there are some interesting things happening with desktop and notebook computers with the new integrated video residing right in the same silicon with the CPU. there are many benefits to be found doing this that I will discuss in some follow-up articles. But we are seeing a small resurgence in Tablet Notebooks (convertibles), and more units in smaller more powerful form factors.

I haven't seen any new product groups yet but we are still pretty early in the show for me to determine that, more on this later. Anyway, over the next few days we will be perusing CES from afar and as we come up with products that we fill compelling, we will be sure to bring them to your attention.
So for now I'll go back to work and see what I can find!

xfinity.tv (Comcast) has released a new iPad App

Do you want more control over your DVR’s in the home? Well Comcast has a new App available on iTunes that allows you to set up your recordings on all of DVRs in your house.

Here’s a brief highlight of this App’s capabilities:

• Search On Demand and TV Listings
• Change channels on your TV
• Schedule your DVR remotely

Remote Tune

You can change the channel on your TV right from your XFINITY TV app. Just find a program you want to watch in TV Listings and tap “Watch on TV” to change your TV’s channel and start watching instantly. You can even tune directly to an On Demand program.

Remote DVR Scheduling

Use the XFINITY TV app to schedule your DVR from wherever you are. Just find a program you want to record from TV Listings and tap “Record.” It will be waiting for you on your DVR when you return home. You’ll never have to miss your favorite shows again.

How to Search

With the XFINITY TV app, it’s easy to navigate through the thousands of TV shows and movies – even those On Demand – that are available to you. Simply tap “Search” at any time and search by title, actor or keyword. You can even filter by genre, network, HD and more.

Download Free

The XFINITY TV app is available for download from the App Store℠ for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch."

• Download now »

While this application gives you access to programming you DVR remotely it is lacking a few functions that would make it more functional.

First, I would like to have the ability to see what I have on the schedule to be recorded and have the ability to edit those choices.

Second, it would be nice to be able to jump to a specific date, time and/or station.

Third, the ability to create a list of stations that you want to always review would be another nice feature.

Fourth, wouldn’t it be nice to stream the content to the iPad as well? Maybe that is asking too much. But if they checked with your connection, and since you are logging in with your account information it shouldn’t be that much harder than connecting with a PC and streaming that way.

This is the first iteration and you can’t expect the whole world all at once. The program is very responsive and simple to use. Would I recommend downloading this to your iPad or your iPhone. Definitely. This gives you the ability to lock in a TV recording if you happen to forget to program it locally or you can take a look at what movies are playing while you are away that you want to record to watch at a later time.

I will look forward to see what they will come out with in the future versions.

Netflix adds unlimited streaming plan; raises prices for DVD plans

Some good news and some bad! Netflix is now offering an unlimited streaming-only subscription plan for those of you who don’t want to deal with DVD’s and the United Postal Service. The bad news is that Netflix is raising its prices on several other plans that are based around DVDs.

The unlimited streaming plan will run $7.99 a month, which puts it right in line with Hulu Plus’ offering. This plan is available right now. As for the price hikes, the 1-DVD and 2-DVDs out at a time plans will rise by $1 while the 3 DVDs-plan will jump $3 to $19.99. This will definitely make the streaming option a lot more attractive to those who have an internet connection that can handle it.

I know that I for one would probably be better suited with the streaming only plan because I don’t turn around the DVDs very often. I have one that I am currently sitting on for over a month and during that time the streaming version  has become available.

Hulu Plus is now out of preview with new $7.99 subscription cost!

I am an active user of the free Hulu product on my computer at home, but I really wanted the offer of anytime/anywhere access that Hulu Plus promised on my iPhone and iPad devices. Have I been using this service? Yes, but I am not as happy with the selection as compared with what is available on my computer.You would think that with word PLUS in its name, there would be more, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The list seems to be getting better but not fast enough to suit me. Is it something that will cause me leave the service? Not yet. But it is nice that the price has dropped to $7.99 and that we should be seeing some credits back for us earlier adopters.

Here is a quick breakdown from Hulu that shows the differences between the two services:

Whether the $2 per month savings will be enough to spark a new wave of subscribers is hard to say—the service is still pricey for a somewhat limited selection of popular shows. Then again, Hulu Plus does offer complete seasons for current shows (something free users won't get), but unless you're the type to blow through whole seasons of recent shows, it may be a better use of your money to subscribe to Netflix instead.

Veebeam Wirelessly Streams Web Video to Your TV

Here is a neat product that looked interesting when we read about it.

If you want to be able to display video content from your PC to your big screen TV, then this might be just the thing for you. 

It is available in SD (480i) and HD (1080p) version at $99 and $139 respectively. For the extra $40 it looks to me like the best configuration would be the HD Version. 

They are taking preorders on this product now and are planning on beginning shipments in early October, 2010.

It’s Features include:

• Streams Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and other Internet sites
• Built-in wireless PC to TV link
• Easy to setup, easy to use
• Compatible with Mac OS X (10.5, 10.6), Windows 7, and Vista
• Ideal for laptops
• Use laptop keyboard & track pad to control playback

and on the HD you also get:

• Plays 1080p HD movie files
• Optical audio output for surround sound
• HDMI connector
• Displays photos and desktop in HD
• Two (2) USB ports for future support of webcams and external hard-drives

The magic behind the product is that it is using Wireless USB based technology (WUSB). WUSB uses radio technology in the Ultra-wideband realm. This high-bandwidth, low-power method of wireless data transmission enables the secure, high-speed connection required for functions like HD Video transmission. Intel has helped to support this initiative and we are now seeing it come in products like this one. One of the other benefits is that it is a secured transmission so you don’t have to worry about it being intercepted.

Wireless USB creates a secure point-to-point connection between your laptop and your TV. WUSB is more powerful than traditional WiFi because it offers more bandwidth, better security and less interference over short distances.

Best performance of this device comes when all of the equipment is in the same room. I look forward to testing this out when I get my hands on it.

More Media Center for the Masses

Microsoft has released to manufacturing (RTM) its new version of Windows Embedded Standard 7. Not jumping up and down? Well, this product when incorporated into your TV’s and other desktop devices will enable them to be better integrated into all of your media centric systems in your home including, well, your Windows 7 based PC’s through the magic of Windows Media Center. Read on to see what else it can do.

Click to read more ...

Looking forward to the May release of the Ceton InfiniTV 4 quad-tuner card.

One of the roadblocks you may have run into when trying to use your PC as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) has been getting digital content directly into your PC without having to use external digital convertor devices. Prior to this new product from Ceton you had to purchase four single tuner cards and rent r separate CableCARDS from your local cable provider. This could easily cost upwards of $1000 to purchase the tuner cards and an additonal cost of $96 - $288/year for the CableCARD rental.

With the Ceton InfiniTV 4 tuner card you pay $399 for the tuner and $2-$6/month for the CableCARD rental. 

Ceton states that it will work with any US Cable System to receive all SD and HD digital cable channels without needing a separate set-top box. So with all that said, this product looks like a great addition to your Media Center to take it up another notch. More on this product once it is released.

New service from Comcast: Access your DVR remotely

You can now manage you DVR remotely using myDVR Manger. Once you have logged in and initialized the application, it will take 24 hours to synchronize to all the DVR units in your home.  This program allows you to schedule your DVR to record your favorite TV shows and movies from any where you have Internet access with computer.  If you have forgotten to schedule a program you can now access the DVR that you would like to program remotely from your work or other Internet connected computer.

The features include:

• Schedule your recordings online
• Review your scheduled recordings
• Modify a scheduled recording
• Modify a series recording

You will need your Comcast username (this is your email account) and password to be able to activate an access this account.  You will then be able to access and eventually any DVR that is in your home from a remote desktop.  You can even use this application on your home PC to make it a little easier to program your recording schedules.

I will let you know how well this works after I have used it for couple of weeks.  You're facing simple and straightforward and I feel this is a great addition to Comcast's capabilities.  Good going Comcast!