This week on TechHive: Apple, Amazon, and the future of video bundling



Aside from lower bills and greater flexibility, one of the benefits of ditching cable or satellite TV is that you’re less dependent on an industry with historically awful customer relationships. The less one has to interact with Comcast, Charter, or DirecTV, the better.

But cutting ties with cable TV does have a downside: Instead of dealing with just one company for TV services, you might have to manage multiple streaming accounts. As online video transitions from “skinny” bundles to more standalone streaming services, you might wish for a way to bundle them all under one bill—kind of like you did with cable.

In this week’s column, I make the case that streaming platforms from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Roku are best-suited for this new type of bundling, despite arguments to the contrary by pro-cable pundits. Read the whole thing on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

The unsurprising future of Netflix: One story I neglected in last week’s newsletter was this report from Streaming Observer, which tries to quantify deteriorating movie quality on Netflix. Based on IMDB rankings, Netflix only has 31 of the top 250 movies, down from 49 films two years ago. (Netflix has also reduced the size of its library in recent years.)

I suspect that number fluctuates from month to month, but the analysis rings true for an obvious reason: Instead of licensing lots of existing films and TV shows, Netflix is investing more in originals. This week, Netflix said it will release 1,000 hours of original content in 2017, up from 600 hours this year. Netflix figures originals will be cheaper to produce in the long run, and will allow for more control on both the business and creative sides. Besides, Netflix becomes harder for subscribers to replace if it produces more unique shows like Stranger Things.

Is this bad news for movie buffs? Not really, because now there are so many other ways to scratch that itch. Starz, which once had a major licensing deal with Netflix, now offers its own streaming service with plenty of recent blockbusters, as do HBO and Showtime. Meanwhile, services like Fandor, Filmstruck, and Tribeca Shortlist offer artsier films. If you don’t like where Netflix is headed, there’s nothing stopping you from finding another service that better-matches your interests. That’s precisely how cord cutting is supposed to work.

Vudu dabbles in free films: Speaking of movies, Vudu has started branching out from a la carte rentals and purchases. The Walmart-owned streaming service now offers a selection of films for free with ads. All you need to access them is a Vudu login and a device with the Vudu app (including iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, and some Android TV devices). Just look for the “Movies On Us” section in the app.

As with most ad-supported movie services, Vudu includes a lot of filler. Some of the gems include Mad Max, Winter’s Bone, Carrie, and True Grit. There’s also a decent selection of surf and snowboard films to chill out with.

More Catch-Up

Save More Money



Once again, I’m featuring last year’s Roku 3 as this week’s deal, probably for the last time as inventory clears out. Amazon has it for $83 (or $73 refurbished), but the bigger deals may be in brick and mortar stores. Plug your zip code into this website, and you can see which locations near you have the discounted Roku 3 in stock. You can also check nearby Target stores by entering your zip code and DCPI 008-06-1507.

If you don’t care about 4K video, the Roku 3 still offers solid performance, and its remote has both a headphone jack and voice search. With this year’s models, those features are only available on the $130 Roku Ultra.

Thanks for reading!

One of the most rewarding things about this newsletter is hearing your feedback, and helping out people who need a little more advice on cutting the cord. I’m thrilled to have received an uptick in responses over the last few weeks. You can always reach me with your comments and questions by replying to this email, or by pinging me on Twitter.

Until next week,
Jared