| Over the years of writing this newsletter and my weekly TechHive column, I often hear from folks who are getting priced out of cable, but just don’t know where to start with cutting the cord.
The confusion is understandable, especially if you aren’t tech savvy. Whereas cable made everything simple, cutting the cord requires picking from a dozen different hardware options and many more online video services, not all of which are compatible with one another. Adding an over-the-air TV antenna to the mix creates even further headache potential.
Over at TechHive, I’ve put together a beginner’s guide to cutting the cord. It’s a substantial piece that walks through all the elements you need, how to choose the right devices and services, and whether you should even cut the cord in the first place. I hope you’ll find it useful.
The guide is split up over two parts, so click here for part one, and here for part two. And if you have any questions, please reach out. |
| AT&T and HBO questions: In addition to the guide–which has been in the works for a while–I did write a regular column this week. It’s all about AT&T’s plans to launch a new HBO-centric streaming service this year, and how we seem to know even less now than we did a few months ago. With recent management shakeups, AT&T execs are waffling on all kinds of fundamental questions, such as launch timing, packaging, and how much content will get pulled from other services. Read the full column for everything I’m still scratching my head over.
Roku’s new Alexa support: This week, Roku added support for basic voice control from the Amazon Echo and other Alexa speakers. After enabling the Roku skill and linking your player, you can say things like “Alexa, pause on Roku,” “Alexa, launch Hulu on Roku,” or “Alexa, show me comedies on Roku.”
But as with Roku’s Google Assistant integration, some limitations apply: You can’t ask Alexa to launch videos or live channels directly, and for some reason you can’t use voice to launch Netflix. Also, Alexa can only link to one Roku player at a time. Alexa control may be useful for pausing or rewinding in a pinch, but it’s not going to replace your remote for most things.
DirecTV Now’s Apple TV enhancements: DirecTV Now has added a bunch of new features on Apple TV (fourth-gen or higher, with the touchpad remote). You can now ask Siri to launch live channels, and use single sign-in to authenticate with TV network apps, so you don’t have to log into each one individually.
DirecTV Now also works with Apple’s “TV” app, which lets you track movies, shows, and sporting events from across different streaming services. PlayStation Vue was the first to support the TV app back in October, and FuboTV followed last month. If you subscribe to additional on-demand services like Hulu or Amazon Prime, the app makes for a helpful starting point when you’re looking for something to watch.
Tablo updates: Nuvyyo, makers of the Tablo over-the-air DVR, has pushed the launch of its ad-skipping feature back to April, but still plans to launch its updated quad-tuner DVR (which can play or record up to four channels at once) in March. The company’s also settled on pricing for cloud DVR service, if you’d rather not plug in your own hard drive. It’ll cost $5 per month, on top of the usual guide data subscription cost ($5 per month, $50 per year, or $150 for life.) That’s not unreasonable, but most folks should probably just stick with a hard drive and avoid tacking on another ongoing fee.
Speaking of guide data, Nuvyyo is also tweaking the price structure for people who own more than one Tablo unit. For new customers, each additional DVR will require its own guide data subscription. You can still replace an older Tablo with a new one at no additional subscription cost, though, and existing users will be grandfathered into the current price scheme. Given that Tablo doesn’t stack tuners anyway–meaning each DVR has its own separate recording list and preferences–you’re better off with a do-it-yourself option like Plex or Channels DVR if you want to record more than four channels at a time.
The Omniverse saga continues: Omniverse, the company that’s powering HDHomeRun’s Premium TV service and a bunch of weirdly-similar live TV offerings, is proclaiming its innocence in an extensive interview with LightReading. CEO Jason DeMeo says he’s doing everything by the book, and went into detail on the obscure contract that supposedly lets him distribute popular cable channels without the direct blessing of TV networks. (Most services that rely on Omniverse charge about $35 per month.) A consortium of studios and tech companies sued Omniverse last month, alleging copyright infringement.
After Lightreading suggested a link between Omniverse’s streams and DirecTV, DeMeo clarified that he’s relying on a contract with a small cable operator in New Jersey, which itself is tied to a home builder and residential developer that operates in multiple states. DeMeo says this company made a long-term arrangement with DirecTV for national distribution rights in the 1990s, before anyone was even thinking about streaming video, as part of its expanding real estate ambitions. It’s still unclear how Omniverse got involved, as DeMeo says he established a relationship with the operator through a still-unnamed third party.
It’s a pretty wild story, and the outcome will obviously determine whether HDHomeRun Premium TV and other services can still exist. Given the uncertainty, I’d still avoid building a cord-cutting plan around these offerings, at least not without a backup strategy. (One bit of good news, though: HDHomeRun Premium TV got Discovery channels back last week.)
Interesting Netflix stories: I really enjoyed reading a pair of Netflix stories that my colleagues at Fast Company put together last week. One’s about how Netflix’s algorithms continually steer you away from licensed content and toward the company’s originals, and the other is about how Netflix’s culinary programming has become a kind of answer to the Food Network. If you have some time, check them out. |
