I started Advisorator because of how often I’d hear “that’s really cool” or “I didn’t realize I could do that” when talking to folks about the technology that I use and write about. Not everyone has time to dig through websites or social media feeds for tech advice, especially when so much coverage fixates on business analysis and industry gossip. The newsletter is my way of helping people become more tech-savvy without the work. (You can read some previous issues here, here, and here.)

This week, to celebrate Advisorator’s first anniversary, I’m offering a new subscriber promo rate of $2 per month for three months, or $40 for one year. You’ll still get a four-week free trial and can cancel any time with no questions asked. I haven’t offered a discount like this since the newsletter first launched, so if you’ve been curious to check it out, now’s the time. Click here to get started.

For those of you who’ve been supporting and reading Advisorator over the last year: Thank you. Launching a tech publication has been a goal of mine for years, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so in a sustainable way, without advertising or sponsorships.

Now, onto Cord Cutter Weekly!

With Apple TV Channels, you can sign up for services like HBO and Showtime directly through the TV app on iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs. You don’t have to download separate apps to start using those services, and you can manage all their subscriptions through iTunes billing. Apple TV Channels also supports offline viewing on iOS, so you can download Game of Thrones episodes before your next flight. Mentioned in this article

Apple isn’t the first to provide a single access point for streaming video subscriptions. Amazon Channels has offered a similar service to Prime subscribers since late 2015, and Roku entered the fray with Premium Subscriptions in The Roku Channel earlier this year.

But in trying to simplify streaming video sign-ups, these “Channels” services have created new complications. Each service has a different set of features, along with different restrictions on which devices you can use. They can also be more expensive than individual apps that offer annual subscriptions. And because the biggest streaming services don’t support these Channels marketplaces at all, you still have to deal with multiple apps and billing systems in the end. Read the full column on TechHive.

Tablo’s software has also gotten more refined over the last year or so, with a channel-surfing menu for live TV and a new commercial-skip feature. The latter is great when it works, though for some reason it routinely failed to detect commercial breaks on my local ABC station. The bigger issue for Tablo is a longstanding one: It still limits the framerate of 480i and 1080i channels to 30 frames per second, rather than the smoother 60 frames per second you’d expect for live sports, news, and talk shows.

Despite those drawbacks, I believe Tablo is the best over-the-air DVR for most people, due to its simple setup, broad app support, reasonable prices, and increasingly-great software. Video quality snobs, however, will still have to look elsewhere.

The new Apple TV app: Alongside the new “Channels” offering, Apple released a major update for its TV app, which helps you find things to watch across lots of different streaming services. Image thumbnails for the “Up Next” row are much larger now, so you don’t have to squint to see the shows you’re currently watching, and there are new sections for movies, TV shows, and children’s programming.

Despite its confusing name, Apple’s TV app is the most cohesive attempt yet at creating a single menu for streaming video. (It’s just too bad that Netflix doesn’t participate.) To get the new app, you must be running tvOS 12.3 on Apple TV. Head to Settings > System > Software Updates for the latest version.

Disney’s Hulu takeover: Disney and Comcast have made a deal on the future of Hulu. Effective immediately, Disney has full operational control over the streaming service, though Comcast will keep its 33.% stake until at least January 2024, at which point it can require a buyout by Disney.

More importantly for cord-cutters, content from NBC (which Comcast owns) will stay on Hulu until at least 2022, and possibly for another two years after that. NBC can start bringing shows over to its own streaming service next year, but only a non-exclusive basis.

In the meantime, NBC doesn’t have much of its own streaming strategy. As CNBC reports, the service that’s launching in mid-2020 will offer live streams of NBC channels, along with current TV shows on-demand, but only if you already get NBC through a pay TV bundle. Otherwise, it’ll cost $10 per month, and will only include some reruns and online originals. Supposedly the service is more about retaining cable customers than attracting cord-cutters, but both goals seem unlikely, especially when Hulu has all the same shows and more. Besides, the service doesn’t sound much different from the cable-authenticated apps that NBC already offers.

Black Friday prices are also back for other Fire TV devices, including the Fire TV Recast over-the-air DVR.