In the middle of ESPN’s telecast, Disney warned DirecTV customers that they might soon lose access to ESPN, Disney Channel, and Freeform. The full-screen ad included a phone number that reiterated the warning before offering to connect the caller with an AT&T representative to complain. (AT&T operates DirecTV, U-Verse, and its AT&T TV streaming services, all of which are at risk of losing Disney-owned channels in the dispute.)

We’ve seen this play out plenty of times before, and it usually ends the same way: The TV service provider, not wanting to lose popular channels and customers along with them, largely relents to the programmer’s demands, which usually involve getting more money for the same channels. The result, both for the customers who complained and for those who didn’t, is a price hike.

While the term “carriage dispute” implies equal responsibility for these incidents, in reality one side bears most of the blame. That would be programmers like Disney, which instigate these blackouts knowing that AT&T and other TV providers will absorb the ill-will. Unless TV providers get more aggressive in responding to these tactics, it’s hard to see them letting up. Read the full column on TechHive.

Bear in mind that the library will be pretty thin at launch, with eight original series and one documentary film. More originals will come later, but in the meantime Apple isn’t padding out the catalog with any licensed content. The low price and free year of service with new hardware is another example of a la carte TV at work: With so much competition between existing services like Netflix and forthcoming ones like Disney+, Apple would have a tough time charging much more.

An a la carte court battle: Here’s some interesting news out of Maine, where a new law will mandate a la carte packaging for cable channels. The law is supposed to take effect on September 19, but Comcast and several TV networks are suing the state and 17 municipalities to stop that from happening, claiming that federal statutes should preempt state laws. They’re also reaching for a free speech case, the argument being that niche channels could perish if they aren’t rolled into bigger bundles.

The more compelling case against an a la carte law, however, isn’t a legal one: There’s nothing to stop Comcast and TV networks from charging outrageous prices for a la carte channels or making customers jump through hoops to get them. This appears to be what happened in Canada, which started mandating a la carte packaging in 2016. Even so, I’d love to see this law go through if only to see how it plays out in the United States.

HDHomeRun Scribe and Servio review: Over at TechHive, I reviewed HDHomeRun’s Scribe and Servio over-the-air DVRs. The Scribe ($250) is a small black box that includes a recording engine, 1 TB of storage, and a TV tuner. All you have to do is plug in an antenna and connect it to your router with an ethernet cable, and you can watch and record live TV through the HDHomeRun app on Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One, Android, iOS, and Windows. (There’s also a beta app on Roku players.) The Servio ($150) has only the recording engine and storage inside, so it’s more of an upgrade for folks who already have a separate HDHomeRun tuner.

As always, the HDHomeRun’s hardware is top-notch, supporting broadcast TV in at full native quality, and pricing is reasonable with DVR service at just $35 per year. The problem is the software, which is clunky to navigate and is missing some key features such as automatic ad skipping and out-of-home viewing. Sticklers for video quality might find value in the Scribe and Servio, but there’s still a strong case for rolling your own DVR with an HDHomeRun Connect or Extend tuner, separate media server hardware, and third-party software such as Plex or Channels. Meanwhile, the Tablo Quad remains a much simpler whole-home DVR option for everyone else.

AirTV Mini review: And here’s one more review from me. The $80 AirTV Mini would be a garden-variety Android TV streaming box, except that it automatically launches Sling TV on boot-up, and it has Sling-specific function keys (such as guide and channel recall) on its remote. Pair it with an AirTV networked tuner box, and you can get both over-the-air and streaming cable channels through one app.

Unfortunately, AirTV doesn’t support apps for some major streaming sources, including Hulu and Amazon Prime Video (though you can still Chromecast those apps from your phone). Sling itself is also a liability, as it no longer carries regional Fox Sports channels and lacks local coverage in most markets. It continues to lag behind other live TV streaming services on 60 frames per second support as well, with fewer channels supporting the smoother framerates. Because the AirTV Mini hardware is inextricably tied to Sling TV, buying one is risky if you’re not totally committed to the service.

The discount appears to be good for three months, and you can sign up by visiting this page while logged into your Hulu account. (Thanks to Cord Cutters News for the heads-up.)

One other deal worth noting: Amazon is offering the Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 to select customers, down from the regular price of $50. Click here to see if you’re eligible, or just try using the code 4KFIRETV at checkout.