This week on TechHive: Hulu need to fix its DVR
In the cutthroat world of cord-cutting, the best options don’t always get the most customers.
Case in point is Hulu + Live TV, whose 3.7 million subscribers make it the most popular cable bundle replacement today. That’s despite a DVR service that’s objectively worse than nearly all its competitors. Unlike rivals such as YouTube TV and Sling TV, Hulu won’t let you skip ads in recordings without paying extra for the privilege, and it doesn’t support watching recordings while they’re still in progress.
I feel compelled to bring this up after last week’s column, in which I cheerily proclaimed that live TV streaming services had shed the bizarre DVR restrictions that once made them feel like second-rate cable alternatives. In hindsight, I should have made a bigger stink of how Hulu is the sad exception to the rule. Read the full column on TechHive.
Weekly rewind
Roku’s new Streaming Stick: Roku is launching a new 4K streaming dongle for the first time in four years. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K costs $50 like the old Streaming Stick+, but now supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ instead of just HDR 10. A $70 variant, called the Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, packs in the company’s Voice Remote Pro, which has a headphone jack, programmable buttons, and support for hands-free “Hey Roku” voice commands.
Roku says the new stick is about 30% faster than its predecessor, and has some intelligence to help it find the fastest Wi-Fi band or mesh network connection in your home. It also supports a wider range of Wi-Fi frequencies, so download speeds no longer top out at around 100 Mbps. While that won’t make much difference for streaming—even Netflix doesn’t need more than 25 Mbps for 4K video—it’ll allow cover art and other menu information to download faster, potentially making the device feel snappier. The new stick launches in mid-October, and I look forward to reviewing it soon.
Software updates, too: In other Roku news, the company is rolling out Roku OS 10.5 with a bunch of pleasant new features. You’ll be able to launch content from Netflix and Spotify with voice commands, and jump straight to the Roku Channel’s live channel guide with an installable home screen icon. Music and podcasts will show up in search results as well, and you’ll be able to enter passwords by voice. (I love this feature on Apple TV.)
But the most interesting updates are inside Roku’s mobile app, where you can now browse for programs by genre—tap the search bar to see them all—and add them to a “Save List” for later viewing. Those are exactly the kinds of changes I’ve wanted to see from Roku for years, but sadly they’re not jumping over to the big screen yet.
For Roku soundbar users, the mobile app now has a way to switch between volume modes, and if youo’re listening privately through Bluetooth headphones, a new sync function will help prevent audio latency. The mobile app updates are available now; Roku says its TVs and streaming players should be getting Roku OS 10.5 “in the coming weeks.”
New Apple TV tricks: Speaking of software updates, Apple has released some new Apple TV features as part of tvOS 15. If you have a HomePod or HomePod Mini speaker, you can now ask Siri to launch videos on the Apple TV box (though, in my early tests, I’ve found this to be extremely finnicky). You can also set up two HomePod Mini speakers as a stereo pair, using them in place of a soundbar. (The second-generation Apple TV can also provide audio to other devices this way over HDMI-ARC.)
Other features include Spatial Audio support, which provides a 3D effect when listening through AirPods Pro earbuds or AirPods Max headphones, a “For All of You” row in Apple’s TV guide app that makes recommendations based on everyone’s profiles, and a “Shared with You” row for any shows people have shared with you in iMessage. If you’re not seeing these features, make sure your Apple TV, HomePod, and iOS devices are up to date first.
More catch-up
- Good luck pronouncing Comcast’s new “XiOne” cable streaming box.
- Channels DVR gets a big update on Fire TV and Android TV.
- Tablo improves its iOS app with new and returning shows to record.
- “Very Local” is a new streaming source for local news in certain markets.
Save more money
For the next six months, you can get the ad-free version HBO Max for $7.50 per month, which is half off the regular price. Just sign up through the HBO Max website by September 26 to get the deal, and set yourself a reminder to cancel if you don’t want to get hit with the full price in six months.
The deal is only available to new and returning subscribers, not current ones. But there’s nothing stopping you from cancelling your current subscription and setting up a new one under a separate email address.
Other notable deals:
- For Amazon Prime subscribers: Epix, Showtime, and Starz are each half-off for six months.
- Antennas Direct is discounting several ClearStream antennas with the code FRIENDS at checkout.
- Tablo is taking $21 off its Quad and Quad 1 TB over-the-air DVRs when you use the code PRIMETIME2021 at checkout.
One last deal-related note: ViacomCBS is experimenting with a cheaper bundle of Paramount+ and Showtime. If you don’t already have the latter, you can subscribe to both for $10 per month with ads, or $13 per month without, starting with a 30-day trial. The company is billing this as a “limited time offer,” as the two services can usually be bundled for $14 per month with ads or $19 without.
Keep in mind, however, that Paramount+ is often available for free in one-month increments, and Showtime often goes on sale by itself, especially through Amazon Prime. This deal may not be worth taking if you’re not totally committed to both services.
Thanks for reading!
Got questions about the new Roku or Amazon’s recently-announced Fire TV Stick 4K Max? I’d love to know what’s on your mind as I review these devices in the weeks ahead. Just reply to this email to get in touch, and may your first fall weekend be especially crisp in the meantime.
Until next week,
Jared