This week on TechHive: Revisiting the TiVo Stream 4K
These days, it’s rare to feel like a streaming device is fully on your side.
Roku players, Fire TV devices, and Android TV streamers all seem more concerned with pushing their own content or throwing ads in your face than helping you make the most of your streaming services. Smart TVs from companies like Samsung and LG aren’t much better.
That’s why I’m starting to think the TiVo Stream 4K doesn’t get enough credit. Of all the streaming devices I’ve used, this $40 dongle does the best job of sorting through streaming services.
While it seemed like a proof of concept when it launched two years ago, TiVo has since made several major improvements to the device’s universal streaming guide, which lets you browse across services like HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Hulu from a single menu. It’s worth another look if you want a streaming device that helps make sense of all your TV subscriptions. Read the full column on TechHive.
Weekly rewind
Cable giants team up: Comcast and Charter have announced a joint streaming platform to take on the likes of Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. The two companies plan to work together on smart TVs and streaming players that will be sold nationwide, building on Comcast’s existing Flex streaming platform.
What’s not so clear is why anyone would buy one of these devices instead of the options we already have from Roku et al. I was underwhelmed by Comcast’s XClass TV when I reviewed it in February, as it lags behind other smart TVs on features and app support, and the two cable companies will likely have to start from square one on branding their new venture. (Comcast wisely doesn’t put its own name anywhere on the aforementioned smart TV.)
With their cable TV businesses in decline, Comcast and Charter may feel that there’s nothing to lose by jumping into the streaming platform wars. Still, both companies are used to operating in comfy regional monopolies or duopolies; having to actually compete on the merits of their products may be a rude awakening.
Having said that, I wish them the best of luck.
PlayOn’s Mac app: I’ve written several times before about a service called PlayOn, which allows you to record and download shows from streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. While these services already have their own offline download features, PlayOn lets you watch programs offline on any device, keep recordings after your subscription has lapsed, access shows after they’ve moved to another service, or feed videos into a home media server such as Plex. Those use cases aren’t for everyone, but they can be useful for a subset of cord-cutters.
Anyway, PlayOn now offers a Mac app for downloading shows, though sadly it’s limited to PlayOn’s cloud-based service rather than its PC-based recording engine. That means you have to pay for each download (at roughly $0.15 apiece) instead of recording as much as you want for a monthly fee. For the latter option, you’ll still need a Windows PC running the separate PlayOn Home software.
More catch-up
- THR’s Kim Masters has the inside dirt on Netflix’s recent struggles.
- Amazon’s second-gen Fire TV Cube can now stream audio to hearing aids.
- CNN+ users will now get full refunds instead of prorated ones.
- Switching between YouTube TV family profiles is about to get easier.
- Nielsen: 43% of U.S. TV homes are cable TV-free, up from 24% in 2018.
Save more money
Once again, it’s time to not pay for Paramount+. If you aren’t currently an active Paramount+ subscriber, you can get one month for free with the promo code WALMART30. As always, the deal is valid even with Paramount+’s ad-free tier, and is available even if you’ve subscribed to the service before. Make sure to sign up on the Paramount+ website—not the mobile or TV apps—and cancel one day after sign up to avoid getting auto-billed at the end.
A couple other notable deals:
- Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is back to its $35 Black Friday price at HSN. New HSN members can save an extra $10 with the code HELLO10 at checkout, bringing the price to a record low. Here’s my review from last fall.
- The Streamable is offering new Hulu + Live TV subscribers a $35 Amazon gift card after paying for a month of service.
Thanks for reading!
Got cord cutting questions or comments? Let me know how I can better help you navigate the worlds of streaming and over-the-air TV by replying to this email.
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Until next week,
Jared