This week on TechHive: Roku remote replacements
When trying to replace a lost or broken Roku remote, you can quickly fall down a rabbit hole of options.
Between Roku’s various replacement remotes, apps that turn your phone into a remote, and countless unofficial alternatives, the best choice isn’t always obvious. Over at TechHive, I’ve written a guide to help you sort through the options.
Weekly rewind
Comcast on Apple TV: Comcast’s Xfinity Stream app is now available on Apple TV devices, offering the same live TV channels, on-demand programming, and cloud DVR service that you’d otherwise get with a cable box. It joins Comcast’s existing apps for Roku, Fire TV, LG TVs, and Samsung TVs, and leaves Google’s Android TV as the one major platform that’s missing (though casting from your phone with Chromecast works, at least).
Per Comcast’s Xfinity Stream FAQ, the streaming apps don’t have any monthly fees, and if your TV package includes a free cable box rental, you may be able to return it for a bill credit and use a streaming device instead. In other words, you can save a lot of money by cutting Comcast’s rental boxes out of your TV setup, even without cutting the cord.
Comcast and other cable companies dragged their feet on streaming TV apps for years. But with cable TV subscriptions in steady decline, they seem to be realizing that less money from rental fees is better than no money at all.
Netflix’s binge brakes: While Netflix ostensibly remains committed to the binge release model, Vox’s Peter Kafka and Rani Molla have picked up on a subtle change: With high-profile shows such as Stranger Things and Ozark, Netflix has started splitting seasons in two, with one half arriving several months after the other.
It’s not a weekly release strategy, but it may have the same effect: If you only want to watch one particular Netflix hit, a one-month subscription is no longer enough. With Netflix reportedly seeing an uptick in cancellation rates for its newest subscribers, that’s one way of trying to slow the bleeding.
Fire TV’s new connection tester: Troubleshooting your Fire TV device’s internet connection just got a bit easier with a built-in speed test tool. As AFTVNews reports, you can now head to Settings > Network, then select your Wi-Fi network and press Play to measure your download speeds. (AFTVNews also offers a Network Test shortcut app that links directly to the testing menu.)
As an initial step in troubleshooting your streaming problems, I always recommend running a speed test on the device itself. You can safely rule out internet connection issues if your speeds are consistently above 10 Mbps for HD video, or 25 Mbps for 4K. Amazon’s new tool will let you measure those speeds without a third-party app.
More catch-up
- The Roku Channel adds local news from eight NBC stations. (I’ve got more ways to watch local news in this TechHive column.)
- QVC and HSN now have their own dedicated app.
- Frndly TV is adding the “Movies!” channel to its lineup.
- Facebook’s Apple TV app stops working without explanation.
- An estimated 28% of HBO Max subscribers now have the plan with ads.
- Report: Netflix’s Formula 1 bid wasn’t competitive after all
Save more money
Calling all HBO Max subscribers: I’ve heard from a couple of readers who’ve received a 50% discount on the service—either for three or six months—when they attempt to cancel the service, bringing the price down to $7.50 per month.
I don’t believe HBO Max is offering this deal to everyone, but if you’re on the fence about keeping the service, you may want to try cancelling to see what happens. (And if you do get a promo rate as a result, I’d love to hear about it.)
A few other ways to save:
- Apple’s throwing in a $50 gift card with the Apple TV 4K.
- The latest free Paramount+ codes are PLAYERS, GLORY, or NACHOS. Mmm.
- DirecTV Stream is taking $15 per month off the first two months for new subscribers. Users of the Honey browser extension can also get $20 in rewards credit.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you all have a chance to relax over this long weekend. If you have any cord-cutting questions you’d like me to answer, just reply to this email.
Until next week,
Jared