| A few weeks ago, I created a new Netflix profile for our household. But instead of it being just for me or any other individual, it was a combo profile for my wife and I.
The idea was to bridge the gap between our respective recommendation lists, which had grown rather different. Hers leaned more towards documentaries, light dramas, and the occasional romantic comedy, while mine was a weird mix of dark humor, showbiz comedies, and thrillers. Our tastes do have some overlap, especially in the realms of standup and sitcoms, but choosing either profile made finding common ground harder.
While I can’t say for sure yet that the experiment has worked—mainly because I think Netflix still needs more data—I’m glad to be giving it a try. I like the idea of steadily building a streaming menu that fuses our respective tastes, and at the very it least, it answers the question of whose profile to use while watching together. If you’ve ever felt similarly conflicted while watching Netflix with your cohabitants, you might want to try it too. Read the full column on TechHive. |
| AT&T TV Now price hikes: AT&T continues to make AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) as undesirable as possible, raising prices across the board for all customers in November. The current entry-level “Plus” package will rise from $50 per month to $65 per month, while the “Max” package will increase from $70 per month to $80 per month. Legacy plans won’t be spared either, with all of them increasing by $10 per month. (If that sounds familiar, AT&T previously raised the prices for those plans by $10 per month back in March.)
While AT&T says the price hikes reflect the rising cost of programming, the company is also just less interested in competing for growth with the likes of YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV, especially as it tries to pay down a billions of dollars in debt. Nonetheless, by continually raising prices, the company appears to be doing exactly what it said it wouldn’t when it acquired Time Warner last year.
PlayStation Vue’s murky future: Speaking of troubled live TV streaming services, The Information reports that Sony is looking into selling PlayStation Vue. The service, which I really like, reportedly has about 500,000 subscribers–—that’s a fifth of Hulu’s live TV customer base and third of YouTube TV’s–—and it’s losing money. While Sony has reportedly approached FuboTV about a sale, those discussions haven’t gone anywhere. Up for sale would be Vue’s technology and subscriber list; it’s unclear whether Sony’s existing carriage agreements with TV networks would be part of the deal.
The idea that a $50 per month live TV service is unprofitable is obviously a concern for anyone who’s paying for one of these bundles, though The Information notes that as a newcomer with no real leverage, Sony is probably paying higher carriage fees than most of its peers. And with a small subscriber base, Sony can’t really lean on ad revenue to get into the black. This is purely wishful thinking, but I’d love to see Apple or Amazon take command of PlayStation Vue and integrate more deeply into their respective streaming devices. For Vue to simply survive would be a good enough consolation, though.
Roku Smart Soundbar review: Another week, another review in the can. Unlike your typical soundbar, the $180 Roku Smart Soundbar doubles as a streaming TV player when you plug it into your TV’s HDMI slot. A subwoofer is optional and costs an extra $180.
While the soundbar alone doesn’t have the best audio quality, and it’s sorely missing both surround sound and multi-room audio options, it does offer quick on-screen access to volume settings that can boost bass, enhance dialog, and level out loud sounds. Those options definitely helped in a house with young kids where sound travels pretty easily. If you’re in the market for a Roku player already, this is an easy way to also get better sound than what your TV offers.
Apple TV on Fire TV: After launching on Roku a couple weeks ago, Apple’s TV app is available on Fire TV devices as well, starting with the Fire TV Stick 4K and second-gen Fire TV Stick. The app is coming soon to the Fire TV Cube, third-gen Fire TV pendant, and smart TVs running Fire TV software, but the first-gen Fire TV Stick and original Fire TV boxes won’t be getting it.
Unlike the Roku version, however, Amazon isn’t allowing in-app purchases. You can still access your existing iTunes video library or Apple TV Channels subscriptions, and will be able to watch Apple TV+ when it launches on November 1, but you’ll need another device to buy and subscribe in the first place. |
