TechHive catch up: Fire TV tips, wireless carrier deals
Hey folks, it’s nice to be back after talking some time off last week. I’ve got a couple of TechHive columns to share that have run since my last newsletter.
The first is a list of freebies and discounts on streaming services from wireless carriers. Depending on which carrier you have for cell phone service, you might be eligible for free Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, the Disney bundle, or other streaming services. And as of this week, you can get a $10 per month discount on either YouTube TV or Philo from T-Mobile. (More on that shortly.) While most of these deals aren’t new, I wanted to list them all in one place. Check out the column on TechHive for the full rundown.
The other column is all about how to make the most of Amazon’s new Fire TV interface, which began rolling out to additional devices at the end of March. The update significantly changes the look of the Fire TV home screen, and it also adds some new features such as profile support, but it also might take some getting used to. Read the full column for everything you need to know.
Weekly rewind
T-Mobile TVision no more: Last week, T-Mobile announced that it will shut down its TVision live TV service on April 29, just six months after launching it. TVision was interesting because it didn’t force customers into a one-size-fits-all bundle. Instead, it offered one package of entertainment channels for $10 per month, plus a separate package with news, sports, and local channels starting at $40 per month.
But shortly after launch, TV networks began to complain that they’d been tricked into splitting up their channels. Those contractual disputes, combined with the recent bankruptcy of TVision’s software provider, likely sealed the service’s fate.
Anyway, this explains why T-Mobile is now offering discounts on YouTube TV and Philo; they’re consolation prizes for having canned its own cheaper bundles. If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you can redeem the $10 per month YouTube TV discount here; the process for Philo is a bit more elaborate.
T-Mobile’s home internet alternative: Speaking of T-Mobile, the carrier is expanding its nascent home internet service with 5G network support and a footprint that covers 30 million households. The service costs $60 per month with no data caps or equipment costs, and T-Mobile says to expect average speeds of at least 50 Mbps, or 100 Mbps for most new customers. (The carrier had previously been pilot testing the service with about 100,000 homes.)
Still unclear is how many of those 30 million households can actually get the service today. T-Mobile says its inventory of Wi-Fi gateways is “limited by global supply chain constraints,” and I’ve had no luck in signing up for the service myself. Also worth noting: T-Mobile home internet currently doesn’t work with Hulu + Live TV, apparently due to the way Hulu authenticates users’ home networks. But assuming it does become broadly available, the service could provide some much-needed competition to Comcast and other providers that enforce data caps.
MLB’s whiparound TV: If you’re missing baseball after dropping your bloated TV bundle, MLB TV might provide a small amount of relief. The service has just launched a program called “MLB Big Inning,” which takes a page from NFL Redzone by providing highlights and live look-ins from around the league. It’s obviously not the same as watching live, local games in full—and it only seems to air in the early evenings on weekdays—but it also might be a bit more exciting than a standalone ballgame. (Like always, MLB TV also lets you catch up on in-market games after they air on TV or listen to the radio broadcasts.) As an alternative to paying upwards of $85 per month for a TV bundle with regional sports, maybe that level of coverage is good enough.
New Apple TV rumors: According to 9to5Mac, the latest tvOS beta contains a reference to 120Hz refresh rates, which might indicate that a new Apple TV is coming soon. (The current Apple TV 4K’s HDMI 2.0 port supports 4K at 60 Hz, whereas 4K at 120Hz would require an HDMI 2.1 port instead.) Although video content tops out at 60 Hz anyway, a higher refresh rate could facilitate smoother menu animations and more responsive gaming on some newer, higher-end TVs.
Although a follow-up to 2017’s Apple TV 4K has been rumored for close to a year now, little has leaked out about what it might include other than a faster processor, so we can only speculate. (Personally I’d love to see some form of hands-free Siri control, but a better remote alone would probably make a lot of folks happy.) Maybe we’ll find out what’s up around the same time Apple announces new iPads Pro.
More catch-up
- FuboTV adds Marquee Sports channels in time for baseball (but still no Bally Sports).
- Mozilla will discontinue the Firefox browser for Fire TV on April 30.
- Google TV adds kid profiles and parental controls.
- Channels DVR adds a kid mode and “collections” of favorite channels.
- WOW, which marketed itself as not having data caps, now has data caps.
- The New Yorker goes long on HGTV’s streaming makeover.
Save more money
Since YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV now longer carrier regional Fox Sports channels (now known as Bally Sports), AT&T TV is the last streaming bundle standing for local baseball in many markets. The service normally costs $85 per month, but the folks at The Streamable have worked out a way to defray the cost. They’re running a promotion that gets you a $75 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for a month of service The deal is available to new subscribers, and gift cards go out roughly two weeks after the first month.
This is also your last day to get four months of Peacock Premium for $2.50 per month, which is half-off the regular price. Compared to the free version of Peacock, Premium provides a larger selection of movies, shows, and sports, and it gets you the WWE Network in time for Wrestlemania this weekend. Sign up here, but be aware that the price automatically jumps to $5 per month when your four discounted months are up.
Thanks for reading!
Just a reminder that I’m still interested in hearing your Comcast horror stories. Mostly, I’m interested in hearing about unwelcome upsells for TV service, after hearing of some particularly egregious examples from readers. Please drop me a line if you’ve run into anything like this!
Until next week,
Jared