This week on TechHive: Missing Locast? Make your own
For some cord cutters, last week’s sudden demise of Locast hit hard, leaving them without affordable access to local channels.
Several readers have told me that using an antenna just isn’t feasible for them, either because they’re too far away from local broadcast towers or they get too much interference from their surroundings. Locast had been a cheap workaround, streaming local channels from its own antennas and servers for free, with an optional $5 per month donation for uninterrupted viewing. (The group had argued that as a non-profit, it was allowed to offer these streams through an exemption in copyright law.)
That strategy collapsed last week, when the major TV networks successfully crushed Locast in court. Now, the only way to get a full suite of live, local channels without an antenna is to sign up for a big TV bundle.
Still, there’s one alternative you might have overlooked: If you know anyone else who’s blessed with better over-the-air reception, you can enlist their help in streaming local channels remotely from their antenna. Think of it as rolling your own communal version of Locast, one that’ll be pretty much impossible for the networks to eliminate. Read the full column on TechHive.
Weekly rewind
Amazon’s new streaming hardware: Amazon announced this week that it’s making its own smart TVs, effectively doing what Apple, Google, and Roku won’t. The Fire TV Omni Series is launching in late October with TVs ranging from 43 inches ($410) to 75 inches ($1,110), all with 4K, HDR10+, and HLG support. (The 65-inch and 75-inch models will support Dolby Vision as well.) They also have built-in microphones for Alexa voice commands, and you can plug in a webcam for using Zoom or Amazon’s own calling service. A cheaper line of Amazon TVs, called the 4-Series, will come without hands-free Alexa controls.
While several other companies already offer smart TVs with Amazon’s Fire TV software on board—Toshiba and Best Buy’s Insignia brand among them—making its own gives Amazon more control over features, screen sizes, and price ranges. I also presume the company will promote the heck out of them, much as it does today with its Fire TV streaming players.
Speaking of which, Amazon is also launching a new 4K streaming dongle, called the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. It’s 40% faster than the existing Fire TV Stick 4K, supports the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard, and has the same remote that debuted on the regular Fire TV Stick earlier this year. It’ll cost $55 when it arrives on October 7, and Amazon says it will keep selling the old Fire TV Stick 4K for $50 (though it’s often on sale for less).
Meanwhile, new Fire TV software features coming this year include an “Alexa, what should I watch?” recommendation mode, a “Play something from Netflix” voice command to activate that service’s shuffle button, and a TikTok app for U.S. users. AFTVNews has a nice roundup of those features and several others, which should land on existing Fire TV devices as well.
Hulu’s price hike: Hulu has announced that it’s raising the cost of its on-demand streaming services by a buck on October 8, bringing the price to $7 per month with ads or $13 per month without them. The price hike doesn’t affect Hulu’s live TV streaming service or the Disney bundle, which includes Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ for $14 per month (or $20 per month with Hulu’s ad-free version.)
Since I’m old enough to remember when Hulu cost $8 per month, this isn’t a major affront to me, though it does seem like a naked attempt to boost Disney’s aforementioned bundle. The standalone monthly price of Disney+ went up by a dollar in March, and ESPN+ has increased by $2 per month since last year. As a result, no combination of any two Disney services will be cheaper than getting all three together. The result is a bundle that starts to feel obligatory, even if it’s not mandatory.
More catch-up
- FuboTV gets an app on Vizio smart TVs.
- FuboTV is also getting Root Sports channels in the northwest.
- Philo starts selling an add-on package of movie channels.
- Hulu adds surround sound support to some of its live channels.
- Read about the strange communal revival of VHS tapes.
Save more money
Amazon Prime subscribers can currently add a month of AMC+ for a dollar, down from the usual price of $9 per month. The service provides ad-free access to AMC shows such as The Walking Dead and Mad Men, along with content from other AMC channels such as BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV. Just make sure to cancel your subscription after signing up if you don’t want to get charged full price after a month.
Also, the folks at Doctor of Credit bring word a new code for yet another free month of Paramount+, provided you don’t already have an active subscription. Just use the discount code PAWVALPAK on the final checkout page after selecting either an ad-supported or ad-free plan. As always, wait until a day after signing up to cancel, then look for a new code after your subscription lapses to begin the free subscription cycle anew.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you all had a restful long weekend. This week’s Amazon news is the surest indicator yet that we’re out of the summer doldrums and into new gadget season. Let me know if you have any questions about which streaming devices to pick, or any other cord cutting quandaries you’re trying to solve.
Until next week,
Jared