YouTube’s bitrate brouhaha, Jellyfin DVR review
This week on TechHive: What’s up with YouTube TV video quality?
Looking for a unique way to drive yourself crazy? Try to find a clear correlation between a streaming TV service’s average bit rate and its perceived video quality.
It’s not a fun exercise, but it’s one that a cadre of YouTube TV subscribers have engaged in for months now. Some users insist the live TV streaming service is short-changing its users on video quality, producing reams of evidence in the form of detailed bit-rate statistics and close-up comparison shots with other services. In response, YouTube engineers have promised to improve video quality in the year ahead (and might already be doing so).
I’d wager that most users won’t perceive the difference, but therein lies the point: Streaming video services are always looking to lower their data delivery costs without users noticing, and advancements in video compression will only make bit-rate reductions even easier to get away with. That means obsessing over bit rates might not be all that productive in the long run.
Read the full column on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
Jellyfin DVR review: Also at TechHive this week, I reviewed Jellyfin’s over-the-air DVR service, which lets you record shows from an antenna for cheap or—with enough technical know-how—with no subscription fees at all. Some techies tout it as an open source alternative to the likes of Plex and Channels DVR, so I was curious to see what’s all about.
But while you can’t beat the price, Jellyfin’s software is much cruder than paid alternatives, and I ran into numerous technical issues while testing it. Even if you’re tech savvy enough to roll your own cord cutting DVR, you should probably look to other solutions instead.
Dish gets hacked: Visit Dish Network’s website right now, and you’ll see a message about “a system issue that our teams are working hard to resolve.” What’s actually happening is the company suffered a cyberattack last week, one that’s knocked both its website and many internal systems offline.
While Dish’s actual TV service is still functioning—as is Sling TV—customer support is down, which means Dish subscribers can’t activate, cancel, or get help with their service. Dish Anywhere streaming is also down, and some customers may be unable to pay their bills, (though Dish says it’ll waive any resulting late fees). The company hasn’t yet said whether customer data is compromised. If you’ve been meaning to cut the cord on Dish, you’ll have to hold out a bit longer.
The regional sports mess: The decline of regional sports networks continues to accelerate, with AT&T SportsNet now on the verge of bankruptcy. Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the SportsNet channels, has reportedly given teams until March 31 to buy their broadcast rights back, and will file for Chapter 7 liquidation if no deals emerge, John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports.
Bankruptcy also looms for Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair subsidiary that operates regional Bally Sports networks, and the leagues have been scrambling for contingency plans if teams can’t get paid.
The outcome for viewers is still murky, though. While the leagues are looking into acquiring broadcast rights and streaming in-market games with no blackouts (finally), local broadcasters such as Scripps are angling for the rights as well. Whatever happens, big changes to how we watch local sports seem inevitable.
More catch-up
- In Canada, Netflix’s password sharing crackdown has not gone well.
- Roku reportedly gives up on multi-room audio.
- Peacock adds Reelz to its channel lineup.
- MSG wants to charge $30 per month—or $10 per game—for regional sports streaming. Good luck with that.
- Rumor: ESPN may help cord cutters figure out where to watch sports.
Save more money
I’m not seeing a lot of new deals this week, so here’s a friendly reminder that you can still get the 2021 Apple TV 4K streaming box at a deep discount. Best Buy has it for $100 right now, with open box models for even less.
I like the Apple TV 4K for its refreshingly ad-free menu system and speedy operation, and the 2021 model isn’t that much different from the new version, which starts at $129. It’ll be a nice upgrade to whatever smart TV software is built into your television.
Also: If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, it’s not too late to grab a year of MLS Season Pass for free via the T-Mobile Tuesdays app. You’ve got until March 14 to redeem it.
For more ways to save, check out the big list of streaming deals over at the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
Thanks for reading!
Got cord cutting questions for me? Get in touch by replying to this email.
Until next week,
Jared