This week on TechHive: Why sports streaming can seem choppier than cable

Have you ever watched live sports on a streaming service such as Sling TV and thought it didn’t look quite right? Compared to cable, satellite, or over-the-air broadcast TV, streamed sporting events can look a bit choppy or jittery, making it harder to keep track of quick passes and fast breaks.

The issue here is frame rate. Sports telecasts typically come in at a smooth 60 frames per second. But that higher frame rate isn’t a given with streaming services, where that same video might play at a choppier 30 frames per second. With March Madness getting underway, cord cutters should know that not all streaming services treat frame rate with the same level of care. This week, I dove into which streaming TV bundles offer higher framerates, and possible reasons for the disparity. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

Fox gets a new app: The Fox Now app for Apple TV has just received a major overhaul, consolidating several Fox-owned channels–including Fox, FX, FXX, and National Geographic–into one place where cable subscribers can log in to watch full episodes. Like other cable-athenticated apps, it also includes some episodes of Fox shows for free. The app will eventually include other Fox properties such as Fox Sports, and presumably will expand to other platforms beyond Apple TV over time..

This isn’t particularly relevant to cord-cutters unless you subscribe to a streaming TV bundle such Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, or DirecTV Now, all of which allow you to log into Fox’s apps. But Recode’s Peter Kafka floats another interesting possibility: The app could form the basis for entirely new streaming services that aren’t attached to cable. Fox has already hinted at standalone streaming services to come, and now it has the software to build on.

Cord-cutters’ guide to March Madness: Fulfilling an annual tradition, my TechHive colleague Michael Ansaldo has run thorugh the many ways you can watch the NCAA basketball tournament without cable.

Here’s the short version: An antenna is still the way to go for CBS broadcasts, but in many markets you can also stream the live feed for $6 per month with CBS All Access. Turner networks (TNT, TBS, TruTV) are available through a subscription to Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, or DirecTV Now. But if you’re able to mooch someone else’s cable login, the NCAA March Madness app has all the games in one place.

More Catch-Up

Sling TV’s Xbox One app just got a lot better.
Which apps can you log into with your streaming TV bundle? Cord Cutters News has a helpful rundown.
Walter Presents, a $6 per month foreign drama streaming service, has just launched.

Save More Money

A bunch of antenna deals have arrived just in time for March Madness. On the cheaper side, there’s a 25-mile antenna from DuaFire for $6.35 on Amazon with promo code O37QDAYS, or a 50-mile amplified antenna from Vansky for $18 on Amazon with the code M3YSU238. Meanwhile, Mohu is taking $10 off its 30-mile ReLeaf antenna, whose base is made from crushed cable boxes, bringing the price to $40 with free shipping.

Thanks for reading!

Do you have any stories you’d like me to tackle? Need advice on your cord cutting setup? Have a success story you’d like to share? Feedback on this newsletter? Drop me a line by responding to this email.

Until next week,
Jared