Festival Bytes Computer Club

Festival Bytes Computer Club “Cutting the Cable/Satellite cord”

February 28, 2019

What does Cutting the Cord mean?

• For the purpose of this class, we will be discussing the ability to watch (on your existing television sets) local, sports and other entertainment networks without cable or satellite.

• We will discuss the 4 major streaming services providing local and other “Live” networks.

• We will not review Hardware (“black box,” antenna ) alternatives to replace cable or satellite programming

Why “cut the cord”?

• Tired of: – instability – paying for networks you don’t watch – Required to rent the required hardware for every television set in your

home – Dealing with Cox – How is Zona customer service?

• Save $$$

• Remember, we are discussing eliminating cable or satellite services. In Festival, we still need to deal with Cox or Zona for Internet Services!!

Hulu hits 1 million live TV subscriber mark,

Mike Snider, USA TODAY Published 8:00 a.m. ET Sept. 16, 2018 | Updated 7:56 a.m. ET Sept. 17, 2018

http://www.usatoday.com/staff/1071/mike-snider/

Streaming video will continue to dominate screens as cord cutting

accelerates into 2019

• Mike Snider, USA TODAY Published 8:00 a.m. ET Jan. 3, 2019

http://www.usatoday.com/staff/1071/mike-snider/

Considerations/Priorities

As we go through this presentation, consider what is important to you: • Start-up costs

– What devices do you already have in your home – How many televisions do you have in your home

• Networks – News – Sports – Entertainment – Specific Networks that you routinely watch

• PBS • Hallmark • CSPN

• Ease of use • This is relativity new technology and rapidly changing. Please note that

some information presented today may have changed • Other Considerations?

What is Streaming?

• A subscription service that allows watching movies and TV shows instantly from any internet-connected device.

• A wired or Wi-Fi connection to an Internet router is required

What is Streaming? (Continued)

• Most common known Streaming Services: – Netflix

– Hulu

– Amazon Prime – video

• We will not be reviewing streaming Services that do not provide “live” programming

• Streaming “live” programming works similar to Netflix, Hulu, etc

• Any Questions before we go on?

Required hardware/Devices

• If we don’t need Cable or Satellite equipment, then what is required for streaming “Live” programming

• Just like Netflix and Hulu, all streaming services can be viewed directly on most tablets, smart phones and computers.

• But, what about streaming on our existing televisions?

Streaming Flow Chart

Streaming Services

Directv Now

YouTube TV

Hulu Live

PlayStation Vue

Internet

Cox

Zona

Your Home

Modem

Router

Combined

Modem

Router

Device

Roku

Amazon Fire

Chromecast

Apple TV

Apple TV (Gen 2)

Smart Television

Television

Devices

4 major Streaming Services that provide “live” programming

– Hulu Live – DirecTV Now – Youtube tv – PlayStation Vue and – Cox contour flex starter

– Only streaming services that provide all local channels are included in this presentation

– Sling TV is not Included because it doesn’t stream all local

channels

Devices Hulu Live Directv Now YouTube TV

Playstation Vue

Cox Contour Flex Starter

o Roku Selected Devices Problems X X X

o Chromecast

Yes, restricti

ons X X X

o Apple TV gen 4 X X X X X o Apple TV gen 2 (Mirroring) X X X

o Amazon fire tv X X X

o Android TV X

o Computers X X X X X

o Tablets X X X X X

o Playstation X X

o Xbox X X

Local Stations

Hulu Live Directv Now YouTube TV Playstation

Vue Cox Contour Flex Starter

ABC 15 X X X X X

CBS X X X X X

Fox 10 X X X X X

NBC X X X X X

3 TV X X

PBS – KAET Review PBS

SoCal Passport X

News



BBC World News X

Bloomberg X

Cheddar X X

CSPAN X X

CSPAN 2 X X

CNBC X X X

CNN X X X X

CNN Business X

Fox Business X X X X

Fox News X X X X

HLN X X X X

MSNBC X X X X

Newsy X

Sports 1 of 2

Hulu Live Directv Now YouTube TV Playstation Vue

BTN X X $

CBS Sports X X $

ESPN X X X X

ESPN 2 X X X X

EsPNnews X X $

USPN X X

FS1 X X X X

FS2 X X X

Sports 2 of 2

Hulu Live Directv Now YouTube TV Playstation Vue Fox Sports Arizona X X X $ Fox Sports Arizona Plus X $

MLB X $

NBA X $

NBC golf X $

NBC Sn X X X X

NFL $

Olympic X X $

Sec ESPN X $

Entertainment 1 of 6


A&E X X

AMC X X X

Animal Planet X X

BBC X X

BET X

Bravo X X X X

CMT X

Comet X

Comedy Central X



CW X X

Decades X

Destination America X

Discovery X X

E X X X X

Food X X X

Free Form X X X X

FX X X X X

FXM X X

FXX X X X X



FYI

Hallmark X

Hallmark Movies X

HGTV X X X

History X X Investigation Discovery X X

Lifetime X X

My TV X

MTV X



NASA National Georgraphic X X X X National Geographic Wild X X

OWN X

Oxygen X X

Paramount X

Pop X X X

Smithsonian X X

Sundance X

SYFY X X X X



TBS X X X X

TCM X X X $

Teen Nick X

Telemundo X X X X

TLC X X

TNT X X X X

Travel X X

Tru X X X X



TV Land X

YouTube Red X

Universo X

Univision X

USA X X X X

Velocity X

VH 1 X

viceland X X

WE TV X X

Family/Kids


B?? X X X

CN X X X X

Disney X X X X

Disney Junior X X

Nickelodeon X

Nick Junior X

Universal Kids X X

Disney XD X X X X

All live TV streaming services compared: Complete Alphabetical List from CNET

• https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-streaming-services-channel-lineups-compared/

• BY DAVID KATZMAIER

• JULY 26, 2018 1:23 PM PDT

• This is relativity new technology and rapidly changing. Please note that some information presented today may have changed

https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-streaming-services-channel-lineups-compared/













https://www.cnet.com/profiles/katzmaier/



Great Website to Compare Channels by streaming provider

• https://www.suppose.tv/tv

– Cut and paste above link

https://www.suppose.tv/tv

Monthly Costs Number of Channels


Vue

Rate/Month # Channels

$39.99 52

$40.00 55

Live a Little $40.00 65

Just Right $55.00 105

Gotta Have It

$75.00 125

Access $44.99 49

Core $49.99 71

Elite $59.99 91

Add-on Premium 1 of 2


Cox Contour Flex Starter

Cinemax $ 10.00 $ 5.00 $15.00

HBO $ 15.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00 $ 5.00

Showtime $ 9.00 $ 8.00 7.00 $9-$11 Included

Starz $ 8.00 $9.00

Sports Pack Spanish $5 $ 15.00

Epix $ 4.00

espanol Pack $10.00 $ 5.00

Fox Soccer Plus $ 15.00 $12-$15

Shudder $ 5.00

Add-on Premium 2 of 2



NBA League Pass

$40/Mo $124/Yr

Curiosity Stream

$3.00/Mo

AMC Premiere

$5.00/Mo

Sundance Now $7.00/Mo

Add-on Packages Hulu Live Directv Now

YouTube TV Playstation Vue

Enhanced DVR to 200 hours

Unlimited Screens 3 Screens

Hulu with Commercials included

Todo Y Mas $45

Simultaneous Streaming

Hulu Live Directv Now YouTube TV Playstation Vue Cox Contour Flex

Starter

2 2 3 5 2 +

Number of Profiles


Starter

6 0 6 10 0

Cloud DVR


50 Hours 20 Hours Unlimited Unlimited Time Programs are saved before deleted Unlimited 30 Days 9 Months 28 Days Fast Forwarding restrictions Yes Yes Yes Yes

Matrix Menu System


Starter

No Yes No ? Yes Based on Watching Patterns

Based on Watching Patterns

General Matrix Menu

Youtube TV Home Page

Watch While Traveling



Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Must sign in from Home

Every 3 mo Monthly for MLB Every 60 days

Summary – Hulu Live

• Price: $39.99 per month • Channels: Access Hulu’s entire streaming library, plus get channels

like A&E, Bravo, Disney, E!, ESPN, FS1, FS2, Food Network, HGTV, History and more

• DVR: 50 hours of cloud DVR storage included; additional charge to upgrade to 200 hours

• Supported devices for TV: Chromecast, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Nintendo Switch, Roku and Roku Stick (select models), Samsung TV (select models), Xbox 360, Xbox One

• Multiple streams: Watch videos simultaneously on up to two screens

• Internet speed: 8 Mbps or higher for a reliable, high-quality viewing experience; multiple concurrent streams may require higher bandwidth

Summary - Directv Now

• Price: “Live a Little” plan starts at $40 per month • Channels: More than 60 channels included in the base package, such

as A&E, Bravo, CNN, Disney, ESPN, Fox News, History, HGTV, MSNBC, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT, USA

• DVR: 20 free hours of cloud DVR storage (beta) • Supported devices for TV: Amazon Fire TV Edition Smart TV, Amazon Fire

TV media player, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV Pendant, Apple TV (4th generation), Chromecast (2nd generation and higher on Android & iOS devices, Chrome browser), Chromecast built-in TV, Roku (select models)

• Multiple streams: Up to two devices at the same time; $5/month for third stream

• Internet speed: Minimum of 12 Mbps for broadband connections to the home

Summary – YouTube TV

• Price: $40 per month • Channels: Turner networks TNT, Adult Swim, TBS, CNN, HLN,

Cartoon Network, truTV and Turner Classic Movies among the 50+ networks included

• DVR: Record as many programs as you want at the same time and never run out of storage space

• Supported devices for TV: Stream with Chromecast or download the YouTube TV app on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One and supported Samsung and LG TVs

• Multiple streams: Up to three separate devices at the same time • Internet speed: At least 7 Mbps to stream one High Definition (HD)

video; 13 Mbps to reliably stream HD video, even with other devices using the same network

Summary – Playstation Vue

• Price: $44.99 for “Access” plan • Channels: Watch more than 45 networks like ESPN, Disney, Bravo,

Cartoon Network, Food Network, Fox Sports, OWN and HGTV • DVR: Programming saved to DVR in “My Shows” can be watched in and

out of your home network; stored for up to 28 days • Supported devices for TV: PlayStation consoles, Roku players

(firmware 7.7 and up), Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV (4th generation running tvOS 10.0 and up), Android TV (Android OS 4.4 and up), Chromecast

• Multiple streams: Up to five devices at the same time • Internet speed: Minimum of 10 Mbps or higher is recommended for

the best experience, plus 5 Mbps for each additional stream

Summary

• The above summaries were copied from an article published on July 5, 2018 by Mike Timmermann

• Refer to https://clark.com/technology/directv-now-sling-tv-price-hike/ for the complete article

https://clark.com/technology/directv-now-sling-tv-price-hike/











Streaming Vs. Cox Bundled Cox Internet Only

Cox Bundled (No DVR)

Cox Bundled (2 DVR)

Internet Essential (30 MBPS) $ 39.99 Internet Ultimate (100 MBPS) $ 144.99

Internet Gigablast (300MBPS) $ 160.98

Broadcast Surcharge $ 7.50 $ 7.50 $ 7.50

Youtube Live $ 39.99

Unlimited Phone Service Included Included

Magic Jack ($35/Year) $ 2.83

Total including Internet, Cable and Phone $ 101.31 $ 152.49 $ 168.48

Includes one HD Receiver, no DVR

Includes one DVR Receiver, 2 programs only)

My Experience YouTube TV

– Customer service provided quick responses – Viewing from Iphone/Ipad to Apple TV gen 2 works

without issues – Viewing on my Roku TV works without issues – Viewing on Chromecast also works without issues – Loading application takes longer than turning on Cable – Really enjoy the menu system. Brings up mostly

watched network upon loading – I like the ability to manually sort the order of the

networks in the menu – Annoying restrictions to fast forward over

commercials while watching recorded most programs

My Experience – Directv Now

• Takes a substantial amount of time to load on my Roku TV • Viewing from Iphone/Ipad to Apple TV gen 2 works without

issues for live programming • Viewing DVR programs provided minor restarts • Viewing on Chromecast does not work (Fixed) • Customer Service – They advertise chat support 24/7, I

tried to chat and received “not available at this time.” Couldn’t find a phone number to call

• Several problems viewing my computer (Fixed) • Menu matrix is exceptional • Annoying that it brings up the first network in the guide,

instead of the last network watched (Fixed)

My Experience – Hulu Live

– Viewing from Iphone/Ipad to Apple TV gen 2 works without issues

– Viewing on my Roku TV works without issues

– Viewing on Chromecast also works without issues

– Loads quickly on Roku TV

Streaming Start-up Costs for each television

o Roku $30-$49 o Chromecast $ 35.00 o Chromecast Ultra $ 69.99 o Apple TV gen 4 $ 149.99 o Apple TV gen 2 (Mirroring) N/A o Amazon fire tv $ 39.99

Before you make a final decision

• All the reviewed streaming services offer a trial period. Take advantage of them!!

Magic Jack Vs. Vonage Magic Jack - $39/Year Vonage - $12.99/Month

Unlimited Calling to US and Canada Yes Yes

Caller ID Limited Yes

"Robo Call" Blocking Yes No

Voice Mail Yes Yes

Voice Mail forwarding to email Yes Yes

Voice Mail personalized Greeting No Yes

Call Forwarding Yes Yes

Call Waiting Yes Yes

Turn off Call Waiting No Yes

Includes Cell Phone number Yes Yes

Call "hunting" with Multiple Lines No Yes

3 way calling No Yes

Conference Calling Yes No

Want a copy of this Power Point Presentation?

• Email Harvey at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Questions?

Documents

Festival Bytes Computer Club