Third post blog freeze addition:: Watching/Listening to media

There are actually three separate choice dimensions and over time these three dimensions will become independent although there could be bundles offered by vendors with multi-selections from all three dimensions if it makes business sense. The industry is in a state of flux. 

The choice dimensions are:

1. Content you want: (video show, video show bundle, video channel, video channel bundle, audio/music, audio/music bundle, audio/music channel, audio/music channel bundle)

2. Device you want to watch it on: (TV, Mac, Windows, android cell, apple cell, other hardware)

3. Data transmittal method to device: (through physical portable storage, antenna, through cable signal, through streaming signal, via browser, via Chromecast or Airplay).

Also, can live shows be prerecorded?  

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We currently have a google TV which supports both cable and streaming. I use windows and my wife uses a Mac. Both of us use iPhone. We use spectrum internet, cable TV, home phone service, and cell phone service.

For watching a DVD, I have a CD/DVD external drive for my windows PC and an external DVD player hardware for my TV. We have the corresponding software on the PC to play. I rarely watch/listen though to video or audio files in the file system on my PC but I could with windows media player. Currently we are not really much into listening to music but this could change. 

 

I talked to my wife. Our cable TV channels can be watched from all our devices (TV, cell phones, Mac and windows). She won’t give up her cable subscription for now. She is also slowly learning streaming!!! I pretty much only watched streaming on windows in the past. Only watch TV to keep her company. She also does not want to take a risk now by swapping out our cable box (with DVR) either. 

 

Spectrum has a spectrum TV app with all your channels that lets you watch without a cable box (from cell, Mac, but currently not windows) or even online from anywhere with just a browser. Spectrum allows DVR recording of its channels in the cloud (cloud DVR) for $10/mo, even without the cable box, from the spectrum TV app. So, we can watch it anytime and anywhere and even record live shows (with cloud DVR if we subscribe).

 

For TV watching of your spectrum channels, unfortunately we need either a Xumo streaming box sold by Spectrum for $60 or rented from Spectrum for $5/mo. (the streaming box has the spectrum TV app and others) or a cable box. Unfortunately, the spectrum TV app is currently not available directly on google TV. The cable box costs me $13/mo. and includes DVR recording for an additional $13/mo.

 

There is another option which is Chromecast. You can cast from an app on your computer or cell phone to your TV. For example, I have the spectrum TV app on my apple cell phone. I can run the app on my cell phone and cast a show I am watching to my google TV. Or I can play a video on my windows media player and cast it to my google TV. I use the chrome browser and I can cast the screen or a tab from chrome. 

 

There is one final option which is Airplay. If the app or video is running on an apple device (iPhone, Mac), you can send the whole screen to the TV with Airplay. I think the google TV source should be set to Airplay (typically, besides airplay, other sources are antenna, cable box, DVD player, and google TV platform). I am still working on figuring this way out.

 

Will revisit in a year. Will stay put for now. My preferred option is the spectrum TV app available on Google TV, but I need to get fully comfortable with the record option in the app. While spectrum cable subscription is more expensive, we could potentially knock out cable box/DVR rental in the future. Also many other things including streaming apps and cell phone plans and land line phone plans are subsidized by them so have to factor all that in. There are also alternatives to spectrum TV app like the Youtube TV streaming app with a record capability with lots of channels too. Other less popular options are Hulu+ live TV streaming app, Sling TV streaming app, Fubo TV streaming app and Philo streaming app. Youtube TV starting at  $73/mo and is slightly less expensive than fuboTV which starts at $75/mo. YouTube TV is also more expensive than Sling TV which starts at $40/mo, and Philo which starts at $25/mo, but offers significantly more channels, including locals. Would need to investigate all these options before deciding. 

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Besides the full spectrum set of cable channels in our TV’s cable TV mode, we can access the following in our TV’s google TV mode or in a browser on a computer or an app on a computer. Focus here is on subscriptions that require payments, and accounts for security if needed.  

Spectrum TV: Tied to Spectrum login. Tied to spectrum subscription

Prime TV: Tied to Amazon login. Tied to prime subscription.

Google TV (TV software platform): Comes with TV. Tied to Google Login.

Apple TV+: Tied to Apple login. Subscription needed (about $10/mo). We have a free trial subscription right now. 

HBO Max, ESPN plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Vix: Tied to spectrum subscription. Account needed.

Peacock TV: Subscription needed (about $7/mo). Account needed.

Netflix: Subscription needed (about $7/mo). Account needed.

Hallmark+: Subscription needed (about $7/mo). Account needed.

Haystack TV: Tied to google login. Subscription optional. Includes two local Honolulu channels. Great for news across sources!

YouTube, YouTube music: Tied to google login. Optional subscription.

Fox sports: Tied to spectrum subscription. Account optional. 

NBC Sports: Tied to spectrum subscription. Account optional. 

NFL: NFL account required with optional NFL+ subscription. Also optionally tied to subscriptions in spectrum, Prime, Paramount+, Peacock, ESPN+, and Sunday NFL ticket in Youtube. .   

TCL home or TV+: comes with TV. TV hardware is from TCL. Account needed.

Other free TV/apps/browser based access (some may require as you go payment or an optional subscription): either require no login, and/or has an account requirement, and/or are tied to a subscription elsewhere. List includes Fandango. FreePlay, Roku, Tubi, Pluto, Plex, Freevee, Xumo, Crackle, CW, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Bloomberg, Red Bull, NASA, History, Fubo, Sling, Philo.