Pluto TV Rolls Out a New Guide

Free TV services are great! Pluto TV is probably the best right now!

Pluto TV is Rolling Out an Updated Guide

Cord Cutters News – By: Luke Boama – “Today Pluto TV rolled out an updated guide to Vizio SmartCast TVs that included some new features including an improved guide.

Now instead of having to scroll through over 200 stations to find what you want, Pluto TV has added categories to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. With these categories, you will now be able to select News, Entertainment, Binge Watch, Life+Style and more to jump directly to the content you want to watch. Pluto TV also updated the on-demand section to make finding movies and TV shows easier.

No word on if or when this new and improved guide will be coming to other devices.

This all comes as Pluto TV recently hit 240 free channels. You can choose from available channels like Pluto TV 007, MTV Pluto TV, Buzzr, CNN, CBSN, Sky News, Court TV, Cake Boss, Comedy Central Pluto TV, and more. The ability to sort the channels by categories will make finding what you want much easier compared to having to scroll through the list of over 200 channels.

Recently, we also learned Pluto TV users are spending more time on the platform than ever before according to ViacomCBS’s CEO and President Bob Bakish. Accord to statements at the UBS Global TMT Conference, Pluto TV is seeing current viewer’s time spent on the app grow far faster than the number of new users. An update like this could make it even easier to spend more time watching Pluto TV.”

Roku Bans Web Browser Apps

Roku has never had A really good Web Browser app. There had been several third party applications that have offered a Web Browser on the Roku platform. However, they’ve never worked very well.

Now, it seems that Roku has banned even these third party Web Browser applications.

I’d like to think it’s because they’re about to prepare their own Web Browser on the platform. But only time will tell.

Dr. Bill.TV #459 – Video – The Cut the Cord, Scan Your Channels Edition!

A quick update on the FCC required ‘re-pack’ of TV station frequencies, if you have cut the cord, you really SHOULD re-scan your local OTA (Over-the-Air) channels NOW!

Links that pertain to this Netcast:

TechPodcasts Network

International Association of Internet Broadcasters

Blubrry Network

Dr. Bill Bailey.NET

BitChute Referral

www.DrBill.TV/VPN


Start the Video Netcast in the Blubrry Video Player above by
clicking on the “Play” Button in the center of the screen.

(Click on the buttons below to Stream the Netcast in your “format of choice”)








Streaming MP3 Audio

Streaming Ogg Audio

Download M4V Download WebM Download MP3 Download Ogg
(Right-Click on any link above, and select “Save As…” to save the Netcast on your PC.)

You may also watch the Dr. Bill.TV Show on these services!

 

Dr. Bill.TV on YouTube Dr. Bill.TV on Vimeo

 


Dr. Bill.TV #459 – Audio – The Cut the Cord, Scan Your Channels Edition!

A quick update on the FCC required ‘re-pack’ of TV station frequencies, if you have cut the cord, you really SHOULD re-scan your local OTA (Over-the-Air) channels NOW!

Links that pertain to this Netcast:

TechPodcasts Network

International Association of Internet Broadcasters

Blubrry Network

Dr. Bill Bailey.NET

BitChute Referral

www.DrBill.TV/VPN


Start the Video Netcast in the Blubrry Video Player above by
clicking on the “Play” Button in the center of the screen.

(Click on the buttons below to Stream the Netcast in your “format of choice”)








Streaming MP3 Audio

Streaming Ogg Audio

Download M4V Download WebM Download MP3 Download Ogg
(Right-Click on any link above, and select “Save As…” to save the Netcast on your PC.)

You may also watch the Dr. Bill.TV Show on these services!

 

Dr. Bill.TV on YouTube Dr. Bill.TV on Vimeo

 


Four Big Cord Cutting Myths Dispelled!

Cord CuttingSo, my Cord Cutting experience (having actually done it, that is) goes back a while now… and I now consider myself a true practical expert. I admit, these are NOT the questions I ever asked… but some folks are, so it is worth covering!

4 Cord-Cutting Myths Dispelled

Forbes – By: Mark N. Vena – “It’s not an exaggeration to say that cord-cutting is now a national obsession. Millions of consumers have shed their cable and satellite subscriptions over the past ten years, and every major legacy cable and satellite company has suffered. Some choose to cut the cord in an attempt to save money. Some do it out of a desire to better pick and choose their content, and consume it whenever and wherever they want.

What continues to surprise me is how many individuals jump into cord-cutting without close consideration of the tradeoffs. This is not to say that it is a bad idea—simply that consumers should consider all aspects of the decision before moving forward. In this column, I’d like to address several common misconceptions about cord-cutting that I’ve identified from my longtime association with the category.

Myth #1: You’re going to save a ton of money when you cut the cord

Most consumers hate their cable or satellite company on a level usually reserved for the IRS. This frustration stems from the fact that in many markets across the United States consumers only have one option to choose from. Additionally, cable and satellite companies often have byzantine pricing schemes that make it purposely difficult for consumers to get an Internet-only subscription without purchasing some minimal premium video package. On top of that, most cable and satellite companies have been slowly increasing their pricing over the past couple of years due to broadcast TV surcharges and regional sports fees.

The thing to know is that even popular streaming services like Netflix, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and DirecTV Now are not immune to raising their monthly pricing. While there is a still a gap between what you’d pay for an equivalent cable or satellite package (excluding Internet access), the delta is closing. In short, if you cut the cord, don’t count on necessarily saving the dollars you thought you would.

Myth #2: I will be able to completely replace all the channels from my cable or satellite subscription

This is perhaps the most glaring misconception that consumers have about cord-cutting. While consumers typically want to have access to all the channels they enjoyed with their cable or satellite subscription, the fact of the matter is that the average consumer only watches 17 channels or less, 80% of the time. It’s helpful to take time to study your own viewing habits and identify the must-have channels. Interestingly, despite the popularity of premium Over-The-Top (OTT) video subscriptions, local TV channels remain quite popular for news, weather, and sports.

Fortunately, there are easy-to-use Web site tools like Suppose and Untangle.tv that analyze what you currently watch and how you watch it, and provide recommendations on which services will best satisfy your viewing habits. Consumers should also consider adding an Over-The-Air (OTA) solution to augment their cord-cutting endeavors. Not all local broadcast TV channels are available outside of a conventional cable or satellite subscription—an OTA device can help you capture local news, sports, and weather for free. More on this later.

Myth #3: What streamer you select is unimportant

Selecting the right streamer to operate at the heart of your cord-cutting setup is actually quite essential and should not be taken lightly. Your likely choice will ultimately come down to an offering from Roku, Amazon, Google, or Apple.

My longtime favorite is the Roku Ultra ($99 MSRP), which offers, among other capabilities, essential features like HD, 4K/HDR support, dual-band wireless connectivity, voice remote functionality, and a lost remote finder. What really sets Roku apart, though, is its gloriously simple and intuitive interface and its voice-based universal search capability. This search functionality is critical for avoiding the dreaded “overlapping content syndrome” where you end up paying for a movie only to discover it was available as part of a premium channel you already subscribe to. Though Roku was early to the party, it’s not the only one with this capability—Comcast’s Xfinity voice search is nothing to sneeze at and Apple has made significant strides in this area. Roku also offers, at no cost, its Roku Channel, which features surprisingly fresh hit movies, shows, live news, and sports. The Roku platform is also the most “agnostic” streamer of the major brands; it works with a wide variety of OTA solutions for local TV viewing and its Channel Store includes more than 1,800 channels of highly specialized content. Side note: several major television manufacturers (TCL, Sharp , Philip, Hitachi , and RCA, to name a handful) now embed Roku functionality into their TVs. This is worth considering if you’re in the market for a new TV.

Apple TV 4K is a bit pricey ($199 MSRP for the 64GB model) but remains an excellent choice for users who are already a part of the Apple AAPL +0% ecosystem with iPhones, iPads, and iMacs. The product’s Apple-esque look and feel will be immediately familiar to legacy Apple users. Additionally, its Apple TV app, coming in September, looks like it will provide many useful navigational, discovery, and personalization enhancements. However, Apple TV still significantly trails Roku in terms of the sheer number of customized content channels available (many of which are free).

Myth #4: Watching OTA channels is illegal

I often get asked whether watching Over-The-Air broadcast channels is somehow illegal. This might have something to do with the infamous 2012 Supreme Court ruling that Aereo, who offered a streaming subscription service with OTA channel content, infringed upon the rights of copying holders (the case was initiated by several broadcast networks). The FCC has also done a lousy job of promoting the fact that OTA channels are free to consumers to access (and have been since the early 2000s). These two things, in my mind, helped create the false perception that consuming OTA channels is illegal.

OTA viewing is, in fact, one of the best ways you can cut the cord and save money at the same time. On top of that, many of these channels are broadcast in HD. If you don’t have an appetite for premium channel services, OTA is probably your best bet access local channels in your market. Solutions like Tablo and AirTV not only allow you to easily capture local TV channel signals via a low-cost antenna, they will enable you to “stream” the channels to other devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and even other TVs. Products like Tablo and AirTV even integrate local TV channels into a familiar, intuitive linear viewing guide and offer both cloud-based and local storage DVR capability. Did I mention that Tablo even offers ad-skipping capability for recorded content?

Some closing thoughts

Hopefully these myth-busting explanations will help users who are thinking of jettisoning their cable or satellite subscriptions to be better informed. The sheer amount of premium streaming content now available to consumers can be overwhelming, and that trend is not likely to decelerate with the likes of Apple and Disney getting into the video content creation business. Competition is a good thing, and consumers will have more choices than ever for content that precisely suits their tastes and sensitivities. There’s a lot for consumers to be excited about when it comes to cutting the cord, but it’s a decision that should be made thoughtfully and deliberately.

Disclosure: Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided research, analysis, advising and/or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry. The author does not have any investment positions in any of the companies named in this article.”

Roku and Amazon are the Big Dogs in Cord Cutting

Roku and FireTVThis is why I have an Amazon FireTV App and a Roku Channel! 70% of users are covered!

Amazon & Roku Control Almost 70% of The US Streaming Player Market

Cord Cutters News – Luke Bouma – “We have known for some time now that Roku and Amazon have dominated the United States streaming market. Now according to Parks Associates Roku and Amazon now control almost 70% of the market. This leaves the Apple TV, Android TV, and Chromecast to fight over the last 30%.

‘The adoption of Roku and Fire TV streaming media players continues to grow at the expense of Chromecast and Apple TV,’ said Parks Associates Senior Analyst Craig Leslie.

Roku is still in the lead controlling 39% of all installed streaming media players at the end of the 1st quarter of 2019. Amazon’s Fire TV controls about 30% up from 24% two years ago. This lines up very well without own studies of our readers that shows Roku with a strong lead but the Fire TV catching up quickly.

This strong lead makes being on Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV a must for any streaming services currently on the market. Without Roku and Amazon, you are missing out on 70% of Americans. This is also why Apple recently announced that its new Apple TV app will be coming to Roku and the Fire TV later this year.”

USATV247 Allows Watching Cable Channels Free on Your Computer

There is a service called USATV247 (USA TV 24/7) that provides computer, tablet, and smartphone users the option to view certain channels free on the web. No account is required, and there is no charge. You simply go to the web site, and choose the channel that you want to see. Obviously, you can also Chromecast the computer screen to your HD TV as well, if you like.

https://ustv247.com/

Local Stations in Some Areas via LoCast.org

LoCast.orgThere is service that provides free streaming of local stations to some areas of the country. It is called Locast.org and is free. They do accept donations, and claim to be expanding their service. so, if you are having trouble with your local antenna, and live in these areas, this might be an option for you!

https://Locast.org

“Locast is a public service to Americans, providing local broadcast signals over the Internet in select cities. All you have to do is sign up online, provide your name and email address, and certify that you live in, and are logging on from, one of the select US cities (‘Designated Market Area’). Then, you can select among local broadcasters and stream your favorite local station.

Locast.org is a ‘digital translator,’ meaning that Locast.org operates just like a traditional broadcast translator service, except instead of using an over-the-air signal to boost a broadcaster’s reach, we stream the signal over the Internet to consumers located within select US cities.

Ever since the dawn of TV broadcasting in the mid-20th Century, non-profit organizations have provided ‘translator’ TV stations as a public service. Where a primary broadcaster cannot reach a receiver with a strong enough signal, the translator amplifies that signal with another transmitter, allowing consumers who otherwise could not get the over-the-air signal to receive important programming, including local news, weather and of course, sports. Locast.org provides the same public service, except instead of an over-the-air signal transmitter, we provide the local broadcast signal via online streaming.

You need a broadband Internet connection for optimal performance. Using a laptop, smartphone, or computer connected to the Internet, point your browser to www.Locast.org to sign up. You then can choose which local broadcast station to watch from your Internet-enabled device.”

PBS May Soon Be More Cord Cutter Friendly

PBSPBS is making noises that it might soon be open to putting their content on services like YouTubeTV and Hulu. This is a turnaround from the past, because they have said that so much of their content is owned by local PBS stations. The discussions with these local stations must be going well, because they have announced the potential of freer access in the future.

Today the Boston PBS station WGBH has confirmed that they will be launching on 1 to 2 live TV streaming providers this fall with more on the way. This comes from Jon Abbott, president and CEO of the WGBH Educational Foundation.

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