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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jan 31, 2016 23:17:43 GMT -5
I had satellite TV for over 30 years. I was a satellite dealer for 25 of those years, and had access to pretty much every channel out there at one time or other. Then, the powers that be decided they no longer wanted or needed the small independent dealer. Well, screw those guys. Last summer I cut the cord. Our TV had a few apps which allowed us to get Amazon, and then Netflix. For Christmas this year, I got us a Roku 3, and a whole new world of TV weirdness opened up. We also cut our TV viewing costs down from over $100 per month to about $8 per month. (For now, anyway). Roku is a set top box that streams many web channels and programs directly to your tv. It has several competitors, such as Apple TV and Chromecast, but since I don't have those, I'm going to focus on the programming I have found via the Roku. As far as I know, most of the programming on the Roku is also available directly from the web, but some channels are listed as being created with Roku services, so they may be exclusive to Roku. I see a lot of parallels between Roku today and the days of big dish C band satellite. There are so many channels, both big name programmers and weird little micro-broadcasters, I almost get misty with nostalgia. The biggest and greatest difference from those days is that instead of an initial investment of $3000 (in 1985 money) we have spent less than $100 to get started. Most people are already aware of the biggie pay services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Vudu, etc, and there are many others. Most of the broadcast and major cable networks have a presence there also, with some being pay services, and some ad supported. I want to focus mostly on some of the lesser known free or ad-supported services. There really is a ton of cool stuff out there for no charge. Tonight: Pluto TV Pluto TV is a service formatted like a mini cable service. It is all streaming channels, rather than on-demand programming, which is less common, but simulates a cable TV experience more closely. None of this would matter if their programming sucked, but they have lined up a pretty impressive selection of channels. Due to licensing restrictions, they have more channels available directly over the internet (which you can also watch for free) but their Roku lineup is still pretty good. They have a selection of news channels, some US, and some international, and The Weather Network, which is a pretty good weather channel knockoff. They have some Tech and gaming channels, and a variety of specialty sports channels. They have a documentary channel, and a very cool science channel. They have a pretty wide selection of channels for kids and/or stoners including several cartoon channels. They have several movie/tv channels including a Drive-In Movie channel, a Horror channel, a classic movie channel, a Shout Factory channel, and a 24 hour MST3K channel. They have several audio only music channels, and also a channel showing opera performance videos. Other comedy channels they have include The Onion, Cracked, Standup, and a channel I find myself watching way too much, Fail Army. Whether you watch it on a Roku, or on the web, Pluto TV is well worth checking out. Cool program I have watched on this channel recently: This morning I watched "Craigslist Joe", a documentary about a man who attempts to live for a month using only Craigslist as his source for food, shelter, other necessities, and travel. It was on their Documentary Channel. Hopefully, I will have more streaming channel reviews in the future. |
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Post by Not a real doctor on Feb 1, 2016 13:45:28 GMT -5
This should be good, Floyd. I'm a roku user also but haven't branched out too far beyond using it as a way to 'watch netflix on the regular teevee.'
We do get some good use out of the Roku channel for our local PBS affiliate and the occasional "hmm, let's see what the hell's going on over on Crackle, 'hey! old Married with children episodes!'"
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moimoi
AV Clubber 
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Post by moimoi on Feb 1, 2016 20:50:17 GMT -5
Do any of these services have foreign language channels? I'd be particularly interested in Hindi and Japanese tv.
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Feb 1, 2016 22:27:06 GMT -5
Do any of these services have foreign language channels? I'd be particularly interested in Hindi and Japanese tv. in several languages including Hindi and Japanese. Some are free, and some are fee based. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Feb 6, 2016 1:31:18 GMT -5
Tonight, as mentioned by Not a real doctor Crackle ! Crackle is one of the more upscale basic (free with commercials) streaming services. It is backed by Sony, and has access to a wide range programming from many sources including Sony owned titles, and material from other programming partners. They have an always on streaming channel, as well as a large rotation selection of TV programs and movies, and have begun creating original programming. You can watch Crackle online, on the Roku, and several other platforms. Among the TV series playing episodes as of this writing, they have episodes of cult favorites such as "The Critic", "The Shield" and the live action "The Tick", several Anime series, and classic TV programs such as "All in the Family", "Barney Miller", "Married With Children", and "Seinfeld". Movies currently playing include such varied titles as "Adaption", "And Now for Something Completely Different", "CandyMan", "Dr. Strangelove", "Heavy Metal", "Searching for Sugarman", "Steamboy", "Universal Soldier: Regeneration", "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and "Wet Hot American Summer". They don't offer thousands of titles each month, like Netflix or Amazon, but all in all, they have a pretty decent general selection of both relatively new, and classic programming, and the price is right! Cool program I recently watched on Crackle: "Crumb" a documentary about cartoonist R. Crumb. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Feb 15, 2016 19:35:57 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of OSI TV, which seems to specialise in horror hosts and other weird junk. I like OSI TV also. I love it that there seem to be several niche channels. Cafe Noir is another cool little channel, specializing in 40's and 50's crime dramas.. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Feb 15, 2016 22:06:33 GMT -5
MaddyGTV
MaddyGTV is a really interesting free streaming service. It has several subchannels, each with their own categories, which seems to be fairly common in the streaming universe. Many of the subchannels have live streaming options, and all feature on-demand programming. Their programming consists mostly of indie movies, TV programs, and web series from the last few years. The earliest program I noticed was a movie from 1999. A lot of their programming is stuff I haven't seen on other channels, and it's well worthwhile to spend some time exploring their offerings. As with many streaming services, a lot of their programs turn up in multiple categories. Their main movie subchannel lists categories such as Indie movies, SiFi, Thriller, Documentaries, Drama, Comedies, and Action. Other subchannels are Short Shots, On Set, Pilot Season, Specials, 3D, Music Videos, Concerts, Late Night, Space Opera Channel, Maddymation , and BoomTV Sports. MaddyGTV carries a lot of adult themed programming, especially on their Late Night service. I have seen it described as "Cinemax-like". Their programming has commercials, but is uncut. Some of the programs I recognized are "Starlet" starring Dree Hemmingway, Session 9, and Kung Fury. They also have wrestling programs, clips from the Lingerie Football League, and, for some reason, lots of local stuff from Erie Pennsylvania scattered about. On their SOC, under "comedies", I discovered a short series called "Space Janitors". I've watched the first two episodes, and while it has a budget of maybe $50 per episode, it is actually a pretty clever take on the trials and tribulations of life on a generic "DeathStar" like space station (move along, no copyright infringement here), as seen through the eyes of it's maintenance staff. I have so far not seen this anywhere else. A couple more notable things about MaddyGTV. They actively solicit content. If you have a movie, short, or web series you would like to be broadcast, they are interested, and list contact information on their website. They need money, and aren't too proud to say so. I have noticed that so far, many of their ad slots are empty. In addition to pursuing advertisers, they run short ads asking for donations, siting very high programming and bandwidth costs, and they have done so in a pretty honest, straightforward seeming way. In what may be a case of "If it seems too good to be true..." Their latest announcement says they may have to shutter the Space Opera Channel, which I really like, on March 1 if they don't find more money. I honestly hope that doesn't happen. I have not found any information as to if they are affiliated with any larger programmer, but they seem to be a pretty small, independent operation trying to compete with some of the deeper pocketed programmers. I like this service. What impressed me upon first finding it was that last month they had "Ex Machina", which I had not yet seen. I hope they find a way to survive. EDIT: This channel is re-running it's most recent "live" show discussing their new programs, and watching it, I discovered that the "Maddy" of MaddyGTV is Marie Madison, adult film star. Their report, featuring her and program director Paul Gorman was actually pretty funny. They explained that it was a day late because they had been too hungover the previous day to record it. While they show a lot of mainstream independent programming, and don't run any actual X rated stuff, apparently their connections within the film business are netting them some programming from some of the more off-the-wall foreign and independent producers and directors. They described one movie showing on their latenight side channel as "the most f***ed-up thing you've ever seen". View that one at your own risk, I guess. Also, I have learned that the Space Janitors series is available on YouTube.
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Feb 22, 2016 1:57:12 GMT -5
Can't sleep, may as well do another channel review. tubiTV
tubiTV is another free, ad supported, on demand streaming service, and it's another good one with over 40,000 hours of programming available, featuring TV series and movies from studios such as Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate. They sort their programming into categories such as "Oscar nods", "Not on Netflix", "Highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes" "Food", "Nature", "Get Fit", and "Musicals", with many programms showing up in multiple categories. They carry a large number of international programs under listings such as "Foreign Favorites", "Telenovelas", "So Much Korean Drama", "Anime", and "Keep Calm and Brit On". Among the titles I saw listed there were TV shows such as "Alf", "Wilfred", and the original British version of "Shameless", and movies included classics like "Stalag 17", "Some Like it Hot", "Seconds", and "The Conversation", newer releases, as well as comedies, documentaries, grindhouse flicks, Kung-Fu and cult movies. They also carry shows about cooking, fitness, lifestyle, nature, and spirituality. They are a well organized service, and their commercials are relative unobtrusive. Well worth looking into. There are a few more similar general movie/tv services out there, and I'll try to get to them. Most of the movie/TV streaming services have a lot of similarities, but I'll try to point out specialty areas that various services emphasize. It's great that so many services are no-charge, but it's easy to develop channel overload. I expect, over time, each channel will seek out areas to specialize somewhat in, and they will advertise these specialties. I want to jump around a little over the next several weeks, and also look at news and weather services I've found, some of the niche movie services, and some of the just wonderfully weird stuff available out there. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on May 9, 2016 22:52:47 GMT -5
I have kind of let this thread gather dust, but I have some more channels to talk about. I want to sum up some more of the general 'free movie and tv" channels, (and there are more then just these). These are all ad supported, and every one had at least something interesting, if I looked deep enough. Most also have apps for mobile, and desktop players. PopcornFlix seems to be featuring a lot of classic (and not so classic) horror movies right now, such as the original Last House on the Left, Repulsion, Shivers, Suspiria, and another Argento movie, Demons. Among the many other movies playing now are a couple of JCVD kickfests, and some Marvel animated movies, including a couple featuring Hulk and Iron Man They have highbrow, lowbrow, and every brow in between, including several National Geographic TV series, and a bunch of Troma, and "Lloyd Kaufman Presents" movies. I saw several interesting looking music documentaries on artists from Michael Jackson to Marilyn Manson, and Pink Floyd to Tupac. They have a section of Spanish language movies, and also several movies available ad-free for 99 cents. ---------------- Viewster has an international flavor. They have a large selection of anime, and also feature Telenovinas, Korean Dramas, and Bollywood movies, as well as some international TV programming, but they also have things as American as "America's sickest home videos" volumes I and II, and web series like "Happy Tree Friends". ---------------- OvGuide is listed as a "website aggregator which allows users to find online video", but it has it's own Roku channel, which has sub-channels such as SiFi Station, World Cinema Wanderer, Action Arena, Thriller Theater, Documentary Depot, Comedy, Family Flix, and Horror Hall ---------------- SnagFilms , Watch Free Flix , and 24 Hour Movie Channel , are more sort of 3rd tier, general movie channels, with similar movie lineups, but worth checking out. --------------- These won't replace Netflix or Hulu, but for free, they can add a lot of cheesy variety to your viewing menu. I hope to review some of the niche channels. I find a lot of them fascinating and fun. If you have a genre you'd like me to look into, let me know, and I'll see if it is represented in the Roku universe. Lots and lots of stuff out there for free. |
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Post by kitchin on May 13, 2016 20:41:04 GMT -5
I tried the Koi TV channel, under Special Interests, but it has as many people as koi. I was expecting peaceful scenes of fish, but instead I saw the back of a lot of Portland Oregonians volunteering or working at the (famous) Portland Japanese Garden. And short peaceful scenes of fish swimming. That Warner Archive channel looks excellent for its type of old movies, but it costs, after a free trial. Now I see it's much easier the browse channels on the website instead of using the dinky remote for on-screen navigation. For example, International... channelstore.roku.com/browse/internationalDo any of these services have foreign language channels? I'd be particularly interested in Hindi and Japanese tv. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Aug 22, 2016 20:27:38 GMT -5
I posted this on the Pulling the Plug thread also. I spotted this on the Roku a few days ago, and it's available on the web, and other streaming devices. USTVnow is listed as a service for Americans overseas, which allows you to view American TV programs. They saw they have a free service that includes the major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX, CW, and something called My9). They also have paid services with more channels. I think you possibly need to sign up from an IP address outside the US to activate the free service *coughVPNcough* , but it seems like it would be very useful for persons overseas. I will post more information about this service if I can learn more. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on May 26, 2023 14:15:47 GMT -5
Reviving this thread to mention a streaming service I stumbled upon the other night. Cinema Box is a free service on Roku, I don't know if other devices carry it. It is pretty amazing. It is like an ad supported version of TCM as far as it's programming selection. Few commercials so far, good video and audio quality. The only downside for me is the lack of closed captions. The programs available is to me, nothing short of amazing. I haven't seen much newer than the 70's, but they have a ton of great stuff from then and earlier, including a lot of movies I haven't seen elsewhere in ages. Just taking a quick look, I see listed: Shampoo, Ice Station Zebra, Catch-22, Valley of the Dolls, For a Few Dollars More, Duck, you Sucker, Billy Jack, Walkabout, Gone in 60 Seconds , The Little Prince, Blazing Saddles, Bless the Beasts and Children, Our Man Flint, the President's Analyst, the Nutty Professor, Fearless Vampire Killers, Little Big Man, Sister Street Fighter, The Getaway, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Producers, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Young Frankenstein, Watermelon Man, Vanishing Point, The Long Goodbye, The Birds, Casablanca, Harry and Tonto, Silent Running, and many more. It even has some stuff from "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" complete with Walt's intros.
It's well worth checking out.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on May 26, 2023 14:25:28 GMT -5
Reviving this thread to mention a streaming service I stumbled upon the other night. Cinema Box is a free service on Roku, I don't know if other devices carry it. It is pretty amazing. It is like an ad supported version of TCM as far as it's programming selection. Few commercials so far, good video and audio quality. The only downside for me is the lack of closed captions. The programs available is to me, nothing short of amazing. I haven't seen much newer than the 70's, but they have a ton of great stuff from then and earlier, including a lot of movies I haven't seen elsewhere in ages. Just taking a quick look, I see listed: Shampoo, Ice Station Zebra, Catch-22, Valley of the Dolls, For a Few Dollars More, Duck, you Sucker, Billy Jack, Walkabout, Gone in 60 Seconds , The Little Prince, Blazing Saddles, Bless the Beasts and Children, Our Man Flint, the President's Analyst, the Nutty Professor, Fearless Vampire Killers, Little Big Man, Sister Street Fighter, The Getaway, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Producers, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Young Frankenstein, Watermelon Man, Vanishing Point, The Long Goodbye, The Birds, Casablanca, Harry and Tonto, Silent Running, and many more. It even has some stuff from "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" complete with Walt's intros. It's well worth checking out. Oh, thank you, Floyd! I have a Roku TV, and this sounds great. I don't mind commercials every so often if the selection is this good. I'm going to take a break from work soon (I have an early release except I'm swamped with work so LOL no I don't) and check it out. |
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