As you may have guessed by now, I am a passionate cord cutter. I do not have cable TV in my home. Rather, I use a nearly infinite source of entertainment and information offered on my Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices. The first article below compares all the current services offered by the major non-cable TV providers.
If you have read this blog before, you know I am a DirecTV Now subscriber and a pretty happy one at that. To be honest, I don’t use it all that much, but will be now that spring and summer are approaching and there is more useful content coming. But, as a subscriber, I got a big bonus yesterday.
You may or may not know that some major content providers provide separate video applications over and above their cable or satellite offerings. These would include ESPN, HBO, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Disney, and several others. Here is what makes them special: ESPN has a multitude of channels not offered on cable or satellite. With their special WatchESPN app, you get all those channels in one location to watch when you want.
If you are an HBO subscriber on cable or satellite (or DirecTV Now), you can only watch a program at a certain day or time. With their special “HBO Go” app, you can watch any movie or show they offer any time you want…including many they no longer show on their regular channels. Same is true in one form or another with other content providers.
These apps are available for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and other devices including mobile devices. But the kicker is you have to be a cable or satellite subscriber to those channels. But, yesterday I found out that as a DirecTV Now subscriber, I am finally entitled to access to all those aps. So for $40 a month, the price I pay for DirecTV Now + HBO, I now can use those apps…and have loaded some on my devices. I will probably watch more of them than use DirectTV Now. FYI: Here is a list of all those available bonus channels.
Changing subjects…Here are a couple of other non-related browsing tips you might find useful:
Most browsers now offer the ability to view web page content without seeing the other extraneous stuff you see on pages. No, it is not an ad-blocker app, it is called “Reader View.” It is not available for every page…look for the little open-book icon at the top of your browser, usually below the tabs. You will love it!
Another great browser tool that is an add-on (or extension) is called “Autopagerize.” It auto loads articles that are several pages long, all onto one page. How many times have you Goggled something only to find yourself continually clicking over and over to see the next page. With Autopagerize, it just keeps adding them to the bottom of the first page. I love this one…and it is total free for just about every browser on the market.
Well, I hope you found all this useful. For more tips and tricks and just plain good info, just keep on scrolling down. -JRC
Tech News and Opinions
PlayStation Vue vs. Sling TV vs DirecTV Now vs YouTube TV
For those fed up with their cable or satellite TV company, there has never been a better time to cut the cord.
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LastPass Quickly Fixes New Vulnerabilities
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Desktop and Laptop Tips and Tricks
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Don’t dismiss them out of hand—while neither are as powerful as paid software in the same niches, they might just do for you.
Microsoft Online Services Hit With Another Outage
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Why Is My PC Making a Clicking Noise?
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Mobile Computing
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Apple Workflow app: What it is and how to use it
Apple bought an app called Workflow on Thursday. The app automates stuff you do all the time on your iPhone and iPad and turns those tasks into a simple button.
How to use indoor maps in Google Maps
One of the more useful additions to Google Maps is the ability to navigate within malls, museums, libraries, or sports venues.
8 handy things to do with your new Google Assistant
From telling it what to call you to playing tic-tac-toe, here are some nifty ways to get started with your new Assistant.
Help! My family plan's gotten out of control
Gathering friends and family onto one family plan can save you big bucks, but is it worth the headache?
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