All that streaming

MNblockhead · Sep 18, 2018

I have Prime, including the Fire TV dongle and it is the main source of TV. For movies, it is rare that I can't rent what I want from prime. For serials, I've bought seasons from Prime, but I generally find it a better deal to temporarily subscribe to whatever service includes it in their subscription, especially if I want the newest episodes or if it offers other content I can consume during the month's subscription.

I get a limited Twitch account through Amazon Prime but I only use it for the PAX Acquisitions Incorporated events a few times a year.

I have YouTube Premium mostly because it gives me the ability to listen to videos in the background, it gets rid of advertisements, allows me to download videos for long flights or car trips. But I'm probably going to cancel it. It just isn't worth 11/month, especially since I don't use YouTube Music (and I have an Apple Music subscription). Once I have to start dealing with ads on YouTube again, I'll probably just break the habit of checking my favorite subscriptions.

I subscribe to HBO on and off throughout the year depending what series has its new season available.

I subscribe to Netflix only to access Stranger Things and then cancel. When the new season comes out I'll likely subscribe for a month to watch it.

When I was overseas I bought almost all my content from iTunes as it was the only way to get a lot of content (legally) where I was. I still subscribe to Apple Music which is worth it because I like to check out new music and I also use it for background music during my games.

If streaming services try to force me into an annual contract, I'll just stop using them. I'll wait a year or two and get the shows I really want on Prime. If they no longer make the content available on Prime/Netflix/Hulu, I can easily live without any of it. Also, I might be moving to Switzerland, which I expect to greatly limit my access to content unless the regional licensing nonsense has gotten better in the last 6 years.

I've got a lot of reading to catch up on, so I might be a good thing to lose access to most of my video content.

trappedslider · Sep 18, 2018

Morrus said:
Most of those (Hulu, CBS, etc.) aren't available here. It all ends up in Netflix over here.

We have SkyQ though, and the BBC iPlayer is free.

So even stuff like Hulu The Handmaid's tale and Prime's originals show up on netflix after a while over there?

Morrus · Sep 18, 2018

trappedslider said:
So even stuff like Hulu The Handmaid's tale and Prime's originals show up on netflix after a while over there?

Oh, Amazon Prime is worldwide.

As for Hulu, I have no way of knowing what might originally have been on a Hulu, never having seen one (or a CBS, or any of the local services you have over there), but I’ve seen Handmaid’s Tale available (though I haven’t watched it), and Star Trek Discovery is on Netflix the next day. Other stuff like Game of Thrones etc. shows up on a Sky channel, usually the day after you get it I think. I don’t usually know the original source of the shows.

Generally speaking most stuff shows up on Netflix or a Sky channel. Often the next day, though some stuff (I’m looking at you, The Expanse season 2!) still hasn’t shown up for some reason.

Jhaelen · Sep 18, 2018

Morrus said:
Generally speaking most stuff shows up on Netflix or a Sky channel. Often the next day, though some stuff (I’m looking at you, The Expanse season 2!) still hasn’t shown up for some reason.

Here in Germany, The Expanse Season 2 is already available on Netflix.

I finally broke down and started to sub Netflix last weekend. My biggest problem is lacking time, so it's difficult for me to turn a subscription into a worthwhile investment. I also consider the offerings available in Germany's free TV to be quite good. They may be about 2 years behind, but if you have the patience, they'll eventually broadcast most of the successful shows. Also, specifically on Arte, you'll get to see sleeper hits from all across Europe that aren't available on any of the streaming services.

MNblockhead · Sep 19, 2018

Ralif Redhammer said:
I keep idly considering ZOE’s Fantasy Network. It’s only $5 a month, but nickels and dimes add up.

So I subscribed to The Fantasy Network on a whim last night after an evening training. I hadn't heard of it before your post but I've backed ZOE Kickstarter campaigns and love all their free stuff on YouTube.

My first impression is that that there just isn't enough content available to make an ongoing subscription worth it. I suspect that I will watch everything I want in a month, maybe two, then cancel. That is cheaper than renting JourneyQuest on Prime, so it is worth it (except at this point I should just buy JQ, I've rewatched it so many times).

I suspect that they know this though, and at this point are happy to get the few months of subscriptions. What is also cool is that if you are a ZOE Patreon supporter, you get access to TFN as part of your Patreon support (as certain levels).

Oh, I know a lot of ZOE stuff is on YouTube, but it really is nice to see the entire JourneyQuest or Gamers as a movie than a cut up series of YouTube clips.

But most of the non-ZOE series on TFN are short clips and not complete yet, which is kinda annoying. Also, be warned, the production values on most of the stuff here are pretty low. But it can scratch your fantasy camp itch. There are some nice surprises, like the ZOE short film "Iron", but that not really Fantasy, more like historical fiction.

Ralif Redhammer · Sep 19, 2018

Bummer, but thanks for the honest review. I do hope that it does grow over time. I imagine they'll need to partner with even more indie filmmakers.

MNblockhead said:
My first impression is that that there just isn't enough content available to make an ongoing subscription worth it. I suspect that I will watch everything I want in a month, maybe two, then cancel. That is cheaper than renting JourneyQuest on Prime, so it is worth it (except at this point I should just buy JQ, I've rewatched it so many times).

MNblockhead · Sep 19, 2018

Ralif Redhammer said:
Bummer, but thanks for the honest review. I do hope that it does grow over time. I imagine they'll need to partner with even more indie filmmakers.

I hope that it can be a more reliable source of income for content creators than YouTube. YouTube is great when you have massive followings but it is hard to justify continued effort when you have smaller fan bases. Yet, many fans or fans of the genre may be willing to spend a few bucks to continue indie series.

MarkB · Sep 19, 2018

Currently I have Netflix, and Now TV, Sky TV's streaming service. I cancelled my satellite TV service with Sky over a year ago, and now only subscribe to Now TV for a few months at a time when they're airing a few shows I enjoy.

I've tried Amazon Prime a couple of times on free / cheap offers, but never found a good reason to stick with it. They have an okay selection of shows, but I didn't warm to any of their homegrown product, and had trouble finding anything really entertaining in their back-catalog.

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 20, 2018

MNblockhead said:
So I subscribed to The Fantasy Network on a whim last night after an evening training. I hadn't heard of it before your post but I've backed ZOE Kickstarter campaigns and love all their free stuff on YouTube.

My first impression is that that there just isn't enough content available to make an ongoing subscription worth it. I suspect that I will watch everything I want in a month, maybe two, then cancel. That is cheaper than renting JourneyQuest on Prime, so it is worth it (except at this point I should just buy JQ, I've rewatched it so many times).

I suspect that they know this though, and at this point are happy to get the few months of subscriptions. What is also cool is that if you are a ZOE Patreon supporter, you get access to TFN as part of your Patreon support (as certain levels).

Oh, I know a lot of ZOE stuff is on YouTube, but it really is nice to see the entire JourneyQuest or Gamers as a movie than a cut up series of YouTube clips.

But most of the non-ZOE series on TFN are short clips and not complete yet, which is kinda annoying. Also, be warned, the production values on most of the stuff here are pretty low. But it can scratch your fantasy camp itch. There are some nice surprises, like the ZOE short film "Iron", but that not really Fantasy, more like historical fiction.

Kinda sounds like the early days of what is now SyFy.

Henry · Sep 20, 2018

I maintain:
Amazon Prime
Hulu
Netflix
BritBox
Acorn

...and damned if I’m going to pick up any other services. DC universe, CBS, Disney, Alpha, and any other streaming service, as far as I am concerned, can go

themselves until these companies can figure out how to play well with others and work some kind of deals again with the big boys in the space, instead of trying to Walmart or Amazon their way in to steal the pie. I’m not about to sign up for so many $5 and $10 services that I’m paying a second Cable bill. Thanks to Prime, I kind of already am

(though as much as I’ve saved on Prime between free shipping and my twitch viewing, it’s been worth it.)