What are folks' preferred TV/movie/whatever download managers on #linux these days? I'm familiar with the *arrs, but I've been out of the game for quite a while now. Is that still the best ecosystem out there?  

#CableCutters #FuckDisney

Edit: I should also maybe add that I'd be more than happy to chat on this topic over Signal if anyone wants to and doesn't feel safe chatting openly on here. Just give me a poke and I'll share my Signal code!

Trying to get rid of our cable tv subscription. I purchased a HDHomeRun Flex tuner, and a Wineguard antenna. I'm in a fortunate position here in Canada, with the balcony of our condo facing South, with a clear shot at Seattle to the East / South East. It receives about 31 channels, a couple local ones among them.

Between this and a local TV station's web offering, we'll be able to cover most of our news needs, along with a couple of the network shows we enjoy. The tuner integrates with Flex, on our Synology NAS, which allows us to record in much the same way as the cable company's DVR. There are some small hiccups in the recordings sometimes, but Plex even detects show intros and commercials and allows you to skip them.

The fidelity is incredible, with some of the over the air channels even broadcasting in 5.1 sound. It'll save us some $1,500 per year, and the total cost has been under $300.

#VictoriaBC #cablecutter #cablecutters #diy

Apple and Amazon have the worst apps for streaming on Google's Chromecast TV device.

I'm wondering if people with an Amazon Fire or Apple TV find they have an equally lackluster experience with the competition's apps?

This is just yet another aspect of how balkanizing of media and streaming in a post cable cutting world is making life expensive and almost as bad as it used to be.

#chromecasttv #appletv #amazonprimevideo #cablecutters #android #apple #anazon

Ad-supported channels
For self-loathing cord-cutters
Xumo Box arrives

#cablecutters #streaming #xumobox #haiku #poetry

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/06/comcast-and-charter-are-making-a-streaming-box-for-self-loathing-cord-cutters/

@EverydayMoggie @DemocracyMattersALot
I'm not pretending that #CuttingTheCable doesn't involve some sacrifice. There's always some amount of loss involved when switching from one thing to another. There's no such thing as a 100% seamless transition.

However, there are plenty of 100% free sources of quality entertainment out there (#PublicLibraries, anyone?), so the main sacrifice that #CableCutters must make is simply the time it takes them to find and settle into a new entertainment groove.

But since they're already wasting plenty of their precious time #WatchingTV in the first place, I think if they have to spend a few hours finding new sources of entertainment in order to avoid putting money directly into #fascists' pockets, that ought to be an acceptable tradeoff for any reasonable person.