Mr. Robot made some progress but was it enough? Firefly breaks hearts. Bryce rants about Happy Death Day.
00:53 – Winter Movie Draft 2017
04:35 – Happy Death Day
14:48 – Mr. Robot (305)
24:52 – Firefly (Objects in Space)
Cordkillers 195 – Coruscant Legal (w/ Nicole Lee)
Disney’s ready to beat Netflix, Roku’s beating the world, and Lord of the Rings is coming to Amazon. With special guest Nicole Lee.
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 194
Why Brian saw Thor twice, the last two episodes of Stranger Things, Tom thinks they may have seen the most boring Mr. Robot yet, and Mal finds love on Firefly.
01:18 – Winter Movie Draft 2017
03:26 – Thor: Ragnarok
14:49 – Mr. Robot (304)
23:30 – Stranger Things (208-209)
35:08 – Firefly (Heart of Gold)
Cordkillers 194 – Accomplished Cord Murderers
What’s going to happen to House of Cards? Apple TV 4K gets more reasonable controls. Might Disney buy its way back into controlling X-Men and Fantastic 4?
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 193
Brian didn’t watch Mr. Robot but Bryce did so we talk about it anyway and spoil Brian. Plus: most of Stranger Things season 2 and Firefly!
00:55 – Winter Movie Draft 2017
05:30 – Mr. Robot (303)
15:50 – Stranger Things (201-207)
32:54 – Firefly (The Message)
Cordkillers 193 – Archduke Content
YouTube TV comes to TVs, TiVo BOLT VOX gets real, and whether we want Netflix after shows.
CordKillers: Ep. 193 – Archduke Content
Recorded: October 30 2017
Guest: None
Intro Video
Primary Target
- YouTube is taking on TV on its home turf, and it’s starting to win
– YouTube says viewers watch 100 million hours of clips a day in the living room, up 70% in the last year. Google uses that to mean TVs connected to the Internet not sitting on your couch with your laptop or phone. YouTube users overall watch a billion hours of video a day. - YouTube TV is rolling out on Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, and more
– Monday YouTube rolled out a YouTube TV app for Android TV and Xbox One. Apps will roll out in the coming weeks for Apple TV, Roku, and smart TVs from Samsung, Sony, and LG. YouTube has no rollout plans for Amazon Fire TV devices. The TV-based apps will have a full grid programming guide and let users scroll through a transparent sidebar of channels while video stays playing. It also supports voice search.
How to Watch
- TiVo officially announces its voice-controlled DVRs, the BOLT VOX and Mini VOX
– TiVo confirmed the launch of the 4K BOLT VOX and Mini Vox which include voice control from the remote. TiVo’s voice search has some context sensitivity allowing refinements on the fly. The BOLT VOX will come in 500GB and 1 TB sizes with 4 tuners for OTA and cable at $199 and $299 each. A 3 TB model has 6 tuners but only supports cable for $499. The Mini costs $179.99. The TiVO Vox remote will also be sold separately for $39.99 for existing BOLT, Roamio and Mini customers. The new VOX products go on sale October 29th. - TiVo’s revamped interface is available for existing DVRs
– As of October 29th, you can visit TiVo’s website and request an upgrade to your Bolt, Mini or Roamio set-top box. It’ll take “2-3 hours” before you can force the download, but you don’t have to wait for TiVo to push the new design on its own
What to Watch
- Netflix is launching a Stranger Things after show
– Stranger Things has a 7-episode after show on Netflix called Beyond Stranger Things. Netflix means it to be watched after completing the whole season. - Netflix Cancels ‘House Of Cards’, Says It’s “Deeply Troubled” Over Kevin Spacey Claims
– Netflix will not renew House of Cards after the current 6th season is released. The 6th season just began production and is expected to be released in mid-2018. Star Trek Discovery star Anthony Rapp told BuzzFeed News that House of Cards star Kevin Spacey sexual harassed him at a party in 1986 when Rapp was 14. Netflix and production house Media Rights Capital released a statement saying the companies are “deeply troubled” by the news. Sources tell TVLine that the decision to cancel it was made months ago. - House of Cards to End With Season 6
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Firefly, Stranger Things (through ep 4? 5?) More Mindhunter
- Tom: Firefly (The Message), Stranger Things (Season 2), Mr. Robot (303), Thor: Ragnarok, Star Trek: Discovery
- On the Lookout: Sniffer
Front Lines
- Hulu’s CEO is going to run Sony TV, and another Fox exec is going to run Hulu
– Mike Hopkins, formerly of Fox, who has been CEO of Hulu since 2013, is leaving to run Sony TV where he will report to new Sony Pictures Entertainment boss Tony Vinciquerra. Randy Freer. President and COO of Fox TV will become CEO of Hulu. - DirecTV to Launch Android TV-Based OTT Set-Top Box
– A new FCC filing shows that DirecTV plans to offer a new streaming set top box based on Google’s Android TV with no built in satelite connectivity or hooks into the company’s current Genie hardware. The documentation in the filing descirbes the box as an over-the-top streaming service box, with access to the Google Play Store and Ethernet, digital audio, HDMI and USB ports. - Roku Wants to Start Streaming to Third-Party Devices
– Variety reports Roku will bring its streaming videos channel to its mobile apps. The Roku Channel streams free ad-supported movies. Roku generates 41 percent of its revenue from what it calls its platform business, which includes advertising and licensing fees. - Apple’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Hollywood Is the Opposite of Edgy
– Bloomberg reports Tim Cook delayed the release of Carpool Karaoke because of foul language. In fact Apple’s original content is expected to be comedies and dramas with broad appeal and suitable for all ages. - Comcast Q3 Earnings Beat Expectations Despite 134,000 Cable Subscriber Loss
– Comcast lost 134,000 residential video subscribers while adding 214,000 Internet subscribers. Last year at this time Comcast was bucking the trend by adding video subscribers in modest amounts. Comcast overall did well. NBC Universal saw a drop with the absence of the Olympics but NBC’s content licensing haul was up 20% to $440 million. - Regal Cinemas Plan May Let You Pay Less for Flops, More for Hits
– Regal Entertainment Group plans to test Dynamic Pricing in 2018. The idea would be to charge different prices depending on how popular a movie is.
Dispatches from the Front
Hello Tom, Brian and guest.
I can’t thank you enough for recommending the movies anywhere app. Not only did I get 5 free movies for linking my Google Play and Amazon accounts, I now have access to all the special features that I didn’t even know were available for my movies. Hours and hours of director’s commentary, behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, gag reels and production stills. I buy most of my movies on Google and I watch them usually on my Roku device. Nowhere in the app on the Roku for Google movies or even the app on my Android device, as far as I can tell, is there a place to access the special features. Maybe I’ve completely missed something, but I am completely blown away that they don’t make this stuff available on their own apps. Anyway, thank you again. Love love love the show.
– Adam
Hi Tom (and Brian),
A few weeks ago, you were talking about the new Movies Anywhere app, and you mentioned how Ultraviolet movies purchased on FandangoNow didn’t transfer to Movies Anywhere via VUDU. I experienced the same thing with a 4K code from BestBuy for pre-ordering Spiderman Homecoming that redeemed only on FandangoNow. Well I was digging around my iTunes library with week and noticed Spiderman Homecoming in there. It took a while, but the movie eventually showed up in my Movies Anywhere library. You might want to check for those movies you were missing before, they might just be there now!
– David
Just listened to latest episode and want to add the way I watch Star Trek Discovery is I have a tablet I just throw on VPN save discovery offline and then airplane mode it and watch it on my commute. I don’t even think CBS go gives option for offline viewing does it.
– Jack
Hey Tom and Brian, I wanted to toss a question out to the cord killers audience to see if I can get some suggestions. I have a Hard drive filled with videos for my 2 year old daughter to watch when we are bored with streaming options. Its mostly full seasons of young children’s television. I get tired of watching the same show repeatedly but don’t want to have to make decisions like which show to switch to and I don’t really want to manage a static playlist but I don’t really want the complete randomness of loading all the videos and hitting shuffle. So I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to dynamically generate a playlist based on some loosely defined “time blocks” for lack of a better word at the moment. where I could maybe say play 3 videos from folder A then 2 Videos from B etc. Love The show!
– Justin
As far as neilson numbers for Netflix, I wanted to bring up a point about why their numbers will be even more pointless. Neilson works by taking a sample of people watching a show at a time and extrapolating that sample to the US audience. That works if you know that people have more or less the same choice of what to watch at a certain time. With Netflix any show can be watched at anytime and everyone’s LOLOM (list of list of movies – their term for the home page) is unique and different everytime you start Netflix. So making statistical extrapolations from a sample is pointless. Though knowing how corporations and ad agencies work (from the last 6 years of working) they will probably be used as cover to prove what ever point they need at the moment.
Love the show and keep up the good work. Love being a Patron
– Martin
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 192
Brian and Tom are back together and we talk Mindhunter, Firefly (Trash), and Mr. Robot (302). They also revisit Blade Runner 2049 and a Winter Movie Draft update!
00:41 – Winter Movie Draft 2017
02:44 – Blade Runner 2049
05:19 – Mr. Robot (301-302)
11:31 – Mindhunter (101)
15:02 – Firefly (Trash)
Cordkillers 192 – Unsyncable Molly Brown (w/ Jason Murphy)
Nielsen rates Netflix shows whether Netflix ants it or not, Verizon keeps delaying its TV service. and TiVo has a new 4K box!
With special guest Jason Murphy.
CordKillers: Ep. 192 – Unsyncable Molly Brown
Recorded: October 23 2017
Guest: Jason Murphy
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Nielsen will now measure TV audiences on Netflix
– Nielsen Subscription Video on Demand
– Ratings, reaches, frequency and segmentation reporting for Netflix (and eventually Hulu, Amazon and others)
– Testers to include NBCUniversal, Disney-ABC, A+E Networks, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Television, and three (unnamed) others.
– Will not cover mobile
– Different than 2014 opt-in reporting service that only gave raw number estimates
How to Watch
- Verizon Is Eyeing Spring for the Start of Delayed Online TV Service
- Verizon struggling to launch streaming TV service in crowded field
– Verizon’s online TV service delayed to Spring 2018 according to Bloomberg sources
– Technical issues, staff turnover
– Yet to finalize distribution agreements with top media companies
What to Watch
- New Punisher trailer. Punisher comes to Netflix November 17
- CBS says Star Trek: Discovery has driven subscriber growth and it has renewed the show for a second season.
- Amazon’s ‘Pilot Season’ returns November 10th
– New Amazon Pilots will be available for your review starting November 10.
– Sea Oak will start Glenn Close as an aunt who comes back as a zombie because of dissatisfaction with the rest of her family.
– Love You More stars cabaret’s Bridget Everett (as a “big personality” with a “big heart”) and has legendary comedian Bobcat Goldthwait in the director’s chair.
– The Climb, meanwhile, has The Last OG’s Diarra Kilpatrick both creating and starring in a comedy about pursuing the American Dream in a “rapidly changing” Detroit with Star’s Chris Robinson as the director.
What We’re Watching
- Brian: Mr. Robot 301 and 302, Firefly, Mindhunter (ep 1 and 2), Last Week Tonight, Pirates of the Caribbean, rewatched Michael Bolton special
- Tom: Mr. Robot (302) Mindhunter (101), Outlander
- Jason: Mindhunter, Exorcist
- On the Lookout: Babylon 5
Front Lines
- TiVo’s upcoming DVR, the TiVo BOLT VOX, will include voice support
– Dave Zatz at Zatz Not Funny spotted a product listing on Amazon for a new TiVo BOLT called the BOLT VOX with support for 4K Ultra HD. It’s listed as having 500 GB storage and support for OTA and cable. It also has voice control in the remote. - YouTube Red greenlights a Tinder-themed romantic comedy series called Swipe Right
– YouTube Red greenlit a comedy series about Tinder called Swipe Right, starring Carly Craig from Role Models. Carly plays a single 35-year-old who decides to date all her 252 Tinder matches. - Topshop’s ‘Stranger Things’ collection is a fitting tribute to Barb
– Netflix has partnered with UK’s Topshop and US Target on Stranger Things merchandise including T-shirts and figurines. Netflix also said it will take on $1.6 billion in debt to help it pay for new productions in 2018. - Netflix, Amazon, movie studios sue over TickBox streaming device
– Netflix and Amazon have joined several movie studios in suing TickBox, one of those many Android-based boxes that promises to deliver free TV. While TickBox explicitly says it does not condone piracy and that its box is not to be used for such purposes it also says you can “access movies and shows that are still on Demand and episodes of TV that were just aired. You will never pay to watch any of them.” - Snapchat to make original TV-style shows
– Snap Inc. and NBCUniversal are partnering on a new digital content studio to make original scripted video in the three-five minute long format. The first original show will be produced with US film and TV producers Mark and Jay Duplass and and their new Donut creative studio - Chelsea Handler’s Netflix talk show will end after two seasons
– Chelsea Handler’s Netflix talk show will come to an end after season two. Handler will release a documentary on Netflix where she engages with “people of different ethnicities, religions and political philosophies. She also plans become more engaged in the US political process.
Dispatches from the Front
Hi –
I loved the discussion about Movies Anywhere in Episode 191. I was so excited, I signed up at my first available opportunity. Connecting all the services went VERY smoothly on my cell phone EXCEPT for iTunes (I’m an Android), but I even got that connected once I got to a desktop. Libraries on the various services either updated immediately or with a refresh.
According to this article in The Verge, 4K upgrades are apparently limited to Apple titles:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/13/16464000/how-to-use-movies-anywhere-app-features
Example: I own Glory in HD on Vudu (Disc upgrade). It is available on all of the other services, but there is a 4K version on Amazon. I do not have access to that one, even after registering with Movies Anywhere.
I hope other studios get on board with the 4K upgrades. It also irks me that the 4K versions of some movies are only available on one service (two I know about: Star Trek Beyond is only 4K on Vudu, Glory is only 4K on Amazon). This obstacle will slow the adoption of 4K – convenience trumps fidelity!
Your Boss 🙂
– Chris
On the most recent episode (10/16) you mentioned that MoviesAnywhere links to partners to purchase content. Total bummer (but not surprising) that it does not do price comparison. I use the JustWatch app on my phone to do comparison shopping. It does a good job of aggregating rental and purchase pricing.
Thanks!
– Mark
Not sure if you’ve mentioned this website before or not, but gowatchit.com is an extremely useful website showing all the places you can watch a movie, to buy, rent or get tickets to. Includes all kinds of services and on demands from cable.
(Found while looking up a movie called Dealt about a Richard Turner, a blind magician. Brian would probably be interested)
Keep up the great work you guys!
– Justin
Hey Tom and Brian have you heard about Sinemia? I just recently discovered it when I was considering signing up for MoviePass. They have plans starting off at $10 a month. It’s not unlimited movies like MoviePass, yet you are able to see 2D 3D and IMAX movies. And from what I can tell you’re able to reserve your seat ahead of time unlike MoviePass which requires you to be near the theater.
Keep up the good work guys
Your boss
– Pete
Links
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 191
Brian’s out, but we talk about Blade Runner 2049 anyway. Plus, Mr. Robot season 3 premiere and the Winter Movie Draft! With special guest Sarah Lane.
Cordkillers 191 – Netflix Original Spaghetti (w/ Sarah Lane)
Movies Anywhere makes movies easier, Netflix beats expectations, and Sarah Lane needs movie recommendations. With special guest Sarah Lane.
CordKillers: Ep. 191 – Netflix Original Spaghetti
Recorded: October 16 2017
Guest: Sarah Lane
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Movies Anywhere: Watch all your Amazon, Google, and iTunes titles in one place
– Disney has launched an expanded version of its Disney Movies Anywhere service called Movies Anywhere. The service allows users to access movies purchased from Amazon, Google, Apple or Vudu all in one place. Movies Anywhere uses the Keychest technology implemented by Disney Movies Anywhere. Studios involved included Disney, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Brothers. Discussions are ongoing with Paramount and Lionsgate but movies from those studios will not be available at launch. Movies Anywhere is available on Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
How to Watch
- Netflix beat its own projections by adding another 5.5 million subscribers in Q3
– Netflix added 5.3 million streaming subscribers worldwide beating expectations of 4.4 million. It added 850,000 in the US and 4.45 million internationally. Reed Hastings has said Netflix could spend as much as $8 billion on content next year. - Netflix has hired a new exec to tackle policy challenges in Europe and around the world
– Netflix hired Monique Meche as its new vice president of global public policy. She formerly had similar roles at Amazon, Cisco and Intel. She’ll help Netflix deal with varying regulatory rules in the 190 countries Netflix operates in. That ranges from tax schemes, to programming requirements to net neutrality. - Netflix Has Secret Weapon in Hollywood’s Multibillion-Dollar Arms Race
What to Watch
- The last trailer for season 2 of Stranger Things is out. Show returns October 27th AND a clip was shown at London Comic-Con
- The 6th and final season of ‘Longmire’ hits Netflix on November 17th. Netflix took it over from A&E in Season 4.
- New trailer for Black Panther out. Movie comes out February 16.
What We’re Watching
- Tom: Mr. Robot (301) Bladerunner 2049, Firefly (Trash), Star Trek Discovery
- Sarah: The Big Sick, Baby Driver, The Beguiled
- On the Lookout: Mindhunter
Front Lines
- Apple to Reboot Sci-Fi Series ‘Amazing Stories’ From Steven Spielberg
– Apple signed a deal with Steven Spielberg to reboot Amazing Stories. It supposedly will be for 10 episodes. NBC which owns the Amazing Stories property is also involved. - Plex launches its live TV service on Roku, with limited DVR functionality to start
– Plex’s Live TV Service launched on Roku. The service which handles over the air broadcasts and DVR functions for you was already on most other platforms. It’s part of the $4.99 a month Plex Pass service. - Hulu responds to user complaints with a grid guide for Live TV
– Hulu launched a grid-like view for its live TV service. It’s available on the Web and will make its way to to the other apps as well. - Roku’s new channel with free movies and TV goes live for all
– Roku completed its rollout of a channel in the US that aggregates free TV and movies from accoss Roku channels plus some directly licensed from studios like Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers. Ads run before content and users have to choose to add the app.
Dispatches from the Front
Hi Tom and Brian,
Long time listener and fan. The past two years I have been using cable for just local channels and Playstation Vue. I am about to close on my first house so because of the impending move I started to re evaluate how I cord cut.
First off I looked my antenna options because of the surrounding mountains. As of right now basic cable will be used but in a few weeks I will mount a large antenna off of the chimney of the house, hopefully it will work and I can cut basic out of my plan including a high $12 per month DTA cost.
Next I am looking to beef up my plex account, maybe to a lifetime plex pass. The service has been growing a lot in the last year and I have been impressed with the new additions. For services I am trying YouTube TV for CW live content. I am not sure if I will keep it due to the lack of DIY and HGTV and I do not want both YouTube TV and PS Vue.
I have been happy for the most part with PS Vue, but it has been several months since Sony and Viacom had their dispute. When I signed up I had all those channels and I felt like I was getting an amazing deal, now I feel like its an okay deal. I would pay another $5 with PS Vue if they added CW live, brought back Viacom channels, and added the History channel.
For the most part I have been very happy with my cord cutting experience.
Keep Up the Good Work
– Scott
Hey Tom & Brian!
As you know, Hulu recently dropped their price for new subscribers to only $5.99 per month for the first year. I had just signed up for Hulu about a few weeks ago to binge watch the Handmaid’s Tale, so I was pretty bummed to see them lower the price after I joined.
I decided to contact Hulu and see if I could get the new pricing even though I am now a current Hulu subscriber. I was pleased to find out that they would give me the lower rate, no questions asked!! This might not work for everyone, but you might want to pass this along to other Cordkillers as a new version of Brian’s Chicken challenge.
Love the show!
– Josh
Howdy,
We’ve been internet only with phone (pacemaker monitoring & 911 health reasons) on TWC’s fastest speed since Cordkillers premiered, and have been eagerly awaiting G-Fiber’s arrival. Every truck sighting elicits excitement. Our home is 12 miles from town center nestled in a valley, which, though within city limits, would necessitate an expensive roof-mounted antenna to get broadcast TV.
Since we have been streaming (Google WiFi mesh) using Chromecasts and Rokus all this time, a speed quadrupling at two-thirds or less the cost is eagerly anticipated. If G-Fiber is not offering phone services [?] there are other ISP services we can use.
Cheers, as Always!
– Stephen
Links