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Google’s New HD Chromecast Streamer Costs $30
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 28, 2022  | 
Affordable streamers are what's new this fall. Following the announcement of the Roku Express value-priced player, Google has released an HD version of its Chromecast with Google TV streamer.
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Roku Announces OS11.5 Upgrade & New Products for Fall
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 14, 2022  | 
Roku just announced the Roku OS11.5 update to its operating system. This update includes improved discovery features for users to find and stream what they want to watch from the home screen. The fall virtual press conference also brought news of a lower-priced Roku Express player and wireless subwoofer.
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Google TV Updates Improve Performance
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 24, 2022  | 
Google TV has rolled out updates to improve the Chromecast and TV’s operating system. The changes shorten boot time and make switching between tabs and launch apps faster. While some avid users have complained about Google TV’s performance, the improvements will likely be only subtly noticeable for most.
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Will Free Ad-Based Streaming Replace Broadcast TV?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 10, 2022  | 
Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) has become the focus of streaming services and studios. More channels are being added to free linear “live TV” services like Pluto, Tubi, Xumo, PLEX, Roku Channel, and others. Established stream-on-demand services like Netflix, Disney+, and Warner Bros. Discovery are exploring lower-priced ad-supported tiers. Streaming is beginning to look more and more like traditional broadcast TV.
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Netflix Will Offer an Ad-Supported Subscription Tier
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 27, 2022  | 
Commercials are coming to Netflix, one of the last of the major streaming services to offer a low-priced ad-supported tier. Now that Netflix has partnered with Microsoft's Xandr digital video advertising arm, it's clear that the streaming giant is preparing to include advertising.
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Amazon Aims to Improve Streaming Experience with Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 06, 2022  | 
Amazon has released a new “Max” version of its 4K Fire TV Stick that promises improved performance over previous generations. See how it differs.
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Sling TV: Get Premium Channels Free on Weekends
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 22, 2022  | 
Sling TV is offering free weekends for premium channels and deals to attract new subscribers. Each weekend from Friday, June 24th through the end of August 2022, will be "Freeview Weekends" where all Sling TV subscribers can watch premium channels without signing up or paying for them.
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OS Update Will Expand Apple TV’s HDR Capabilities
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 08, 2022  | 
While Apple didn't directly discuss updates to its Apple TV streaming device at this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), there are new features to look forward to this fall.
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Roku's OS11 Upgrade Is Here at Last
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 25, 2022  | 
After a two-month rollout, the new Roku OS11 operating system upgrade has finally arrived. It brings new customization features, including new content discovery and recommendations on the home screen, a voice keyboard for login, a slideshow screensaver featuring your photos, and new sound modes. The features may seem subtle, but they change and enhance the Roku experience.  
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Netflix May Soon Charge for Sharing Passwords
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 11, 2022  | 
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HBO Max and Discovery Plus to Merge Into One Service
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 21, 2022  | 
The WarnerMedia and Discovery merger has been finalized. The new company, dubbed Warner Bros. Discovery, will bring significant changes to HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming and will likely affect the CNN+ streaming app. It’s expected that all the content will be aggregated into one streaming service, but it won’t happen immediately.
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Plex Update Brings Superb Discover and Universal Search
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 06, 2022  | 
Plex continues to improve and reinvent itself with the goal of becoming the one app that you turn to first for all streaming. Its most recent addition is Plex Discover (in public Beta). Plex Discover finds trending and popular shows on all of your subscription services.
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NBC Shows May Leave Hulu
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 02, 2022  | 
Fans of NBC’s TV shows may soon need to subscribe to Peacock to stream current episodes. In February, Comcast had a window to get out of a content licensing agreement with Hulu that would allow them to remove NBC shows from the service.
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How to Stream the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 16, 2022  | 
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics may be halfway through, but with so many streaming opportunities, you can get caught up on everything that’s happened. Like the 2020 Summer Olympics held last year, NBCUniversal is again offering replays, highlights, interviews, and live coverage. Here’s how to stream the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
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Rogan, Young, and Spotify
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 02, 2022  | 
Over the last two years, social media has faced increased scrutiny for the information posted on its platforms. In response, Twitter and Facebook started either including links for more information on a subject or removing posts with false information. This past month, the same focus has turned to entertainment streaming platforms via Spotify.
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