Cord Cutters Features
News: New Law Makes Netflix Password Sharing Illegal
Have you been sharing your Netflix password with your friends? How about Rhapsody or Hulu Plus? If you get caught sharing your online subscription accounts, you could be slapped with a fine and even imprisoned.
How To: Here's How to Get Amazon's Chromecast Competitor for Only $20
Amazon has launched its Chromecast competitor, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is available for pre-order today. This little dongle has four times the storage and twice the memory of Google's Chromecast, plus many of the features found in Amazon's Fire TV set-top box.
How To: The Easiest Way to Cast from Chrome
Previously, you'd need to install the Google Cast extension to cast webpages from your Chrome web browser to your Chromecast-connected TV, but as of March 24th, you don't need it anymore. Casting now works natively in Google Chrome (which had been available in the Beta version for a few months), and you can activate the hidden feature right now.
Deal Alert: Spotify's Giving Away Free Chromecasts
For well over a year, Spotify's most requested feature was to add Chromecast support. While they left the request unanswered, it seemed that Spotify just didn't want anything to do with the $35 streaming stick.
How To: Multitask in Chrome While Casting Web Videos to Your TV
Despite being one of the largest and most feature driven companies on the planet, Google can sometimes come up short. I have my Chromecast running 24/7, and while I use my phone to cast most of my content, I sometimes find a video while browsing Reddit or LiveLeak on my laptop and I'd rather just cast it from there.
How To: Find the Latest & Greatest Chromecast Apps
Now that the Chromecast development kit has been out for over a month, more and more Android apps are being released or updated to work with the Chromecast.
How To: Fix the Apple TV 5.1.1 Update Bug
Last week, an update was released for second- and third-generation Apple TVs. The update included stability and performance improvements along with support for the Up Next feature in iTunes 11. A lot of users have been reporting issues upgrading, saying that the update failed or, in some cases, that their Apple TV refuses to boot after trying to install the update. Luckily, it looks like the solution is rather simple. TidBITS found that the Ethernet update is the problem. All you have to do i...
How To: Watch All the 2016 Oscar-Nominated Films Online
Even though the 88th Academy Awards have come and gone, there's a good chance you still haven't seen all the films that were nominated—or even those that won big.
How To: All the Ways to Stream the NFL's Bills/Jaguars Game for Free on Sunday, 10/25
For a lot of would-be cord cutters, the lack of streaming local sports is the only hurdle that needs to be cleared before they can sever all ties with big cable. This is why it was a huge victory for us anti-cable folks when Yahoo announced that they would be hosting the first ever live-streaming NFL game this Sunday at 9:30 AM Eastern.
News: Get a Free $6 Google Play Credit for Every Chromecast You Own
For $35, there's hardly a better value in the online media player market than the Chromecast. Taking that sentiment a step further, if you factor in the promotions Google likes to offer with it, Chromecast practically pays for itself.
News: Hulu Plus a Negative on Xbox Live?
If you powered up the ol' Xbox 360 last night to watch Netflix, you probably noticed that a new streaming service moved into Xbox LIVE—Hulu Plus. Netflix finally has some competition. Or maybe not. But with a week of free service, they're sure to attract some would-be watchers.
News: Soon, You May Be Able to Watch Cable Without a Cable Box
Cable TV providers were dealt a pretty significant blow on Thursday, February 18th, 2016, when the Federal Communications Commission decided that customers should have a choice in what type of device they use to watch cable, instead of being forced to rent a set-top box.
How To: Customize Your Apple TV's Name
Your Apple TV is just that — your Apple TV, which means you probably want to personalize it a bit, to make yours stand out from everybody else's. And the easiest way to do this is by renaming it. If you live in an apartment building, this will help differentiate your Apple TV from your neighbors' when trying to use AirPlay.
How To: Play the Insanely Addictive 2048 Game for Android on Your TV
Just like some of its popular puzzle predecessors, 2048 is an extremely simple yet insanely addicting game that pits you against a slew of blocks, to be configured into increasing sums with fervid, high-paced moves. If you have yet to play it, check out either the iOS (by Ketchapp) or Android (by Estoty) versions of the game. Due to its overwhelming popularity, dev TalkLittle has ported the puzzle game as 2048 for Chromecast (available for Android only), which lets you play the game solo or b...
How To: Enjoy Some Politically Incorrect Laughs with CardCast for Android & iOS
The future of game night is digital. Your Chromecast is great for watching Netflix or YouTube, but get more use out of it by making it the centerpiece for your next fun get-together.
News: How to Watch the 2016 Super Bowl 50 Live Stream from Anywhere
Whether you're anxious to tune into this Sunday's Super Bowl 50 to see Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, or to see if you win some money on your silly prop bet, or just want to tune in for the commercials, there are a handful of ways to catch the Big Game without an antenna or cable/satellite subscription. When & Where
News: Chromecast App Gets a Huge Update—Here's All the Cool New Features
Google just announced a new and improved Chromecast at an event in San Francisco this morning, and debuted a new "Chromecast Audio" for streaming music directly to any speaker. I'm sure you rushed off to the Google Store to buy one of these promising and powerful devices, but while you wait on the new one to come in the mail, your old Chromecast just got a lot more functional by way of a simple app update.
News: Google Celebrates Chromecast's Birthday with Free All Access Music
It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I was frantically searching every Best Buy in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to find one with a Chromecast in stock.
How To: This Extension Fixes Everything Annoying About Binging Netflix
Cord cutters are changing everything about TV—the more of us that sever ties with cable, the more changes we start to see. In fact, viewing habits have already changed so drastically that waiting a week to see the next episode in a series is no longer acceptable, as binge watching has completely eclipsed this old-fashioned format.
News: How to Watch March Madness 2016 Live Online for Free
Watching the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament without cable used to be easy. As long as you had an internet connection, CBS and Turner (TBS, TNT, and TruTV), which co-broadcast March Madness, let you watch all 67 games online free of charge.
How To: Force Apps Like Netflix to Show the Screensaver on Your Nexus Player
For some odd reason, the Netflix app likes to disable the Nexus Player's built-in screensaver. It doesn't use its own, it simply keeps your screen on indefinitely, which of course can lead to screen burn-in. This is not just an Android TV issue, as the Netflix app does the same thing on Roku and smart TVs.
How To: Watch the Coachella Music Festival on Your HDTV All Weekend
One of the world's largest music festivals in kicking off this weekend in southern California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. With a diverse lineup ranging from AFI to Empire of the Sun to HAIM to Muse, the music world is on display this weekend and the next.
How To: Personalize Your TV Experience with Chromecast's New Backdrop Feature
It's been a long-awaited feature since being announced at Google I/O in June, but Backdrop for Chromecast has finally started rolling out. With an update to the Chromecast app for Android and iOS, users will be able to personalize the background images that appear when Chromecast is idle.
News: Google Releases Chromecast Development Kit—Get Ready to Cast Anything & Everything
After months of waiting, Google has released the SDK (Software Development Kit) for their Gadget of the Year, the Chromecast. As announced on their blog, the release of the SDK means that any app developer, whether for Android, Chrome, or iOS, can now add Chromecast functionality to their app. And though only a few apps have been released with Chromecast support, that's all about to change.
News: 7 New Games Just Released for Chromecast
Now that Chromecast has taken the title of top-selling media streaming device and held onto it for well over a year, game developers absolutely have to take Google's $35 streaming stick seriously. As a result, we're starting to see big-time media and game companies throw their hats into the proverbial Chromecast ring, with new interactive offerings that pair your smartphone and your big screen in spectacular fashion.
News: Amazon Launches Fire TV to Compete Against Apple TV, Chromecast, & Roku
Amazon just announced its entry into the set-top streaming content marketplace with its new Fire TV box. Competing directly against Apple TV, Google's Chromecast, and Roku, Amazon is betting on big processing power and voice controls to stand out from the competition. Features include the following.
News: Popcorn Time Explained
Part 1: What is Popcorn Time? Part 2: What is a torrent?
News: Netflix Wants to Give You the Best Job Ever—Binge Watching
For hire! Netflix is looking for someone who loves to watch movies and TV shows in the comfort of their own home for hours on end. Does this sound like what you do on your free time? Then you might want to update your résumé, because this job opening is real.
How To: Build a Netflix IR Sock (That Pauses Netflix When You Fall Asleep)
To help keep sleepy binge-watchers from sleep-"watching," Netflix asks if you're still watching after a semi-short period of time. This means that it could be anywhere from 1 to 5 episodes that you slept through, which is better than 2 seasons, I guess—but it doesn't make it any easier to find out where you left off.
News: Netflix Is Finally Going to Offer High-Quality Streaming on AT&T & Verizon
Netflix has become the subject of heavy buzz this week, and not due to the latest season of Daredevil (which gets two thumbs up, btw). The online video entertainment provider is drawing fire over its admission that it has been throttling video streams for its AT&T and Verizon customers for years.
How To: Hide and Rearrange Your Apps in the New Apple TV 5.1 Update
Apple gets a lot of flak for their lack of customization on their devices, but hey, at least you can move your apps around on your iOS device—that's customization, right? Well, you couldn't even do that on your Apple TV—until now. The newest Apple TV 5.1 software update released earlier this week added the ability to move apps and icons around the interface.
News: Cast Your Own Personalized News Station Pulled from Local & National Sources to Your TV
With Chromecast-capable applications slowly seeping into the market, it's difficult to find useful ones that we might use on a daily basis.
News: Cast Aereo Live TV Using Your Chromecast
Gaining major consumer support and the ire of Big Cable, Aereo today announced support for the Chromecast through it's Android app. A revolution for cord-cutters, Aereo lets you record and stream live broadcast TV on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or media streaming player (Apple TV, Roku, and now Chromecast).
News: Americans Are Media Consumption Machines—And It's Only Getting Worse
Over the course of the past century or so, media consumption has gone from a few readers enjoying their local print publication to billions of users viewing countless hours of video across the globe each day. This was a gradual evolution at first, but recent advancements in mobile connectivity have sent us into a climb the likes of which we have never seen before.
How To: Cast Endless Streams of Videos You'll Definitely Like
The folks behind StumbleUpon have created a video service that is just as awesome at introducing you to new content as their website service is.
News: HBO NOW Cable-Free Streaming Available for $14.99/Month—Just in Time for Game of Thrones
It's been a long time coming, but HBO will finally be releasing their cable-free streaming service next month in the U.S., over two years after they had released similar standalone subscriptions in countries such as Norway.
News: Chromecast's First Real Competitor Gets Leaked
Chrome and Firefox are the leading third-party web browsers on the desktop platform, so it would make sense that they'd go head-to-head in a fight for living room supremacy.
News: Sneak Peek at Super Bowl 50's Commercials for 2016
Up until the last 15 years or so, watching the commercials during the Super Bowl was arguably more exciting than the game itself. Super Bowl XXIV featured the San Francisco 49ers blowing out the Broncos, 55-10, in the worst Super Bowl beatdown of all time. The game might not have been that exciting, but the commercials sure were.
News: Crackle & Rdio Apps Updated for Chromecast Support
Adding to the growing list of Chromecast capable apps, today two entertainment streamers for both Android and iOS join the list; Crackle for videos, and Rdio for music.
News: Nexus Player Practically Half-Off: $70 with a Free $20 Google Play Credit
Google's Android TV-powered set-top box normally sells for about $100, but for the next 4 days, the Nexus Player can be purchased for roughly half that price when you consider credits.