Post ASmacHzVngahStHRlA by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
(DIR) More posts by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
(DIR) Post #ASmYUlGuqrxE3JhhBo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T20:53:54Z
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Sling TV really wants to drive subscribers away, with 25% increase over a few months. Apparently Sling is hell-bent on going out of business. Over the last few months they have raised prices (in two moves) by a total of around 25% for subscribers in many major network markets.They used to be the budget offering to superior services like #YouTube TV, but at these prices there won't be much point to staying with Sling much longer, if at all.
(DIR) Post #ASmYiSJm7PhbK2ZT16 by girl_onthego@masto.ai
2023-02-17T20:56:20Z
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@lauren I canceled them back when they hiked the price last year, it's a useful service for certain live events, but it's just not worth it anymore.
(DIR) Post #ASmYpHhpyJHyRA59kW by DarcMoughty@infosec.exchange
2023-02-17T20:57:30Z
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@lauren I suspect the days of tech companies being permanent loss-leaders with high-flying stocks is coming to an end. People are gonna have to pay the real costs and probably be more choosy.
(DIR) Post #ASmYqyhnaQeC5Rs6lc by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T20:57:49Z
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@girl_onthego I don't know of any less expensive way to get the news channels and TCM, for example.
(DIR) Post #ASmYvqw5ttWdREsmye by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T20:58:46Z
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@lauren Sling is still about 25% cheaper than the equivalent YouTube offering, when I checked a few weeks ago.It has a horrible tvOS experience, but YouTube’s isn’t much better.
(DIR) Post #ASmZ51suYy4M08lmVs by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:00:28Z
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@karabaic Well, as I say, Sling just announced ANOTHER price increase in major markets after the one they did in December. That 25% over a few months. That's insane. They're already shedding subs like mad, this is bound to make it worse.
(DIR) Post #ASmZATTlOYmr21bTF2 by girl_onthego@masto.ai
2023-02-17T21:01:22Z
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@lauren I bought an antennae off Amazon and a giving it a try. I mostly need it for live political events, and maybe the occasional award show. But I don't use it for day-to-day local news, so that's not something I have to worry about.
(DIR) Post #ASmZGoSGJw6FpAvJxo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:02:37Z
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@girl_onthego I've never not had a rooftop TV antenna. But I *do* need the news channels, and of course you can't get those broadcast.
(DIR) Post #ASmZYf7HmM544gchSS by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T21:05:48Z
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@lauren in December 2020, in the middle of pandemic lockdowns, YouTube TV went from $50/mo to $65/mo. A 30% increase in one month.
(DIR) Post #ASmZdlpAGcwQKHaCiu by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:06:45Z
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@karabaic At least technically it's a better service. Sling is bottom drawer all the way.
(DIR) Post #ASmZqYlM8m57a6trNo by MellowTigger@mastodon.online
2023-02-17T21:08:58Z
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@lauren When Locast shut down, I knew we were never going to have nice things in the USA in my lifetime. :(
(DIR) Post #ASmZw78dlD6bdwRJR2 by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:10:04Z
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@MellowTigger That was a doomed business model from the start.
(DIR) Post #ASmaLBG9ZiTVfFuFtY by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T21:14:35Z
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@lauren Sling has never been accused of amplifying extremism through a recommendation algorithm. They have not faced criticism for exposing the identities of the vulnerable through their commenting system’s authorization policy. They have not played both sides of the ad market, distorting pricing.Their UI sucks. They sometimes have weird problems delivering quality streaming. They don’t do local channels.But they don’t have the bad record YouTube does.
(DIR) Post #ASmaRdBMfiJk0Ek4xs by MellowTigger@mastodon.online
2023-02-17T21:15:29Z
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@lauren Doomed how? It was profitable. According to Reuters, it was too profitable, therefore negating their non-profit claims. If somebody else did the same thing with the aim to NOT collect so much money, wouldn't it be a useful "business model" for the service it intended to provide? (which was already-free over-the-air content but via internet instead of antenna)https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/locast-agrees-pay-32-million-resolve-dispute-with-major-tv-networks-2021-10-28/
(DIR) Post #ASmaZ4D4aAbNr25S88 by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:17:06Z
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@karabaic I think YT is a wonder of the world. I love it. It's not perfect. But it's fantastic. If I could only choose from one streaming service, without a doubt it would be YT. I happily pay for YT Premium. So you're not going to get traction with your YouTube opinion here.
(DIR) Post #ASmacHzVngahStHRlA by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:17:39Z
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@MellowTigger It was obvious from the start that they would not survive legal challenges.
(DIR) Post #ASmb8mBB64beMIECYa by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T21:23:22Z
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@lauren We all compromise on certain things. Sling gives me what I need: access to cable content at a low price in a flexible way. If they started making serious ethical choices that I regarded as harmful, I’d cancel them as quickly as I cancelled my WaPo sub when they fired Balko.You seem to make your choices based on technical criteria only, ignoring other, valid issues that the platform has. You do you.
(DIR) Post #ASmbF339HmJwQ2SmY4 by jstritch@mindly.social
2023-02-17T21:24:41Z
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@lauren We switched to Philo a couple years ago. We're happier with the Philo app too.The Houston TV stations we watch have their own apps that let us get local news. Best wishes on your search for alternatives.
(DIR) Post #ASmbIHrkejdPEtg1Bo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:25:17Z
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@karabaic I mainly watch educational, technical, historical, classic film/TV, and classic ephemeral content on YT that is generally available nowhere else.
(DIR) Post #ASmblTwyo1Hr7G2kd6 by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T21:30:33Z
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@lauren I still use YT, too, but I won’t pay them. That 30% fee increase when people were locked in grated on me. Their more recent ethical lapses, including the firing of the entire moderation team minus 1, is concerning.
(DIR) Post #ASmbpfAP2qux3tJd0i by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:31:19Z
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@karabaic What 30% increase are you talking about?
(DIR) Post #ASmbyE4l8cuje9l7R2 by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:32:51Z
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@karabaic You must be talking about YT TV. I'm talking about YT, not YT TV.
(DIR) Post #ASmc8tSM8nXmsksnU8 by MellowTigger@mastodon.online
2023-02-17T21:34:39Z
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@lauren I guess I'm failing to see the obvious. Locast failed in their legal defense because they didn't act as a non-profit. Their main tenet still seems valid, to me, a non-lawyer."The defendants argued that Locast was immune from the claims based on Section 111(a)(5) of the Copyright Act, which allows nonprofits to retransmit copyrighted works without permission if they don't charge the recipients more than the costs of operating the service."https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/locast-loses-key-defense-against-major-networks-copyright-claims-2021-09-01/
(DIR) Post #ASmcTEx7vaQDLLyg1A by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T21:38:25Z
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@MellowTigger Again, I don't think it ever would have held up. Academic now.
(DIR) Post #ASmjL5nSmhtOJFWH6u by jeromey@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T22:55:17Z
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@lauren it’s too bad that the we’ve reached a point where the cable bundle seems competitive (if it weren’t for the forced lock-in). I used Sling to watch sports I care about, but it seems like they’re losing their differentiation.
(DIR) Post #ASmjWdcDO8KUNhlOz2 by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T22:57:26Z
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@lauren the discussion started about YTTV, and the price hike during lockdown is a YTTV issue. I’m including issues with YT because it’s part of that Alphabet company and they have chosen to exoloit the YT luster on the YTTV brand through the brand name abd the organization. If you want the luster, you must accept the tarnish.
(DIR) Post #ASmjZ3fbUMARleVE5g by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T22:58:00Z
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@karabaic It's YT that I love. I don't subscribe to YTTV.
(DIR) Post #ASmjljDmpMwa6zX6rA by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T23:00:07Z
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@lauren but you called YTTV a superior service?
(DIR) Post #ASmjpluImfUvbFLapk by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T23:01:03Z
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@karabaic I said "technically superior" -- e.g., to Sling.
(DIR) Post #ASmlfqTFA5VSlY5M8W by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T23:12:25Z
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@lauren “They used to be the budget alternative to superior services like #YouTube TV, but at these prices there won't be much point to staying with Sling much longer, if at all.” I don’t see “technical” in there, but I’ll be generous.I used YTTV’s free trial. I found it slightly easier to use than Sling. Delivery of video was just about as good, when I tried it. Other features were a wash. I could KEEP cable for the same price as YTTV…I subscribed to Sling. 🤷🏻♂️
(DIR) Post #ASmlfr4SvhHSczV59c by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T23:21:34Z
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@karabaic I noted technical superiority in a reply to another message in this thread, which likely isn't visible to you given the way Mastodon seems to handle replies.
(DIR) Post #ASmmS4bRvAfyUqv82i by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T23:30:14Z
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@lauren I saw it, which is why I was being generous, even though you didn’t state it as a clarification or correction. I want to point out that, as I’ve seen in your posts and emails, you are biased towards Google products partly because you like & trust folks at Google you know. That’s fine. I have the same issue with . I still give them shit for stuff like the recent Spotify debacle. And I understand that some of their stuff sucks; I still prefer it.
(DIR) Post #ASmmZO8lgDUb7MzdMu by bill0004@mas.to
2023-02-17T23:31:36Z
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@lauren Cord cutting away from traditional cable will continue to struggle as companies keep playing this game. Nobody is winning here....
(DIR) Post #ASmn60UIdo9XJgcNea by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-17T23:37:31Z
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@karabaic I would reject the word "bias" and would assert that I note reality as I see it, which often is Google positive, but on some issues I have been notably critical both historically and on some topics currently. Part of the reason I do tend to trust Google broadly is that I have had the advantage of working inside and seeing firsthand how their processes actually work, as opposed to the stories told about them outside. And I've been around the industry long enough not to have the kind of -- shall we say -- "unrealistic" expectations that many younger workers not unexpectedly may have.
(DIR) Post #ASmpoYpYW4MYTkvubo by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-17T23:49:52Z
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@lauren and I do acknowledge you held the Chrome team’s feet to the fire over the http security issue and numerous accessibility issues!
(DIR) Post #ASmpoZFmwXLXn7CrUu by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-18T00:07:58Z
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@karabaic And I continue to battle for Remote Desktop on CrOS to have a permanent access mode for remote support (like Windows has long had). AFAIK the related requests have been open for quite a few years now. You can see people joining on begging for it ... but it never happens, and believe me, I've pushed for this in every way I possibly could.
(DIR) Post #ASmpyUFiONi5AytzGa by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-18T00:09:46Z
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@karabaic You may also recall my recent concerns when Play Store dropped showing app Permissions in the listings. And this one was ultimately reversed!
(DIR) Post #ASmt5Vw0pt7sHbjF8C by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-18T00:44:37Z
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@lauren I have had similar experiences with . I do want to expand on the “technically superior” issue. Every viewpoint is biased, including ones about technical superiority. There is no “view from nowhere”.Take Windows vs Mac. Windows was superior at running on damn near every piece of hardware out there and providing access to it in a way that made doing some very interesting, complex things possible. 1/3
(DIR) Post #ASmt5XUn24XT7l0Wye by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-18T00:44:37Z
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@lauren Mac was superior at providing an onboarding and ongoing usage experience that made a broader class of users more immediately productive using applications within a narrower range of functionality envisioned by the architecture.Each one had technical superiority from a different point of view.For a long time, charged a premium for that narrow productivity boost. 2/3
(DIR) Post #ASmt5Z0jOngPp6xYP2 by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-18T00:44:37Z
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@lauren That’s how I see our original debate about Sling vs YTTV.Sling is goin’ cheap. It’s correctly priced itself as barebones cable access for cordcutters who don’t want cable.YTTV is a service that is competing with cable, partly by exploiting the luster of the YT brand and ecosystem of content. Good on ‘em, but ya gotta take the tarnish, too, as I said.The superiority of a service is determined within the context of use.
(DIR) Post #ASmtG1KexIecYZGcQi by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-18T00:46:33Z
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@karabaic I have never been in the Apple ecosystem. I always considered it totally closed and way overpriced.
(DIR) Post #ASmuL8KsRaDngCN2xc by karabaic@mastodon.social
2023-02-18T00:58:40Z
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@lauren Fair point, and another indication of a bias. Folks could say the same of Google’s algorithms, even before they put a bullet in PageRank. As you can see from my bio, I started at NeXT, which kinda put on the open systems path, at least for 20y or so. I’m sympathetic to openness, but understand contexts in which it buys nothing for the user.