Cordcutters

Android Central writer and Disney super-fan, Ara Wagoner, is here to give us the skinny on everything Disney+ that was unveiled by the company this week. It launches November 12 for $7 per month and will offer an extremely deep back catalog along with new content. Phil and Are also talk about the recent price increase of YouTube TV and the value it adds for subscribers. Links: Disney+: Everything you need to know about Disney's streaming service | CordCutters YouTube TV plans and pricing | CordCutters  

This week Phil and Russell try to make some sense out of the latest Apple event, with a new Apple TV app that looks a lot like the current one, and Apple TV+ channel thing that might be good — or not — and all the ramifications that come with it.

Timing, folks, is everything. As soon as we recorded Episode 12, news dropped that required an update. So here we are, with Tablo TV changing the change it's made to its on-screen guide subscriptions. Plus we go over all the changes that are coming to DirecTV Now — hint, you'll be paying more and potentially getting less for it.    And Phil chats with Rene Ritchie about what to expect from Apple's new streaming TV service, which is expected to finally debut >at an event on March 25.

Captain Marvel is in theaters. Disney+ — the massive streaming service that will comprise all of the company's offerings, along with Marvel and Star Wars and a million other things you probably didn't realize Disney owns — is waiting in the wings and will be available later this year. So Phil sat down with two of the biggest Marvel and Disney brains he knows to suss it all out. NOTE: Between the time we recorded this podcast and the time it was published, Tablo has changed its plans for guide subscriptions yet again. Important update, folks!  

We're back after a little break for a super exciting interview — Jon Rettinger, and old friend of the pod (and friend in general). Jon and Phil talk up cord-cutting and how they introduced it to their families, what worked and what doesn't, and what's good on TV these days. If somehow you haven't seen Jon's work on YouTube, definitely check it out, and also be sure to swing by his new channel, The Apple Circle. What it is and where to get it The CordCutters.com Podcast is a bi-weekly (that is, ever two weeks) venture from Phil Nickinson (ye olde @mdrndad on Twitter, and Modern Dad on YouTube), and whomever else happens to join that week. Music: Robot Park by Poddington Bear Subscribe on Anchor.fm Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Breaker Subscribe on Castbox Subscribe on Google Podcasts Subscribe on Overcast Subscribe on Pocket Casts Subscribe on PodBean Subscribe on RadioPublic Subscribe via RSS Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Stitcher Subscribe on TuneIn  

CES — the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — is a mess. More TVs and gadgets than should be allowed by law. But the real surprise came from someone who usually sits out CES: Apple. Rene Ritchie from iMore and Vector hopped on the line to hash it all out, and frame what's to come.

You can't end a year (and start a new one) without making a list of all the best things from the prior year. And so we've done that. But we also were reminded that it's not quite that simple in the world of cord-cutting, where we have so many great options that it really comes down to more than just what we deem "the best." Thanks to Nirave Gondhia (@nirave) for joining! Other important things: CordCutters.com — the website! Phil Nickinson — the Twitter Modern Dad — the YouTube

Chromecast is finally (FINALLY!) once again available for purchase from Amazon. (You can buy one here: http://phon.es/szcq) That's a big deal for a number of reasons, and we figured it'd be a great time for a deep-ish dive into Chromecast the dongle, and Chromecast the protocol. So Phil and Jerry tear it all apart. What is a Chromecast, why you would want one, and what its limitations are. (Note: we're cross-posting this in the Android Central feed. Thanks to them for that.)

We've survived the Thanksgiving holiday and are back to answer these ever-important questions: Which Amazon Fire TV is worth you money? What's up with those Roku speakers? And did AT&T really just do that?

It's the season for smart displays, apparently. The new Amazon Echo Show is here, and it's better. Sort of. The new Google Home Hub is here. So how do they stack up? Which should you buy? Phil and Russell weigh in.

You'd think that when Amazon dropped a dozen new products a couple weeks ago, that would have been the end of it. But, no. We now have a new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — the first with Dolby Vision support! And maybe more important, we now have a proper remote with volume controls! Plus, Roku has blessed us with a couple new boxes as well. Music by Poddington Bear

Amazon just announced 12 (TWELVE!!!) products at one time. That's insane. And while a new Echo Show is cool, it's the new Amazon Fire TV Recast that's really piqued our interest. So we caught up Android Central's Andrew Martonik, who was at the event in Seattle. Music: Poddington Bear

One of the best ways to round out your cord-cutting setup is with an over-the-air antenna. The question is how to get started. Which antenna is best? Where should you put it? So we grabbed our favorite electrical engineering nerd to hash things out. == IMPORTANT LINKS OF IMPORTANCE == 1. The best over-the-air antennas: https://www.cordcutters.com/best-over-air-antennas 2. How to figure out which way to point your antenna: https://antennaweb.org/ or http://www.tvfool.com/ Music by http://www.podingtonbear.com/

Fun fact: Interviewing one's wife may be fraught with danger — especially when you forgot that your wife is, in fact, a trained interviewer herself and won't be stepped on or steered in a certain direction. ... Whoops. This week we talk up some news, and I sit down with the one and only Shannon Nickinson to discuss how we cut the cord two years ago. Music: Poddington Bear

Patrick Stewart is bringing sexy back. We got three of the biggest Trek nerds we know to talk it over. Music: "Robot Park" by Poddington Bear. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Haplessly_Happy/Robot_Park