OT - Being Frugal

[lbmofo]

You can also get your local OTA channels w/ Filmon.com free
Not always 100% uptime but pretty good. XBMC + plugins for EVERYTHING else.

Filmon with a la carte channels, subscription packages with hosted recording in HD...very interesting. https://www.filmon.com/subscriptions

[holmes4]

You can also get your local OTA channels w/ Filmon.com free

Perhaps if you live in New York City you can get some local OTA channels there. My Boston locals aren't there at all. And again SD (or even worse.)

[vegetto]

if you know how to use playon, you can cancel your cable/satellite subscription. i've been cable free for almost two years now thanks to playon and netflix.

the channels that come with playon are great, but the cord cutting channels come from third party developers like myself. check http://www.playonscripts.com which has a bunch of other channels allowing you to watch pretty much what you want when you want.

[Shawn]

I have a very fussy understanding of Playon. Please enlighten me on this subject:
1) The software required subscription
2) The PC needs to be on while streaming
3) It can stream some of the paid service to a game console like wii. Why do I need it if wii can directly stream Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Prime?
4) It can stream contents (video, music, photo) from a PC
5) Can it stream "random" videos available from a websites? For that, I suppose I can use a laptop and hdmi cable, a little inconvenient for sure
6) Are there any free live program streaming from Playon or "third party" channels?
7) What can it do that an android mini pc cannot do? The mini pc does not have to "tether" to a PC (when it not using contents from a PC) and does not need a game console.
8) What is the function of the Playon app for ios or android?

[dknyinva]

http://www.playon.tv/faq

[vegetto]

I have a very fussy understanding of Playon. Please enlighten me on this subject:
1) The software required subscription
2) The PC needs to be on while streaming
3) It can stream some of the paid service to a game console like wii. Why do I need it if wii can directly stream Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Prime?
4) It can stream contents (video, music, photo) from a PC
5) Can it stream "random" videos available from a websites? For that, I suppose I can use a laptop and hdmi cable, a little inconvenient for sure
6) Are there any free live program streaming from Playon or "third party" channels?
7) What can it do that an android mini pc cannot do? The mini pc does not have to "tether" to a PC (when it not using contents from a PC) and does not need a game console.
8) What is the function of the Playon app for ios or android?

1. you can purchase a lifetime subscription for only 49.99. Not a bad deal for free tv and movies.
2. Yes, it also cannot be in sleep mode.
3. PlayOn offers Netflix and channels alike for some people in countries where Netflix is not available. If I remember correctly, Canada still does not get Netflix. They also have other services like HBO Go and your sports packages you can also watch.
4. Yes, you can stream local media from your computer. Except pictures.
5. Thats the big thing about PlayOn is the flexibility of the program. You or I could make a PlayOn channel that grabs links off of any website.
6.There is live streaming. This is one PlayOn's biggest weaknesses, but live streaming is still available thru third party channels. More of the stable live streaming channels would be for sports and news. Other regular cable networks are hit and miss at times.
7. I don't know what an android mini pc is.
8. The PlayOn app allows you to use PlayOn outside of your network. With mobile access enabled, you could have way across the world and still be able to stream PlayOn off your computer.

Listen, PlayOn isn't for everyone. You have to be more computer literate than the next guy. When there is a problem, more than likely its on your end and you'll have to fix it. PlayOn has a great support team that can help you along the way, but in the end, you're the one that really needs to know whats going on. Once everything gets optimized for PlayOn to run on your PC, it will be a great experience.

[Shawn]

Hello vegetto,
Thank you for a lot of good information on Playon. Seemed like it has a lot to offer. The thing I don't like it is the computer has to be on while you are watching TV.
Android mini pc is physically like a bloated usb stick. It has a hdmi port for connecting to a TV. Basically, it turns the TV into a giant Android tab without the touch screen. It can be navigated as a minimum with a wireless mouse. A wireless keyboard will definitely add to the convenience. Whatever is available in the Android market can be used by the mini pc. Some of the devices support linux, so I suspect there would be a lot of third party support there. Check that out at Amazon.com.
Shawn

[vegetto]

sounds pretty sweet. i may have to look into it a little bit more especially since the price seems fair.

does the computer running 24/7 really bother some people? between the PlayOn server and the Plex server, my desktop is always running. with being able to ditch cable tv and their bloated bill every month, it seems well worth it.

[Shawn]

does the computer running 24/7 really bother some people?

That is why I have Ooma instead of the original Magic Jack!

[lbmofo]

It's that time of the year when people buy summer vacation packages from online outfits such as Expedia and Travelocity.

To get most out of your spend, you likely have some favorite credit card you charge your expenses to which would earn you points, miles, or something else. If you are going to use a credit card anyway, this is a smart way to go.

On top of all that, why not get additional 2.8% on your vacation package spend? That's $100 bucks real cash on a vacation package costing $3500 or so. (Bigcrumbs is in my signature, cashback is reflected in your account after your travel is complete).