The Fifth Column first talked about “cutting the cord” in June 2019 in my post On Television that looked at the history of television from broadcast TV and rabbit ears through Cable TV to streaming services delivered via wi-fi. In July 2020 I posted On Television Part 2 – Cutting
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wmtc: an obvious life hack: how to make streaming more affordable and still enjoy ad-free viewing
Much ink is being spilled, metaphorically speaking, about the changing trends in subscription-based streaming services. Headlines scream that shows on Netflix and Prime will now include ads, implying that users will pay the same rates plus see ads, as we did with cable TV. But that’s not true (at least not
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: On Television Part 2 – Cutting The Cord
Those of you who have read THE FIFTH COLUMN: On Television may wonder if the Fifth Columnist has finally decided to cut the cord as it made a pretty good argument for that. Well we have finally overcome over 40 years of inertia and made the decision and as of
Continue readingwmtc: streaming follow-up: we need a universal watchlist app
On my recent post about streaming — five reasons streaming is still better than cable and etc. — I alluded to something towards the end of the post that I want to spotlight here. We need a universal watchlist app. Perhaps several universal watchlist apps, so we can choose the
Continue readingwmtc: five reasons streaming is still better than cable, even if the price tag is the same (plus a long story mostly for myself)
If you stream movies and TV series, you know that the proliferation of streaming channels has had mixed results for consumers. Many shows that were formerly on Netflix have been pulled by their media parents, and are now found on different streaming apps. At the same time, Netflix’s monthly price
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: On Television
Definitions: 1 A system for converting visual images (with sound) into electrical signals, transmitting them by radio or other means, and displaying them electronically on a screen. 2 A device with a screen for receiving television signals. Source: OED https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/television Television (TV), sometimes shortened to tele or telly, is a
Continue readingArt Threat: Free Int’l Women’s Day Films at NFB.ca
The beaten (by the Canadian Conservative budget cuts) but not down National Film Board of Canada is offering a treasure trove of titles for free streaming today, in celebration and recognition of International Women’s Day. Included in the bunch is the 2012 experimental short by Jenn Strom, below (after the
Continue readingArt Threat: The Documentary Download Dilemma
Much ink has been spilled and pixels punctuated regarding the ongoing controversial topic around the copyright, downloading, streaming and file sharing of creative content, yet there has been little discussion (outside of organizational listserves and at festival forums) of documentary cinema and file sharing. This may be in large part due to
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