This week on TechHive: Why the cost of internet won't negate the benefits of cord-cutting

One of the oldest concerns about cord cutting is that the cable company will always prevail. You still need internet service to watch Netflix and Hulu, and with scarce competition in the home broadband business, internet providers can just raise prices to offset pay-TV losses.

That fear appeared to manifest itself in recent weeks as several analysts began chattering about looming internet price hikes to offset the effects of cord cutting. These reports generated a bit of gloomy press coverage, along with some fretting on forums like Reddit about the futility of dumping cable TV. But while no one likes to see their bills increase, it’s worth keeping the prospect of price hikes in perspective: Some of it is just speculation and wishful thinking, and the escalation of cable- and satellite-TV pricing continues to be much worse. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

Even more device reviews: A couple more of my streaming device reviews have gone live over at TechHive, though I didn’t give either of them high marks. The Roku Ultra is a $100 streaming player with lots of bells and whistles, such as an Ethernet jack, a headphone jack on the remote for private listening, and a USB port for local media playback. Most people don’t need any of this, and should be fine with either the $50 Roku Streaming Stick or the $70 Roku Streaming Stick+. Part me wishes Roku had been a little more ambitous with its high-end box, instead of just charging $30 extra for a few more ports.

I also reviewed the new Fire TV, a $70 4K HDR streamer that’s a bit more powerful than Amazon’s $40 Fire TV Stick. Had Amazon launched this a year ago, I might’ve been more enthusiastic, but Roku’s Streaming Stick+ is now a much better option, with a less cluttered interface and a remote that has TV volume and power controls built-in. Amazon’s alternative is best avoided unless you’re deeply invested in the Amazon ecosystem, or plan to use the Fire TV to sideload Android apps like Kodi.

New TiVo in town: TiVo has announced a new version of its DVR, called the TiVo Bolt Vox, which adds 4K video support and voice controls. It works with cable channels (via CableCARD) and with over-the-air broadcasts (via an antenna). The hardware also runs a revamped version of TiVo’s software, which should roll out to existing TiVo boxes as an optional upgrade. The box starts at $200 with 500 GB of storage. DVR service costs an extra $15 per month, $150 per year, or $550 for lifetime service. I have the TiVo Bolt Vox on hand and should have a review up in the next couple weeks or so.

More Catch-Up

AT&T might sell an Android TV box focused on streaming DirecTV Now.
DirecTV Now’s DVR service might be delayed until next year.
Roku may let you stream some of its video channels on your phone soon.

Save More Money

Now that SiliconDust has redesigned its HDHomeRun Connect networked tuners, we’re starting to see some deals on the existing version, which is functionally identical but not as slick-looking. B&H has it for $70, a discount of $30.

With an HDHomeRun plugged into your router, you can stream live broadcast channels to other devices around the house, including Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. It also acts as a DVR if you have a server device (such as desktop PC or Nvidia Shield TV) for running Plex, Channels DVR, HDHomeRun’s own DVR service.

Hello from LA!

This week’s newsletter was assembled with a bit of haste on Pacific time, as I’m in Los Angeles this week for a family affair. I apologize for any typos and later-than-usual delivery. Things should be back to normal next week as I continue to hack through the fall review backlog.

As always, you can contribute to this newsletter through my Patreon page (for recurring payments) and my Ko-Fi page (for one-time payments), and help inspire future story ideas by sending in your feedback. Just reply to this email or find me on Twitter.

Until next week,
Jared

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Cord Cutter Weekly is a labor of love by technology journalist Jared Newman. Say hi on Twitter, and let your friends know there's a better kind of TV out there. Or, unsubscribe here.