The first year (or two) after college can be both incredibly fun and incredibly scary. You go from “college world,” with its parties and dining center meals and all-night cram sessions, to the “real world,” full of jobs and bills and waking up before the crack of dawn. And most likely, you’ll be broke.

But that doesn’t have to mean you can’t still have the time of your life. Here are a few tips to help you stretch your money and have fun in the process in the first year after college.

Ditch the Cable

Instead of paying for cable, get a Netflix subscription. The monthly streaming-only package is only $8 a month — easily $50 less than what cable will probably end up costing you (you know, once the “introductory offer” expires and your bill quadruples without warning). Their movie selection has become kind of “meh” lately, but the TV shows they offer are great. From Parks and Rec, to Mad Men, to Workaholics, to all 4,000 seasons of Law and Order, the selection is pretty good. Plus, they have exclusive rights to stream the new season of Arrested Development next month, so you’ll need to sign up for that alone.

Also, don’t make a habit out of renting movies from Redbox. If you’re anything like I was, you’ll never return them and end up accidentally adding titles like 17 Again, Grizzly Park and Doll Graveyard to your film collection (at like $30 apiece). 

Learn to Cook (and while you’re at it, learn to brew)

I shudder to think about how much money I spent eating out (and ordering in) my first year post-college. Going out to eat was just as much about entertainment as it was about, you know, needing to eat. Once I discovered that not only was making food at home not that hard, but actually kind of fun, I saved a lot of money. My friends and I would have sushi nights at home, or get together and down a bottle of wine while attempting to make the perfect Pad Thai. The internet is full of great food/cooking blogs to help you get started (Here’s a list of some of the best; also check out the hilarious Thug Kitchen).

You know what’s even more expensive than eating out? Drinking out. You can get a starter homebrewing kit for less than $75. Making your own beer or hard cider is easy, fun and saves a lot of money in the long run.

Just Say No to Credit Cards

I guess if you are uber-responsible and can resist the temptation to spend more money than you actually have in your bank account, go for it. But for me, credit cards were just bad news. I’d see a pair of $100 jeans I wanted but couldn’t afford and think, “No worries! I’ll just put them on my card!” Thankfully none of the credit cards I got right out of college had very high limits so I didn’t dig myself too far into debt, but I certainly would have been better off without them!

Treat Yo’self

It’s very important to make a budget, be smart about spending, and put as much money away in savings as you possibly can. But for every 10 days you’re stingy, you should have one day where you allow yourself to splurge on something special. As Donna and Tom from Parks and Rec would say: sometimes you just have to treat yo’self. Get that urge to splurge out of your system every once in awhile and you’ll be more likely to spend sensibly the rest of the time.

Pop Some Tags

Thanks to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, thrifting is like the new hip thing. But it’s also a really great way to get yourself cool stuff without spending a lot of money. There are few things more exciting than scoring the ultimate thrift store find. I’ve gotten a $200 wool Pendelton blanket for $5, dozens of designer jeans for under $10 apiece, tons of $0.50 records, a brand-new Timbuk2 bag for $7…the list goes on and on. The secret is finding a shop in the right part of town, usually a more affluent area where rich people donate their stuff.

Craigslist is also good for getting cheap furniture and stuff, but not nearly as much fun.

Get a Bike

Right out of college I signed up for a Lifetime gym membership for like $60 a month. I think I literally went three times in the four months I had it. A much better way of staying active is to get a bike. Not only will riding around help you stay in shape, it will also save you a lot of gas money. Instead of driving to Target, bike. Or instead of driving to the bar, bike (another perk of biking is never having to pay for a taxi home). Obviously, certain cities are going to be better for biking, but you might be surprised that most probably have pretty decent trails/paths for you to use.

Make sure to watch Ben’s for deals on bikes (you can get a decent one for a couple hundred dollars).

Surviving the First Year After College Without Going Broke

Looking to upgrade that older 1080p projector with a new 4K model? Perhaps you are building a movie room in your basement and need something to really impress your guests? Does the idea of installing a projector seem too complicated? Meet the WeMax Nova 4K projector, an ultra short throw projector that can display a sharp 4K image 80 to 150-inches in size and can be installed in minutes.

Build / Design

Compact, compact, compact. The Nova measures roughly 18 inches long, 12 inches wide and just under 4 inches tall. It fits in nicely with all your other set-top boxes in the home theater setup. Along the sides, you will finds scroll dials to adjust the feet on the front of the projector, ideal if you need to project at an angle. The shape of the projector reminds me a bit of the final revision of the Xbox One hardware.

On the top, you will find a manual power button and the laser projection system (ALPD). The 2100 ANSI lumen bulb in the projector is rated for 25,000 hours. There’ also a sensor system built into the top of the system, specifically designed to shut down the last when detecting any movement. This is designed as a safety feature to avoid damaging eyes.

On the front of the Nova, a grill hides the built-in speaker system. Using a Dolby Audio processor (and DTS decoder), it’s higher end than the majority of speakers in television, but not quite a mid-range sound bar. There are two full range 10W drivers and two 5W tweeters. On the bottom, you will find mounting holes for ceiling mounting via a bracket (not required).

On the back, you will find the power connection port (one power cord, no brick required), three HDMI 2.0 ports (included 1 ARC on HDMI 3), 1 3.5mm composite video port, 1 RJ-45 Ethernet port (if you prefer over Wi-Fi), 1 3.5mm headphone jack, and 1 Digital S/PDIF optical jack. There’ also a USB 2.0 port on the rear as well as 1 USB port the side of the Nova, ideal for plugging in an expansion hard drive.

Speaking of storage, the Nova comes with a 32GB storage drive, which has about 26GB free after the initial updates. Other hardware stats include 2GB of RAM (ideal for smooth Android usage), Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity and Wi-Fi connectivity for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz systems.

Setup

Ultra short throw projectors are perfect for anyone who have traditionally avoided projectors. It’s absolutely simple to install. You can place it 10 inches from the wall on your TV stand, preferably pointed at a screen, and you are essentially done. You don’t have to mount it a specific distance away from the screen. You don’t have to mount it to a ceiling bracket. You also don’t have to put up with people who walk in front of the projector when entering or coming into your movie room.

The Nova is no different. I placed it on my TV stand, plugged it in and had a massive image just moments after unpacking. That being said, Wemax does include options in the menu for other placements, including a ceiling mount. But the vast majority of users will likely just place it directly in front of the wall.

The initial setup runs you through linking the included remote (requires two AAA batteries not included) via Bluetooth (no line of sight required), connecting to your home’s Wi-Fi network and downloading the latest updates for Android. My update was less than a gig of data. If you have the option, I recommend using the Ethernet port on the back of the projector and avoiding any possible issues with Android wireless connectivity.

Initially, the software walks you through auto-adjusting the focus and auto-adjusting the keystone (how the corners of the image line up with your projector screen). Wemax gives you the option of adjusting via a 4-point keystone (just adjusting the corners) as well as a fine-tuning mode, an 8-point adjustment option for manual tweaking.

If you like tweaking the image quality, there are a number of preset viewing modes like Movie, Vivid, and Sports as well as a custom mode to manually adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, hue, and color temperature. It also has a digital noise reduction option. Incidentally, if you connect a game console like the PS5 or a computer, the Nova has a Game mode (with faster response time) and a monitor mode.

Setting up Android 9.0 is quite simple as well. After the updates, you have the option of installing additional apps. The main Android menu will always be your starting point when turning on the projector.

One annoyance, the hardware doesn’t remember if you were watching something via a HDMI port the last time it was active. You always have to go to the inputs section at the top of the Android screen, then select your HDMI port in the settings. Many new TVs will remember the last HDMI port that was active or even auto-load to a newly turned on device. A dedicated input button on the remote would have helped here.

Performance / Testing

As mentioned earlier, the Nova is rated 2100 ANSI lumens. If you are unfamiliar with the term, ANSI is a measurement of the overall amount of light output from a projector. The higher the value, the brighter the picture.

The picture quality is absolutely stunning, especially in a low light room. But even in a medium light room, you are still going to have solid image quality. Ideally, you want to display this image on an ALR projection screen. You can typically find those screens online, ranging from $250 up to $2,000. Keep in mind this is DLP tech, if you are sensitive to the rainbow effect. I didn’t have any issues though.

In complete darkness with projection screen, this projector is really going to perform well during dark scenes in films. I tried out some scenes from Pan’s Labyrinth, Gravity, and Dunkirk, all which this projector nailed in a completely dark room. I also did a few tests on some of my favorite colorful films (Grand Budapest Hotel, La La Land, Coraline) and the color accuracy was 100% there. And I was using the standard movie mode picture setting (no additional tweaking). HDR10 content looked fantastic! (Does not support HLG HDR or 3D content)

Regarding Android performance, I’m happy to report the interface is snappy and responsive, much like high end 4K televisions from Samsung or Sony. It’s super easy to jump from app to app, download new apps or simply move around in the settings. I’ve tested too many devices in which the processor / RAM slow down Android to the point of being borderline unusable. This is not the case with the Nova. Voice commands work well using the included remote as well.

Regarding gaming, this is a fantastic projector for casual gaming, but not necessarily for competitive gaming. The gaming mode reduces response time to about 40ms, which is fantastic for racing games like Forza or Mario Kart or adventure games, RPGs, and other types of single player games. And a 150-inch screen is pretty epic for split-screen games with friends.

However, it’s not ideal for twitchy, first-person multiplayer shooters when cutting down response time can be the difference between winning or losing a match. It’s also not necessarily ideal for the PS5 / Xbox Series X due to the lack of HDMI 2.1 / 120Hz mode. You would be better off on an LG OLED to get those features.

As for the sound performance, connecting to an external set of speakers or soundbar via HDMI ARC is still the superior option. While the speakers are better than the vast majority of televisions, it certainly doesn’t compare to a full surround sound system. However, I did like the option to turn off the projector and continue to use the sound system as a Bluetooth speaker. You can find this option in the menu when turning off the Nova.

I tested both movies / TV shows on the internal hard drive as well as plugging in a 64GB thumb drive in the side USB port. No issues with either option and VLC was able to handle any file I threw at it. Another use for USB, a mouse & keyboard. You can simply plug in a USB BT dongle to one of the ports and you are ready to roll. This is ideal for using Android to browse the web or make faster YouTube searches by simply typing in titles of videos.

One clear limitation to Android 9.0 is the absence of Netflix. However, any app you can’t get on Android can easily be found on a streaming stick (Fire TV, Roku) or any gaming console. And with 3 HDMI ports, you will likely have room.

I did try testing out some streams of 4K content on YouTube, Netflix and a few other streaming networks using a PS5. It just works, no issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus you have the option of a hardwired Ethernet. I had no issues using Chromecast for streaming and it was just as fast as a current gen Samsung / Sony TV. I also tested out a couple UHD discs using a Sony UBP-X800M2 and had no issues with HDR10 content.

Regarding fan noise, it’s minimal, even after extended use. You may notice it during low volume quiet scenes in movies and TV shows, but it’s much quieter than many traditional projectors I’ve tried. Additionally, you could easily add some sound dampening material in the vicinity of the device to cut down on fan noise (as long as you have proper ventilation).

Should You Buy It?

If you are in the market for a short throw laser projector, the Wemax Nova should be at the top of your list. It’s dead simple to setup, it’s bright enough to use in a low-to-medium light room, the 4K image quality is fantastic (especially HDR10 content), the Android platform is responsive, and it has more than enough tweaking options for the average user.

At a $2,700 MSRP, this certainly isn’t a casual purchase. That being said, we’ve seen the price drop as low as $1,900 using coupons. Hypothetically, if you got that sales price, you could pick up a $500 screen and have a stellar home theater setup (at least the video part) that would impress pretty much any guest.

Wemax Nova 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector Review

Is this the year you are ditching all the ridiculous fees that your cable company charges? Are you tired of subscribing to channels you don’t watch and paying ridiculous DVR service fees.

If you are looking into alternative streaming options, we’ve compiled a list of all the streaming services that can potentially replace the expensive cable boxes you are renting from companies like Comcast, Time Warner, and more. Here’s the list, from cheapest to most expensive.

NBC Peacock Premium: $5-a-month, Exclusive Shows

The NBC Peacock streaming service doesn’t launch until April 2020, but it will have a ton of NBC shows to stream as well as some original shows. Unfortunately, the company’s streaming pricing structure is a bit confusing. Here are the 3 options:

1. Free: You don’t have to pay a dime, but you do have to watch ads. You have access to 7,500 hours of content as well as live streaming news and sports. You are not allowed access to original content though.
2. $5-a-month: You still have to watch ads, but you have access to 15,000 hours of content as well as all the new, original content. (This level will be provided for free to Cox and Comcast cable customers, for the non cord-cutters.)
3. $10-a-month: This includes everything in the service and strips out all the annoying ads. If you are receiving the premium level for free, you have to pay $5 a month more.

Some of the TV series included with the subscription are The Office, Parks & Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Cheers, Will & Grace, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, House, Downton Abbey, King of Queens, Frasier, & all of the Law & Order shows. The original content is listed below.

Popular NBC Peacock Announced Content:

• Saved by the Bell Reboot (featuring Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley & Mark-Paul Gosselaar)
• Punky Booster Reboot
• Battlestar Galactica Reboot
• A.P. Bio Season 3 (moved over from NBC)

There’s also several new series in the works including Girls5Eva (Tina Fey production), Rutherford Falls (Ed Helms comedy), Straight Talk (Rashida Jones comedy), Hitmen (racing show with Dale Earnhardt Jr.), & Intelligence (David Schwimmer comedy).

Worth Subscribing?

Wait & See. Netflix will continue streaming The Office until the end of the year, then it moves exclusively to Peacock. So you have an alternative option this year if you are an Office fanatic. As for the original content, I’d wait for the reviews. It’s a decent mixture of new shows and reboots, heavy on comedy.

Apple TV+: $5-a-month, Exclusive Movies / Shows

Apple TV+ has been out for a few months, offering a variety of original shows for a $5-per-month cost (or $50 for a year of service). It doesn’t force viewers to watch commercials and subscribers can save shows to watch offline. In addition, subscribers can stream shows to up six devices.

The downside is the content library is extremely thin at this point. Arguably, this type of service is probably worth a monthly subscription once or twice a year to binge the new content instead of every month.

Popular Apple TV+ Original Content:

• The Morning Show: A news series drama that features Jennifer Aniston, Reese Weatherspoon and Steve Carell.
• Dickinson: A comedy exploring poet Emily Dickinson’s life.
• SEE: A thriller that features a sci-fi future in which all humans have lost their sight.
• Snoopy in Space: A classic animated character brought to life in a new animated TV show.
• For All Mankind: A drama in an alternate reality in which the space race never ended.
• Oprah’s Book Club: Each episode features a book handpicked by Oprah.

Some of the other shows in the works include a M. Night Shyamalan thriller called Servant, an Anthony Mackie / Samuel L. Jackson movie called The Banker, and a comedy from Always Sunny’s Rob McElhenney about a video game development studio.

Worth Subscribing?

Arguably, this type of service is probably worth a monthly subscription once or twice a year rather than subscribing every month. The limited volume of shows makes it easy to binge a show or two for a month, then unsubscribe.

Frndly.TV: $6-a-month, 13 channels

This service provides access to a very specific set of channels, likely ideal for anyone that watches lots of Hallmark shows and movies. It’s a relatively niche list, but works well in conjunction with services like YouTube TV.

The entire channel list includes the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, the Game Show Network, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, UPtv, QVC, The Weather Channel, Light TV, PixL and BabyFirst TV.

Frndly.TV has three plan options:

• $6-a-month for SD quality & 1 stream at a time
• $8-a-month for HD quality & 2 streams at a time. Also includes unlimited DVR (30-day time limit).
• $10-a-month for HD quality & 4 streams at a time. Also includes unlimited DVR (90-day time limit).

Worth Subscribing?

This type of service works well as a complimentary subscription to something that doesn’t offer the same channels, like Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV. The DVR terms are fairly reasonable and the volume of simultaneous streams is high compared to other services.

CBS All-Access: $6-a-month, Exclusive Shows

Basically a direct competitor to NBC’s Peacock, CBS All-Access is another 1 channel subscription with a decent content library of older shows as well as some original content. Unlike Peacock, there’s not a free option. The base plan costs $6-a-month, but requires you to watch commercials during the shows. The $10-a-month plan removes all the commercials and adds the ability to download video for offline playback.

In addition to the latest programming, CBS All-Access provides access to live news programming as well as live sports, ideal for anyone that wants to watch the NCAA Tournament as it happens. It also provides behind-the-scenes video like the Big Brother feed as well as award shows pre-event content. CBS is also heavily investing in new Star Trek programming, for Trek fans.

Popular CBS All-Access Original Content:

• Star Trek Discovery: A Star Trek show set roughly a decade before Captain Kirk’s five-year mission, following the crew of the USS Discovery. Two seasons are available with the third season coming during the 1st half of 2020.
• Picard: At the end of the 24th century, 18 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), this Star Trek picks up the story of Jean-Luc Picard as well as supporting characters from the Next Generation series.
• The Good Fight: Picking up a year after the finale of The Good Wife, this series follows the legal career of Diane Lockhart & associates. There are three seasons available to stream with a fourth likely coming during March 2020.
• Why Women Kill: This series featured Lucy Lui and follows the story of various women that live in a specific mansion in Pasadena.
• The Twilight Zone: This reboot is produced & narrated by Jordan Peele, featuring various celebrity guest stars drawn into Black Mirror-esqe situations. The first season aired in 2019 and has been renewed for a second season in 2020.

Interestingly, CBS is investing heavier on original dramas while NBC is investing more into original comedies. There is a free, 7-day trial of the service if you want to try it out.

Worth Subscribing?

For Star Trek fans, most definitely. After Picard finishes the 10-episode run, it’s likely that CBS will roll out the next season of Discovery. That’s more than 50 total episodes of Star Trek goodness & that doesn’t even include the Trek shorts.

That being said, you can get away with subscribing sporadically based on your needs. This is probably a good service to subscribe to every three to six months based on the original shows you are interested in.

Hulu Basic: $6-a-month, Exclusive Movies / Shows

Offering two price tiers, the base level of Hulu costs $6-a-month, offers two simultaneous streams at one time, but you have to watch commercials during the shows. There is an ad free option, but you have to pay $12-a-month to remove all the commercials.

If you are ditching cable, I consider Hulu to be a staple of your post-cable life. While it’s not as robust as Netflix in regards to content, it does provide access to a massive volume of shows from the major networks as well as many of the premium networks.

While you don’t have live access when shows air, you can usually watch the show the following day. Hulu has a solid library of original content; shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Marvel’s Runaways, Castle Rock, Future Man and more.

There’s also an interesting bundling option available to those interested in Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. For $13-a-month, you save roughly 25% off subscribing to the three services separately.

Worth Subscribing?

Without a doubt. While the volume of original content isn’t as expansive as Netflix, the licensing agreements with most networks will give you access to the latest programming. That being said, keep any eye on disappearing tv shows over time. As more companies move their content to their own streaming services, Hulu could suffer and it may not be a great deal anymore.

Disney+: $7-a-month, Exclusive Movies / Shows

Launching a few months ago, Disney+ is a service that bundles a huge volume of popular content; basically everything Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and more. There’s only one subscription tier, $7-per-month. You can also opt in for a yearly fee at $70 (which drops the monthly cost to $5.83).

If ditching cable, Disney+ offers a large library of classic & modern movies as well as a small, but growing volume of original shows and movies. One of the most popular has been The Mandalorian, which spawned a million Baby Yoda memes that clogged up the Internet Tubes over late 2019.

Popular Disney+ Original Content:

• Star Wars: The Mandalorian: This 8-episode series (which has a 2nd season coming during late 2020) is a Star Wars, western-style story set 5 years after the fall of the Empire and 25 years before the rise of the First Order.
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7: The final season of the Clone Wars heads to Disney+ during Feb 2020. It’s the seventh season of the show, the first six which can be streamed on Disney+.
• The World According to Jeff Goldblum: This Nat Geo show features the eclectic Jeff Goldblum discussing different topics in a documentary style each week.
• High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: This is a mockumentary / muscial series based on the popular movies.

There’s a ton of Marvel content in the works with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series coming out first during late 2020 along with WandaVision. There’s also series based on characters such as Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, & She-Hulk on the way; most of which will arrive during 2021.

Worth Subscribing?

For parents, absolutely. The sheer volume of content for kids of all ages on Disney+ is astounding; as we pointed out in our review. On top of that, it has plenty of shows and movies that adults will enjoy as well. Of course, if you are solely interested in Star Wars or Marvel, I’d recommend subscribing sporadically a few times a year. You will be able to binge the latest shows, then save some money until the next show is released.

Netflix: $9-a-month, Exclusive Movies / Shows

Not surprisingly, Netflix is a staple in a post-cable life. While the volume of licensed content has waned over the years, the volume of original content has exploded. That includes everything from movies to television shows to documentaries to comedy shows. Netflix is continuing to invest heavily in original content during 2020 as well.

Do be aware there are multiple pricing tiers. The base subscription is $9-per-month and provides 1 stream in standard definition. The standard plan is $13-per-month and provides 2 simultaneous streams in 1080p high definition. The premium plan costs $16-per-month and provides 4 simultaneous streams in 4K resolution.

Popular Netflix Original Content:

• Marvel Shows: Before Disney+ existed, Netflix invested heavily in shows like Daredevil, The Punisher, Luke Cage, & Jessica Jones. All of these Marvel shows will stay put, but Netflix will not be investing in new Marvel content anymore.
• Stranger Things: This hit sci-fi show has three seasons available for streaming and a fourth on the way; a suspenseful drama exploring supernatural events occurring in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
• Orange is the New Black: Set in a minimum-security federal prison, this dark comedy follows the trials and tribulations of the women serving time in the prison.

Some of the more popular shows released during 2019 include The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, You: Season 2, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, & Dead to Me.

Worth Subscribing?

Absolutely. The sheer volume of stuff to watch is ridiculous. In addition, Netflix has become one of the most reliable services in regards to consistently rolling out original shows / movies each month. You can’t go wrong with a yearly subscription to the service, especially if you have cut the cord.

Amazon Video: $9-a-month, Exclusive Movies / Shows

Similar to Netflix, I consider Amazon Video a staple in a post-cable life. It’s arguably one of the best bargains as well, specifically if you shop on Amazon throughout the year. While Amazon technically offers a standalone subscription at $9-per-month, you are much better off going with Amazon Prime at $119 a year, effectively $1 more a month. That gives you access to Prime Video along with a vast array of Prime Perks like free two-day shipping.

Popular Amazon Video Original Content:

• The Expanse Season 4: Picking up where the SYFY network left off, this sprawling science fiction drama
• The Boys: This series flips the script on the superhero trend, pitting a group of normal humans against superheros that have run wild under the protection of a corporation.
• Fleabag: This award winning comedy-drama series follows the adventures of a young woman in London with frequent fourth-wall breaking moments.
• The Man in the High Castle: The final season of this alternate history show aired this year, set in a parallel universe where the Axis powers won World War II.
• Jack Ryan: Something of a reboot of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series of books, Amazon has two seasons of the popular drama available with a third season on the way for an unnamed date.

Worth Subscribing?

Of course. Beyond all the perks you get with Prime, Amazon has really stepped up their original content production budget in the past two years. They have branched out into films as well as original documentaries.

HBO Max: $15-a-month, Exclusive Shows

Launching during May 2020, HBO Max is going to combine content from HBO, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT and more at an expensive $15-a-month subscription. It offers all the content you will find on HBO Now with original content that’s going to be exclusive to the service.

It’s also going to be the only place to stream a few big franchise shows, Doctor Who, Friends and The Big Bang Theory. In addition, programming that was streaming on the DC Universe service will be headed to HBO Max, shows like Doom Patrol, the Deathstroke spinoff and Stargirl.

Popular HBO Max Announced Content:

• The Green Lantern: After the middling failure of the Green Lantern movie, DC is taking another shot with a series on the small screen.
• Superintelligence: A comedy starring Melissa McCarthy that details how a woman becomes an artificial intelligence’s human test subject.
• Raised by Wolves: Created by Ridley Scott, this series follows two androids that are raising children on a strange planet.
• XOXO Gossip Girl: This Gossip Girl sequel follows a new set of Upper East Siders and the private school life that goes with it.

Worth Subscribing?

Maybe. This service is definitely on the expensive side and it’s currently unproven. I’d recommend waiting for a few months to see what the original programming release schedule looks like.

Philo: $20-a-month, 59 channels

Philo is an interesting service, specifically due to the low cost for the channel package. At just $20-a-month, you get access to channels such as AMC, Comedy Central, HGTV, Hallmark, ID, MTV, TLC and more.

Of course, there’s a trade off. You will need an antenna for your local channels and your DVR recordings will only last 30 days before deletion. You can stream live or on demand TV on up to three devices at the same time.

Worth Subscribing?

Possibly. It really depends on what channels you are looking for. This specific subset of channels doesn’t include popular stations like USA or TBS, but it could make for a solid complimentary service if you want to expand beyond a Netflix or Hulu subscription.

Sling TV Blue & Orange: $45-a-month, 53 channels

The nice thing about Sling TV is flexibility, in regards to channel options. You can choose to subscribe to either the Blue or Orange channel packages at $30-a-month or both for $45. There’s also a number of $5-a-month add-on packages:

Available Add-On packages:

• Comedy Extra: MTV, truTV, Paramount Network, MTV2, CMT, Logo, Revolt, GSN, TV Land
• Kids Extra: Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nick Jr, Nick Toons, Teen Nick
• Lifestyle Extra: VH1, BET, DIY, all 3 Hallmark channels, WE, LMN, FYI.
• News Extra: BBC, HLN, EuroNews, SCI
• Sports Extra: NBA TV, SEC Network, SEC Network+, Pac-12, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, NHL Network, beIN SPORTS, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded
• Hollywood Extra: Reelz, Sundance, TCM
• Heartland Extra: Outdoor, Sportsman, PixL, Ride TV, Cowboy Channel

There’s also an A La Carte option that lets you choose from 30+ channels at at little as $3 each, depending on the station.

Regarding DVR service, you can record up to 10 hours of video for free or you can upgrade to 50 hours of video for an additional $5 a month.

Worth Subscribing?

Yes, if you already have an antenna for local stations and don’t mind the small amount of DVR space for recording shows. Sling TV does offer flexible options, both with the core packages and the add-on options. Just be wary of all the add-on fees if you like tons of channels.

YouTube TV: $50-a-month, 70+ channels

One of the nice things about YouTube TV is the simplicity. While there are minor options for add-on channels, there’s basically just a single price for the service, $50-a-month. You also get access to YouTube Original videos, which would typically require a $12-a-month YouTube Premium subscription.

Some of the best features of YouTube TV include:

• Unlimited space for recordings, no limit for simultaneous recordings, 9-month length for all recordings before deletion.
• Account sharing with your family up to 6 accounts, 3 simultaneous streams active at a time.
• One of the most expansive local channel packages, for those that want to avoid an antenna.

Worth Subscribing?

Definitely. This is one of the least expensive options for a robust package with the most popular channels. It has a broad range of options for mainstream entertainment, content for kids, sports packages, news and more.

Hulu+ Live TV: $55-a-month, 60+ channels

If you already subscribe to regular Hulu, you can upgrade from $6-a-month to a $55-a-month plan with access to more than 60 channels (including local channels). You can also upgrade to a $61-a-month plan to remove all the commercials from Hulu’s programming (outside of Live TV).

Both plans let you stream up to two screens at a time and store up to 50 hours of video on the Cloud DVR service. There are also a couple of channel package add-on options, one for Spanish channels and one for entertainment channels like DIY, FYI, Lifetime Movies and more.

Hulu+ Live TV has two additional add-on options:

1. Unlimited Screens for $10-a-month: Lets you stream from an unlimited number of devices in your home and up to 3 mobile devices while outside of your home.
2. Enhanced Cloud DVR for $10-a-month: Upgrades your plan to 200 hours of recording time and adds a feature that lets you fast forward through ad breaks.

Worth Subscribing?

This is a solid option for lowering your cable bill and getting a brand range of channels. The core package includes a broad range of local channels, kids channels, movies channels, news stations, sports channels and entertainment channels.

FuboTV: $55-a-month, 102 channels

If you are a sports fan, FuboTV is going to be your best option with PlayStation Vue out of the picture. It also offers access to a few local stations, which may be ideal compared to hooking up an antenna to every TV in your home.

Some of the more popular stations include AMC, CNN, HGTV, USA, TNT, & TBS. You can find a full listing of all channels here. In addition, the Sports Plus with NFL Redzone add-on is great for sports fans which provides great NFL access as well as tons  of NCAA games.

FuboTV has three main plan options:

• $55-a-month for 102 channels, 2 streams at once and 30 hours of DVR space (unlimited watch time, 4K & HD streams)
• $60-a-month for 102 channels, 3 streams at once and 500 hours of DVR space (unlimited watch time, 4K & HD streams)
• $80-a-month for 168 channels, 3 streams at once, 500 hours of DVR space (unlimited watch time, 4K & HD streams) & Showtime

Worth Subscribing?

If you are looking for a hefty cable replacement with a ton of channels, FuboTV is a really solid bet. The downside is that you could be paying nearly just as much as a traditional cable package. Be wary of the number of add-ons you sign up for.

Cutting the cord in 2021? Here’s the cheapest cable replacement options

The Disney+ streaming service just launched today, a $7-per-month streaming subscription service available on the Web, mobile devices, game consoles, streaming media players and smart televisions.

It’s taking on streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video; certainly no easy task. The subscription gets you streaming access to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Nat Geo movies and shows, Ultra HD streaming video quality and up to four streams at once.

Is Disney+ easy to use?

Yes Disney has utilized all the elements that make services like Netflix or Prime Video simple to use and packaged up content in the familiar horizontal scroll format. In addition to the curated collections of content like Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars listed on the opening screen, you will find categorized content all the way down the list as well as a recently watched section for picking up where you left off.

I was surprised to find curated collections of content listed in the search menu. If you don’t know what to search for, you can look through content categorized by themes or characters.

For instance, you can bring up everything that has an appearance of Darth Vader. You can bring up everything that has an appearance of a Disney princess. You can search content by decade in the Disney Though the Ages section.

Beyond that, search is really snappy. I entered in a search for one of my favorites growing up, the 1975 film Escape from Witch Mountain. It popped up within the first 3 letters of the search. It’s an auto-populating search, thus results will start to appear while you are typing.

If you find something you like, you can tag it to your watch-list for viewing later. You can also use the left navigation menu to go directly to movies, series or Disney+ Originals. Within those options, a horizontal navigation appears on the page to cycle through different categories of movies and series. You can also setup seven user profiles on a single Disney+ account. Everyone in the family can have a curated list of their favorite shows and their own watch-list.

Just FYI, here are two cool features I noticed:

• In the Edit Profile option menu, you can turn off auto-playing the next video in a television series as well as turning off background videos playing on landing pages, like the trailer for a movie you are about to watch.
• Regarding content that’s not on the service yet, you will find the exact date on the landing pages. For instance, Thor: Ragnarok leaves Netflix and joins Disney+ on December 5th, 2019. The Last Jedi, December 26, 2019.

Is there enough content on Disney+?

Yes That goes for both kids and adults. The content library is enormous, especially at launch. And compared to another recently released service, it makes the Apple+ content library look silly.

Just a day prior to launch, Disney worked hard to get tons of Marvel movies on the service. It now includes the vast majority of Marvel’s movies, with the remaining Marvel movies (currently on Netflix) scheduled to move into Disney+ within the next six months.

Currently, you can find all the Iron Man films, most of the Avengers films (including Endgame), the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the first two Thor films, Ant-Man, etc…  You can also find the large library of animated series (like 1990’s X-Men) as well as Marvel’s live action shows (but not the ones produced by Netflix like Daredevil).

Almost all the Star Wars movies are on the service, with the exception of Last Jedi and Solo. I imagine The Rise of Skywalker will be exclusive to the service as well, after the theatrical run. Outside of the movies, Disney has several of the popular animated Star Wars series in one place; Clone Wars, Rebels, Resistance and all the LEGO shorts.

In the Pixar area, you will find the first three Toy Story movies, Cars, Wall-E, Up, The Incredibles, Brave, Ratatouille, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Monsters University, etc… You can also find all the fun Pixar shorts the studio includes at the start of their movies. One of my favorites was Lava. It was super cool to see that in HD again.

If you are into documentaries and science, you will find a ton of Nat Geo content. My wife’s favorite will probably be all the vets & pets shows like Dr. Pol or Dr. Oakley’s shows. There’s also a section for Nat Geo produced movies as well as original content like the quirky Jeff Goldblum show.

Of course, the volume of content available for children is ridiculous. There are animated classics Disney has pulled out of the vault like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Bambi, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc… There are Disney Channel favorites like Lizzie McGuire and Wizards of Waverly Place.  There’s a ton of Disney Jr. shows like Doc McStuffins and Elena of Avalor. There’s all the old school live action Disney movies like Mary Poppins and Pete’s Dragon. The list is nearly endless.

Regarding originals, I don’t love that Disney+ is adopting the episodic model for releasing original content. Perhaps I’m spoiled by Netflix binge sessions. That being said, the first episode of The Mandalorian was great and I’m looking forward to each Friday release. The few minutes of Jeff Goldblum’s show I watched was silly, but I get the niche audience it’s designed for. Kristin Bell’s Encore looks like a great, feel-good show as well.

Beyond the actual movies and shows, you can also find additional video content within the extras. Some of that includes director’s commentary tracks (like director commentary for Avengers: Endgame) as well as deleted scenes from the films (also with commentary). On the animated movies, you can find slideshows of deleted scenes that weren’t fully animated.

Is Disney+ streaming quality good?

Yes I previewed a variety of content, everything from original shows like The Mandalorian to old school Disney movies like Treasure Island. The Ultra HD content was phenomenal, especially animated movies like Frozen. I did find The Mandalorian a bit dark at times, but adjusted my TV settings to find the right balance.

As a home theater buff, I really liked the Ultra HD and HDR section of the menu. It provides quick access to high resolution content that will look amazing on your 4K television. In addition, you can find specific details about what video and audio formats are available on the Details page of a video. For instance, Avengers: Endgame supports 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 and regular HDR.

Be warned, navigating the menu is somewhat troublesome at launch, likely due to the high volume of people attempting to try out the service. I ran into issues loading specific pieces of content, basically getting stuck on a forever loading circle. That being said, once the content page loaded, I had no issues getting the movie or television show going.

Here’s the dreaded loading circle: (Curse you, launch day loading times!)

The service allows you to stream content on up to four different devices at once. I tested this out with 3 devices, my TV (wireless), my computer (wired) and my Roku (wireless). I didn’t have any issue running all three at the same time on the same network, ideal for families that will be running multiple streams.

That being said, I am running a Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi mesh setup in my home as well as 350 Mbps download speeds. Video quality of the streams will be highly dependent on  your download speeds. You also could hit data caps with your service provider if you are streaming Ultra HD too often.

Is Disney+ worth a subscription?

Yes At $7-a-month, this is a no-brainer, especially if you have kids. At $70-a-year ($5.83-a-month), it gets even better. At that ridiculous $141 for 3-years deal ($4-a-month) we ran on Ben’s back in August, a million times YES.

It doesn’t matter what angle you approach this from. From a content standpoint, the library is already worth $7-a-month, for adults and kids. From a technical standpoint, you are paying less than half of what Netflix charges monthly for four simultaneous streams and Ultra HD quality streaming. From an accessibility standpoint, it’s on the majority of the major streaming platforms on day one. The full list includes Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TVs and LG Smart TVs.

Just FYI, Disney is also offering a packaged deal with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13-a-month. There are downsides though. That is the version of Hulu with ads & it’s limited to a single stream. The ESPN+ service is limited to two streams in the bundle, rather than four in the standalone. But you will be able to stream from all 3 services at the same time.

In addition, be on the lookout for deals that package Disney+ with services. For instance, Verizon is offering a year of Fios Gigabit Internet for $70 a month & it includes Disney+ along with the $100 Visa gift card.

Let us know what you think of the Disney+ service in the comments below.

Disney+ Review: Packs Quite a Streaming Punch at a Low Cost

Are you getting frustrated at having to stay at home all the time due to coronavirus? Are you trying to cut back on your spending this month? We can help on both of those fronts. Here’s all the free trials being offered this month for streaming movies, TV shows, and music as well as video game streaming services and book subscription services.

Remember, as long as you cancel before the end date, you won’t spend a dime. Check out the full list below.

Streaming Video

Apple TV+: 7-day trial, $5-a-month after

• Access to Apple original programming like The Morning Show, Ghostwriter, Defending Jacob and the Beastie Boys Story.  (If you recently bought an Apple device, you should get a year of Apple TV+ for free.)

CBS All-Access: 1-month trial, $6 to $10-a-month after

• Access to CBS original shows like Picard, Star Trek Discovery and The Good Fight. Includes access to 10,000 episodes of CBS shows, live sports broadcasts and 24/7 news.

DC Universe: 7-day trial, $8-a-month after

• Access to DC live-action shows like Doom Patrol & Swamp Thing as well as animated shows like Young Justice and Harley Quinn.

Disney+: 7-day trial, $7-a-month after

• Access to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars & Nat Geo content. Combo subscription option to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $13-a-month.

HBO Now: 7-day trial, $15-a-month after

• Access to tons of original shows as well as recently released movies. This trial can also be found within Amazon, Hulu, the Roku store, DirectTV Now and AT&T Watch TV.

Hulu: 30-day trial, $6 to $12-a-month after

• Access to tons of original shows as well as new episodes from major networks the following day.

Netflix: 30-day trial, $9 to $16-a-month after

• Access to tons of original movies / TV Shows as well as documentaries, true crime, & comedy specials.

Prime Video: 30-day trial, $10 to $13-a-month after

• Access to tons of original shows and movies. Included in Amazon Prime subscription.

Quibi: 90-day trial, $5 to $8-a-month after

• Only works on mobile devices, Original content, episodes are 10-minutes or less.

Sundance Now: 7-day trial, $5 to $7-a-month after

• Access to true crime series, original dramas and thrillers.

YouTube Premium: 1-month trial, $12-a-month after

• Offers access to original programming as well as advertisement free YouTube videos, offline viewing, background play and access to YouTube Music

Streaming Music

Amazon Music Unlimited: 3-month trial, $8-a-month after.

• 60 million song library, unlimited skips, ad free.

Amazon Music HD: 30-day trial, $13-a-month after

• 60 million songs, double the bitrate of other services, millions of songs in 10x the standard bitrate.

Apple Music: 90-day trial, $10-a-month after

• Offers access to 60 million songs, advertisement free, accessible on iOS and Android devices. Also includes local radio stations & offline listening.

Pandora Premium: 60-day trial, $10-a-month after

• 30+ million songs, ad-supported option also available for free.

Spotify Premium: 30-day-trial, $10-a-month after

• 50 million songs, ad-supported option also available for free.

YouTube Music: 30-day trial, $10-a-month after

• Listen to music on YouTube without advertisements, offline or with your smartphone screen off.

Video Games

Google Stadia Pro (PC): 2 free months, $10 a month after

• The free trial offers access to 9 games: Destiny 2, Grid, Gylt, Steamworld Dig 2, Steamworld Quest, Serious Sam, Spitlings, Stacks on Stacks and Thumper.

GeForce Now (PC): 90 day trial, $5-a-month after

• You can also get completely free access, but it’s limited to a single hour of playtime. The 90-day trial offer priority access, extended session length and RTX functionality.
• Ubisoft recently added their library of games to the service, like the Assassin’s Creed series and the Far Cry series.

PlayStation Now (PS4): 7-day trial, $5 to $10-a-month after

• Includes over 300 PS4 games as well as 500 PS3 and PS2 games.

Books / AudioBooks

Audible: 30-day trial, $15-a-month after

• Your choice of 1 audiobook + Audible originals. In addition, check out the free books for kids (like the Harry Potter books)

Kindle Unlimited: 2-month trial, new accounts only, $10-a-month after

• Offers access to over a million eBooks and thousands of audiobooks. Requires a Kindle (or the Kindle Cloud reader in a web browser).

Scribd: 30-day trial, $10-a-month after

• Includes access to books, magazines, audiobooks and documents. There’s also a NYT bundle, if you want to subscribe to the service and the newspaper.

Getting Bored? Here’s every free trial on entertainment available during April 2020

If you know someone that hasn’t upgraded to a television with streaming apps or simply wants to upgrade an existing “dumb” television in their home, there are a ton of streaming media players that will get the job done.

In addition, there are a massive number of streaming media options available this year, with more coming next year. Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, etc…  If you want to stream everything, here are the best home theater, streaming media players for 2019:

Best Overall Option for Dolby Vision & HDR10+: Fire TV Cube

If you know someone that’s upgraded to a high end television that supports new formatting like Dolby Vision & HDR10+, Amazon’s new Fire Tv Cube (2019 model, MSRP $119) is your best bet. Utilizing a hexa-core processor (up to 2.2GHz), you can easily stream 4K content in Dolby Vision and HDR, HDR10+. There’s also support for the Dolby Atmos sound format on select titles on Netflix and Amazon.

Other cool features include the Alexa voice assistant, 16GB of storage, 802.11ac dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi, Ethernet support for hard wired connections and Bluetooth 5.0 support (longer range). The upgraded internals make is significantly faster than the previous model as well as faster than streaming stick options. If you are looking for a cheaper option, check out the Roku Ultra (which has equally snappy performance, but no Dolby Vision support; MSRP $99).

Check Price on Amazon

Best Option for Casting via Smartphone: Chromecast Ultra

If you know someone that lives their life with a smartphone in their face, consider getting a Chromecast Ultra so they can cast their streaming video from their phone to the television. The Ultra is 4K capable and includes support for HDR10 and Dolby vision. It also works with Google home, ideal for streaming content by voice commands.

If you don’t need 4K playback, consider the regular Google Chromecast. It provides an identical feature set, but limits resolution to 1080p at 60 frames per second. It’s half the price of the Ultra model and can be found as cheap as $20 on Black Friday.

Check Price on Amazon

Best Option for Tight Budgets: Roku Streaming Stick+

Definitely an awesome stocking stuffer, the Roku Streaming Stick is one of the better buys for overall quality and usability. I’ve tried all the smart user interfaces and Roku is always a step above the rest, which is why companies like TCL have adopted the Roku interface for their smart interface.

The Streaming Stick+ starts at $50, but Black Friday sales will drop it to $30 (page 5 of the Target Ad). It has a very small footprint (plugs into a HDMI port) and is extremely snappy. It supports 4K playback as well as HDR10 and Dolby Atmos. It also works with both Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control.  FYI, there are also even cheaper Roku options (probably in the $20 range on Black Friday) is you don’t need 4K playback.

Check Price on Amazon

Best Option for Apple Fanatics: Apple TV 4K

One of the priciest options on the list, the Apple TV 4K is ideal for anyone that’s invested a considerable amount of money in the Apple ecosystem of products (iPhone, iPad) and digital media (iTunes). Sold at $180 for the 32GB model and $200 for the 64GB, the device offers 4K resolution, Dolby Vision / HDR10 support and Dolby Atmos functionality.

It allows users to access Siri for voice control and does include an Ethernet port for those who prefer a hardwired connection. Like many other Apple products, don’t expect a huge sale on the Apple TV 4K during Black Friday sales. It may fall to the $150 range for new models and $130 for refurbished models.

Check Price on Amazon

Best (Two) Options for Gamers

If you know someone into video games, getting them a new gaming console will offer them access to awesome games as well as streaming video applications. There are two standout options:

• The Console Gamer: Get the Xbox One S. Significantly cheaper than the PS4 Pro, the Xbox One S can handle 4K streaming as well as offer playback of Ultra HD discs. You can find plenty of $200 Xbox One S bundles during November as well as a $150 Xbox On S digital console (if you only want 4K streaming, no disc playback). The Xbox One S supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
• The PC Gamer: Get the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. Offering access to any streaming app that’s on the Google Play store, the Sheild Tv Pro offers a really snappy performance with the new Tegra X1+ processor as well as access to over 200 games on Android TV. The 2019 model supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby TrueHD with Atmos via Plex.  But one of the biggest selling points of the Shield is the ability to stream games from your PC to your television; ideal for anyone with a huge PC gaming library.

Check Price on Xbox One S / Check Price on Nvidia Shield Pro

Check Ben’s for the latest streaming media player deals

2019 Gift Guide: The Best Streaming Media Players

Interested in what movies and television shows will be added to your favorite streaming service this month? We’ve compiled an extensive list of everything coming to Netflix and Hulu as well as what’s arriving on Amazon Prime / Instant Video.

What’s new in November 2019 on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu

Interested in what movies and television shows will be added to your favorite streaming service this month? We’ve compiled an extensive list of everything coming to Netflix and Hulu as well as what’s arriving on Amazon Prime / Instant Video.

What’s new in October 2019 on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu

Interested in what movies and television shows will be added to your favorite streaming service this month? We’ve compiled an extensive list of everything coming to Netflix and Hulu as well as what’s arriving on Amazon Prime / Instant Video.

What’s new in September 2019 on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu

Interested in what movies and television shows will be added to your favorite streaming service this month? We’ve compiled an extensive list of everything coming to Netflix and Hulu as well as what’s arriving on Amazon Prime / Instant Video.

What’s new in August 2019 on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu