Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 11 May 2019
Free video streaming offers some gems - if you can find them

find full versions of tradi-
tional movies and TV se-
ries for adults. Its selection
of free movies is small and
uninteresting (Find them by
searching for “movies” and
looking for the “free with
ads” tag). YouTube also
streams live events and
plans to make its original
shows free.
— HOOPLA and KANOPY
technically charge for
viewing videos, but it’s your
public library that pays for
it. It’s free for you with a li-
brary card. The movie se-
lection is noticeably better,
particularly Kanopy, with
recent critical favorites,
though don’t expect the
latest Marvel or “Star Wars”
blockbusters. No ads, but li-
braries limit how many you
can watch each month.
— YAHOO VIEW is Hulu’s
old free business, with a few
This Nov. 16, 2016, photo shows Xiaomi’s Mi Box, left, the Roku Premiere, center, and the Amazon Fire TV streaming TV devices in recent episodes of broad-
New York. cast-network shows. You
Associated Press can watch only on a tradi-
By TALI ARBEL But as entertainment costs Though some of these are doesn’t mean the same will tional computer, not a mo-
AP Technology Writer rise — especially as AT&T, pretty niche, dedicated to happen for you. bile or streaming device.
NEW YORK (AP) — Free Disney and Apple intro- Minecraft or cats, the ser- How odd: A third of the — The ROKU CHANNEL with
services let you watch duce new video subscrip- vice is owned by Viacom, movies brought up by live channels and on-de-
thousands of movies and tions — free is hard to turn so you also get shows from searching actor John Ritter mand movies and shows.
TV shows online, but using down. well-known Viacom net- came out after he died. His It works on computers and
them feels like wandering Here’s a look at some of works like MTV and Com- ghost is not in them. mobile, so you don’t need
through a low-rent, digital the best-known: edy Central. There’s an en- VUDU to own a Roku streaming
version of Blockbuster (RIP). CRACKLE tire channel dedicated to What’s on: The Walmart- device.
Reality TV, long-forgotten What’s on: “Classic” movies MTV’s “The Hills.” owned service sells shows — Amazon-owned IMDB
“classics” and movies that and TV shows, along with Finding video: Good luck. and movies, just like Ap- FREEDIVE has on-demand
never made it to theaters some originals — although There’s no search tool, ple’s iTunes and Google movies and shows, but not
— these are the types of the best-known, Jerry Sein- though Pluto says it’s com- Play, but there’s also plenty as extensive as what you
lackluster shows and mov- feld’s “Comedians in Cars ing. of free TV shows and mov- get with an Amazon Prime
ies you’ll find for free. But Getting Coffee,” is now How odd: The TV guide only ies, with such categories membership.
finding gems in the junk, like on Netflix instead. You can shows what’s on in the next like “Westerns,” ‘’Anime” — LOCAST streams over-
the original “Roseanne,” browse movies by broad 90 minutes, and you can’t and “Kids TV.” Vudu will the-air stations for ABC,
can give you a treasure- categories like “action” pause, rewind or fast-for- also introduce original con- CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS and
hunting rush. and “drama.” ward the video. tent this summer. others in Baltimore, Boston,
Unfortunately, websites How odd: An “up next” fea- TUBI Those ads: Though ads Chicago, Dallas, Denver,
and apps for many of the ture plays something else What’s on: Fun retro stuff (I will break up movies, they Houston, New York, Phila-
services have poor designs after you’re done watch- do love “Problem Child”), didn’t interrupt the TV delphia and Washington.
and search capabilities — ing. But instead of bring- prestige films from past de- shows I watched. Rather, Ads asking for donations in-
not conducive to finding ing up the next “Who’s the cades and some old hits. A as with Tubi, the ads were terrupt what’s on TV.
those gems. Boss” episode after finishing tenth of the library changes all shown before the epi- — Facebook has a WATCH
An outside search aid such the pilot, it landed on the every month. sodes. tab with cult favorite “Buffy
as Roku, Reelgood, De- movie “Ali.” And despite Finding video: Movies and How odd: Different sea- the Vampire Slayer” and
cider and JustWatch can what the search results tell TV shows are organized into sons of TV shows each get Jada Pinkett Smith’s talk
help scan multiple services you, Julia Roberts is not in useful categories, some their own tile, making me show, but it isn’t easy to use
to see which ones have the “El Mariachi.” with cheeky themes like scroll more to find different or tell what’s available.q
titles you want. PLUTO “Cult Classics” or “Not on shows.
Once you find something On demand: The original Netflix.” BEYOND THAT
to watch, you’ll have to nine-season run of “Rose- Ad interruptions: It’s great There are many, many oth-
put up with commercials. anne” (but not the recent that I can fast-forward er free services, including
You’ll get fewer ads com- reboot) and some appeal- through scenes without be- ones that focus just on chil-
pared with traditional TV ing movies from the past ing forced to watch an ad. dren’s video (PBS Kids) or
channels. But online ad few decades like “Elec- Other free services often local news (NewsON). Here
breaks sometimes interrupt tion,” ‘’Short Term 12” and show ads when you jump are a few that will have
people speaking, which is “Heathers.” ahead. broader appeal:
super annoying. And these Live TV: Pluto is unusual in TV episodes that I watched — YOUTUBE is the world’s
services may also track you that it also offers dozens of only had ads before the largest free video site, but
to target ads. channels with “live” video. show, not during it, but that it’s not the best place to