Buyer’s Guide To Streaming ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ On A Budget

One of the biggest challenges about Star Trek: Discovery for people in the U.S. is that it is exclusively available on the  CBS All Access  streaming service. With only around 1.5 million subscribers, it is likely that most fans will be signing up for the service for the first time. So the question is, how can you watch the show?

Are you already Discovery-ready?

The CBS app is available on Android and iOS, so you can certainly watch it on your phone or tablet screen easily, as well as on your computer through the CBS website. But Star Trek: Discovery is a show that is being promoted as ‘big’ and ‘cinematic,’ so you’ll probably want to watch it on your TV. “How do I do that?” you might ask. We’re here to tell you.

Star Trek: Discovery should be watched on a big screen

You may already have a device that is ready for CBS All Access. If you’re a gamer, the CBS All Access app is available on the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and Xbox 360.  It’s also on any Android TV, including recent higher-end Sony smart TVs, which are CBSAA-ready. And many Vizio smart TVs from the last couple of years (E, M, or P series) have Google Chromecast built-in so they are also ready for you to use your smartphone or tablet to send the CBS All Access video stream to your TV.

If you have a dedicated streaming device such as a Google Chromecast, Roku (2015 model or later or Roku TVs), Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android TV box (like the NVIDIA Shield), then you, too, are ready for CBS All Access.

All Access supported devices

Get streaming on the cheap

If you don’t have any of the above devices you can buy one, but each can be an investment. What if you just want to start streaming but don’t want to spend a lot? Fortunately, there are a number of affordable devices to get you going for around $40. All of these devices will not only be able to connect to CBS All Access, but a number of other subscription and free streaming services. We will break device down below along with its advantages and disadvantages.

Roku Streaming Stick: $40 – best overall entry-level streamer

Roku is the market leader in dedicated streaming devices. The Roku Streaming Stick is an entry-level streaming device that provides access to all the same streaming services as a regular Roku player, but in a small package. The main difference is that it doesn’t offer 4k streaming which probably won’t matter for those on a budget and CBS All Access doesn’t even offer 4K streaming anyway (at this time). The Roku stick plugs directly into an HDMI port and it includes a wireless remote (that doesn’t need line of sight).

The Roku Streaming Stick is available at Roku and many other retailers for $39.99.

Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa Voice Remote: $40 – best with Amazon Prime

If you’re an Amazon Prime Video user already, the Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa Voice Remote may be the way to go. Like the Roku, it attaches straight to an HDMI port and comes with a wireless remote. It doesn’t have as many streaming services available as Roku, but it certainly has all the big names like Netflix and Hulu, and offers better integration with the Amazon Prime streaming services. Another really great feature is that the remote can respond to voice commands thanks to Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa, which is a lot like Apple’s Siri or Google’s “Ok Google” feature.

The Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa Voice Remote is available at Amazon for $39.99.

Google Chromecast: $35 – best with smartphone

A Chromecast is a bit different than a typical streaming gadget. It hooks up to a HDMI port like the ‘sticks’ above, but the device doesn’t display a menu of streaming services to pick from, instead it works with your phone/tablet, which connects to the streaming service using the app you already have (CBS All Access, Netflix, YouTube, etc). You then ‘cast’ that stream (handoff the stream) to your TV via the Chromecast device. And since everything is done over Wi-Fi, the Chromecast can be totally out of sight. It works with most popular streaming apps and with both iOS and Android devices. While something is being cast to your TV you can still use your phone for other things, it simply acts as the remote control. This is the least expensive way to get CBS All Access, since it’s $5 cheaper than the two ‘stick’ options. This kind of setup isn’t for everyone though.

The Google Chromecast is available at Google for $35.

Roku Express+: $40 – Only if you have an older TV

Lastly, if you’re still holding on to an old standard-definition TV, but you want to start streaming, then Roku has you covered. The Roku Express+ works similarly to the Roku Streaming Stick, but can also connect to older televisions using the typical red and white RCA connectors. Keep in mind that The Express is a low-end device that doesn’t come with a quad-core processor like the Roku and Amazon sticks, so you may experience lower performance, and it uses a standard infrared remote, so it requires line of sight. It does include an HDMI port in case you upgrade to an HDTV.

The Roku Express+ is available at Roku and other retailers for $39.99.

Roku TV 32-inch: $150 – Best starter smart TV

If you have been holding out on buying an HDTV, then maybe instead of buying a streaming device to hook up to your old TV you may want to finally make that step. Right now Amazon has Roku TVs on sale and the 32″ is an especially good bargain. The 32″ is only 720p (vs 1080p resolution) but at that size it is hard to tell the difference and it is certainly a step up from an older standard definition TV. The beauty of going this route is that all the Roku streaming functionality is already built in.

Of course there are many other budget level smart TVs, but before you buy just make sure they have Roku, Amazon Fire, Android TV, or Chromecast functionality if you want to stream Star Trek: Discovery.

32″ Roku TV is available at Amazon for $149.99 with free shipping.

 


 

Star Trek: Discovery premieres on September 24th on CBS with all subsequent episodes on CBS All Access in the US.  In Canada Star Trek: Discovery will premiere  on Bell Media’s CTV and the Space Channel on the same night. Netflix will launch Star Trek: Discovery on Monday, September 25 to countries outside of the U.S. and Canada.

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Waiting for the usual suspects to come along and whine about how cbs doesn’t care about them because it’s not free.

Great summation Trekmovie. Not difficult or very expensive to watch if you really want to. We pay for films. We pay for cable. We pay for Netflix.

Fortunately I’m Canadian. ;)

Sarcasm aside this is great info until cbs has a smart tv app of their own.

So you’re from Canada and get to watch the show without buying an additional streaming service? And you have the nerve to lecter everyone else who doesn’t want to buy another service? You know, maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal if cbsaa was a decent service. But it isn’t. Low content, bad resolution, lots of commercials. No thanks. Run a better service, then you’ll get my money.

Just pay the extra few bucks if you don’t want the commercials. That’s what I did. It’s Star Trek. However much we need to pay, its a bargain.

By the way, I’m American and I subscribed to CBS All Access the moment that Discovery was announced.

I’ll just pay for a month and binge watch the season when it’s over. Maybe for free on a month trial.

No. Star Trek should be on TV. It’s not worth an extra $10/month for another streaming service just to watch one show. Star Trek is just a tentpole for CBS to try to bilk consumers out of yet another streaming service that they are trying to get people to justify.

Unfortunately, there are dumb enough people to fall for this.

It’s shameful that people would fall for this over another failed attempt at a tv franchise. CBS should be taught a lesson with this. Except people become feeble-minded over their favorites and fall for the dangling worm.

Star Trek should be on whatever the owners decide. If you want the best chance for an expensive and long lasting series you should support this business model.

TUP said, “Star Trek should be on whatever the owners decide. If you want the best chance for an expensive and long lasting series you should support this business model.”

The proper platform model would be to put it on Hulu, possibly even as a premium add on for $3/mo. The business model of every owner deciding to roll their own streaming service with separate apps is a bad idea.

CBS doesnt own HULU do they? They do own Star Trek and they do own CBSAA.

I love extortion as a means of relationship building.

@desdecardo — Streaming is the new “TV”. Welcome to the 21st century.

Age has simply caught up with some of us, and we’re tired of jumping for The “Next Big Shiny New Thing”. I jump now only if I HAVE to, meaning the alternative is listening to crickets chirping (and I might reach a stage where I actually prefer listening to crickets chirping).

Desdecardo,

Re: Star Trek is just a tentpole

And before that it was a tentpole for HD DVD, and one for RCA CED, and one for LaserDisc, and one for VHS and one for BetaMAX. Why are you Picarding this particular tech, now, like it is some NEW outrageous business strategy for Trek’s corporate overlords?

@Disinvited — all good questions. And let’s not forget it was a “tentpole” for the UPN, which is almost exactly the same thing. And prior to that wasn’t PHASE II supposed to be the original Trek series to anchor the launch of Paramount’s network in the 70s, before it got upgraded to a feature and Paramount postponed their plans? Let’s also not forget Paramount considered using TNG to help FOX launch their new network, but wasn’t ready in time. And let’s also not forget that TNG ended up being launched on syndicated TV stations already airing the immensely popular TOS episodes in syndication, and who were afraid that if they did not buy TNG, their competitors would — it made Paramount a bundle of money, even if only 90% of the US could actually see the show. Yet another “tentpole” that helped Paramount maintain control of Trek, but more importantly establish a foothold in what would become their own network.

Its $5.99 a month and you can cancel after the show is over. You’re not locked into it for 2 years, jesus. What’s ‘shameful’ is all the moaning over something you’re paying in a month when you probably pay more for your lunch every day. Stop treating it like the end of the world.

I love this attitude. If I could only get people to just pay me because it’s cheap, that would be great.

If you are ok with the principle of gouging, then feel free. Some of us object to the principle of yet-another-streaming-service.

Honestly, it’s this nickel and dimey shit that keeps piracy alive.

Some people try to actually be smart with their money. Paying for a service that doesn’t even have what you want yet is clearly a fanboy knee jerk reaction.

I hope it lives up to your expectations. I want All Access to fail so it get streamed on Netflix, so they won’t be seeing any of my money. I’ll be watching via “alternative methods”.

Not everyone in Canada gets Space in their cable package. Space is a specialty channel that is usually included in the higher cable packages or can be bought ala crate depending on the cable company one is with.

So not everyone gets Space and if they want to see DSC they will either have to subscribe to a higher cable package or buy the channel individually or subscribe to Crave Tv.

Some people also do not have cable so they will either get cable or the CraveTv streaming service.

I do not understand why people think we get DSC for free in Canada. I know I pay extra for Space on top of my basic cable package.

So all the people complaining about paying for CBS All Access suck it up. We have to pay for DSC also. So do the people in 188 countries who are paying to watch it on Netflix.

The people watching on Netflix pay exactly as much as they would normally for Netflix. With all the content it provides. I’m not paying the same as I do for Netflix for ONE SHOW. I care about nothing else that CBS provides. I have all the other shows on bluray or DVD. I have zero reason to stream those.

It’s not “one show”. It’s Star Trek. If that’s not worth $1.50 an episode, you aren’t much of a fan.

There is a lot more on CBS All Access than just Star Trek: Discovery. I binge-watched “Cheers” this summer and will binge on “Frasier” next. No commercials, by the way, on the ‘catalog’ shows. Also, I cut the cable cord a while back and now only pay for Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access, and HBO Now. I have Amazon Prime because I do a lot of Amazon shopping and like the free shipping you get with membership, so that’s a bonus. I am now paying close to $100 less per month for TV than I did with Cable. Haven’t missed cable at all. Some other shows you can watch on the network apps. I watched this week’s Voyager 1 and 2 documentary “The Farthest” (which is excellent, by the way) on the PBS App.

I agree, there’s a lot of good stuff on CBS AA, I signed up some time ago. Worth it just for Colbert.

That are on other app. Fraiser and Cheers are on Hulu also. They only non catalogue item only on CBS aa is The Big Bang Theory.

Why do you ignorant double and triple up on shows? You are throwing money out the window.

@Desdecardo — And how much do you pay for cable or satellite for shows you don’t even want to watch?

Desdecardo… I’m probably going to drop Netflix after “Stranger Things” Season 2 in October (don’t care much for all the Marvel shows) and now that GOT is over for another year, I’ll drop HBO Now (didn’t like Westworld at all.) Current CBS television shows are not on Hulu. In addition to BBT, there are also the NCIS’s and Elementary which I watch. Plus a couple of new shows I will watch once to see if they’re good, like “Young Sheldon” and “SEAL Team”. Maybe “Wisdom of the Crowd”. So between Hulu and CBS AA I get all the network shows I’m interested in without paying the cable company. Netflix and Amazon are just gravy, and I’m still paying a lot less than for cable.

Yeah some people will mock the idea of watching Cheers or Fraiser but obviously they are two of the most popular and successful sitcoms of all time. If people dont want to watch, they dont have to. What a great concept.

The service is not new, but the support from CBS is new. It will only get better. Netflix isnt spending billions of dollars because it feels its as good as it needs to be. Its a race to create good original content.

The archives dont really drive new subs anyway. its original content that does.

If I had to sub to an OTT for The Good Fight and Discovery, I would because the $10 or whatever it is would be worth it for me for those two shows alone. And if the $10 was a lot to me, I’d just choose to not buy 2 or 3 lattes or whatever per month.

Hey get Hulu it streams next day and I don’t have to pay for it again. I’m not paying to watch star trek even tho I’m a huge fan. Sorry not sorry

“I’m Not Paying for Star Trek” ≠ “I’m A Huge Fan”

At $1.50 per episode, what you said does not compute.

You aren’t much of a fan if you are going to let CBS bamboozle you.

I’m going to be “bambloozled” into paying $1.50 an episode for new Star Trek? Oh dear, I’m such a rube.

Yup. It seems to me, streaming as a concept creates a scenario where the consumer decides if they want to pay or not. No forced bundling etc. Either the quality is worth paying for or it isnt.

So a few people here have decided Star Trek is not worth paying for. Thats fine. That’s their choice. But if they would only watch if it were “free” what does that tell you?

So are international audiences who don’t have Netflix, but sign up for it just for Discovery also being bamboozled?

Yeah bamboozle with a great concept that gives Star Trek its best chance for premium quality and success in a long time. Man…some people cant see the forest for the trees.

LOL ‘bamboozle’. For what, paying to watch thousands of hours of shows for six measly dollars? Yes the $6 I’m paying I’m being swindled every day I turn it on I guess. I’m trying to remember the last time I was jacked over $6 of entertainment? Oh wait, I spent $13 dollars to watch The Dark Tower this month. Look, at that I guess Sony bamboozled me too. I miss that $13. Certainly don’t miss the movie.

Thank you. People aren’t willing to shell out $1.50 per episode??? My god, the soda I get out of my vending machine at work cost more than that. Why are people moaning and whining as if they are being taken for a ride. The same people who probably watched the KT films in IMAX 3D. How come you have no problems paying a RIDICULOUS amount to see a 2 hour movie but balk at paying ANYTHING for a show? I get it shows are ‘free’. Well look around, that has been changing for most Americans for a long time now. My guess is the top 10 favorites of most peoples shows here, most are behind a pay wall. Thats just the changing face of TV. And most of your favorite shows are behind a pay wall for a REASON, because they deliver the time and quality to make them most network shows don’t have the luxury of doing (but there are still a lot of great network shows, not knocking them).

But soooooo much moaning over it. You don’t have to own the site forever. You don’t even have to own it during Discovery’s entire run. Check it out a month. If you like it, keep it for the rest. If you don’t cancel. How difficult is this? And yes there are more things on AA than just one show. Its been said but I guess it needs to be repeated. Believe it or not, some people may actually watch more than just one show on it.

If their intention is to only market the show to the “true fans” then they this experiment is in for a painful death.

So don’t then. No one is making you. I really struggle to understand the pushback here. It’s fine to be disappointed but it’s s reasonable business model. If you don’t want to subscribe don’t. But cbs doesn’t owe you.

You don’t care about the Brady Bunch eps??? For shame!

So dont watch CBSAA then. Problem solved.

It’s the same reason some people whined about steaming but wished it was on Netflix because it’s “free”. In other words if they already pay for it it’s free to them

This is a great business model by cbs for Star Trek. It’s not perfect for everyone. But it’s a great opportunity to make Trek a success.

My understanding is you are not paying $1.50 for Star Trek DSV. You are paying just to watch it. Once the subscription lapses, the show is gone.

Watching reruns of Cheers and Frazier? My god. You couldn’t pay me. And I quit watching Big Bang years ago.

Most people I know don’t have cable/satellite and Netfix. They have one or the other.

“Watching reruns of Cheers and Frazier? My god. You couldn’t pay me”

To each his own. Those are two of the funniest TV shows ever made, in my opinion. Nothing on the tube today comes close. BBT has gone downhill in recent years, I agree, but I still watch it.

It’s interested that you can already purchase a season pass for MacGyver and Bull Season 2 from Vudu and Google Play for $30 each, but no mention of Star Trek Discovery yet.

I wonder if they’ll keep it from the “download” services until the season ends to try and prop up CBS:AA.

Because it’s a Netflix Original show, they will decide if and when it will be made available to others.

Ala crate? Really?

Hahahaha

Yup. I can’t have an opinion because I’m Canadian. Actually plenty of people in Canada don’t have cable channel Space or streaming service Crave, the two options to watch it here.

Many people have cable but not Space so they’d have to elect to pay just to get Discovery.

So relax. And stop whining. People have posted here they All Access is a decent service but I’ll believe the people they have never seen it because of its cost. Ok.

But thanks for confirming my post ;)

I’m not going to pay the same as I pay for Netflix for ONE SHOW.

@vorpalK — I subscribe to Netflix, and there’s very little on it I watch. There are many days I think about canceling it. So yeah, I might just do that and subscribe the CBSAA. When DSC is done, then I might cancel CBSAA and pick up Hulu, it all depends on where the shows are I want to watch. I mainly stream Amazon Prime. So you do what you need to do, but don’t assume your choices are the same as everyone else. I don’t waste my money on DVDs and BluRay. You do. So CBSAA offers me quite a bit when it comes to Star Trek. Moreover, I’ll be streaming the first month free and get to know what else CBSAA has to offer. Those who can wait could potentially start their free trial in February, and binge the whole series without spending a dime. Life is full of choices.

Do you realize everything that is on cbsaa is on Hulu. The only show, right now, that isn’t on Hulu is The Big Bang Theory. You are ripping your self off by signing up for all access.

Not only do you have all the Star Trek series you have all the movies too. Why would you be that fooled to sign up for one TV show?

You’re wrong, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. I have both. There’s a lot of content on AA that isn’t on Hulu. A local, live CBS broadcast stream for one. There’s Colbert’s show, news programs like 60 Minutes etc, and quite a few new and classic shows.

“For years, CBS had been the lone holdout among major TV broadcasters to do business with Hulu. That’s because Hulu is owned by NBCUniversal, 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney Co.’s ABC — longtime rivals of CBS.

The Hulu deal does not represent a wholesale change in strategy for CBS. Episodes of CBS shows, such as “NCIS,” “Mom” or “The Big Bang Theory,” still will not be offered through Hulu’s established $7.99-a-month video-on-demand service.

CBS plans to continue to use its programming to boost its own streaming service, CBS All Access, which has nearly 1 million subscribers.”

– Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2017

How many more “services” are we going to have to pony up for? I already have two I get. I don’t have money growing out of my ass. BTW, It’s not free if they ran it on the regular CBS TV channel. Companies buy time to run ads on TV. That’s not chump change.

There hasn’t been a Star Trek TV show in over 10 years, and the last one got canceled. So it would seem that the old way of using ad revenue to pay for a TREK show doesn’t work anymore. It is really strange to me that people seem to be okay with paying ridiculous amounts of money for cable (most of which they probably don’t watch) but are whining endlessly about having to pay a relatively small amount to get Star Trek. If you really can’t afford to spend another $6 per month on Star Trek you can always cancel something else to free up money. It’s a question of priorities.

DIGINON,

Re: …last one got canceled (sic).

I’m not sure what distinction you think you are making with that remark? It is the nature of television that all series that are no longer in production are cancelled, as all the previous Trek series were. It is the nature of airing on the beast: if you don’t get renewed, then you are cancelled.

@ Disinvited: I’d say there is a difference between ending a show because the show runners think the story is finished and a studio forcing a show to end prematurely because they don’t want to pay for it anymore. Enterprise was shut down prematurely.

DIGINON,

Re: …ending a show because the show runners think the story is finished

You believe in fairy tales if you think each and every Trek series went into pilot production with a 7 year plan that used up all the stories they planned to tell on that pilot making day in their series’ exits. Besides, 7 years to expound on ships with template 5 year missions? What did you think Trek was expecting to be? M*A*S*H?

They went off after 7 years because the cost/benefit ratios in paying employees with continuing yearly raises told them they could not afford to do so beyond that and continue to turn a profit with the ratings they were drawing.

And as for a “premature” series’ exit, that’s EXACTLY how STAR TREK came into being and it THRIVED to this day. So, not EXACTLY slamming ENTERPRISE with what you think is some sort of ding for it to have exceeded the founding series by 21 episodes.

@ Disinvited: My goodness, way to go off on a tangent! I wasn’t slamming Enterprise. I’m well aware that it managed to run longer than TOS. What I was saying was that there hasn’t been a TREK show in over 10 years because the old way of using ad revenue to pay for a TREK show didn’t work anymore. This was in response to Paul who suggested that Discovery could run on the CBS TV channel and be paid for by ads (and be “free” for the viewer).

DIGINON,

And that’s fine, but you introduced the tangents of “premature exits” and claiming showruneers pulled plugs, i.e. self-cancelled, on certain Trek series when Paramount was the entity with the final word that cancelled all the Trek series for reasons of their own.

Everybody “knows” NBC cancelled the first STAR TREK series, but it was quite common at the time for production companies to shop a “prematurely” cancelled show like GET SMART, for example, around, but Paramount was lobbying Bludhorn to stop Trek’s production from the moment he ordered them to run it in the second season, and they used NBC’s “cancellation” to do just that, i.e. pull the plug they’d been tugging at all along the way.

I like that older arrangement; make the Corps pay for the show, (then DVR their butts outta the way, unless you need a commercial for a pee break. 63 year-old bladders don’t hold up as well as when we were 23). Probably why they want to make us pay now, and still put commercials in it…unless you pay even more to hold off the Coms(those wiley Yangs; a little TOS humor)…wonder if THAT price will creep up. I’ll stick to reruns and DVDs.

that’s my biggest beef with it to be honest. Pay for it… Oh, and we still going to make you watch commercials unless you pay more.

Insulting doesn’t begin to cover it.

“Not difficult or very expensive to watch if you really want to. We pay for films. We pay for cable. We pay for Netflix.” And we pay for CBS streaming. And we pay for Disney streaming. And we pay for Hulu. And we pay for Amazon streaming. And we pay for HBOgo. See how it adds up? Hell, the folks who own Star Gate are toying with the idea of a streaming service for all the Star Gate tv shows. I understand the current pay structure is failing the industry in a lot of ways, but introducing multiple platforms….not the solution. just ask Atari, Sega, Panasonic, Phillips, NeoGeo and a dozen other companies who thought having their own gaming platforms was a great idea all the way up till it bankrupted them.

Sure, but you arent forced to pay for that which you dont want. Which is great for consumers. Yes, the grey period will suck, where you maintain your cable line up AND stream various services to get all the content you desire.

But ultimately, you watch what you want to. And if specific OTT services are successful its because they create content and services that people want.

Streaming is no different than anything else. Tech evolves. There is no stopping it. This particular tech is VERY good for the consumer. We speak directly to the content providers, no middle men. No nonsense with sponsors. They create it and we either watch it or we dont. Very simple.

All those companies you mentioned that eventually failed had great success and got beat by companies providing better content and consumers chose with their wallets. Thats how it should be.

The biggest problem with individual streaming services is the lack of a unified notification system that can take you straight to a new episode, or at the very least take you to the app’s watch list. Roku attempted something on their platform, but it is nearly useless as it isn’t app specific, it doesn’t take you straight to the episode, and doesn’t distinguish between multiple episodes from the same series.

Someone needs to invent an industry standard RSS feed for streaming TV services with episode level granularity which streaming providers can push out. A feed that basically can be merged and sorted with feeds from other services regardless of how many streaming services the user has.

@Jeff — I’m not sure how Amazon and Android handle it, but Apple TV has voice searchable schedules for all the apps it supports. So that is already here in a limited fashion, but it certainly is what’s coming in the near future, along with different platforms offering bundled apps, and eventually a true la carte service.

Just Watch (https://www.justwatch.com/) has an index of what is available on what streaming service. I don’t know if their app offers direct links to the respective streaming apps.

My husband has a computer hooked to our TV for reasons of his own, so I’m assuming I can stream All Access in a regular ole computer browser. I guess I’d better go test that before September 24th…

Thank you for covering that. I didn’t mean to imply that your article was lacking in any way, just saying that my experience with computers was such that it’s wise to test that something works, rather than just to assume that it will. :-)

That’s how I watch Netflix: Computer hooked up to my TV. I’ll be signing up to Netflix specifically for Discovery (as I don’t live in the US or Canada).

Been a Chromecast user for years, never had any issues with it. I cast stuff to it with my android phone, wife does it with an iphone.

You can also cast via Windows or Mac OS. You can also cast via iOS if you happen to have an iPhone, with some casting apps.

You can also plug your PC, Mac. Android, or iOS device directly into the TV with a USB to HDMI/Composite adapter if you don’t want to invest in streaming technology. That’s a cheaper option that wasn’t mentioned, that doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise.

I effing LOVE my Chromecast. Everything done from the phone. Remotes are for chumps.

You still use your phone? How 2016 of you! I just tell Alexa “play Game of Thrones on the HBO Now ap.”

So in my case I have to pay to watch and pay for hardware to watch on my TV. Yeah, thats not gonna happen……….

@Torchwood68 — so you’re saying you don’t have a computer, a cell phone, a tablet, a box capable of streaming, or a smart TV? well you are indeed a Luddite. ;-) rest assured CBS isn’t interested in your patronage then. Let me just educate you on a fun fact — RIVERDALE is a new series that airs on the CW network. It’s network live viewing and time shifted ratings are nothing very exciting. However, the digital streaming ratings are brough the roof — and mostly through mobile devices. Something like 95% of the US commutes and the average commute is 45 minutes — the perfect time to watch a show. So step one is if you want to be part of the ne t generation of entertainment, then you’d better figure out how to start streaming. If you don’t want to pay for CBSAA to watch Diacovery and would prefer to overpay for you cable bundle from whatever monopoly cable provider you use for programming you’re likely not even interested in, piped into your old CRT set through a cable box, then more power to you. But don’t cry that CBS isn’t catering to your antiquated viewing habits, because they don’t need, or want you. And neither does anybody else, except maybe ESPN and Antenna TV Network.

I don’t watch Riverdale, but that is a very interesting fact about their streaming ratings.

Yeah, it was actually crazy how excited the crowd was during the SDCC panel. It was earlier in the day before the Discovery panel, and I was SHOCKED at how energized that crowd was for a show that I thought wasn’t highly watched.

I have seen the first episode and thought it was interesting

No reason to be a jerk about it. I can stream just fine on my computer etc, but not on a non wifi older 55in flat screen tv.:Lots of people who love Star Trek dont have the money to upgrade everytime something new comes out. My 45 minute commute time is spent behind the wheel of a vehicle and my over “priced” cable bundle is 120 a month includes tv, internet and home security. So dont act like your situation applies to everyone else. And your Riverdale is a great example, its on TV

@Torchwood, then plug your computer etc., directly into the 55in flat screen TV. Most Computers already have HDMI output ports, and if not there’s some cheap adapters. Most Android phones already have HDMI outputs as well. You’re just trying to find something to complain about. And yes I know my Riverdale example was a great one, the days of the CW are limited, so the longer you cling to your old way of watching TV the longer you’re putting off the streaming digital future. Or maybe you’ll just keep paying your $120/month for your “free” TV bundles until your cable company charges you a fee to upgrade your box to a streaming one, which only allows you to stream what they offer you in their overpriced bundles, instead of choosing to watch what you want to watch. if you can’t be bothered to find an inexpensive way to stream content to your TV — NOT A new technology by the way — so that you are prepared for the future, then CBS doesn’t need you. They’ve already made all the money they need to off you for Star Trek, and the next generation that gets it is who they want — they want the RIVERDALE crowd that’s driving the ratings for the show and keeping it on a network that can barely pay its bills. And they want the Trek fans who think a new Trek show is worth $1.50 and epsiode to invest in streaming and the means to do it if they don’t already, so CBS can compete with the rest of the entertainment business in the future. The show is paid for, there’s a lot of buzz, and more than enough potential audience ready to stream it. Sounds like you won’t be one of them. Too bad, so sad.

Torchwood68,

Re: “Lots of people who love Star Trek dont (sic) have the money to upgrade everytime (sic) something new comes out.”

That may be true but Paramount never went broke releasing STAR TREK on BETAMAX Videotape, VHS Videotape, CED, LaserDisc, VCD, DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray, etc. to lots of other people who love STAR TREK and apparently do.

You’ve just randomly decided this is the tech where you are going to draw a line and take a stand – and that’s your prerogative. I just don’t see the point of your complaining about it on a website that has absolutely no connection to CBS or why you think this particular struggle of your choosing is something unique for the ages?

Where would STAR TREK be, if instead of people, who love STAR TREK, sending cards and letters complaining about its cancellation to NBC, they decided they would send them all to the Trimbles instead?

I’ve been at this A/V gig a long time and I can certainly tell you that if the actuarial tables are in your favor in terms of likely lifespan, patience and waiting can definitely reap dollar savings if cost is the major issue for you.

This Riddle fellow has a different take:

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/scott-riddle-google-employee-cancer-stage-4-sobering-message-life-complacency-a7910691.html

Great post, Disinvited.

But this particular person wants to not like it so he will find a reason. Streaming is low hanging fruit.

Quit trolling.

Unless you’re in a big city with lots of over-the-air options (in which case you are a lot luckier than I) then you’re probably already paying for hardware in the form of a cable box whose cost is buried in your monthly bill. Stop feeding the greedy cable companies that make you pay for 400 channels you don’t want to watch to see the 6 channels that you actually do. Cut the cord and buy a Roku, Chromecast, or Fire Stick (can’t recommend Apple TV because it is just too overpriced for what it is.)

September 24th.
Shopping list:
Pizza $6.00 (one night meal)
Soda/Water $6.00 for a few drinks.
Chips dip $6.00

CBS All Access $6.00 for 4 episodes…
Man, the whining about $6.00
I’m

You want to know what’s crazy. The popcorn at a movie theater cost more than paying for one month of AA. Thats just the food to eat on top of the ridiculous movie ticket. But man, $6 for a month of entertainment and new Star Trek, why does God hate us so much?

1.5m subscribers with one month to go is bupkis. I am sure they’ll expect a flood of subscribers on Sept.24th, but ‘Game of Thrones’ has proven that torrenting for free is an unavoidable option for many. I wish them luck, especially outside of Trek’s core markets, where this show can totally transform the fanbase, and finally give it a worldwide following.

While Game of Thrones may be the most torrented show it still gets a considerable number of paying viewers as well. Since Discovery is on Netflix everywhere except the US and Canada this may actually reduce torrenting internationally. Because right now, people outside North America often have to wait for months until new shows run on local TV. But sure, some people will go for illegal viewing options.

Yeah, torrenting is going to happen. But the people who choose to torrent would never have paid for the show anyway. And if the show was broadcast on free TV, CBS wouldn’t make money off these people either. So these people torrenting technically doesn’t effect how much CBS will make off the show.

Game of Thrones is a great example that piracy is over-stated to a degree. Just like Behr said in another story, when you dont want to like something you look for reasons not to.

Who cares if peo[ple pirate Discovery? Unless you own stock in CBS. GoT not only is the most pirated show but it had two episodes leaked online and widely available and those episodes set viewership records.

high piracy equals high ratings. So hopefully Discovery starts making “most pirated” lists. It means its good and popular.

A word of advice to people waiting to sign up though – IF CBS gets flooded with requests to sign up at the last minute, its very possible they experience delays. I’d sign up, log in and make sure it’s working in advance.

Anyone crying and complaining about spending $1.50 for an episode of new Star Trek isn’t much of a fan.

Anyone willing to be bamboozled to pay for yet another streaming service is not much of a fan.

@desdecardo — good luck to you when the only way to get the shows you want is to stream them direct from the studio. Why do you think att is putting themselves billions in debt to buy warner bros? It’s not for their network TV stations of that I can assure you.

If a particular streaming service has content I want, I’ll pay for it (e.g., Netflix, CBSAA). If other streaming services don’t, I won’t pay for it (e.g., Hulu). How is that being bamboozled? Consumers can make choices what they do and don’t want to pay for.

If you’re down at the stables waiting for your mail to come in on the Pony Express, you’re going to be very, very disappointed. Streaming content is the future…though if you have an ample supply of VHS, I guess you can hold out from being bamboozled for a while.

The show looks like it will be pretty bad from the previews. I’d give it a try for free but I have no plans to watch it from a streaming service. And that opinion is so common I can’t imagine this show lasting past a single season.

If you’re a fan you should be upset we’re getting yet another prequel and it’s essentially dead on arrival.

@OneofTwo — if the show is bad, then it deserves to die. So far, I do not share your pessimism. It looks great to me. Can’t wait. Sorry it doesn’t appeal to you. Oh well, the show is completely paid for, and is sure to find an audience over 15 episodes, even if it doesn’t include you.

People are complaining about dishing out $1.50 an episode? How many of you shelled out tons of cash for vhs tapes of the shos an movies… then more cash on the dvds… and more cash on the blurays… and more cash on the remastered? Not to mention all the cash you shell out on collectibles. Hypocrites.

Ridiculous, ain’t it?

I’m wondering how many of these people ponied up for Axanar, knowing that there was no promise that any content would ever see the light of day?

I did. If I knew that guy was a crook, I wouldn’t have. Live and learn.

I think the reason it bothers me is a combined list of small problems that individually wouldn’t matter.
1. It is yet another service to track when new episodes are released.
2. Having to pay for the privileged of #1 with only a single show.
3. Most of the world gets it on Netflix.
4. The two times I tried CBS:AA it was full of glitches.

In addition, I think the “dark” style seen in the previews is a bit off putting.
Having lighting so dark that someone could stand in a corner and be in complete shadow looks totally fake and unrealistic in a room designed for regular use. That kind of thing only works in a cave or evil lairs. And the same goes for lights that shine directly into the camera causing lens flare from nearly every angle.

CBS:AA and Hulu are roughly the same price ($1 more for Hulu), yet I get to see 10-15 shows on Hulu for that price. CBS:AA will only have about 4 shows I even care about and 3 of those I already get for free OTA.

If CBS had a free ad supported version of CBS:AA, like The CW does, then I would be fine. Considering that CBS does over the air for free on most of their shows, then paying extra to stream it with ads, and only in the US, seems like an insult.

I subscribed to AMC to watch the Walking Dead. When the season was over, I cut it. When it starts again… I’ll subscribe again. Did the same with Game of Thrones for HBO.

How do you subscribe to AMC? Buy a cable subscription?

I’m in Canada. I have to add the channel to my package for $5 a month.

@Trek fan 67

I will record Preacher on AMC but from time to time I will watch it on their web site. There are unavoidable commercials there but there is no charge to watch their stuff on line.

Wait, are you saying that to watch shows over the AMC website in Canada they charge you? Dud.

I’m unable to watch anything on their website because I live in Canada.

@Jeff — unfortunately, all of the popular streaming services started with only one show anybody wanted to see … in fact that goes all the way back to the birth of HBO. I didn’t become an Amazon Prime member until last year when I realized it made sense to not have to pay for shipping anymore. There was not a single show at the time I wanted to watch. Then they added one. I didn’t get Netflix until HOUSE OF CARDS started. I’m only now trying out HULU, but seriously considering keeping it to watch just CASTLE ROCK. All of these services offer me something of value. If DISC isn’t of value to you, then don’t watch it. Wait until next year when CBS may push the first season off onto Netflix here in the US, so you can watch it, and perhaps decide it’s worth joining CBSAA to watch the second season as it’s released. There’s so many choices here.

I didn’t become a member of Netflix until Daredevil came on. That was only 2 years ago. Sure when I signed up, I basically got the show for free but I was willing to pay the whopping $8 to get 13 episodes of a cool Marvel show staring one of my favorite heroes. And since then, I been paying $8 every month and will be watching The Defenders this weekend.

Sure I think Netflix has better content but thats what happens after you been on the air for several years. AA is new clearly, they are trying to make a go at it. I think if a DVD distribution company can make a go at it, I think the biggest network in America with multiple channels can do a decent job at it in time. Its giving us a new Star Trek, so its already headed in the right direction IMO.

Comparing netflix content to CBSAA content is like comparing The pacific ocean to your neighborhood pool. But at least their cost is similar, and you get to enjoy commercials with base price CBSAA.

Fantastically put. I agree 100%

Thanks. This was helpful for one who’s cut cable and internet. My original plan was to jailbreak my iPhone and use it as wifi for my laptop to then cast to the tv. It’s been a couple years–no full jailbreak out yet. Never thought about casting straight from the phone. I’ll just do that. Thanks again.

Has CBS All Access fixed their issues they had at launch a few years ago? I remember it being extremely low quality streams on my Apple TV compared to other services. I remember they had no closed captioning available. I also remember lots of forced commercials, and a stupid interface that couldn’t remember where I had left off in an episode and being forced to rewatch commercials, etc. Did they fix all this? I just refuse to subscribe for a premium price if they’re still sub par quality.

“Has CBS All Access fixed their issues they had at launch a few years ago?”

Yes, the streaming quality seems greatly improved to me. It looks like they beefed up their servers around the time “The Good Fight” started, which was also around the time Discovery was originally intended to start.

The commercials aren’t going anywhere, same with Hulu, so no sense complaining about them unless you pony up the additional $4/mo for no commercials.

Haven’t tried Closed Captioning.

Not sure about remembering where I was in a show, I haven’t actually needed to do that.

I just watched all of The Good Fight two weeks ago. It did remember where I left off in the middle of episodes. The streaming quality seemed great to me. There were a couple instances where when I started up an episode, it took a few seconds for the picture quality to sharpen but that wasn’t too bad.

@dismayed — that’s why they’re giving you a one month free trial so you can try it on your own. I don’t plan on signing up for CBSAA until the day before DISC airs. I’ll get the first 4-5 episodes completely free, so if I don’t like the service, or don’t like the show, I’m not out a dime.

Played around with the CBS app a bit(via my iPhone). I did not see an option to cast to my Chromecast, the only option was Apple TV. Did I miss something in its settings?

@Sulla — you can’t cast directly from the CBSAA app from an iPhone. You have to use a Chromecast app which allows you to log into the CBSAA web site, and then cast from there. Since you have an ATV, why don’t you just stream from the CBS app directly?

@Matt — Thanks Matt. That’s absolutely news to me. evidently CBS is supporting chromcast the same as other third party apps on iOS devices. I must have misread the part of your article that said it was natively compatible.

The CBS All Access app is available on the Apple TV. Cut out the middle-man.

I subscribed to CBSAA for The Good Fight and Discovery. It’s because I’m interested in the shows and understand the realities of the entertainment business. These shows wouldn’t last on network TV as long as they can on a premium streaming service. We all make choices about what we want to pay for, which is cool. I’m not going to criticize people who don’t want to pay for Discovery. But it’s not fair to demand the show be free just because previous shows were free.

I never really cared for Netflix (I still purchase physical media), but I susbscribed for the first season of Daredevil. And I’ve kept it because of the subsequent Marvel shows/seasons.

I used to subscribe to Hulu when there was stuff I wanted to watch on it.

I got the 32″ Roku TV at Wal-Mart for $125. Beautiful picture and function for the price. Not sure if I will subscribe to CBS but will take advantage of the free trial for the premier.

i will just buy the bluray when it comes out, i am in the UK, i just wished it had been on either sky or amazon prime, i have both, so i will watch it and support it via a bluray sale, besides i am having a problem with the look and style, i am hoping its good but just not buying it yet

@pilotfred — Perfect example for all those complaining that it’s not on Netflix simply because they already subscribe to it. You’re in a country where it will be available as part of the Netflix package yet you don’t subscribe to Netflix. Therefore, you’re not choosing to do so just for Trek. Perfectly valid response, where in your country many US TV series don’t have same night premieres as their US counterparts, if they’re even available in the country at all. At least the option exists to stream the series, if you so chose.

I live in Puerto Rico: we can’t get CBSAA because CBS doesn’t consider us USA, yet I DO have USA Netflix. So I’m sol.

That sounds like a really stupid situation. Have you tried contacting Netflix? Maybe there is a way that Netflix can serve Puerto Rico if CBS All Access doesn’t cover it.

Are you telling me that I have been waiting for Discovery to come on all summer and now I have to have some device ready phone, iPad or go and spend $150.00 for a special TV so I can watch it now!!! I’ve been a Star Trek fan for at least 50 yrs and “NEVER” had to pay to watch a Star Trek TV series. Only when I went to the movies. Well I guess I’ll be watching the mock Star Trek show for sure now because I WILL NOT PAY TO WATCH STAR TREK!!!! Unless in theater!!

Did you even read the article, lol? Some people….

@Shirley — CBS has long since made its money off you. Farewell if you can’t figure out how to join the rest of us in the 21st century.

Doesn’t sound like you had any interest in watching anyway since you called it “mock Star Trek.”

Wait, you never had to pay?? Where did you get your TV, cable and electricity from?

Every Star Trek TV series to date (in the US anyway) has been on a free, over the air, channel. No cable subscription needed for most of the population.

Electricity is irrelevant when weighing one show over another, since every single show across the board requires it. It’s not an expense that sets one show apart or can be removed from one but not another. In other words it can be canceled out of a comparison equation.

The majority of people watched Star Trek from the 80’s and beyond on cable subs they paid for. The fact you might get it with rabbit ears is moot. Let’s use common sense.

Tech changes. Do you want Discovery on a square picture in black & white too?

Well, it’s not moot, since not only is that not the appropriate use of the word, but it’s also completely relevant to the discussion. The point is that we’ve gone from “included in your existing service using ad revenue to support, which seems to work for all of our other shows” to “we aren’t going to include it on our existing network, pay us more if you want this”. And yes, I know about UPN, it’s still different than that situation.

Also, it’s not like you could have opted to watch TOS in 1080p. Let’s use common sense.

wayninja,

Re: Also, it’s not like you could have opted to watch TOS in 1080p.

Where do you think the 1080p on the blu-ray came from? Harry Potter’s wand?

The tech to opt to watch it in higher resolution was known as a film projector which one could easily opt into at a convention which is exactly what Roddenberry availed himself of, when he showed his pilot at an SF one before it had even ever aired.

I’m heartbroken to read of the state of poverty so many Star Trek fans are living in. Despite supposedly being fans, these poor pathetic souls can’t even pony up $1.50 an episode for new Trek. Get a job! Sad!

I’m undecided on DSC (I will watch the pilot of course, and then see what the reviews/fan reaction is like for the series proper). Even then, If I subscribe, it’ll likely be for a month on e the season is over, binge it, drop CBSAA, and do the same for subsequent seasons. Maybe I’ll buy blu-rays later if I like it as much as I like DS9, for example.

Having said all that… Mocking others for “poverty” and saying things like “Get a job” is pretty much completely the *opposite* of how a Trek fan should think or speak.

You are certainly free to think and speak as you will, but, think about this for a minute, with all the lessons Trek has tought about fairness, equality, helping those less fortunate, and giving a voice to the powerless, you’re imploring people to “get a job” and mocking someone who may not have the means you enjoy? I find that insulting, even shameful.

I don’t know anyone here, personally, and you probably don’t either. Sure, most people here can probably pay a few dollars a month to watch the show. But more and more people now have to make choices about what they can and cannot afford in their daily lives. The cost of a streaming service may not seem like much, no, but every little thing adds up. For some folks, that may be a big deal. Especially when they just want to see that one show.

It is a bit ridiculous that there are so many competing streaming services out there now. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, CBSAA, and whatever else is out there. Hell, is Crackle still a thing? I also understand how some people are miffed since most of the world is getting DSC on Netflix, which many of us here in the States already pay for. Would’ve been nice if this were just a straight up Netflix show, period.

So I get it. CBS doesn’t care about any of Trek’s messages or philosophies. They’re just in in the business of making money, this is a new platform for that. I get that too. Fair arguments on both sides. But for a fan to taunt another the way you did here seems to be missing the point of being a Star Trek fan completely.

And, let’s face it, given the horrible, hateful behaviors this country has seen over the past eight or nine months, and especially in the last few weeks, we NEED Trek to help remind us that things don’t have to be this way.

A big difference between “can’t” and “won’t”. Some of us choose to vote in the free market the way capitalism intends… with our wallets.

Hey I know. Lets let all of the networks studios, etc.. keep putting out their own streaming services, that way you can pay 10 bucks each and then you would be paying the same price you do for cable. They will get their money because they always do. The more we go forward the more we go backward in situations like these.

@Torchwood68 — you have no idea what you’re even suggesting. The cable and satellite companies are monopolies, bydesign. The internet promises to open up consumer choice in ways never before possible. But you just keep paying that huge cable bill for all that programming you don’t even watch, waiting 4 hour Windows for a cable guy to show up to give you substandard, poor quality service, and keep telling yourselves CBS is the bad guy here.

@Curious – boggles my mind how many people dont get it.

The more steaming platforms there are, the battleground will not be deals networks make with providers to bundle channels you dont want – it will be quality of programing. The winning service will have the best programming and the best price with the best interface.

Netflix knows this. They have a huge portion of the market and are spending billions to create original content because they know the race will get closer and closer as time goes on.

You keep making this false equivalency between CBAA vs Cable. Having cable TV (if you do) has nothing at all do with what is being objected to here. Hell, I’d rather just pay the subscription fee for an Australian VPN service that can un-geo block netflix than give the money to CBS. Why? Because I ALREADY HAVE NETFLIX. AND IT’S ALREADY GOING TO BE ON NETFLIX. JUST NOT FOR THE US.

It’s a game. They want as much money as they can get from me. I want to pay as little as possible. I’m willing to compromise, but they are holding a shotgun. Sorry, no compromise, no money.

CBS is the bad guy here. There’s no good way around that. Your desire to want to not tarnish the Star Trek name may be commendable, but you are just delusional if you think that CBS isn’t doing exactly that.

Ultimately the market will decide whether or not the quality of the product being offered justifies the prices being asked of it. With others providing more for less, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how this ends. And it won’t be good for star trek either, if that’s your main goal here.

@Torchwood68

I understand where you are coming from and am actually quite surprised at the venom a few posters throw out towards people who happen to not see things they way they do or *gasp* have different priorities. The ironic thing is that if this tech goes the way some are saying it will go it will get to the point you just described. Someone once said, “everything old is new again”.

We got a small glimpse for a while of what the ideal system might be like with Hulu being a portal through which various channels could publish new episodes.

Then a few, like TheCW (everything), NBC (Blacklist), and MTV (Teenwolf) started pulling shows to run exclusively on their own inferior streaming platform.

Aside from buggy software on these amateur platforms, the biggest downside so far is you have to track new episodes separately from the viewing platform or else you have to visit each app individually. Even that’s not workable when some of of those platforms don’t even track what you’ve viewed.

What I would like to see is a couple or three platforms similar to Hulu (for the sake of competition) with all of the same third party content.

@Jeff — so you’d like a more monopolistic system, like the current Cable/Satellite/Fibre offerings available? All three carry the same programming, albeit in different packages. But most people move into a new house/apt and they have to chose between one Cable company, installing a satellite dish, or going with a digital Fibre network, like Fios. Typically the consumer does not have any competition between the choices, except satellite with which there’s Dish and DirecTV. But otherwise, customers are at the mercy of those providers, which give the illusion of choice, but not really. All involve a certain investment into an ecosystem that locks the customer into it.

That venom towards differing views sure seems exactly the opposite of how Trek fans should act, doesn’t it? Sadly, it’s sign of the times we are currently living in.

It looks like CBS Corp is serious about its expansion plans for CBS All Access. Besides expansion plans for Canada next year, they just acquired Network Ten, which is one of three major commercial broadcast networks in Australia.

http://deadline.com/2017/08/cbs-corporation-network-ten-australia-1202157126/

“The acquisition will also pave the way to launch the digital subscription VOD service CBS All Access in Australia. This marks the second international territory on the slate for the expansion of CBS All Access. Earlier this month, it was announced the service will be made available in Canada next year.”

Its interesting that they are expanding to Canada while also having exclusive deals with Bell which undermine thier own streaming. But its still worth doing, to have the infrastructure in place.

Canada is interesting. WWE made a similar deal. They were going to launch their OTT in Canada but Rogers made too strong of an offer to ignore.

It’s also refreshing to see articles and comments talking about CAA and its’ business-decisions and moves in a positive light, versus the Discovery-naysayers who have already proclaimed CAA a failure based off no evidence.

TO ALL STAR TREK FANS ALL OVER THE GLOBE… Please use your subscription money/power to show them how much you want more ST. Subscribe to watch Discovery the day premiers and UNSUBSCRIBE when on hiatus or the season end. Let’s give them a ST spike on there charts. Regardless if you like Discovery or not, if succeeded we are going to have so much ST in the next decades we will have hard time remembering the titles of each new ST show! LLAP 🖖

Why would I do that? Despite the endless ill-informed protests of “I won’t pay for CBSAA just for one show”, CBSAA actually has many shows to watch. I watch something on it several times a week and expect to watch more when the new season starts next month.

There are lot of fans not care for the other shows.

These services track and store whatever you watch. There is no need to subscribe and unsubscribe to show them you want TREK. They know.

Yes they do. But they will not care enough if they manage to make you a permanent subscriber with just one show.

I already have Chromecast, and recently upgraded my BlackBerry from a Q10, to the brand-new Android BlackBerry KEYone. I also signed up for CBS All Access, using the promo code “startreksale,” though apparently the code didn’t apply to the commercial-free version.

The Google Play store wouldn’t let me download CBS All Access ver. 2.2.2, so I downloaded 2.1.5 and it seems to work okay. The only problem is that don’t seem to be able to access the buttons on the blue space. That means I can’t seem to watch live TV, settings, or shows. I can do a voice activated search, but I’ll want a way to access live TV at least in time for the premiere.

I even tried downloading the app on my Windows 10 desktop PC, but that didn’t seem available either.

As far as casting it to my TV, I’ve used it in conjunction with my Chromecast app on my phone, to the Chromecast stick on my TV. There, the way it’s worked is basically to cast what’s on my phone screen. I’ve watched the 1968 The Odd Couple, and a few episodes of I Love Lucy on there, both of which I found on the main screen carousels.

You won’t have to watch the live version to watch the premiere. It should be just posted around the same time as well. If I recall correctly, the night the Good Fight premiered, I was able to watch the pilot on the west coast when it was just starting to air on the east coast.

I’m in Boston, so that wouldn’t be a problem, but it would be nice to have the full functionality of the service, even if I don’t need to use Live TV all the time. I’m still trying to see if anyone I know has a solution.

Have you tried their help function (assuming they have one)?

I imagine CBS is aware of the bugs and working on them but it never hurts to remind them. Perhaps its a simple fix you havent thought of and they can let you know.

Yeah, I’ve been in an email conversation with their help folks since before I signed up. They haven’t addressed that particular bug yet. The consensus I’ve gotten elsewhere is that it’s because I’m using a BlackBerry. But it’s a BlackBerry running Android Nougat, 7.0, so it’s not like the Q10 which was operating its own BlackBerry-exclusive OS.

@Eric — the premiere is still a month away — an eternity in software development. I’d expect CBS is working on a fix so that there’s no issues whatsoever by broadcast time. I was recently astounded that the new CBSAA app on my iPhone will actually cast straight to my Android TV even though the iPhone itself won’t do it, the way I can stream natively (mirror) the screen to my Apple TV. I;m also finding more and more apps stream directly from within the app, rather than mirror the screen, which is something even Apple’s own apps do.

That’s the hope!

I have a LG smart TV. I also have wi-fi from my cable company (Charter) which I have never used. I’m not able to connect my computer to my TV with an HDMI cable because my computer (a 4 year year old Lenovo) doesn’t have an HDMI port. So I’m not sure how to make this all work. I do have a CBS aa account, BTW, which I have watched on my computer.

I hate to be critical but at some point, you cant fault the network for your lack of technology. Im not singling you out. And 4 years isnt that old of a computer, but realistically, tech advances all the time.

You can still watch All Access. And if you want it on your TV, you can get a stick or whatever and use your wi fi which you have.

You can buy a cheap HDMI adapter, or at a minimum a composite adapter, that will work with a VGA output, display port, or whatever your computer and TV has. Just search Amazon for what you have to work with and pick the highest rated, cheapest option. Should be here in time for the premiere even if it comes directly from China.

My TV also has a VGA input besides HDMI. I don’t know if your TV has that but it might be an option.

Others have given you excellent suggestions but have you considered a simple upgrade to a videocard for the Lenovo that provides the HDMI out that you desire? I would imagine one that works in a 4yo Lenovo could be had for a pitance from the clearance shelves, but you’d better hurry before the OEM hits the allowed 5 year orphaning of support for your unit under the anti-lemon laws.

This is good info but it still seems like CBS is asking quite a bit from a lot of potential customers to jump through these extra hoops. Based on many of the responses here it seems that a lot aren’t willing do take this on.

@Kirok — a lot on HERE maybe (which represents a minor fraction of the potential audience) … I also think there are a few trolls who are creating issues where there are none merely as one more way to discredit a show they don’t personally like new approach to. It’s 2017. The President of the United States Tweets policy. Streaming internet boxes have been around for well over a decade. Netflix and Amazon have made the concept commonplace in US households. Major pay networks like HBO with must-see programs like GAME OF THRONES, offer direct to customer bundles. People stream over phones, tablets, PCs, gaming consoles, and more and more frequently TVs, every day. CBS is not asking anybody to jump through “extra hoops”. They’re giving people a reason to adopt the current technology who have otherwise been putting it off. Streaming TV is the future. For those who think it’s too complicated, and for whom Star Trek is not enough of a reason, then they’re going to get left behind and be the last ones to the party.

@Curious

Granted this thread is a very very small sample size. That said I’ve seeing this attitude and multiple other threads connected to multiple other articles. Streaming Internet boxes have been around but they haven’t been necessary for the more major players in that business. Purchase a disc player or a gaming system or a new TV and a streaming options are alll over them. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that CBS make their product easier to get. That’s all.

The two times I tried CBS All Access back in 2016 and then Jan 2017, they had bugs in the service such as constant buffering, audio getting out of sync, and commercial breaks that would sometimes break the stream and require the show to be restarted. While on the same hardware and internet that worked fine with Hulu and Netflix.

Has anyone else experienced these kind of problems recently?

@Jeff — I’m currently having some of the same problem with the Hulu app on my old Apple TV. In my case, I can almost be sure it’s the older hardware, possibly and older version of the app, which is not compatible with Hulu’s new protocols. If you’re running current hardware and have the latest apps, I’d be surprised if you had these problems. CBS can’t afford this launch to have any problems.

My only issue is that CBS should be getting their app on more platforms. Most of the platforms will take just about any app, and the apps are not large. We have LGs in our house, no CBS app for them, but LG is the second largest seller of TVs. We have TiVo for our cable boxes, no CBS app. If they don’t want to directly make an app for that, they can offer the subscription through Amazon (how I get my Showtime and HBO)- then it comes in on the Amazon app.
I do have a PS4, so I’ll use that – it’s just connected to the wrong TV (the 1080p instead of the 4k)

@marty — LG uses WebOS. While I agree that the CBS should offer an App, WebOS has one of the best web browsers on any smart TV. Are you not able to log into the CBS website and watch the stream that way?

I bought a Roku streaming stick specifically for Star Trek: Discovery (when it starts) and Game of Thrones (for now) and I love it. It’s just wonderful. I already have my CBS All Access app downloaded. I’m just waiting until late September to get the most out of my free first Month.

I like Star Trek enough that I’ll suck it up and get all-access, but it still annoys me. Sure, it’s cheap, but it pisses me off to have to get another streaming service, no matter how cheap, just for one show (and by the way, Fraisier and Cheers are on Netflix too, so it’s redundant). Sure, right now I only have Amazon, Netflix, and all-access, but how long before I have to pay for 10 different services?

@Billy Weaver

I’m right there with you. My TV has a “mirror screen” function that supposedly I can use with an app. I plan to download that app and see how well it works. If that doesn’t work I guess I’ll suck it up as well and buy a Chrome Cast JUST for this show. I’ll do it because I like and want to see Trek but I’m irritated as hell that I have to jump though all these hoops. CBSAA will be the first streaming service I subscribe to. Will look around their content between Trek showings to see if it is actually worth something but everything I have read and heard about CBSAA thus far tells me I should be expecting to cancel the service during the show’s winter break and again when the season concludes.

PS… Also irritated they are not making all episodes available at one shot like Netflix does. But you know this is because CBS is likely very aware that people would just subscribe, binge all the episodes and cancel. The fact that they do this, to me at least, suggests they are not very confident in their other content to keep subscribers hooked. It feels like they are counting on a percentage of subscribers to either forget to cancel until the next Trek season or are too lazy to cancel until the next Trek season.

I have terrible news for many of the people in this comment thread:

“Free TV” is not a God-given, Constitutional right, and neither is Star Trek.

DMT,

Re:…not a God-given, Constitutional right…

Non sequitur, the right of the public to expect STAR TREK to eventually enter the public domain in the U.S. IS Constitutional. Copyright can’t be Constitutional in the U.S. without some mechanism for the work to enter the public domain and THAT’S Constitutional.

Hey, Disinvited. Congratulations on COMPLETELY missing the point I was making. Let me help:

There are fans out there who act as if they have some kind of God-given or Constitutional right to have Star Trek, and especially to have it for free. I wish you luck finding THAT in the Constitution… or the Bible, for that matter.

@DMT

What I have gleaned from some of the threads the complaints seem to be less about “I want it for free” and more about “I want it in a convenient fashion.” Mainly it’s a complaint about not being on a service or channel they are already getting. Many of those complaining are complaining about adding more pay internet services and do not wish to be hassled with adding and subtracting a bunch of services multiple times a year just to get certain programming. While some do not think so I happen to think it is a legitimate complaint. But it is what it is. Somerhing to consider is all. Carry on.

DMT,

Re: …Congratulations on COMPLETELY missing the point I was making.

As do I congratulate you, on likewise missing my point on what it actually means for the idea of STAR TREK to be truly Constitutionally free.

“…to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for LIMITED times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” – Copyright as defined by Article I, section 8 of the U.S. Constitution

Economics, like STAR TREK, is merely an idea. One that provides a convenient guise to veil the arbitrary reallocation of resources. Money is not that which imparts value upon something, it is our thoughts, our ideas, that do. The universe and our distant ancestors were causing things to come into existence long before the first human had the idea for money and copyright after that.

You promote a fallacy that stories, like STAR TREK, can’t be told without that which you apparently identify as numismatical based “cost”. Then you note the Bible, a collection of stories that came into existence without the cost you appear to believe essential for such stories to exist.

All I’m noting is that when I first saw STAR TREK in 1966, I was well aware that its copyright at that time would put it in the public domain here and now “to promote the progress of science and the useful arts” and that I’m more concerned with the cost of losing that to the world, than the flim-flam Disney, et al created to subvert it which seems to consume you so?

Here’s something that can shed a little free insight:

”That popularity [of zombies] is due in part to the fact that when NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was released, its distributor forgot to place a copyright indicator when it changed the title from NIGHT OF THE FLESH EATERS to its current moniker. According to copyright law at the time, leaving that symbol and the year off meant that it entered the public domain. “The film’s entry into the public domain became the ultimate distribution tool,” says Williams, because theaters, video stores, and TV stations could air it at no cost.

Here, you can watch it right now on YouTube, or download it off of the Internet Archive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_f2Enn8x5s

Copyright laws changed a decade after the film hit theaters, so leaving the mark off an original work now wouldn’t allow this to happen. Williams explains out that Romero’s undead were far different from the original zombies from Haitian folklore, and that it was original enough that a copyright would have protected the concept of the modern zombie. Indeed, had the film not entered the public domain, Romero’s hold on the film and concept would have lasted through at least 2024.

Because of the error, Zombies became a thing that could easily be exploited by other creators. Williams notes that if Romero retained the copyright through 2024, we wouldn’t get works like SHAUN OF THE DEAD, Michael Jackson’s THRILLER, GAME OF THRONES, THE WALKING DEAD, and the hundreds of other works that have proliferated in the years since.” — ‘
The popularity of zombies is due to one mistake in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’; by Andrew Liptak, THE VERGE; Sep 2, 2017; 12:53pm EDT

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/2/16246194/zombies-popularity-mistake-in-night-of-the-living-dead-kaptain-kristain-watch

Now we’re bringing the Bible into this? We are still discussing Star Trek, right?

Plenty of things not mentioned in the Bible. Dinosaurs, for one. But they still existed. Not sure what that one book has to with anything here.

Look, I don’t think anyone’s saying there’s a “right” to Star Trek. Hell, we’ve hundreds and hundreds of hours of it already, Some of it great, some… Not as much (Depending on your view). We’ve had no new Trek (Not xounting books or fan films) in a long while. Some people are just upset, understandably so, about the means with which this new Trek is being delivered.

CBS sees Trek — and it’s built-in, probsbly more tech-savvy audience — as a way to build a base for a new, growing technology that’s changed how people watch TV. Also understandable. But having to add yet another pay service to the myriad of other streaming services, and to cable/satellite for those who still subscribe, is an annoyance. Especially if one’s only interested in that one Trek series.

At some point, the market’s going to be saturated with streaming services that offer limited, exclusive content and people are only going to be willing to pay so much for so many services. Some of these services won’t survive. Much too early to say whether CBSAA will make it or not.

They probably have deeper pockets than Yahoo (Which killed it’s streaming service when that season of Community they made proved too expensive), but CBS’ offerings are also a lot more limited than Netflix or Amazon’s. And Trek is probably a lot more expensive to make than Community. I think Netflix has a hand in making this show too, given how the rest of the world is getting it that way, but it’s still a gamble for CBS.

The only certainty here is that DSC will have a smaller audience than any of the previous Treks, and a smaller audience in the U.S. than had it been on Netflix here (or on CBS proper, or first-fun syndication). How many people decide to sign on, and how successful that will be, remains to be seen.

@B.L. Sisko — you make some interesting assumptions, which just aren’t true. Netflix, Amazin, and Hulu, all currently offer much more content than CBSAA does, but those are limited deals. Anyone watching Netflix knows series and movies come and go. Disney is the latest company to decide to end its association with Netflix, and go its own way with its own streaming service. Sooner or later, the big three streaming providers will begin to lose their rich content offerings which have been a draw since the beginning. Once that happens, they will no longer be the primary digital “networks”. That’s why they are all focused on original content — just as Apple has realized they will need a reason to draw customers into their service, since they too have discovered offering universal packages of a la carte programming is difficult if not impossible. Soon, customers will chose what they want to watch from the source content provider. Aggregators like Apple might be able to eventually offer a la carte options of all streaming services due to the reach of their ecosystem, and need for direct studio broadcasters to expand their user base. Netflix and Amazon might be able to make this work as well considering their investment in hardware, Amazon more so since they offer purchases. Netflix may have to enter into similar arangements with Roku. But make no mistake, this is the model going forward — CBS, Disney/ABC, NBC/Universal, Warner Bros./ATT, Sony, FOX, et al. Not only will they survive, no matter how limited, but eventually they will be the only options available.

Indeed, thanks to the Trump administrations position on Net neutrality, some of these companies will be in a position to block other networks on your home ISP, unless that network pays up for access. it’s likely going to get worse before it gets better, but you can hardly blame CBS for jumping into this market now, while it holds a strong hand.

What does God need with a TV?

Anyhow, this is a strawman argument. Who said anything about a “God” (whether one believes in one or not) or the Constitution?

Given that all previous Treks have been available via “free” TV I understand how fans are upset that this is now going to be part of a pay-streaming service (Not to mention one with commericals, unless you pay even more), especially when the pilot will be shown on a traditional network.

I also understand that streaming is the new, growing model for TV viewing. Things are changing, and CBS, whether it’s a good, viable plan or not, is going to use Trek’s fanbase as a way to exploit this new technology for (they hope) profit.

As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m still on the fence about DSC anyhow. So I’m fine with waiting and seeing what happens. Maybe I subscribe for a month, later, and binge the show once the season’s done. I can afford another streaming service, but I don’t really feel like adding the extra cost for just one show that interests me. These things add up. Not yet, anyhow. I find it hard to find enough time to watch stuff I want to on Netflix and Amazon already.

Just gotta say, Chromecast is a piece of crap, IMHO.

…yeah! it’s free-market enterprise! so pay up, suckers! =P
that said, i like roku =)
also: just got a powered digital tv antennae ($8) so i can watch the Orville [FOR FREE!]

I’m going to give it a shot on my XBOX1. If Discovery doesn’t hold my interest for whatever reason, I’ll have other Trek content to enjoy for the remainder of the month then I’ll cancel. If Discovery is good then I can deal with 5.99 a month to watch that and other Trek content. Why not?

Just Beam everything Directly into my Head!
Or…sell me a Holodeck!!
^^X^^