By Anthony Paradiso and Roger Paradiso
George called me and complained, “we are trapped in our homes and we are clicking faster and faster through those 150 channels with increasing speed. If I could just see a really nice film from beginning to end the way I did in the Del Mar on 137th Street and Broadway in 1936”.
LIMITED-TIME OFFER: $25 for 6 Months of STARZ
STARZ official website containing schedules, original…
STARZ official website containing schedules, original content, movie information
Verizon Cable is delivering free Showtime and Epix to customers for the rest of April. May be extended.
So Here is the easiest simplest and cheapest way to watch movies during this COVID-19 attack (Our president calls it a war.). We don’t want any techs coming in our home with the virus. We probably won’t find any store open to buy an Amazon Echo or smart TV. We want this to be really simple. Now I’m assuming everyone has cable TV. And if you live in Manhattan it will probably be with the following providers:
RCN Cable
https://www.cabletv.com/rcn/bundles
or call
855-315-1207
Spectrum Cable TV
https://www.cabletv.com/spectrum/cable-tv?zip=10019
or call
844- 879-5039
Verizon Fios TV
https://www.verizon.com/support/residential/contact-us/contactuslanding.htm
or call\1-800-837-4966
ON DEMAND MOVIES
Probably every one of them has given you a remote. On that remote you have an ON-DEMAND button. That button will launch you into the world of ON DEMAND services, which include movies and sports among other things. Let’s stick to movies. There are all kinds of movies, but we want FREE MOVIES. Scroll around until you find that FREE MOVIES section. It will probably be on the bottom of the list but be patient. Because everything you pass on that journey will say buy or rent. You can do that if you want but the cost could add up if you are doing that quite a bit. Keep going and be patient. Now you’ve probably reached free movies. Those are the ones you want. Scroll around until you find one you like. Click on it. You can also find other things in ON DEMAND that may interest you like sports, but remember the key word is FREE.
VERIZON, RCN, SPECTRUM ADD ON PREMIUM CHANNELS
The other way to survive these long days is to call your service provider or to go online. Only go online if you are pretty good with this stuff. All the rest of us, like George, please call the number. You may have to wait a bit, but what else do you have to do. Have some food with you or a drink as wait times can be long. But please speak to a human not artificial intelligence.
Now all these large providers like the ones above, want to sell you more services. Start the conversation off with the following: “I am bored and sick and tired of my cable TV. Please, please help me find an interesting premium channel that I can try out for a while. Do you have any first month free premium channels like HBO or SHOWTIME? I’m really interested in movies”.
If they have a free month and you can cancel before you pay, please jump on it. There is no better deal. HBO, Showtime, and Disney you name it. Ask them how you cancel, and can they send you an email before it’s up and you’ll let them know if you want it or want to cancel. Otherwise, they should have a whole list of premium channels that should cost about 5.99 to 8.99 a month. These channels would be like AMC, Turner Classic Movies, HBO, Showtime, Starz, IFC, Sundance Channel, and Disney etc. etc.… They have plenty of movies.
COMPUTER STREAMING
Amazon – if you’re a Prime member, large selection of movies and TV shows available for streaming – included with membership. As add-ons,
I also subscribe to Starz for $5.99 per month, Smithsonian, etc.
Hulu – $5.99 per month, TV and movie streaming
Netflix – $9.99 per month
Disney Channel +: subcribe here for Hulu, Espn and Disney Channel: https://www.disneyplus.com/billing
Apple TV: https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-app/
This is very high tech for most. But something to check out for the future. 12.95 month
PBS Passport: become a member of PBS(60 dollars a year) and receive access to their vault of classic PBS mini series and shows. Here is the link: https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000692392-what-is-pbs-passport-
SMART TV APPS
If you live with a technical person, and you have a smart TV, as opposed to a stupid TV, have that person go to the smart TV remote, not the cable TV remote, and hit the colored diamond button that takes you into smart TV land. Your roommate, husband or wife will find apps or must search for apps like Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.
Then you can subscribe directly from your TV and computer. You can also try calling a friend who is Tech savvy.
I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. And can find a movie or two to entertain them until the Mayor and Governor tell us it’s safe TO GO TO THE MOVIES.