Category: Entertainment

Netflix on TV

Annual price hikes every year will end many services

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Like clockwork, many companies are increasing the price of subscriptions on a regular basis. Take Disney as an example. It launched its streaming service Disney+ back in November 2019 with an introductory price of $6.99 per month in the United States. Today, Disney+ subscribers pay $18.99 per month for the service.

Disney increased the price annually starting in 2021. Each year, customers had to pay an extra $1, $2 or $3 to keep the subscription.

The company is not alone. Its biggest competitor, Netflix, launched in 2007 with a price of $7.99 per month. Today, Netflix subscribers pay $17.99 for the cheapest ad-free plan or $22.99 if they want 4K content and some extras. Granted, it took Netflix 18 years to get there, but it is a massive increase nevertheless.

Rising costs are not just an issue for customers of streaming services. Take software subscriptions as another example. Microsoft 365 cost $6.99 in 2022. Today, customers pay $9.99 per month, and even more, if they want integration of the Copilot AI.

Companies increase the price to improve rentability, make more per subscriber. However, they do not seem to have answers for a simple question: what happens when the bulk of subscribers can’t afford the subscription anymore?

What if the price of service does not justify its cost? While you could argue that the majority does not really care and will keep their Netflix subscription no matter what, I’d argue that breaking points exist.

Paying Disney $180 per year just to watch a few shows or movies, that are not really that good, or for entertaining your kids with Disney classics, sounds like it could be too expensive for quite a few already.

With that money, you could purchase DVD or Blu-Ray, preferably on the second hand market, and keep them forever. You find plenty of classic movies on sites like eBay, and if you like thrifting, flea markets or garage sales, you know that bargains can be made there. Not always, but there is a good chance.

Many might also switch back to something that has always existed, but has lost popularity since the advent of streaming services: sailing the seven seeks, aka, piracy.

Lastly, another viable model is to switch to 1-month subscriptions only. This works well, considering that most streaming services do not put out enough content to warrant a full-year subscription. It is possible, however, that streaming services will end the option eventually, if too many subscribers start using it.

Right now, subscriber counts do not really fall, despite the price increases in the previous years. But this will change eventually. Some subscribers might switch to ad-supported plans, which are cheaper, but these come with their own disadvantages (namely ads).

Now you: are you subscribed to a streaming service?

Full-size Amiga 1200 Remake in the works with great games

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If I had to pick my favorite home computer of all time, it would probably be the Commodore Amiga. It had awesome games, lots of innovative features, and for the time excellent visuals and sound.

While my interest in remakes of other classic computers, such as the C-64, was not high enough to warrant buying a modernized machine for a few hundred Euro or so, the announcement of THEA1200 could change that.

It comes from the company that created TheA500 Mini and TheC64 Maxi, among other systems. As the name suggests, this time it has set its development eyes on one of the crown jewels of Commodore’s Amiga portfolio, the Amiga 1200.

Here is what the package is said to include:

  • A full-sized Amiga 1200 remake.
  • Integrated Workbench desktop.
  • USB and HDMI connectivity.
  • Working keyboard, mouse and retro-style gamepad.
  • A list of 25 all-time classics, including the Turrican trilogy, The Settlers II, Defender of the Crown, and Beneath a Steel Sky among others.

Now, the only thing the machine is missing is a disk drive. It is somewhat of a let down, considering that you can’t play your old Amiga floppy discs on the machine. However, you can play games from USB according to the announcement, which should work similarly to using the classic Amiga 1200’s hard drive.

As for “when”: Preorders start on November 10, 2025 and the company hopes to ship the devices by June 2026.

There is an announcement video with renders, which you can check out below.

Heise Online says that the device will retail for 190 Euro, which is about 220 Dollar.

I’d probably use it to replay classic games, including Moonstone, It came from the desert, Wings, Dungeon Master, or Rainbow Islands.

Here is a video with 100 great Amiga games (according to the creator):

YouTube Row Fixer

How to change the number of videos YouTube shows per row

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you open the YouTube homepage or a channel, you may see videos neatly listed as thumbnails in rows. If you feel like the number of videos is too small or large, you might consider adjusting the video-per-row count on YouTube.

Enter YouTube Row Fixer, a browser extension for Chromium-based and Firefox-based browsers, that lets you do just that. The main idea is to give you customization options. Once installed, activate the icon of the extension to display the configuration options.

You can select the number of videos, posts, and shorts per row on YouTube for the homepage and for channels. Additionally, if you dislike Shorts, you can turn them off entirely to hide them.

Other options include showing full video titles for each video, which YouTube does not, if the video title is too long. It gets cut off, but when you enable the option, you get the full video title for all videos.

Last but not least, you may also enable an auto-adjust option. This changes the number of videos per row based on the size of the browser window. The maximum is always the number that you get in the configuration though. In other words, if you make the window of the browser smaller, you may get fewer videos per row than you set in the settings.

The changes happen automatically. You do not need to restart the browser or even refresh the page. Just exit the settings page by clicking on another interface element, and you should notice that the changes get applied to the page.

YouTube Row Fixer is an open source extension. You can download and install it from the Chrome Web Store, the Mozilla Add-ons Store for Firefox, or directly from the project’s GitHub repository. The Firefox version has the advantage that it also runs in mobile Firefox.

I ran tests in several browsers, including Chrome and Firefox, and it worked as advertised. Extensions like it have a tendency to break when the developer of the website they manipulate makes changes. This could happen with YouTube Row Fixer as well, but an update should fix any issue that may arise.

Now it is your turn. Do you use YouTube in your browser? If so, have you installed any extensions or scripts to tweak the video site?

Amazon seems to turn Echo Show devices into personal advertisement billboards for your home

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

I try to avoid ad-powered devices or services as much as possible. Besides privacy implications, there is wasted time and bandwidth to consider among other things. On some systems, ads are often used in malware campaigns as well.

I do not really mind when companys sell products and make it very clear that they are ad-powered. It is your decision to buy it or skip it. I’d prefer an ad-free world, but that seems highly improbable. What I mind is if a company adds advertisement after you bought a device and did not make it clear back then that it could use the device to show you ads frequently or even all the time.

Amazon did this with Prime Video, which it turned from an ad-free streaming service into an ad-powered one for all users. You have to buy an add-on to get rid of ads, and even that does not get rid of all the ads, apparently.

Now, reports are coming in that Echo Show devices are being turned into full-screen advertisement billboards.

Echo Show devices fall into the smart home category. You can communicate with them using your voice and they may be used to control and monitor smart home devices, display photos, play media, help you with cooking, and more.

Some Echo Show devices are quite expensive. The Echo Show 21, Amazon’s latest device, costs $350 right now. Add some much needed peripheral, like an adjustable stand, and you end up paying $440 for the device with stand.

Some customers reported that they noticed full-screen display ads on their Echo Show devices for months, while others have not noticed them at all. It could be that Amazon is rolling this out slowly to go into damage-control-mode if things get out of hand regarding publicity, or that it is testing the waters.

Owners of said devices started to notice the ads, which may appear between photos, when you have set the device to show a photo slideshow. They may also show up when the device is set to show different categories.

The ads appear to be quite intrusive and most users who mentioned them on sites like Reddit do not appear to be pleased. That is understandable, considering that Amazon does not really mention ads at all on the product page on its website. You find mention of ads in the customer reviews though.

Furthermore, as the Verge is reporting, Alexa Plus, Amazon’s next-generation AI-powered voice assistant, is reportedly also showing full screen ads for its own services.

In closing, it appears that Amazon is pushing ads even more than Netflix or Disney do. It is quite problematic for customers who purchased a device that cost several hundred Dollars. They expected a device that would show them a photo slideshow, and only photos of that slideshow, and not an ad between every second or third photo.

Whether Amazon’s strategy regarding advertisement is going to hurt the company in the long run remains to be seen. After all, Netflix, Disney and Co. are also not bleeding users after they introduced ad-supported plans.

Now You: What is your take on this? Would you buy a device with ads? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Microsoft makes Game Pass so expensive, that buying games suddenly becomes the cheaper option for some

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

While companies love subscription-based services, more and more users realize that they are more often than not that beneficial.

Microsoft just announced another price increase for Game Pass, the last dating back just a year. Game Pass Ultimate jumps from $20 to $30 per month once the changes go life. Considering that Game Pass Ultimate cost just $17 in early 2024, it is a massive increase of the most expensive plan.

Furthermore, Microsoft is changing the other Game Pass plans. Game Pass Core subscribers are moved to Game Pass Essential, the lowest tier and Game Pass Standard subscribers are moved to Game Pass Essential. The price of the two plans remains at $10 and $15 per month, for now at last.

Microsoft justifies the price increase by pushing “more day one games than ever before” to Game Pass Ultimate. There is also Fortnite Crew & Ubisoft+ Classics that Ultimate subscribers get access to for the very first time.

Additionally, they get “enhanced Xbox cloud gaming streaming quality up to 1440p, rewards with Xbox, and more” according to the announcement.

It appears that the announcement has pushed subscribers into cancelling their subscriptions. The servers are not responsive at the time and while Microsoft has yet to announce anything regarding the servers, it is clear that some subscribers are not happy about the price increase.

It is quite possible that the inclusion of Ubisoft+ Classics, which Microsoft values at $8 per month, is a reason for the major price increase.

However, at $360 per year, Game Pass Ultimate is not the bargain subscription service that it started out as. With an average price of $60 per game, ex-Ultimate subscribers could purchase six major games per year and own them.

That means the option to resell them or play them whenever they feel like it on as many systems as they like.

Granted, the price may still be worth it for die-hard Xbox and Microsoft fans who want access to games that Microsoft’s gaming division releases throughout the year. For many subscribers, however, it seems that Game Pass has lost its appeal thanks to the recent price hike, and the one that is likely coming next year.

Disney is increasing Disney+ and Hulu plans again

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Ah, the wonderful world of streaming video. Just subscribe, download an application or visit a website, and start streaming your favorite shows and movies right away. The initial idea of replacing traditional cable TV with something better is turning out into something that seems to get worse by the year.

Disney announced another round of price increases. This time, it is for subscribers in the United States who have Disney+ or Hulu plans.

The most-basic Disney+ plan, Disney+ with ads, rises by $2 per month to $11.99 starting October 21, 2025. Disney+ Premium, the ad-free version, goes up by $3 to $18.99 per month in the United States.

Similarly, Hulu’s standalone plan with ads is getting a bump by $2 to $11.99 as well. However, Hulu’s premium plan remains at the $18.99 level, according to reports.

Considering that Disney started its streaming service with a price of $6 per month for an ad-free experience just a few years ago, it is a massive increase in that time.

Subscribers pay more than three times as much for an ad-free experience than when the service started. Disney increased the price of subscription plans in the US in October 2023 and October 2024 previously.

Somehow though, subscriber counts are not going down. Disney reported 128 million subscribers by the end of June 2025, a number that has gone up by a few million subscribers in the year.

Like clockwork, streaming services increase the price of subscriptions regularly. Disney is not the only company that is squeezing money out of subscribers without really improving the service in significant ways.

The only option that subscribers have is to cancel their plans to make a statement. Less-costly options exist. From buying used DVD or Blu-Ray selectively and ensuring that you can play the media forever, to one-month per year subscriptions to watch all content that interests you in that time period, thus saving fees for the remaining eleven months.

Lastly, there is also abstinence to consider, especially with the quality of most movies and TV shows going downhill every year.

Google is hunting YouTube Premium Family subscribers now that are not living in the same household

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Last month, Google confirmed that it is trying to end a loophole that allows YouTube Premium subscribers to subscribe for less. The idea was simple: instead of subscribing from a country where YouTube Premium costs an arm and a leg, you use a VPN or other means to subscribe from a country where it costs a tenth or less of the actual price.

Now, Google confirmed that it is also investigating YouTube Premium Family subscriptions for misuse. Here, Google is going after subscribers who share a subscription with members who do not live in the same household.

For instance, when household members move out but continue to use the family’s YouTube Premium subscription at the new place. There have also been instances where access was shared between a group of friends or even resold.

Google is sending out emails to YouTube Premium subscribers reportedly, if it believes that the Family Plan is misused. The subscription is paused for those users, which means that they will see ads and do not get access to any of the other benefits that come with a YouTube Premium subscription.

A YouTube Premium Family subscription costs about $23 at the time of writing in the USA. This allows the subscriber to share the subscription with up to five family members. A single YouTube Premium subscription sets users back about $14 right now in the USA.

Six friends who would share a subscription would pay $4 per month for YouTube Premium effectively. That is still more expensive than a single subscription in some countries, but much cheaper than a regular subscription.

The scope of the investigation is unknown. Google could be testing the waters to analyze reactions of subscribers that it contacts. In the long run, however, it seems likely that Google plans to end all “get YouTube Premium for cheaper” loopholes.

Now You: Do you have a YouTube Premium subscription? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

YouTube Premium Lite Check

Google could go after YouTube Premium users who bought the subscription in another country

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

YouTube users who want to sign up for YouTube Premium have one or multiple options to do that. Officially, you get to pick between YouTube Premium, which is completely ad-free, and YouTube Premium Lite, which includes some ads in some videos.

The price of the subscription differs significantly from region to region. Some Google users have used this to their advantage until now. The main idea was to sign up for YouTube Premium in another country. Once done, you’d be able to enjoy YouTube Premium in your own country and language(s), without any restrictions or limitations.

Google is updating the terms of YouTube Premium. From September 26, 2025 onward, the terms include a new paragraph that deals with this.

Google writes:

Your use of and access to any Premium Service should be used from the country or territory where you signed up for that Premium Service. Accessing or using any Premium Service predominantly outside of that country, or attempting to misrepresent your sign-up country, is a violation of the Premium Service Terms and may result in termination of your access to the Premium Services. If you move to a new country, you may be required to re-subscribe to the Premium Services there to maintain your access, subject to the Premium Service’s availability, pricing, and feature offerings in that new country.

In simple terms, Google is explicitly disallowing the use of any means that allow customers to subscribe to YouTube Premium in a country that they do not predominantly live in. Google does not define any limits in the terms, but has published details on the YouTube Help website.

There, the company writes that it may take action if the user is “traveling for more than 30 days” or moving ” to a different country or territory. Actions may include pausing or canceling the subscription.

Additionally, Google reserves the right to take action against users who misrepresent their location, for instance by using a VPN.

To ensure we can offer the correct plans and pricing, you must accurately represent your country when you sign up for and use YouTube Premium subscription plans. If you misrepresent your location (e.g., use VPN), or attempt to circumvent access and availability restrictions, your subscription may be subject to cancellation.

It remains to be seen if Google will take action against the users who subscribed to YouTube Premium using a VPN or other means.

Now You: what is your take on this? Do you think that Google will take action and pause or cancel subscriptions from users?

Spotify is raising prices outside the US

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Ah, the wonderful world of streaming. Spotify just announced that it is raising the price of its subscriptions in many regions in the coming weeks. The increase affects Spotify customers in South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region according to the announcement.

In Germany, Spotify is raising the price by €2 per month to 12.99 Euro. Student up 1€ Euro to 6.99 Euro, Duo by 3€ to 17.99 Euro and Family by 4€ to 21.99 Euro per month.

Mileage may differ depending on the region, but prices should go up across the board, except for North-America.

Spotify says that it is increasing the price so that it “can continue to innovate”. For subscribers, it means that they have to pay more to continue using the service. Spotify increased pricing in July 2024 the last time (in the U.S.), and before that in July 2023.

Other streaming services, including Netflix or Google, are also increasing pricing regularly. Subscriptions are becoming more expensive with each passing year and there seems no end to it.

What you can do about it? If you do not really need them, cancel your subscription. If you like them, try subscribing for a short period each year. This works really well with TV and movie streaming services, as they may not put out enough quality content to justify annual subscriptions anyway.

Other than that, you could go back to physical media. Yes, that requires a handpicking approach to music and media, but you get can play the media indefinitely and without any limitations after the purchase. The only problem that you may run into is that the discs may get corrupt over time. You could counter that by digitalizing the media.

However, not everything is put out on disc anymore and things may get worse in the coming years.

Add a streaming server to your entertainment setup, and you may play music, TV shows or movies without having to use physical media at all.

Google is testing floating ads on YouTube that overshadow part of the video

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you thought that the current state of the Internet and advertisement in general is at a threshold already, then you may be surprised that companies like Google, Meta, Netflix, or Amazon don’t really think so.

Google seems to be one of the main driving forces behind ads. The advertising company that also operates a search engine, browser, and the YouTube website, announced last month that YouTube Premium Lite users would soon start seeing more ads.

The brunt of ads, however, is reserved for users who do not pay Google to see less or no ads. A report on Tech Issues suggests that Google is pushing it again on YouTube.

The site mentions two reports by YouTube users. The first is about the missing skip button on YouTube, which Google started to hide as early as October 2024. Google displayed a skip button when ads played in the past, but this appears to have changed for some users. No skip button means that you have to sit through the entire ad or ads before you can start watching the video.

The second new type of ad may even be more annoying. Since users only accept a number of ads on the site, Google thought it a good idea to add floating ads to videos.

The example given by a user on Reddit shows a small banner overlay on the video screen that promotes a seemingly unrelated channel on the site. To make matters worse, there does not appear to be an easy way to close that banner. Apparently, you need to click on the three-dots first before you can hide it again.

So, if you do use a content blocker, then there is a good chance that a rules update will hide this new form of advertisement on YouTube. However, depending on how you access YouTube, you may not be able to run a content blocker. For instance, if you use the official YouTube app, you can’t block ads that it displays easily. You can check out my guide on blocking most ads on Android for starters.

Now You: how do you handle ads on sites like YouTube? Do you block them? Feel free to leave a comment down below.