Moving on from yesterday’s conclusion, a general update. The early birthday present TV was returned last night. I learned quite a bit about smart televisions, streaming channels and the associated phone apps. I still have the mini PC and updated it, but after a couple test DVDs through usb 2, wonder if it can handle a 4K player (external drive style). Year of Movies will continue, but all the characters won’t necessarily be watching and we have no guarantee about quantity or pace. I finished the ending of Chapelwait last night on the phone, even though I thought I could remember final end credits; realized I had nearly thirty minutes left. The gruesomeness and killings decreased after episode six, still it was increasingly creepy as the vampire theme developed. I thought the actors and actresses as well as the sets, filming locations and some of the writing was top notch for an EPIX original. I had never heard of the station before this thirty day trial and glad I gave them a chance. Premium programming seems to be the way to go for wi-fi based entertainment. It’s almost completely unavoidable however to skip out on the home internet service with a Roku style TV, making it a binding commitment combined with paid subscription(s). So the bottom line is that thinking a new smart TV is all one needs to budget for on the 4K trail, is going to be a frustrating path requesting extreme patience and extra dough as the search for add-ons, special orders and service hookups ensues.
I may add a budget monitor which would bring us back to Redbox capability, yet first focus is on saving lives at the beginning of next month and staying nourished before and after the blood donation trip.