Q. If you had to pick one streaming service to keep of all of them, what would you pick? What is your favorite streaming service? — Penelope, Big Springs, Texas.
Penelope, as an industry analyst, I subscribe to multiple streaming services to stay current on their performance and changes. The list includes Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Paramount+, Disney+ and ESPN+, among others. But my favorite streaming service of all does not require a subscription. And if it did, I would gladly pay it.
My favorite streaming service is…Kanopy.
Kanopy, which is free thanks to your public library, offers thousands of films, documentaries and educational videos such as Parasite, The Big Short, The Limey, Chinatown, Memento, Lady Bird, Paper Moon, Donnie Darko, Zodiac, Logan Lucky, Election, Harold and Maude, Unsane, Catch-22…
I could go on and on. As a Kanopy user, I am constantly amazed at how many interesting titles I come across when doing a random search. (Like Netflix and other streamers, Kanopy offers suggestions based on your past choices.) And the picture quality is just as good as the quality of the lineup.
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“Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment. Find movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain,” the service says at its site..
But what’s best about Kanopy is that it’s available for free if you have a library card or you are a university student or professor. (Note: Not all public libraries participate in Kanopy. You can check here to see if your neighborhood library does, and here if your university does.) You sign up by inserting your library’s card number or your university login information.
The libraries and universities cover the expenses associated with offering the service for free, which is why some limit your views to eight during a calendar month; they want to keep the costs from running amok. (This is also why some libraries don’t participate at all.)
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That may sound like a lot, but I seem to hit my quota all too quickly each month, which is my only criticism of this great service. Kanopy is only available to library card holders and university students and professors. You can’t use it for free, or subscribe to it, without being one or the other.
I would strongly recommend giving it a try, assuming a nearby library is on board. You definitely won’t regret it. You can watch Kanopy here on computers and mobile devices, and via the Kanopy app on streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV.
Penelope, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
Another free streaming service used by many libraries is Hoopla. It’s not as good as Kanopy with the number and variety of movies and TV, but hey, it’s free. My library had it for years and still does. They did add Kanopy recently, so I have the best of both worlds. If your library your school doesn’t have Kanopy, Hoopla is a good alternative.
Phillip,
Have any information when the
NEW company will take control of DirecTV ?