TV | Gumballs Plays Games

The WWE Network

Posted on April 5, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

I haven’t watched a whole lot of wrestling lately, but I decided to subscribe to the WWE Network in anticipation of Wrestlemania XXX which takes place tomorrow night. It seems like too good a deal to pass up. For $9.99 a month (with a required 6 month commitment) you get to watch every PPV live on the WWE network via the website, or app on the device of your choice (though it’s not on Xbox One yet).

You also get access to absolutely TONS of on demand content including every past PPV. I was under the impression you could watch RAW and Smackdown after they air, however it turns out there’s a delay of over a month because HULU has the rights to those shows. There’s also some live content and original programming, however I’m not that much of a wrestling fan and probably wont watch very much of that.

Wrestlemania is going to be the first PPV broadcast live over the WWE network so we’ll see how the network holds up tomorrow night. A friend of mine ordered Wrestlemania last year through the PS3 app and the broadcast stopped working after about 30 minutes and never started working again.

I decided to check out what the WWE Network has to offer mainly because I like the business model. I’m not a cable cutter (I have Dish Network and love it), but it’s interesting to see a content provider deciding to take control of its content and distribute it on its own. I also subscribe to MLB.TV and love being able to access content on my own terms. I’ve read a few articles where Dish and DirectTV have expressed frustration over the WWE’s decision to provide PPV content live to WWE Network subscribers (why would you continue to spend $50 a month on PPV’s when $9.99 gets you the same thing and more?) and apparently Dish even refused to carry the last PPV in protest. I’m glad the WWE is deciding to shake things up, and maybe we’ll see more a la carte content in the future.

Last night’s The Walking Dead

Posted on March 17, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

This season of The Walking Dead has felt somewhat tame so far, but that all changed last night. I feel like this entire season is just one long setup for the arrival in Terminus and we won’t see much more exciting, fast-paced episodes until next year. Last night was refreshing, however, as something significant finally happened. We were finally shocked again. I’m hoping that the next two episodes won’t let up, but I’m not quite sure if they can do anything quite as drastic as what happened last night.

What did you think of last night’s episode? I probably should have more to say but I need another cup of coffee this morning.

New on TV: Enlisted

Posted on January 12, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

On Friday we watched Fox’s new comedy, Enlisted. I didn’t expect a whole lot, but it was one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in awhile. The characters are quite entertaining and the acting is quality. The show parodies military life, but it doesn’t offer an accurate depiction at all. I understand that’s not the goal, but being an enlisted member of the Air Force I kept getting distracted by the fact that the characters often wear their uniforms incorrectly, and they all need haircuts. Regardless the show was funny and entertaining throughout and I look forward to next Friday’s episode.

I’ve read Enlisted debuted to low ratings, which is unfortunate but to be expected on a Friday night. I hope they move the show to a better time slot so it can make it through the season without being canceled.

EDIT: I’ve been made aware of this video below and think it’s great! Big thumbs up to Enlisted!

A look at DISH Network, The Hopper, Joey and DISH Anywhere.

Posted on December 23, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

An updated look at Chromecast

Posted on December 13, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

For $35, the Google Chromecast is a great Christmas gift. The Chromecast acts like a Roku player (or similar streaming media player) however it’s controlled by your smartphone or computer over WiFi. Once it’s set up you use apps on your phone or computer to stream content to your TV. However the Chromecast doesn’t pull data from your phone or device, it will connect to the content on it’s own and stream it from the source so you’re free to use your phone for whatever else once it starts streaming.

For example, you can launch the Netflix app on your phone and hit the Chromecast button to start up the Netflix app on the Chromecast. Once you select something to play it’ll begin loading on the Chromecast and you can close out the app on your phone. You can use the app on your phone to control the content by fast forwarding or pausing if you like.

Recently Google added a few more apps to make the Chromecast more versatile. Originally it could only stream from a handful of apps such as Netflix and Google Play. Now there are more options including HBO Go, Hulu Plus and Pandora (and several more that I’ve never used such as VEVO, RedBullTV and RealPlayer Cloud). The HBO Go and Pandora apps are my favorite additions. I’d like to see a Dish Anywhere app sometime in the future, but HBO will do for now.

You can view the video below for a look at the new apps and to see the Chromecast in action. For $35 it has a great, easy to use design and I love using it. Sure I have all of the same apps and more on my PS3, but the ease of controlling everything seamlessly through my phone is great. I can start something playing on Netflix while I search for something to watch on HBO and switch between the two in a matter of seconds. On the PS3 the time it takes to exit one app and enter another is painful.

Tonight on TV: The Walking Dead and Getting On

Posted on December 2, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Warning, spoilers ahead!

Tonight was the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead (it returns in February :/) and it was one of the most thrilling episodes of the season. The Governor and his new recruits showed up at the prison fence heavily armed (and with a freaking tank!). A handful of people died, but I honestly expected it to be worse. It’s been awhile since I’ve read the comics, but I feel like the TV show has been taking it easy on people. Sure Hershel’s death was tragic, and baby Judith’s implied death was heart wrenching, but I kind of expected more main characters to die. I can’t quite remember who all dies at this point in the comics, but I thought I remembered the prison attack being worse than it was portrayed on the TV show. Maybe I’m wrong. Anyway, ultimately the Governor was killed once and for all (though maybe we’ll see zombie Governor? I suppose not, since he was presumably shot in the head). I wanted Rick to kill the governor, I feel like his death was a bit cheap. It’s going to be a long two months but I’m excited to see where the show goes next. Maybe I’ll catch up with the comic in the meantime.

The second episode of Getting On centered around an unruly patient who provided quite a few laughs. The shows comedic moments are great, however there’s a lot of dry dialogue between the laughs that tend to slow things down and cause my attention to start to drift. After the first two episodes I’m not sure if I’m going to keep following the show. Have you watched it? What do you think of the series so far?

On TV: HBO’s Getting On, Family Guy, The Walking Dead and Showtime’s Masters of Sex

Posted on November 25, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Tonight was an interesting night on TV kicked off by the next to last episode of The Walking Dead this year (which has its mid-season finale next Sunday). This ‘Governor’ centric episode was more exciting than last week’s and the arc will climax next Sunday in what is sure to be the most action packed and dramatic episode yet. I’m looking forward to it because I feel like this season has started off slowly. Unfortunately, I’m sure we’ll be left with a cliffhanger and will have to wait until spring to continue watching. I’m not a huge fan of the split season format, but I guess it means we get to enjoy The Walking Dead through more of the year.

Next we watched the latest Simpsons and Family Guy. I have to say the killing off of Brian Griffin was quite tragic and I’m not entirely happy with the decision. We knew going into the year a Griffin was going to be killed off, but I entirely expected it to be Meg or Brian since they’re not voiced by Seth MacFarlane. The new dog, Vinny, is not an enjoyable character and not at all a suitable replacement for Brian. I understand they wanted to shake things up, but I can honestly see myself losing interest in the show with one of my favorite characters gone.

409454_PA_Getting-On_27x40

We also watched the premiere of the new HBO series Getting On, which started its 6 episode run tonight. Getting On is based on the British TV show of the same name and is a comedy that takes place in a hospital’s geriatric extended care unit. I figured we’d give it a try as Vanessa works in a retirement home and we figured it’d be amusing. It seems like a good show so far. The show stars Laurie Metcalf (Jackie from Roseanne) as Dr. Jenna James who is quite obsessed with her fecal matter study. Alex Borstein (the voice of Family Guy’s Lois Griffin) plays head nurse Dawn Forchette. I look forward to seeing how the series progresses.

Lastly we got back into Showtime’s Masters of Sex by watching the third episode. We have the series DVR’ed and I look forward to watching more of it during the long holiday weekend. It’s a good show that seems reason enough to keep Showtime for now. The plot is starting to thicken and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

$50 bill credit for signing up for DISH Network

Posted on November 20, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

So I get these refer a friend certificates in the mail all the time and can never find anything to do with them so I figured I’d post them here. If you use the certificate to sign up you and I both get a $50 bill credit

HOP099253813

HOP099431376

HOP112959516

You can call 1-855-427-6707 to sign up using the referral code.

I love DISH, especially the DISH Anywhere service where I can view live and recorded programming from anywhere on various devices (available with the Hopper with Sling).

No new South Park tonight

Posted on October 16, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

If you were planning on watching the new episode of South Park tonight you’d better plan on watching / DVR’ing something else. The new episode planned for tonight has been pushed until next Wednesday as a power outage prevented the episode from being completed on time to air tonight.

This is very unfortunate, I always look forward to watching a new South Park episode every weekend. What will you watch instead?

Saying Goodbye to Breaking Bad

Posted on September 30, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Last night was the series finale of one of my favorite shows: Breaking Bad. The finale was fitting for the series, but I have to say I had more fun watching seasons two and three than four and five. It was a fun ride and I enjoyed almost every moment (looking at you ‘fly’ episode!). Now maybe I’ll finally get around to finishing season three of Game of Thrones. Maybe that’ll end on a happier note ;).

Also last night brought the return of The Simpsons and Family Guy and both premieres were quite enjoyable. We’re also two weeks away from the return of The Walking Dead and I can’t wait!

I also DVR’ed the premiere of Showtime’s new show, Masters of Sex, but haven’t gotten around to watching it yet.