YouTube as a surogate for Cable TV
So I've found several excellent "channels" on YouTube lately and since I cut the cord on Commie Cast and am getting my TV via over the air antennas and my Roku internet streaming boxes, I've found a couple ways to access YouTube and have subscribed to several good channels that deliver interesting programming (some of it frankly better than what you'd find on cable). Its an excellent addition to the Roku (so we still use Netflix for a LOT of our programming, but its nice to find other sources of programming just in case Netflix goes away for any reason).
First let me explain how I'm getting to YouTube with a Roku since it's not officially supported. I set up a Plex server on one of the computers at home and (among a ton of other things) it has a YouTube plugin which works quite well. I also just discovered a "Private" Roku channel called VideoBuzz which works almost as well as the Plex plugin (only thing it lacks that the Plex app has is a "New Subscription Videos" link ... that and VideoBuzz has gone way out of its way to not look like a YouTube client ... probably to avoid the ire of Google). You also have to set up a YouTube account (free and easy and if you have a Gmail account you already have a YouTube account) and then subscribe to the various channels you want so that when you're in the Roku app you can link it to your account and there's your shows.
A side note about Plex, the main reason I installed it is so I could stream content from my computers over the local network to the Roku boxes (which is awesome). There's other Plex channel plugins available, for example Hulu, HGTV, The Food Network and I just installed the one from The Escapist Magazine so I can watch Zero Punctuation video game reviews and other videos from them on the TV.
So the channels I've found so far are as follows (note that the subject matter of my list is pretty much limited to cars, guns and politics ... but that's what I like. There are a ton of other channels out there with everything from cooking shows to sketch comedy to God knows what else).
Cars:
- Drive <- Frankly these guys are producing better quality car shows than any of the cable networks. Everything from muscle cars to European supercars, rally racing, motorcycle tours and car talk shows.
- TopGear <- Behind the scenes and other clips from the BBC's greatest addition to western culture (right after Dr Who).
- Jay Leno's Garage <- I wish he'd quit the Tonite Show and focus on cars instead. Much more entertaining.
Guns:
- Hickok45 <- Some folk really don't like this guy but I don't get it ... a good ole boy reviewing toys ... what else do you want?
- Gun Blast <- Like Hickok45 only not quite as articulate but better facial hair.
Politics:
- Joe Dan Media <- Intellectual Frog Legs ... fun little political commentaries.
- Wild Bill for America <- Wild Bill's monologues.
- Bill Whittle's Channel <- one of this age's luminaries who frankly doesn't get enough air time in the legacy media.
- Jamie Glazov's Channel <- (one of the writers for David Horowitz Front Page Magazine). A combination of his "Glazov Gang" talk show videos, and apparently videos for stuff somebody is selling on eBay or something? (it may actually be the YouTube channel of the production company that shoots The Glazov Gang and not actually Jamie's ... either way I watch The Glazov Gang there).
I'm really not missing Commie Cast at all.
Anyway, anyone got any other channels that they get a steady stream (no pun intended) of good programming?
