Author: Peter G

A great Xmas & a Happy New Year

Peter G New Year, Xmas ,

As a long term blogger, not much into the Xmas spirit. Getting older & feeling Xmas might have lost its way. I hope Xmas this year can be more inclusive. I have no plans to go holidays. Staying at my home city of Sydney, Australia during this holiday season. Living the frugal life these days. I am happy with the response with Petesmusic’s Blog this year. Met some great followers this year. I do thank everyone who has taking their time to read Petesmusic’s Blog. I do wish everyone a great Xmas & a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

The 2022 Oscars are on Monday, March 27

Peter G cinema, movies, Oscars, Petesmusic's Blog , , ,

The 2021 Academy Awards (Oscars) was held at Union Station, Los Angeles instead of Kodak Theatre (then Dolby Theatre), Los Angeles on April 25, 2021.

The 2022 Oscars will be at the Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles on March 27, 2022. For a Oscars nomination, the film had to be released from March 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.

A film called “The Power of the Dog” has the most nominations for this year with a number of 12 nominations.

Thanks Wikipedia for research relating to this article.

Photo by Martin Lopez on Pexels.com

The 2021 Oscars with rule changes

Peter G cinema, film appreciation, movies, Oscars , , , ,

The 2021 Academy Awards (Oscars) will next year change its rules over the nominations regarding films of any category. To qualify till now, a film had to be shown for at least seven consecutive days at a commercial cinema in Los Angeles. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting the cinemas around the United States of recent times. That means a film on a streaming service like Netflix that has no release in any cinema prior can be nominated in any category of the 2021 Oscars. For the 2022 Oscars, the rule is expected to change back for a film to be shown for at least seven consecutive days at a commercial cinema in Los Angeles.

The venue for the 2021 Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as the 2020 Oscars.

The date of the 2021 Oscars will be February 28 next year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Note: Thanks nine.com.au for the research of this article.)

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Music streaming options in 2019

Peter G Apple Music, blogging, Spotify, streaming music, Tidal , ,

Streaming sites that were around in a blog post I wrote in 2012 like Rdio, Songl & Pandora are no longer available to Australian consumers but Pandora is still going in the American market.

The main sector in the recorded music market is the use of streaming. Listening to audio files through the use of the internet connection. It has taken over the music download currently by market share.

Spotify is still in the music market. You can listen to an extensive library of recorded music & not long ago it decided to enter as well to have an extensive library of streaming podcasts. The featured image is the logo of Spotify. The owners of the copyright is Spotify.

spotify2019

Their competitors of music streaming these days are:

The next thing to do is to subscribe & enjoy the music you are listening to.

It is goodbye to Google+

Peter G Google, Social media , , ,

I have decided to close down the Google+ account after number of years being a Google+ user. Since I am able to get the social media I need on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. It is farewell now for Google+ as it will be closed for good next year.

Here is the updated social media information you need to know:
Facebook: Peter Giovannoni
Twitter: @petergishere
LinkedIn: Peter Giovannoni
& not to forget my Instagram page under the name of theindieaspie
Instagram: theindieaspie

From Foxtel to Foxtel Now

Peter G Foxtel, Foxtel Now, internet, Petesmusic's Blog, Sport, technology, video streaming , , ,

I have decided with not getting the National Broadband Network in Australia was not to subscribe to the Foxtel cable service by Foxtel & instead get Foxtel Now (formerly Foxtel Play) which uses an online connection to get a set of Foxtel channels. The main difference between Foxtel and Foxtel Now is the prices you pay & the number of channels you receive. The packages you get on Foxtel and Foxtel Now are completely different. With Foxtel, you need a set top box. I am currently using Foxtel Now through the Samsung smart Blu- Ray Player. No need for a professional installation. Can use Foxtel Now as well on the personal computer & get the Smart phone app if I want to. Foxtel Now for people who live in the United Kingdom & Ireland is Australia’s version of Now TV.
With Foxtel Now, there a few base packs to choose from:

  • Pop pack
  • Lifestyle pack
  • Drama pack
  • Docos pack
  • Kids pack

You can use every pack on a one month trial before choosing to pay for any of the packs. You can either choose from one base pack or choose every base pack after the one month trial. For financial reasons, I have chosen the Pop pack because I like the programs more with this pack compared with the other starter packs. The Pop pack & Drama pack by themselves cost $A15 per month while the Kids pack, Docos pack & the Lifestyle pack costs $A10 per month. Not to forget the Pop pack & the Drama pack combined costs $A25 per month.
With the Pop pack, the channels you receive are:

In addition of the base pack(s), you can choose the next tier:

  • Sports pack ($A29 per month)
  • Movies pack ($A20 per month)

You can either choose wither the Sports pack or the Movies pack or both packs but must get the base pack(s) first. Included if you pick one of the packs as the minimum are the channels you receive in addition:

The main positive with Foxtel Now is the opportunity to watch channels like Showcase & The Comedy Channel through a pack worth $A15 per month. With Foxtel, to get those very channels would cost a lot more money in a month. The main drawback is I feel is the cutting the number of channels that were available from Foxtel Now earlier this year. For more information, go to the Foxtel Now website.

NOTE: This information is only related to the Australian market. This is an independent review & I have no relationship with Foxtel as an employee or contractor. This post has all the information updated as at May 28 in 2018 from the original post from December 20 in 2017.

foxtelnow

Not getting the NBN

Peter G computers, internet, NBN, Sydney, Wireless , , , ,

My last blog post was preparing for the NBN. To recap, NBN is short for the National Broadband Network which is the name for the broadband network that exists in Australia. The NBN is a wholesaler providing the infrastructures which exists in a lot of homes in Australia. To get an NBN order, you must ring a telecommunications company providing the NBN technology for an order. For several years, I have been a customer of the Optus cable technology. Before the NBN was ready, I had high hopes with the availability of this technology in the inner-west suburbs of Sydney which is the area of my residence. Not long after my last blog post, the NBN was ready around my residence. I got letters from telecommunications companies where I am not a customer. Not long after it was Optus. Their letter had a disconnection date with the current technology as early as September 2017. If not making an NBN order by that date. For personal reasons, I was not ready to make an NBN order considering trying to make for September but given June or July connection dates which were not to all right for me. I made two orders for Optus NBN but cancelled them both for personal reasons. I decided not to make another order for the NBN with Optus or other companies because I was very dissatisfied big time with customer service of a very low standard.

I did manage to buy a 4G wireless broadband product with a subsidiary brand of a big telecommunications business & got connected with no hassle after going to an electrical business to buy a modem. The current strange scenario is I have a 4G wireless broadband account with this other telecommunications business & as well, still have an Optus home account with their technology. The disconnection date of the Optus letter never happened & the date of disconnection is not till the end of 2018 according to the NBN. It is a shame that I have spent hundreds of dollars no thanks to Optus that I could have saved. I could have connected with the 4G wireless broadband with the telecommunications business I recently signed up with later for my liking. If I want to proceed with future disconnection, I must ring Optus personally to switch it off. Not at all using this so called old equipment for free either. I am totally not all interested in getting the NBN now. Sticking with this 4G wireless broadband product that I have signed up with for quite a while.

Not NBN Ready Yet

Peter G Australia, digital TV, Foxtel, laptop, NBN , , , , , , ,

foxteliqhdThe Australian NBN is coming to my neighbourhood. The NBN is short for the National Broadband Network which is an Australian Government Business Enterprise. I have looked the at the NBN website & the rollout in my neighbourhood is in May to June 2017. It could be in time or it might be delayed. This NBN is about the having the latest technology related to the landline telephone, broadband internet & pay TV. There are a number of technologies involved depending where you live in Australia. I currently have a landline telephone, broadband internet & pay TV. I use the older cable technology in the meantime. I am happy using it. I live in the inner western suburbs of Sydney in Australia.

I have got good news with Optus TV featuring Foxtel. The sports pack stayed at $25. It did not go up in price at all. Good on you Optus. This deal however will only last to the NBN switchover. If I really want Foxtel in the future. Have to contact Foxtel. With their cable service, the base entertainment, sports & high definition version of these channels. I am proven right of hitting well over the 60 Australian dollar mark for a month. Not including a set top box tax & installation fee. Only a $50 discount. Dreadfully overpriced I afraid. Not worth the trouble & not worth the money. Getting Foxtel Play is a better bet if really want Foxtel in the future with live & catch up TV application for online viewing. The prices are more reasonable as well. Can view this application via a number of devices. Can put the application on the laptop & connect a cable to the TV set.

I am an Optus customer. With the NBN ready offer, they don’t offer Foxtel. They have joined forces with budget pay TV outfit Fetch like number of other Australian telecommunication businesses. Their brand name is “Yes TV by Fetch”. Their NBN ready offer is a new modem for NBN broadband, a phone with choice of pay for phone use or a phone pack & of course, their Fetch TV pack. No point buying a Fetch box at JB Hi-Fi when Optus will give it away for me if I really want it. For the time with TV, enjoying watching Foxtel provided by Optus with this old relic of set top box which will be an antique piece very soon. This photo above will be handy for any memories down the track of the way I used to watch TV.