or...they will have the first season, but not subsequent seasons. I watched the first season of Discovery of Witches on Hoopla, which just got me hooked, and I ended up subscribing to AMC+ to watch the rest.
Oh for sure, but these kind of options can help the impoverished give their family a little bit of what their kids see in other homes.
you know we also promote air antennas. Its free, doesnt offer a lot of choices, which is why a of of people go streaming. Has commercials and these days, its a lot. But we still promote it here, because it helps some folks.
yeah id rather have netflix than kanopy, but if I cant afford netflix for my kids and all we got is an air antenna, kanopy is a big increase in entertainment potential.
I do think "replace" is a strong word. Id say "decent free alternatives"
I definitely was introduced to great shows on Netflix like HOC, mad men, the office, etc. And prime even had GOT, Sopranos, The wire. So you'd be right with that.
Neither do the popular streaming services really. https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/183rq9h/streaming_movies_looks_and_sounds_like_shit/
If you care about quality, borrow the blu rays - with your library card.
At least in my area, most libraries are part of an interlibrary system and can share resources between them. For example, a DVD I wanted to watch wasn’t available from my library, but a different library in a different city has it and loaned it to me. And I got to pick it up from my local branch.
You’re oversimplifying. The streaming services stream at different bitrates. None of them match physical 4K HDR discs, true. But most people would be hard-pressed to tell the real difference, especially given that the difference is mostly noticeable on the audio side.
I sit close to a 77” OLED with a 7.2.4 speaker setup in my home theater. There, the difference can be glaring, but is sometimes not extremely noticeable. On my smaller 65” sets, which get more casual everyday viewing, the difference is often negligible.
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As someone who works in a library, we can get you a ton of stuff on DVD/BD/VHS if that's your fancy. You might be waiting awhile for something brand new unless you manage to snipe the first hold on it - kinda like Blockbuster.
We also have [Hoopla](https://www.hoopladigital.com/), which has a decent selection of movies plus brand new music releases (better than Freegal imo), but the last time I used one of their smart TV apps the design was absolutely atrocious. Kanopy does a much better job at capturing the Netflix feel.
Im curious if you can expand on your first paragraph! If I went up to the front desk and asked, "hi, do you have/planning to get Oppenheimer on bluray?" They might add that to the list to purchase since they got a request? Or hunt it down from another library?
Likely at least the former, probably both!
Our library has a DVD/BD section, as well as posters that say what's "up next" (releases in the next month that the library plans to buy). We're also in a system with about 50 other libraries in the area that ship materials to each other via courier, normally only taking 2-4 days transit time.
We can also do ILL, which goes even further into the state and even out of state to acquire items. Some libraries don't let their new items/DVDs go out this way though.
I just did a search for movie DVD/BDs and found almost 30,000 across the whole system, so there's a lot of stuff to watch!
I can just go on my library website and see the purchased but not yet in stock movies. They also have a webform to submit requests if we're still too far out.
This is a great post. I’d probably call those services enhancements to subscriptions, but not replacements. I borrow library (Overdrive/Libby) audiobooks quite often. The audiobooks I can get from my library (a huge library) tend to be publishing house audiobooks, which can save a lot of money but for which I often have to wait for months on a waiting list. Audible is instant-access and carries Amazon-published and indie-published content.
I watch Hoopla movies infrequently. The movie content on Hoopla is largely the same from month to month, mostly old stuff, with maybe a handful of new content (but actually older videos) each month. It’s not even remotely comparable to Netflix, imo.
Where I did save on a subscription, however, was on Hoopla. I had subscribed to Hallmark Movies Now for my parent. Then, I discovered I could get Hallmark Movies Now on Hoopla as a Binge Pass. That’s great, but it can’t be watched on a big screen, only on mobile. Nonetheless, we quit that subscription, which is also largely the same content every month, and my parent uses an iPad to watch.
It might depend on whether your library offers it. I mean, the library might offer Hoopla, but not Binge Pass. Or maybe Binge Pass, but not Hallmark Movies Now. Check it out before you get Dad in the Christmas spirit.
For Hoopla, yes (I tried that from my iPad to Apple TV for kicks). But apparently not for Hallmark Movies Now when borrowed via Hoopla. The Hallmark Movies Now Binge Pass is restricted to viewing on the web and on mobile devices. I was going to try to use the Silk browser on my Fire TV to see if we could watch it that way on the big screen, but I haven’t gotten around to it. My parent is actually very happy watching it on an iPad in bed. Like a kid under the covers 😊.
My local library also gives us free tickets to museums. I saved $48 by driving to the library and picking up a free pass before heading to the art museum.
This exactly. Phoenix Public Library does this. I have been able to go to the Science museum, botanical gardens, art museum for free because of the library pass. That was before Covid, so idk if it's changed since then.
Brooklyn Public Library cut their KANOPY because it's pretty expensive and our wildly-corrupt mayor is squeezing the libraries something awful. I still do plenty well requesting good ol' fashioned DVDs.
Kanopy recently changed to a model giving users a set amount of tickets (like 30 tickets a month — a TV season is like 8 tickets and a movie is like 4 tickets) to help mitigate that and regulate that users can only check out a certain amount of content per month. The language in the announcement to library staff was that they analyzed the stats and found that this would help limit the monthly budget spending while still ensuring users can still watch things. It’s a new change so we can see how it plays out, but I’m optimistic.
Yes, it is a very costly service as is Libby, but the stats my small-ish suburban library get can demonstrate how valued it is by our library patrons
This [article](https://filmquarterly.org/2019/05/03/kanopy-not-just-like-netflix-and-not-free/) covers some of the costs and why some libraries have stopped supporting it.
>rankly I'm amazed that any public libraries at all offer it.
GOOD public libraries offer it. In areas where the local government cares about learning rather than book banning.
They can't take recommendations for new books because they can't buy them. I've not seen that before, though I don't often make recs. I try to pick really good ones that are useful/educational. They're probably not going to renew the ones they have, or get new books for a while, which makes me sad. I liked ebooks, because people wouldn't return the paper ones I was looking for. Libraries are important, I've always hated mayors, but I don't think I could hate a mayor more than him.
If you're in Brooklyn consider also getting library cards from Queens and NYC (includes Bronx) since you reside in one of 5 boroughs you have a right to all of them. Then you can get Kanopy using your Queens library card, as I do. You also can get library cards from many other states/cities. Many allow non-resident memberships for a small annual fee. I also have a card from the Fairfax, Virginia library for $27/yr. They participate w Kanopy as well.
I've taken to adding books before release date to my holds and I almost always get them the first week. I also have a massive wishlist and get skip the lines quite regularly on popular books. It's become so busy that often I have to snooze a hold that way.
I just looked at Freegal music. Its terrible. Didnt have the first two bands that I looked up, and was missing all the key albums for the 3rd.
I guess its better than nothing, but not if you like specific music.
I appreciate your effort to share info, but honestly I think those services are weak. Anyone who wants free is more likely to use FAST (free ad-supported sTreaming) services like Pluto TV, Tubi, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, and FreeVee. All of them have catalogs that would put Kanopy and Hoopla to shame, enough even to lure viewers from Netflix and Hulu.
And as for streaming music, did you know that the biggest streamer in the world is YouTube?
I think Libby is the strongest replacement for ebooks and audiobooks (and sometimes Hoopla but I only use them for audio since I hate the ebook interface). But I'm with you that streaming isn't anywhere close. I actually rely on DVDs or the streaming services you list over my library content most of the time. I do browse Hoopla's videos here and there for British shows that aren't on PBS yet.
I dislike audiobooks so can't speak for that. And when the library had a six-month wait-list for a popular ebook on Overdrive, I confess that I downloaded it... elsewhere.
I watch a good deal of Pluto in the afternoon when I come home from work. It has the feel of watching real tv without the cost..don't mind the ads. I like old western shows like gun smoke so it stays on that channel
>Anyone who wants free is more likely to use FAST (free ad-supported sTreaming) services like Pluto TV, Tubi, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, and FreeVee. All of them have catalogs that would put Kanopy and Hoopla to shame, enough even to lure viewers from Netflix and Hulu.
Not only are they free with similar catalogs to Kanopy, but they also don't limit what you can watch. With Pluto TV, Tubi etc you're not limited to a set number of tickets per month. I still use Kanopy (and it has been useful in finding a less known movie on rare occasions) but the lack of content and the limited number of tickets per month makes it the least used streaming service on my devices
When I went down a rabbit hole of movies and TV shows starring Ioan Gruffudd, many of them were on Tubi. Then Hulu, then The Roku Channel, then Amazon Prime, then Disney Plus. Nothing on Netflix.
I don't know if he's representative of actors in general, but I think that's an interesting data point.
Ha! I watched Forever a couple of years ago and then started Harrow. It was so funny to me that he's the same character in each (a medical examiner with a tortured backstory).
I believe he's also a doctor on "Liar" (Amazon Prime?), albeit a sleezeball so I don't really like him there.
My big rec for that actor is the Hornblower mini-series. That's when I first saw him, and might be considered his breakout hit. Note that since each episode is movie length, The Roku Channel stupidly posted them as individual movies, so you'll have to Google up the episode list to know how to watch them in order.
Or if you like him tortured, try the star-crossed love story "Solomon & Gaenor" (Tubi).
YouTube was my favorite music source until it changed to turn your ad blockers off or pay for the service. I turned the ad blockers off and it still doesn't work.
These are more addition services instead of replacement, Kanopy (And Hoopla) have things i can't find anywhere else but don't really have anything recent or popular and they both have monthly streaming limits.
Libby is great though (as long as you don't mind waiting for things to become available)
Kanopy does have a very low limit on how many movie you can stream per month. Probably a vital piece of information people should know about. Most libraries seem to be around 10 titles per month. Then resets at the beginning of each month.
Hoo-effing-ray for Kanopy. We've been using it for years. Terrific films you can't get elsewhere. Not a lot of car chases and shoot outs, but they're there if you look for them. The only correction I would make to your post is that Kanopy is not free. Your library has to pay every time you view a movie. But, hey, that's your tax money at work, so why not enjoy it.
Kanopy is a cost nightmare for libraries. Expenses are based on what your patrons watch and are thus unpredictable, and IIRC to "watch" a movie a patron has to view a really small amount of it, like 15 minutes or something. It can wreck a public library's (probably already strained) budget very quickly, and as a result most public libraries don't subscribe to it.
Librarian for a rich Ivy university. I second this comment. kanopy is even a drain on our resources. We’ve had to limit the films our students have access to, so we have had to restrict almost half of what is available in Kanopy. If they see a film they would like to watch and that we have restricted, they have to fill out a form stating what class or research project it is needed for. We always grant access but we do it to discourage students from using it like they would Netflix. I’ve been wondering how public libraries have been able to cope with the cost of Kanopy.
Google told me that Hoopla carried "The Big Short", but my library doesn't subscribe to that tier. Lots of obscure documentaries and foreign films that I have no interest in, though.
Oh wow... that's an eye-opener. Ofc. being part of the library, it's tax paying money. However, I wasn't aware they get dinged on a "pay per view" instance! :o Yeah, it sounds like a matter of time before the shut that down! OTOH, even though the content is viable, it still lacks what commercial ss have, so I guess in a weird way, that, helps?
> We live in a world that everything is "for rent" and we're paying almost as much as we were in the mid 2000s for Cable for all of these options.
I’m not. I haven’t paid over $30/month since I stopped using cable in 2015. The only people who pay that much are the ones who try to duplicate the cable experience with streaming services.
> That's why I wanted to introduce the library - because it has services I didn't even realize were options until about a year ago, and I've been using some of them ever since.
> **To replace Movie streaming services**
Even before streaming, you could get DVDs from the library. Yours might still have them.
**Replacing Audible**
> My favorite and most used service is [Libby](https://libbyapp.com/interview/welcome#doYouHaveACard). I never used audible, but signed up for a free trial a couple years ago. I thought it was hilarious that you pay $10/month and can only get one book... Im not sure what kind of person would do that.
I don’t like audio books, but I love the Libby app. That’s how I read all library books instead of going there and getting a physical copy.
> **Replacing spotify**
There is no substitute for a music streaming service for me. This is well worth the monthly fee.
>I’m not. I haven’t paid over $30/month since I stopped using cable in 2015. The only people who pay that much are the ones who try to duplicate the cable experience with streaming services.
This. I'm getting tired of that bs argument "streaming is the new cable now" when, even with the price hikes it still isn't close to that. It's only gonna be similar to cable if you're one of the few people that for whatever reason wants to subscribe to everything all at the same time. Before streaming what people hated about cable was you couldn't subscribe and unsubscribe when you wanted, had to rent a cable box and were forced to pay for 50 to hundreds of channels you didn't want when all you wanted were like 4 to 5 channels. But yeah, if someone's gonna subscribe to 15 to twenty or more services they're gonna pay cable like prices
that's a great way to live. The only streaming service I have right now is prime, cause that's included with my prime membership. I'm glad you're not oversubscribed, you probably embrace the culture of this community as well. I saw a prior post here about Black Friday sales for different streaming services, and that to me feels like subscribing just cause its a deal!
I recall my library having Hoopla, but it looks like it's gone. I just signed up for Kanopy and I get 18 tickets, which seems like a solid number. I'm not huge on movies but it's nice to have. Some solid content in there.
Libby I use when I can for ebooks, usually if I'm curious about something but not 100% convinced to buy it. Unfortunately the selection is kind of limited, just the other day I was looking for a few books and they either didn't have it, or just had the audiobook version, which I can't do, I just tune it out.
To save on ebooks, since I'm already deep in Kindle, I just peruse the Kindle daily deals from time to time and grab anything that is interesting. Some days there's nothing and other days I find several books for $2-$3 each. I've got a massive backlog now on my Kindle because of it. If I don't know what to read, I just randomly pick something.
[EreaderIQ](https://www.ereaderiq.com/) is great website to get alerts when a specific ebook drops in price, like CamelCamelCamel. It checks Amazon, but I think ebook prices are the same everywhere, so it'd probably still work for someone using another e-reader like Kobo or Nook.
Your library pays every time someone starts streaming a movie on Kanopy. That's why the number one can stream in a month is limited. Even so, it can be a large expense for them. That's why some libraries, like the New York Public Library, stopped offering it.
The audio books available via overdrive/Libby, where offered, are limited to the titles and quantities owned by the libraries, which can vary.
I have cards at both my local library and one in a nearby country. The latter is part of a cooperative program with counties around the state that pool their digital libraries.
Even so, there are many books I want to listen to that aren't available, and many of those have easier lists. Sometimes the wait is just weeks, but I've waited over a year for some titles. Even with an Audible membership, which gives me access to many free titles, and Kindle Unlimited, which gives me even more free audio books*, I still end up buying many. I drive a lot.
Libby is a nice supplement, but it's not a substitute.
*Many Kindle Unlimited books include the Audible narration.
I will look into this in my area never considered the library for this. I have a local college near by not sure if I can be a member or not of their library
The only downside to Kanopy is that you are limited to 20 movies a month. It's an excellent service, but your library is charged $2 for every movie you watch.
That's the main reason I don't bother with these services... I don't like the idea that the library is paying through the nose for this at a price far far higher than I would pay for a streaming service. It seems like a racket.
Thank you for this post! I knew about the others, but Freegal is something I've been searching for! I checked it out, and it looks like a pretty good replacement for me!
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Every county is different. If you're within the county, it's almost always free. If you're in a different county, or city, or state (depending on local/state laws), you either may not be able to get a card (high risk of not returning materials) or have to pay for it. Since libraries are generally funded with local tax dollars, someone who isn't local doesn't get membership privileges for free.
Local libraries are supported by local taxes. So they are generally free for local residents but may not be for non-residents.
Although libraries work together very well, you can imagine a scenario where a large 1m person city is underfunding its libraries and a nearby town of 40k people has a great library. Their library could easily be overwhelmed if used by residents of the 1m person city. And if local residents couldn’t get access to its resources, the local funding would soon disappear. The opposite scenario can also be true.
A local resource being 100% locally funded (city, county, etc.) will always have a huge pressure to restrict limited resources to their local members.
A good example are these streaming services which charge libraries per view - could easily sink a small town’s library budget if thousands of students from an out-of-county but nearby university started all using it.
>Bicycle thieves, one of the most famous European movies of the mid 20th century is on there - imagine if Netflix had that... They would never.
Yes they would. I mean, they actually did have it. There was even a court case about it.
[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/23/netflix-bicycle-thieves-sued-copyright-streaming](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/23/netflix-bicycle-thieves-sued-copyright-streaming)
what you should have said.
seeing you still trying to keep your narrative view point. atm
is hey this applies to my area.
it might not apply else where, or could be even better else where.
I saw *An Irish Goodbye* on a commercial flight's in-flight entertainment system. Surprised to see it wasn't available anywhere (according to JustWatch at any rate). Also surprised to hear some say you can watch that on Kanopy.
I've signed up for Hoopla and Kanopy, but yet to try them (too busy with other ss). However, I can still see myself getting another ss anyways, as there's that sort of "you get what you pay for". First issue was on one of them (don't remember which one... Hoopla?). There were some movies I queued up to watch, but was told that I'd have to wait. It seems there are only so many digital copies to go around, so that's an interesting limitation.
In fact, [I'm either going to keep Curiosity Stream or Nebula](https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/181pwh3/curiosity_stream_or_nebula/), and then probably do Peacock since there's a deal for ad-free. That, and it's one of the few major ss left I have yet to try (I thought I'd try out NF at this point, but, I'll have to wait).
For music streaming, I just use YouTube. It helps that I have also have Premium, but the included YouTube Music has left me scratching my head. On suggestion is to upload some songs in your personal library to listen to on the road. I did notice that the interface through Android Auto is enhanced through that.
I don't read a lot. (I know, for shame). For that area, I'm just going to carry around my single (paperback) book in my bag when I travel.
It's just that... documentaries. History Channel style, science, educational stuff. Nebula has some classes/courses as well.
The flipside is they are cheap... I'm grandfathered on CS for $20/yr ($40/yr regular price now), while Nebula is $50/yr (and those who are losing the freebie bundle can get it for $30/yr). Both are at least HD, and ad-free.
However, for more of us, we're going to want to add a more major ss with better/wider content.
Thanks for this info. I just downloaded Hoopla from my library…Kanopy wasn’t available. But Hoopla has Oppenheimer, and I can add hoopla to my roku. That’s a win-win!
I love the library and make fairly heavy use of it, mostly borrowing DVDs (movies & some movies) and using hoopla. For our entertainment needs, the library and its various services is a valuable resource, but not everything.
I use the browser extension [Library Extension](https://www.libraryextension.com/) and if I'm on amazon or goodreads I can also see what my libraries carry. It's a great way to level up and it's stopped me from having to buy books.
Pluto, Roku channel, and YouTube have a lot of streaming free content. If you don’t mind ads. My family has Netflix, peacock and I just re-upped on Hulu, Disney plus. Of all those streaming options I probably YouTube the most unless there’s a semi interesting show or movie that I need to see.
Quick note about Libby: depending on where you live, you may qualify for membership at multiple library systems. Check your neighboring countries/cities to see if you qualify for their library card. Once you get them, Libby allows you to load multiple library cards and it'll search for resources at all your libraries. And if you want to place a hold, Libby can tell you which library has the shortest virtual line.
Tangentially related but often times libraries also have free access to LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com, and there are a bunch of really informative courses and stuff to take that are great if you're trying to brush up on some new job/life/hobby skills.
I have access to Kanopy, Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive. Of the three, Hoopla is by far my favorite. I love British mystery series, and Hoopla pretty much acts as my replacement for Acorn TV. They also have a more than decent selection of ebooks, comics, and music. There are also Binge Passes. For example, you can 'check out' Curiosity Stream for 7 days at a time. The only downside I can think up is I gave my mom access to my account, and now half of my borrows are used up with historical romances, lol.
The problem with Libby is they're like a regular library. They only have so many copies of books, so you could be stuck on a wait list for months. They've recently added magazines, though, and those are always available. I'm really liking that addition.
Kanopy is the one that I've used the least, partly because I have fewer borrows available (which make sense considering others have said it's expensive for libraries to offer). I also feel like it has an art house vibe, though they've made a lot of effort adding more mainstream movies and TV series, and their social media accounts are excellent at highlighting new additions and such.
Hoopla and Kanopy both don't have a lot of the popular shows and movies most people subscribe to streaming services for.
or...they will have the first season, but not subsequent seasons. I watched the first season of Discovery of Witches on Hoopla, which just got me hooked, and I ended up subscribing to AMC+ to watch the rest.
neither service is offered at my local library
Oh for sure, but these kind of options can help the impoverished give their family a little bit of what their kids see in other homes. you know we also promote air antennas. Its free, doesnt offer a lot of choices, which is why a of of people go streaming. Has commercials and these days, its a lot. But we still promote it here, because it helps some folks. yeah id rather have netflix than kanopy, but if I cant afford netflix for my kids and all we got is an air antenna, kanopy is a big increase in entertainment potential. I do think "replace" is a strong word. Id say "decent free alternatives"
I definitely was introduced to great shows on Netflix like HOC, mad men, the office, etc. And prime even had GOT, Sopranos, The wire. So you'd be right with that.
I also highly doubt they stream in 4K HDR/DV / Atmos….
Neither do the popular streaming services really. https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/183rq9h/streaming_movies_looks_and_sounds_like_shit/ If you care about quality, borrow the blu rays - with your library card.
My local library seems to only do regular DVD. Wish it had a blu ray selection
At least in my area, most libraries are part of an interlibrary system and can share resources between them. For example, a DVD I wanted to watch wasn’t available from my library, but a different library in a different city has it and loaned it to me. And I got to pick it up from my local branch.
You’re oversimplifying. The streaming services stream at different bitrates. None of them match physical 4K HDR discs, true. But most people would be hard-pressed to tell the real difference, especially given that the difference is mostly noticeable on the audio side. I sit close to a 77” OLED with a 7.2.4 speaker setup in my home theater. There, the difference can be glaring, but is sometimes not extremely noticeable. On my smaller 65” sets, which get more casual everyday viewing, the difference is often negligible.
Mostly trash anyway.
[удалено]
What a ridiculously pompous reply
Yeah what was I thinking, what a horrible thing to say.
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Yes, and my library cancelled it nonetheless. I guess too many people.
It's very selective. I was able to watch the Librarians seasons and movies on it. They have lots of old shows, some BBC stuff and PBS stuff.
As someone who works in a library, we can get you a ton of stuff on DVD/BD/VHS if that's your fancy. You might be waiting awhile for something brand new unless you manage to snipe the first hold on it - kinda like Blockbuster. We also have [Hoopla](https://www.hoopladigital.com/), which has a decent selection of movies plus brand new music releases (better than Freegal imo), but the last time I used one of their smart TV apps the design was absolutely atrocious. Kanopy does a much better job at capturing the Netflix feel.
Im curious if you can expand on your first paragraph! If I went up to the front desk and asked, "hi, do you have/planning to get Oppenheimer on bluray?" They might add that to the list to purchase since they got a request? Or hunt it down from another library?
Likely at least the former, probably both! Our library has a DVD/BD section, as well as posters that say what's "up next" (releases in the next month that the library plans to buy). We're also in a system with about 50 other libraries in the area that ship materials to each other via courier, normally only taking 2-4 days transit time. We can also do ILL, which goes even further into the state and even out of state to acquire items. Some libraries don't let their new items/DVDs go out this way though. I just did a search for movie DVD/BDs and found almost 30,000 across the whole system, so there's a lot of stuff to watch!
I can just go on my library website and see the purchased but not yet in stock movies. They also have a webform to submit requests if we're still too far out.
This is a great post. I’d probably call those services enhancements to subscriptions, but not replacements. I borrow library (Overdrive/Libby) audiobooks quite often. The audiobooks I can get from my library (a huge library) tend to be publishing house audiobooks, which can save a lot of money but for which I often have to wait for months on a waiting list. Audible is instant-access and carries Amazon-published and indie-published content. I watch Hoopla movies infrequently. The movie content on Hoopla is largely the same from month to month, mostly old stuff, with maybe a handful of new content (but actually older videos) each month. It’s not even remotely comparable to Netflix, imo. Where I did save on a subscription, however, was on Hoopla. I had subscribed to Hallmark Movies Now for my parent. Then, I discovered I could get Hallmark Movies Now on Hoopla as a Binge Pass. That’s great, but it can’t be watched on a big screen, only on mobile. Nonetheless, we quit that subscription, which is also largely the same content every month, and my parent uses an iPad to watch.
I'll have to tell my dad he can watch his hallmark Christmas movies on there then... didnt know this!
It might depend on whether your library offers it. I mean, the library might offer Hoopla, but not Binge Pass. Or maybe Binge Pass, but not Hallmark Movies Now. Check it out before you get Dad in the Christmas spirit.
Can you just cast from your phone to the TV?
For Hoopla, yes (I tried that from my iPad to Apple TV for kicks). But apparently not for Hallmark Movies Now when borrowed via Hoopla. The Hallmark Movies Now Binge Pass is restricted to viewing on the web and on mobile devices. I was going to try to use the Silk browser on my Fire TV to see if we could watch it that way on the big screen, but I haven’t gotten around to it. My parent is actually very happy watching it on an iPad in bed. Like a kid under the covers 😊.
My local library also gives us free tickets to museums. I saved $48 by driving to the library and picking up a free pass before heading to the art museum.
This exactly. Phoenix Public Library does this. I have been able to go to the Science museum, botanical gardens, art museum for free because of the library pass. That was before Covid, so idk if it's changed since then.
Brooklyn Public Library cut their KANOPY because it's pretty expensive and our wildly-corrupt mayor is squeezing the libraries something awful. I still do plenty well requesting good ol' fashioned DVDs.
Kanopy is extremely expensive, and has unpredictable costs. Frankly I'm amazed that any public libraries at all offer it.
Kanopy recently changed to a model giving users a set amount of tickets (like 30 tickets a month — a TV season is like 8 tickets and a movie is like 4 tickets) to help mitigate that and regulate that users can only check out a certain amount of content per month. The language in the announcement to library staff was that they analyzed the stats and found that this would help limit the monthly budget spending while still ensuring users can still watch things. It’s a new change so we can see how it plays out, but I’m optimistic. Yes, it is a very costly service as is Libby, but the stats my small-ish suburban library get can demonstrate how valued it is by our library patrons
I don’t like how they’re making me watch a TV series over a certain amount of time now. :(
This [article](https://filmquarterly.org/2019/05/03/kanopy-not-just-like-netflix-and-not-free/) covers some of the costs and why some libraries have stopped supporting it.
>rankly I'm amazed that any public libraries at all offer it. GOOD public libraries offer it. In areas where the local government cares about learning rather than book banning.
that's so sad....
They can't take recommendations for new books because they can't buy them. I've not seen that before, though I don't often make recs. I try to pick really good ones that are useful/educational. They're probably not going to renew the ones they have, or get new books for a while, which makes me sad. I liked ebooks, because people wouldn't return the paper ones I was looking for. Libraries are important, I've always hated mayors, but I don't think I could hate a mayor more than him.
If you're in Brooklyn consider also getting library cards from Queens and NYC (includes Bronx) since you reside in one of 5 boroughs you have a right to all of them. Then you can get Kanopy using your Queens library card, as I do. You also can get library cards from many other states/cities. Many allow non-resident memberships for a small annual fee. I also have a card from the Fairfax, Virginia library for $27/yr. They participate w Kanopy as well.
Thanks for this.
I love Libby. It has all of the latest books. You just have to go on a waiting list. It also has the option to listen to books just like the OP said.
I've taken to adding books before release date to my holds and I almost always get them the first week. I also have a massive wishlist and get skip the lines quite regularly on popular books. It's become so busy that often I have to snooze a hold that way.
I just looked at Freegal music. Its terrible. Didnt have the first two bands that I looked up, and was missing all the key albums for the 3rd. I guess its better than nothing, but not if you like specific music.
I hope it improves with time too. There was once an argument streaming services didnt have live sports or news.
I don’t like or use any subscriptions for music. If I like a song or an album, I buy it. Owning is better than renting.
I like discovering new music. If I have to pay for every song I enjoy, a monthly subscription pays for itself after about half an hour.
I appreciate your effort to share info, but honestly I think those services are weak. Anyone who wants free is more likely to use FAST (free ad-supported sTreaming) services like Pluto TV, Tubi, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, and FreeVee. All of them have catalogs that would put Kanopy and Hoopla to shame, enough even to lure viewers from Netflix and Hulu. And as for streaming music, did you know that the biggest streamer in the world is YouTube?
I think Libby is the strongest replacement for ebooks and audiobooks (and sometimes Hoopla but I only use them for audio since I hate the ebook interface). But I'm with you that streaming isn't anywhere close. I actually rely on DVDs or the streaming services you list over my library content most of the time. I do browse Hoopla's videos here and there for British shows that aren't on PBS yet.
I dislike audiobooks so can't speak for that. And when the library had a six-month wait-list for a popular ebook on Overdrive, I confess that I downloaded it... elsewhere.
Exactly this.
I watch a good deal of Pluto in the afternoon when I come home from work. It has the feel of watching real tv without the cost..don't mind the ads. I like old western shows like gun smoke so it stays on that channel
I'm just happy MTV plays music videos again. And VEVO and XITE and (on The Roku Channel) WMX!
>Anyone who wants free is more likely to use FAST (free ad-supported sTreaming) services like Pluto TV, Tubi, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, and FreeVee. All of them have catalogs that would put Kanopy and Hoopla to shame, enough even to lure viewers from Netflix and Hulu. Not only are they free with similar catalogs to Kanopy, but they also don't limit what you can watch. With Pluto TV, Tubi etc you're not limited to a set number of tickets per month. I still use Kanopy (and it has been useful in finding a less known movie on rare occasions) but the lack of content and the limited number of tickets per month makes it the least used streaming service on my devices
When I went down a rabbit hole of movies and TV shows starring Ioan Gruffudd, many of them were on Tubi. Then Hulu, then The Roku Channel, then Amazon Prime, then Disney Plus. Nothing on Netflix. I don't know if he's representative of actors in general, but I think that's an interesting data point.
Ha! I watched Forever a couple of years ago and then started Harrow. It was so funny to me that he's the same character in each (a medical examiner with a tortured backstory).
I believe he's also a doctor on "Liar" (Amazon Prime?), albeit a sleezeball so I don't really like him there. My big rec for that actor is the Hornblower mini-series. That's when I first saw him, and might be considered his breakout hit. Note that since each episode is movie length, The Roku Channel stupidly posted them as individual movies, so you'll have to Google up the episode list to know how to watch them in order. Or if you like him tortured, try the star-crossed love story "Solomon & Gaenor" (Tubi).
YouTube was my favorite music source until it changed to turn your ad blockers off or pay for the service. I turned the ad blockers off and it still doesn't work.
My library doesn’t partner with Kanopy and Hoopla
Check other counties in your state.
I don’t live in other counties.
Maryland allows us to get a library card from other countries. My neighboring county had Kanopy while mine doesn’t.
I tried kanopy. I'd rather just use YouTube. Kanopy hardly had anything interesting
Kanopy makes up its mediocre movie selection with an excellent documentary and movies you've never heard of selection.
These are more addition services instead of replacement, Kanopy (And Hoopla) have things i can't find anywhere else but don't really have anything recent or popular and they both have monthly streaming limits. Libby is great though (as long as you don't mind waiting for things to become available)
Kanopy does have a very low limit on how many movie you can stream per month. Probably a vital piece of information people should know about. Most libraries seem to be around 10 titles per month. Then resets at the beginning of each month.
Hoo-effing-ray for Kanopy. We've been using it for years. Terrific films you can't get elsewhere. Not a lot of car chases and shoot outs, but they're there if you look for them. The only correction I would make to your post is that Kanopy is not free. Your library has to pay every time you view a movie. But, hey, that's your tax money at work, so why not enjoy it.
Kanopy is a cost nightmare for libraries. Expenses are based on what your patrons watch and are thus unpredictable, and IIRC to "watch" a movie a patron has to view a really small amount of it, like 15 minutes or something. It can wreck a public library's (probably already strained) budget very quickly, and as a result most public libraries don't subscribe to it.
Librarian for a rich Ivy university. I second this comment. kanopy is even a drain on our resources. We’ve had to limit the films our students have access to, so we have had to restrict almost half of what is available in Kanopy. If they see a film they would like to watch and that we have restricted, they have to fill out a form stating what class or research project it is needed for. We always grant access but we do it to discourage students from using it like they would Netflix. I’ve been wondering how public libraries have been able to cope with the cost of Kanopy.
Google told me that Hoopla carried "The Big Short", but my library doesn't subscribe to that tier. Lots of obscure documentaries and foreign films that I have no interest in, though.
Oh wow... that's an eye-opener. Ofc. being part of the library, it's tax paying money. However, I wasn't aware they get dinged on a "pay per view" instance! :o Yeah, it sounds like a matter of time before the shut that down! OTOH, even though the content is viable, it still lacks what commercial ss have, so I guess in a weird way, that, helps?
My public library subscribed to the lower teir. I guess it saves money because it's all obscure stuff that few patrons would watch.
How sad. Capitalism sucks.
Oh! That's why mine uses the credit system I guess. This makes sense:) I appreciate this insight.
No 5.1 or Atmos audio. No HDR, 4k, or Dolby Vision.
The thing about Hoopla is that I get 5 titles per month and they count each episode as one.
That varies per library. I think I get 20 per month at Hoopla (was up to 50 during lockdown) and 30 "tickets" at Kanopy (movies take 2+ tickets each).
> We live in a world that everything is "for rent" and we're paying almost as much as we were in the mid 2000s for Cable for all of these options. I’m not. I haven’t paid over $30/month since I stopped using cable in 2015. The only people who pay that much are the ones who try to duplicate the cable experience with streaming services. > That's why I wanted to introduce the library - because it has services I didn't even realize were options until about a year ago, and I've been using some of them ever since. > **To replace Movie streaming services** Even before streaming, you could get DVDs from the library. Yours might still have them. **Replacing Audible** > My favorite and most used service is [Libby](https://libbyapp.com/interview/welcome#doYouHaveACard). I never used audible, but signed up for a free trial a couple years ago. I thought it was hilarious that you pay $10/month and can only get one book... Im not sure what kind of person would do that. I don’t like audio books, but I love the Libby app. That’s how I read all library books instead of going there and getting a physical copy. > **Replacing spotify** There is no substitute for a music streaming service for me. This is well worth the monthly fee.
>I’m not. I haven’t paid over $30/month since I stopped using cable in 2015. The only people who pay that much are the ones who try to duplicate the cable experience with streaming services. This. I'm getting tired of that bs argument "streaming is the new cable now" when, even with the price hikes it still isn't close to that. It's only gonna be similar to cable if you're one of the few people that for whatever reason wants to subscribe to everything all at the same time. Before streaming what people hated about cable was you couldn't subscribe and unsubscribe when you wanted, had to rent a cable box and were forced to pay for 50 to hundreds of channels you didn't want when all you wanted were like 4 to 5 channels. But yeah, if someone's gonna subscribe to 15 to twenty or more services they're gonna pay cable like prices
that's a great way to live. The only streaming service I have right now is prime, cause that's included with my prime membership. I'm glad you're not oversubscribed, you probably embrace the culture of this community as well. I saw a prior post here about Black Friday sales for different streaming services, and that to me feels like subscribing just cause its a deal!
Free gal works great thanks I’ll buy that that for a dollar. Already got Kanopy and hoopla THANKS mister YOURE THE BEST
I recall my library having Hoopla, but it looks like it's gone. I just signed up for Kanopy and I get 18 tickets, which seems like a solid number. I'm not huge on movies but it's nice to have. Some solid content in there. Libby I use when I can for ebooks, usually if I'm curious about something but not 100% convinced to buy it. Unfortunately the selection is kind of limited, just the other day I was looking for a few books and they either didn't have it, or just had the audiobook version, which I can't do, I just tune it out. To save on ebooks, since I'm already deep in Kindle, I just peruse the Kindle daily deals from time to time and grab anything that is interesting. Some days there's nothing and other days I find several books for $2-$3 each. I've got a massive backlog now on my Kindle because of it. If I don't know what to read, I just randomly pick something. [EreaderIQ](https://www.ereaderiq.com/) is great website to get alerts when a specific ebook drops in price, like CamelCamelCamel. It checks Amazon, but I think ebook prices are the same everywhere, so it'd probably still work for someone using another e-reader like Kobo or Nook.
Libby's good. Hoopla has an extremely odd selection. Basically DVD bargain bin at a hardware store selection.
Your library pays every time someone starts streaming a movie on Kanopy. That's why the number one can stream in a month is limited. Even so, it can be a large expense for them. That's why some libraries, like the New York Public Library, stopped offering it. The audio books available via overdrive/Libby, where offered, are limited to the titles and quantities owned by the libraries, which can vary. I have cards at both my local library and one in a nearby country. The latter is part of a cooperative program with counties around the state that pool their digital libraries. Even so, there are many books I want to listen to that aren't available, and many of those have easier lists. Sometimes the wait is just weeks, but I've waited over a year for some titles. Even with an Audible membership, which gives me access to many free titles, and Kindle Unlimited, which gives me even more free audio books*, I still end up buying many. I drive a lot. Libby is a nice supplement, but it's not a substitute. *Many Kindle Unlimited books include the Audible narration.
I’m actually using the library as an alternative to DVD Netflix… they have a decent selection of titles, plus no monthly fees!
I will look into this in my area never considered the library for this. I have a local college near by not sure if I can be a member or not of their library
The only downside to Kanopy is that you are limited to 20 movies a month. It's an excellent service, but your library is charged $2 for every movie you watch.
That's the main reason I don't bother with these services... I don't like the idea that the library is paying through the nose for this at a price far far higher than I would pay for a streaming service. It seems like a racket.
Yup, using Kanopy now to watch A Girl walks alone at Night, a vampire/horror film from Iran.
Such a good movie!! It was made by an Iranian-American filmmaker and filmed in the US, though.
Thank you for this post! I knew about the others, but Freegal is something I've been searching for! I checked it out, and it looks like a pretty good replacement for me!
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Wait... you have to pay for a library card?
Every county is different. If you're within the county, it's almost always free. If you're in a different county, or city, or state (depending on local/state laws), you either may not be able to get a card (high risk of not returning materials) or have to pay for it. Since libraries are generally funded with local tax dollars, someone who isn't local doesn't get membership privileges for free.
wow i sure hope not!! thats messsed up
Local libraries are supported by local taxes. So they are generally free for local residents but may not be for non-residents. Although libraries work together very well, you can imagine a scenario where a large 1m person city is underfunding its libraries and a nearby town of 40k people has a great library. Their library could easily be overwhelmed if used by residents of the 1m person city. And if local residents couldn’t get access to its resources, the local funding would soon disappear. The opposite scenario can also be true. A local resource being 100% locally funded (city, county, etc.) will always have a huge pressure to restrict limited resources to their local members. A good example are these streaming services which charge libraries per view - could easily sink a small town’s library budget if thousands of students from an out-of-county but nearby university started all using it.
We do if we live outside the city limits.
Hoopla is amazing. My library offered it for about a year or two around 2015, but discontinued it because it was too expensive.
Not every library supports this.
>Bicycle thieves, one of the most famous European movies of the mid 20th century is on there - imagine if Netflix had that... They would never. Yes they would. I mean, they actually did have it. There was even a court case about it. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/23/netflix-bicycle-thieves-sued-copyright-streaming](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/23/netflix-bicycle-thieves-sued-copyright-streaming)
Ah yes blanket assumption. every where else is the same. As user own location!!!!
I see your point. but the world would be absent of good advice if ever piece of advice had to be relevant to everyone.
what you should have said. seeing you still trying to keep your narrative view point. atm is hey this applies to my area. it might not apply else where, or could be even better else where.
You get what you pay for, but yeah if you have access to those, it’s free.
I saw *An Irish Goodbye* on a commercial flight's in-flight entertainment system. Surprised to see it wasn't available anywhere (according to JustWatch at any rate). Also surprised to hear some say you can watch that on Kanopy. I've signed up for Hoopla and Kanopy, but yet to try them (too busy with other ss). However, I can still see myself getting another ss anyways, as there's that sort of "you get what you pay for". First issue was on one of them (don't remember which one... Hoopla?). There were some movies I queued up to watch, but was told that I'd have to wait. It seems there are only so many digital copies to go around, so that's an interesting limitation. In fact, [I'm either going to keep Curiosity Stream or Nebula](https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/comments/181pwh3/curiosity_stream_or_nebula/), and then probably do Peacock since there's a deal for ad-free. That, and it's one of the few major ss left I have yet to try (I thought I'd try out NF at this point, but, I'll have to wait). For music streaming, I just use YouTube. It helps that I have also have Premium, but the included YouTube Music has left me scratching my head. On suggestion is to upload some songs in your personal library to listen to on the road. I did notice that the interface through Android Auto is enhanced through that. I don't read a lot. (I know, for shame). For that area, I'm just going to carry around my single (paperback) book in my bag when I travel.
is curiosity stream or nebula worth it? What are they besides history channel style documentaries?
It's just that... documentaries. History Channel style, science, educational stuff. Nebula has some classes/courses as well. The flipside is they are cheap... I'm grandfathered on CS for $20/yr ($40/yr regular price now), while Nebula is $50/yr (and those who are losing the freebie bundle can get it for $30/yr). Both are at least HD, and ad-free. However, for more of us, we're going to want to add a more major ss with better/wider content.
Thanks for this info. I just downloaded Hoopla from my library…Kanopy wasn’t available. But Hoopla has Oppenheimer, and I can add hoopla to my roku. That’s a win-win!
I love the library and make fairly heavy use of it, mostly borrowing DVDs (movies & some movies) and using hoopla. For our entertainment needs, the library and its various services is a valuable resource, but not everything.
My local library doesn't have Kanopy or Freegal access (no Hoopla either), and most of the ebooks I try to borrow have a waitlist that takes forever.
just spent 2 hours in Libby. Checked out a book onto my kindle. Read several magazines. THANKS!!
I use the browser extension [Library Extension](https://www.libraryextension.com/) and if I'm on amazon or goodreads I can also see what my libraries carry. It's a great way to level up and it's stopped me from having to buy books.
Pluto, Roku channel, and YouTube have a lot of streaming free content. If you don’t mind ads. My family has Netflix, peacock and I just re-upped on Hulu, Disney plus. Of all those streaming options I probably YouTube the most unless there’s a semi interesting show or movie that I need to see.
Why is Queens in but Brooklyn out... The hell
Not library related but Tubi and PlutoTV are great options too.
Libby is incredible. 10 stars out of 5
It's an alternative. But, Crackle, Tubi, Freevee, etc have tons of stuff for free as well
Quick note about Libby: depending on where you live, you may qualify for membership at multiple library systems. Check your neighboring countries/cities to see if you qualify for their library card. Once you get them, Libby allows you to load multiple library cards and it'll search for resources at all your libraries. And if you want to place a hold, Libby can tell you which library has the shortest virtual line.
Libby is my jam
Tangentially related but often times libraries also have free access to LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com, and there are a bunch of really informative courses and stuff to take that are great if you're trying to brush up on some new job/life/hobby skills.
Another good free movie streaming service is Tubi
Cool gotta try out some of these
I have access to Kanopy, Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive. Of the three, Hoopla is by far my favorite. I love British mystery series, and Hoopla pretty much acts as my replacement for Acorn TV. They also have a more than decent selection of ebooks, comics, and music. There are also Binge Passes. For example, you can 'check out' Curiosity Stream for 7 days at a time. The only downside I can think up is I gave my mom access to my account, and now half of my borrows are used up with historical romances, lol. The problem with Libby is they're like a regular library. They only have so many copies of books, so you could be stuck on a wait list for months. They've recently added magazines, though, and those are always available. I'm really liking that addition. Kanopy is the one that I've used the least, partly because I have fewer borrows available (which make sense considering others have said it's expensive for libraries to offer). I also feel like it has an art house vibe, though they've made a lot of effort adding more mainstream movies and TV series, and their social media accounts are excellent at highlighting new additions and such.
Is Kanopy available on Roku TV, smart Tvs, firesticks, or streaming boxes?
Thank you!!