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RZA Encryption posted:But then you'd still have ads. I don't mind the ads too much. Most of them you can click away within a few seconds. Much easier than having to watch the Roku freeze and sit there five minutes while it reboots. I'm usually watching longer videos anyway so at worst it's a thirty or sixty second ad for a long block of video. The content to ad ratio is off the charts compared to basic TV with 33% of an hour being commercials these days.
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May 14, 2017 04:42
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Maybe say "streaming cable". Add "service" if you like. People will know what you mean and it won't sound like you're trying to be clever. Cable occasionally freezes, and there is certainly noticeable channel startup time with satellite dishes, so the "with buffering" isn't really a unique qualifier either. I like "cable with buffering" and hope the moniker sticks. It's perfectly descriptive with just the right amount of cynicism.
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May 14, 2017 15:38
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hey how is the amazon fire tv (the box not the stick) interface (i) in general and (ii) for psvue? is there a cable style channel guide for psvue? I like my roku but we do use psvue a lot and the interface for that is rear end it's bad for other apps too, but netflix and amazon wrote their own (or in any event those channels are much better) and they are what we use most apart from vue
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May 14, 2017 22:25
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Annual Prophet posted:hey how is the amazon fire tv (the box not the stick) interface (i) in general and (ii) for psvue? is there a cable style channel guide for psvue? The FireTV 4K is what I recommend to people who aren't invested in a large iTunes media library. I think it's more or less the best choice out there given the sub $100 price tag. Personally, I think the AppleTV has the best picture followed closely by the Shield TV, but the Fire TV 4K is no slouch. UI wise, Fire TV and Shield/Android TV PS Vue Clients are the best and are closest to the PS4 (but don't have the multichannel display). However the Shield TV gets some negative points since the remote included is a combination of innovative and infuriating (like the whole "we gave you a home and back button, why do you need a menu button?") The Apple TV UI is functional, more so since they added the Quick Menu function,, but the touch pad makes navigation a pain at times.
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May 15, 2017 00:55
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People really should just stop buying content through iTunes. A $150 entry fee for watching anything at all on your TV is indefensible.
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May 15, 2017 02:52
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TheScott2K posted:People really should just stop buying content through iTunes. A $150 entry fee for watching anything at all on your TV is indefensible. With the new Amazon app next month, Apple TV should be infinitely more watchable. I've been trying to find an excuse to buy one, as the apps within our TiVo leave something to be desired (Amazon video purchases have a weird aspect ratio that scrunches a lot of content). An Amazon app was the only thing holding me back.
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May 15, 2017 04:26
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Krispy Kareem posted:With the new Amazon app next month, Apple TV should be infinitely more watchable. Yeah, I've been using my iPhone to AirPlay Prime Video. It works, but it is awkward. I can't wait until the Amazon Video app is released during WWDC. That being said, if you're *not* tied up in Apple's ecosystem, a FireTV 4K is good choice. I suppose the 1st gen works OK, but it can be little anemic for some streaming tasks. The FireStick is really not a great choice for the most part since at half the cost you're getting a device that's seems like less than half the Fire TV 4K in my opinion. Portability is all the Fire Stick has going for it. I have a Shield TV Pro I thought would work better than dedicating a PC as a PLEX server (which is has been... interesting), but I really can't recommend it as a client device due to the price and the poo poo-rear end remote it comes with. I really think if I can figure out why it keeps losing the drive mapping to my NAS it will make an inexpensive PLEX server that has enough juice to transcode videos for remote streaming.
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May 15, 2017 05:48
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The issue I have with Fire devices is they have an incomplete feature set of services. They don't have Google Play Movies (for obvious reasons) and they don't have ANY UV providers like Vudu. Both Roku and the ShieldTV reach mythical "stream everything not apple" status.
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May 15, 2017 13:44
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bull3964 posted:The issue I have with Fire devices is they have an incomplete feature set of services. They don't have Google Play Movies (for obvious reasons) and they don't have ANY UV providers like Vudu. Almost everyone I know used either Amazon or Apple ecosystems, so I tend to dismiss the availability of a Google Play client (not on purpose, I just forget it's a thing) Yeah, right now you can only watch Google Play on ATV using AirPlay, similar to what you need to do for Amazon Prime Video (for now). Honestly, if those two were available on the ATV it would be absolutely perfect, with the Shield taking a solid second in terms of features. I should say the ShieldTV I'm currently wrestling with in terms of a stable always available PLEX server is the Shield TV Pro. The non-pro price is a little more palatable at $199, but I'd still hesitate to recommend for the price unless you're going to use the GeForce subscription streaming features. If you want to stream games you've purchased Steam Link is a far less expensive option.
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May 15, 2017 13:56
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Well, that's also using the base assumption that Steam Link and Shield have the same capabilities. The Shield can do 4k HDR with game streaming while the Steam Link cannot. At the moment, I have them all. Shield TV, two Rokus, 1st Gen Fire TV stick, and Fire TV 4k along with a litter of Chromecasts of all three gens. The FireTV 4k is the thing that's been disconnected the longest. The other fatal flaw with the FireTV 4k is that it doesn't even do Amazon content well since it lacks HDR.
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May 15, 2017 15:21
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I'm looking at moving into a new apartment. It apparently has some contract requiring me to subscribe to Time Warner for $100/mo (high speed internet digital cable, and "premium movie channels."). Needless to say I was very nonplussed by that prospect due to having been loyal to my antenna for about 10 years now, and paying for digital TV is not impressive to me. I'm definitely going to ask for copies of the legalese involved in that to find a way to weasel out of it, because gently caress Time Warner (isn't it called Spectrum now because they had to get away from a toxic name?). EDIT: Meant to ask if you guys had any experience and/or advice on this?
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May 15, 2017 15:44
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I don't think that's legal...
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May 15, 2017 15:52
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Photex posted:I don't think that's legal... Yeah, that's why I'm going to ask for all the documentation involved in that one. Seems like they're treating it like a utility similar to water or trash removal. Supposedly the complex has some kind of contract with them for 3 more years.
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May 15, 2017 15:55
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Iron Crowned posted:(isn't it called Spectrum now because they had to get away from a toxic name?) It's called Spectrum because Charter bought Time Warner Cable and is merging the systems and they also didn't want to keep paying to license the Time Warner name if Time Warner even still wanted to license it to them. Iron Crowned posted:Yeah, that's why I'm going to ask for all the documentation involved in that one. Seems like they're treating it like a utility similar to water or trash removal. Supposedly the complex has some kind of contract with them for 3 more years. I'm like 99% sure it is bullshit, what I suspect is they have a deal in place where they get a kickback if you sign up for their service and they are lying to you to get the kickback.
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May 15, 2017 16:49
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I do suspect there's a less banal reason they avoided anything that sounded remotely like Time Warner, though. I mean, it's working, too. Even knowing that it's Time Warner, I'll still see a Spectrum truck driving by and subconsciously think "Hmm, maybe that company really does have its stuff together." Before the other part of my brain slaps it across the face.
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May 15, 2017 17:22
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Sir Lemming posted:I do suspect there's a less banal reason they avoided anything that sounded remotely like Time Warner, though. I think that's the primary reason. As an Internet and Cable TV provider the name "Time Warner Cable" is poisoned beyond recovery.
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May 15, 2017 17:27
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flosofl posted:The FireTV 4K is what I recommend to people who aren't invested in a large iTunes media library. I think it's more or less the best choice out there given the sub $100 price tag. I really appreciate this feedback, and between this and some of the other posts, I'm now wondering if I should think about a Shield. The extra expense I can deal with, and the remote (if the box is Harmony compatible) won't be an issue. Do you know if Kodi can be set up on the Shield? Not using it now, but I wouldn't mind setting up that and Plex if possible.
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May 15, 2017 17:48
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Yea, Kodi will go on a Shield.
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May 15, 2017 17:50
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flosofl posted:I think that's the primary reason. As an Internet and Cable TV provider the name "Time Warner Cable" is poisoned beyond recovery. That's so pathetic. Comcast did it first with Xfinity. I can't believe enough people fall for it and not only that but imagine the $$$ spend in rebranding over the past decade and what they could have invested in simply fixing their lovely customer service. I just have to remember that these are the same companies who lobby legislation down to a city level just so that they don't have to compete. Ahh capitalism. 
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May 15, 2017 17:55
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Annual Prophet posted:I really appreciate this feedback, and between this and some of the other posts, I'm now wondering if I should think about a Shield. The extra expense I can deal with, and the remote (if the box is Harmony compatible) won't be an issue. It's sort of Harmony compatible. There's a Shield TV profile in Harmony but having removed and set it up multiple times, sometimes it adds the device as IR and sometimes as BT. Even then the profile is a game controller and not the remote. And there's still no "menu". What I found works is setting it up as a Media PC in the My Harmony app. If you have a Harmony Hub w/Helper remote (or a Harmony Hub Ultimate), you can then use the Media PC controls to get what you need as a BT remote. Plus you can use the Phone app as a BT keyboard in the Shield. You'll probably need to map out all the buttons in that case (which is what I did). Everything it pretty self explanatory. But use "right click" for "Menu" (both short and long press). Then it seems to work without a hitch. A long press of Menu brings up the Quick Menu in PS Vue as it's supposed to. The only thing Is Amazon Prime Video. I've been unable to get the Harmony to work with that at all (which is why I was trying a bunch of different profiles). *Supposedly* some people have been able to assign a FireTv *and* Shield profiles to an activity and get everything working, but I think that may have been for previous versions of Harmony. The only thing I can get the Amazon App working with is the actual Shield remote, so that's a little annoying. But then again I can't get the Harmony remote to replicate a long press on the touch pad for the Apple TV either (which is needed for Quick Menu in PS Vue).
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May 15, 2017 18:00
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Iron Crowned posted:I'm looking at moving into a new apartment. It apparently has some contract requiring me to subscribe to Time Warner for $100/mo (high speed internet digital cable, and "premium movie channels."). Needless to say I was very nonplussed by that prospect due to having been loyal to my antenna for about 10 years now, and paying for digital TV is not impressive to me. How far into the move-in process are you? Curious how questioning this and refusing can affect your prospects of getting the place.
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May 15, 2017 18:07
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Jerk McJerkface posted:How far into the move-in process are you? Curious how questioning this and refusing can affect your prospects of getting the place. Not far yet, I'm in the "looking" phase. Sadly it's the only place I've found so far that I both like, and is conveniently located enough for me.
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May 15, 2017 18:11
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flosofl posted:It's sort of Harmony compatible. There's a Shield TV profile in Harmony but having removed and set it up multiple times, sometimes it adds the device as IR and sometimes as BT. Even then the profile is a game controller and not the remote. And there's still no "menu". Ahh Ok. Many thanks for the heads up about Prime - that's a key item for me, so I guess I'm back to thinking about the Fire despite the lack of HDR / UV.
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May 15, 2017 18:18
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Annual Prophet posted:Ahh Ok. Many thanks for the heads up about Prime - that's a key item for me, so I guess I'm back to thinking about the Fire despite the lack of HDR / UV. Well it works fine, it's just you'd need to keep the Shield TV remote handy for when you want to use it. For me that's filed under "annoying" not "unusable". And if you don't have a Harmony Hub, you'll need either the Shield TV Pro or a cheap IR receiver to hook into the Shield TV, since the non-Pro model doesn't have IR in the 2nd rev of the hardware.
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May 15, 2017 18:21
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For the record I'm using the Shield TV with the Prime app with no issues, I'm using the Shield TV profile. Manufacturer Nvidia, device Shield TV. I re-added it awhile ago once they put BT support. The alternative is a Flirc which is something that would probably work fine too.
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May 15, 2017 18:27
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I recently picked up a Shield 2017 + harmony remote with hub and have had no issues controlling my Shield with it. Honestly, now that I've had a Harmony remote for ~2 weeks I don't know how I've ever gone without one. It's not even like I have a crazy amount of things hooked up (TV, cable box, Shield, PS3/PS4) but god drat is it great. The base Shield 2017 model only works with the Harmony Hub because it needs bluetooth. Only the 2015 Shield and 2017 "Pro" model have IR in them.
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May 15, 2017 18:30
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Hmm... looks like I probably messed things up somewhere. Are you guys able to get the "menu" button? Again, like Amazon, not a deal killer, just hugely irritating for a lot of apps? E: What I figured. Amazon now works, but no Android "menu" action with this profile. E2: GOT IT WORKING. I'll post a write up on how I was able to add the "Menu" function in a few. Proteus Jones fucked around with this message at 01:25 on May 16, 2017 |
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May 15, 2017 21:18
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So I finally got my Harmony Hub working perfectly by getting it to send the "Menu" command to the Shield, and still using the Shield Profile so Amazon Video works. This is huge QOL for me, since a long press will pull up the Quick Menu in PS Vue which has quick access to the Guide and more importantly "Last Channel" In case anyone is interested, here's how to do it with the Harmony Hub w/ the Harmony Companion Remote. This will probably work with the Elite/Ultimate Hub handhelds as well.
pre:
https://support.myharmony.com/en-pl/customizing-buttons-in-the-harmony-app#add-remove
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May 16, 2017 01:56
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= Back (Nvidia)
= Home (Nvidia)
= Menu (Mac Computer)
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Annual Prophet posted:Ahh Ok. Many thanks for the heads up about Prime - that's a key item for me, so I guess I'm back to thinking about the Fire despite the lack of HDR / UV. If you want HDR, I'd wait. There's been rumors of a new Amazon box that can do that (but ignore this guy when he says it's a replacement for the Fire TV Stick) http://www.aftvnews.com/exclusive-amazon-to-release-new-mid-tier-fire-tv-model-with-4k-hdr-and-android-7/
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May 16, 2017 15:16
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I wonder how much longer it'll take Apple to make a 4K/HDR AppleTV
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May 16, 2017 15:23
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TheScott2K posted:I wonder how much longer it'll take Apple to make a 4K/HDR AppleTV Apple would need to have 4K/HDR content in iTunes ready to go to make it worthwhile (and charge extra for iTunes purchases/rentals). How much 4K/HDR content is out there besides Netflix?
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May 16, 2017 15:24
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Thwomp posted:Apple would need to have 4K/HDR content in iTunes ready to go to make it worthwhile (and charge extra for iTunes purchases/rentals). Putting 4K versions of movies up for sale could very well be a matter of flipping a switch. I imagine they're laying the groundwork out of public eye. They could have an event, show the thing, and end it with "Retina movies for sale now!"
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May 16, 2017 15:38
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There's been a rumor here and there that they're already working on it, so I wouldn't be shocked to see it launched this year. https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/16/apple-4k-capable-fifth-generation-apple-tv/
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May 16, 2017 15:43
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Yeah but I'm just curious as to the current availability of 4K/UHD/HDR media in general. A quick skim of Amazon shows mostly new releases are available in the format but those are mostly just 4k/UHD releases, not any special HDR spec (unless I'm misreading). It's another chicken/egg problem. I assume Apple will eventually support 4K and HDR media once the market matured enough to make sense.
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May 16, 2017 15:47
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Thwomp posted:How much 4K/HDR content is out there besides Netflix? quote:4K streaming services Netflix, Amazon, Vudu and YouTube have the biggest selection of 4K movies and TV shows. A couple of less-popular services like Google Play Movies and TV, Sony's Ultra, Fandango Now and UltraFlix4K offer additional options. Hulu also has 4K now, but only on a couple of devices. E: out of curiosity, if anyone has streamed 4K movies is the data mostly straight proportional to 1080p? I.e. Since 1080p uses roughly 2.5 GB/hr, is 4K close to 10? I would guess encoding/compression would save a bit. WithoutTheFezOn fucked around with this message at 15:51 on May 16, 2017 |
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May 16, 2017 15:48
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Streaming Grand Tour from Amazon took about 13gb per hour.
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May 16, 2017 17:07
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bull3964 posted:Streaming Grand Tour from Amazon took about 13gb per hour. drat. I could see myself burning through my 1TB a month if 4K becomes ubiquitous.
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May 16, 2017 17:12
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flosofl posted:drat. I could see myself burning through my 1TB a month if 4K becomes ubiquitous. Don't worry, you'll be able to upgrade your internet to zero-rate Amazon for just $20 more a month soon!
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May 16, 2017 17:18
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TheScott2K posted:Don't worry, you'll be able to upgrade your internet to zero-rate Amazon for just $20 more a month soon! Well I always have the option of paying an extra $50 a month to remove the cap, but I will laugh bitterly if the "just pay $$ to zero-rate each service you use" becomes the new norm. (gently caress you, Commissioner Pai)
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May 16, 2017 17:22
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Annual Prophet posted:hey how is the amazon fire tv (the box not the stick) interface (i) in general and (ii) for psvue? is there a cable style channel guide for psvue? A little late, but I just went through this for Vue. I returned a Roku due to the Vue app being garbage and overall not liking the UI at all (disappointed in the Roku). I replaced it with a Fire 4K box, and I have been very happy with it. The overall UI and app is good. I was a little worried, because I had a Fire Stick a while back ago and it was awful. So you will be good with the Fire. Still UI wise and app wise I prefer the AppleTV. I currently use it on my bedroom TV, but if it wasn't for 4K I would use it on my main TV. Given that they are adding the Amazon app and if the 4K rumors are true I will end up replacing the Fire TV with it.
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May 16, 2017 17:57
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