TV: Live Streaming - Sling TV, Playstation Vue, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu?

[Em etah Eh]

There doesn't appear to be a general discussion thread for all of the live TV streaming services so I figured I'd start one here. Back when I was making the decision to cut the cord last year, I came to the boards for guidance, but could only find bits and pieces of information in various threads. It would be nice to get everybody's thoughts in one place.

I am currently using DirecTV Now, but have tried Sling TV (mainly for the free roku stick) and Playstation Vue as well. I think overall I like PS Vue the best as far as set up and DVR options are concerned. The main reason I'm still sticking with DirecTV now, through all of its glitches, is because it offers NHL network, which I tend to watch a lot of at night.

YouTube TV is launching soon. The below article shows a nice breakdown of features between YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, PS Vue, and Sling TV.

https://arstechnica.com/business/20...tube-tv-is-strong-but-struggles-with-variety/

Hulu will also be launching a live TV service at some point as well.

http://www.theverge.com/ces/2017/1/7/14195588/hulu-live-tv-streaming-internet-ces-2017

Click to read more...

 

[hototogisu]

A friendly and predictable reminder to all that any discussion about illegal services and illegally circumventing legal services is not allowed.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Are there any Hulu exclusives worth checking out?

 

[Danko]

I've been interested in Playstation Vue. If i turn on my TV will it pick up similar to how a cable box does and just immediately start playing a show or do i have to go through the menu and pick something each time i start up?

 

[Em etah Eh]

I've been interested in Playstation Vue. If i turn on my TV will it pick up similar to how a cable box does and just immediately start playing a show or do i have to go through the menu and pick something each time i start up?

When you turn on the app it opens with the last station you were on, similar to cable. Skip to 1:20 of this video and you'll see how it works.



You'll notice there is a load time involved on the PS4 but if you use a device like a firestick that just goes into sleep mode, and you've already been in the app, it shouldn't take very long to start up.

PS Vue, like most of these services, has a free 7 day trial so you can test them out without committing to anything.

 

[John Price]

Vue is badass. Streaming on PC, phone and PS4. Only problem is sometimes you get blacked out.

 

[WeWantTacos]

Had Vue, switched to DirectvNow in Dec because I got 100+ channels for $35 per month. They had a promo at the time that allowed me to get the latest gen AppleTV for free by paying for 3 months of programming up front and I'm locked in at that price unless I cancel my service (no contract so they're trying to incentivize).

Last week they gave me a year of HBO for free out of nowhere (was paying $5 per month). I'm assuming it's because people were complaining about service glitches, but it was in beta so errors should've been expected. Also have free streaming on my phone through ATT and it doesn't count against my data.

The big feature Vue currently has over DTN is cloud based DVR. Really prefer AppleTV over FireTV, too.

 

[Em etah Eh]

Had Vue, switched to DirectvNow in Dec because I got 100+ channels for $35 per month. They had a promo at the time that allowed me to get the latest gen AppleTV for free by paying for 3 months of programming up front and I'm locked in at that price unless I cancel my service (no contract so they're trying to incentivize).

Last week they gave me a year of HBO for free out of nowhere (was paying $5 per month). I'm assuming it's because people were complaining about service glitches, but it was in beta so errors should've been expected. Also have free streaming on my phone through ATT and it doesn't count against my data.

The big feature Vue currently has over DTN is cloud based DVR. Really prefer AppleTV over FireTV, too.

I'm in the same boat as you with the promos and ATT wireless streaming. Although I like my firetv so I took the free fire stick for the bedroom. DirectTV Now's Facebook page constantly gets lit up with complaints but I've had very little problems and that was early on. Last few weeks I haven't noticed any issues at all.

I also like that I can log into HBO Go with the DirecTV Now login info.

 

[The Night King]

Got Sling TV for a month and a free Roku Premiere. It's pretty good and will probably will use the service permanently in the future when we get rid of Dish...

Tried Vue for a week and the picture quality is great but the UI is awful on Roku. Not practical at all. I wish they'd copy Pluto TV's guide.

But glad to see so many new streaming services. The more competition the better.

 

[Em etah Eh]

Got Sling TV for a month and a free Roku Premiere. It's pretty good and will probably will use the service permanently in the future when we get rid of Dish...

Tried Vue for a week and the picture quality is great but the UI is awful on Roku. Not practical at all. I wish they'd copy Pluto TV's guide.

But glad to see so many new streaming services. The more competition the better.

Yeah, you can't use Vue on Roku, it's just not good. I got the free roku stick with sling but don't even use it. If sling is all you need you can't beat their pricing. I would totally recommend picking up a firestick for $40 and go back to Vue though. Heck, switch to Directv Now for a month ($35), get the free firestick, and then switch to Vue after that. You'll get a taste of everything and get a free device in the process.

I went with

Sling 1 month $25 (free roku stick)
PS Vue Trial
DirecTV Now $35 per month

My intention was to drop DirecTV and go back to Vue, but I'm hooked with the 100+ channels, NHL network, free HBO for a year. Only thing missing is DVR.

 

[Em etah Eh]

Looks like YouTube TV has now been released to 5 cities (Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, L.A., and San Francisco. It is only available on Chromecast but they are offering a free device for one month ($35) of service. Channel selection looks limited at that price. The cloud DVR sounds like it's the best out there though. Store programs for 9 months and no limit on storage data. Andbody in one of these cities plan on giving it a try?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-youtube-tv-features-20170406-story.html

 

[Em etah Eh]

Bump. DirectTV NOW just changed their packages. Base package is now $50 (doesn't even include local sports, a big reason people use these services, or cable/dish) and they only offer one other package which is $70. They took out a bunch of channels and now rolled HBO into both of these new packages.

AT&T confirms drastic changes to DirecTV Now and raises cheapest plan to $50

Youtube TV might be the best value these days with $40 base package that actually includes local sports. Or possibly sling Blue at $25.

Once game of thrones is done I won't have as much of a need for HBO and may switch to something else. Still grandfathered into 105 channels on DirecTV NOW (including HBO) but it's up to $55 a month starting next month. It is nice having NHL network though...

What's everybody currently using for local sports, and how much are you paying?

 

[PK Cronin]

Bump. DirectTV NOW just changed their packages. Base package is now $50 (doesn't even include local sports, a big reason people use these services, or cable/dish) and they only offer one other package which is $70. They took out a bunch of channels and now rolled HBO into both of these new packages.

AT&T confirms drastic changes to DirecTV Now and raises cheapest plan to $50

Youtube TV might be the best value these days with $40 base package that actually includes local sports. Or possibly sling Blue at $25.

Once game of thrones is done I won't have as much of a need for HBO and may switch to something else. Still grandfathered into 105 channels on DirecTV NOW (including HBO) but it's up to $55 a month starting next month. It is nice having NHL network though...

What's everybody currently using for local sports, and how much are you paying?

I have Youtube TV and live out of market for the teams I follow. For hockey I use the NHL.tv streaming service, and I get the "local" channels I want from YoutubeTV because I'm back to the market area frequently enough to have it be set as my home location.

I've never tried Sling, because they were late with the DVR functions and I didn't like the way they split their packages up. PlayStation Vue was good, but they raised their price to $45 so I switched to YoutubeTV for $40 when they did that. Hulu's live TV is fine, especially because it's bundled with the traditional Hulu package, but the interface is terrible. For me, YoutubeTV is the best available at the moment. For HBO, I'd just get HBO Now and cancel when the show I want is finished airing.

 

[Em etah Eh]

I have Youtube TV and live out of market for the teams I follow. For hockey I use the NHL.tv streaming service, and I get the "local" channels I want from YoutubeTV because I'm back to the market area frequently enough to have it be set as my home location.

I've never tried Sling, because they were late with the DVR functions and I didn't like the way they split their packages up. PlayStation Vue was good, but they raised their price to $45 so I switched to YoutubeTV for $40 when they did that. Hulu's live TV is fine, especially because it's bundled with the traditional Hulu package, but the interface is terrible. For me, YoutubeTV is the best available at the moment. For HBO, I'd just get HBO Now and cancel when the show I want is finished airing.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd do exactly that if I do switch.

 

[John Price]

Youtube TV jacked their price up to 65 dollars.

It was originally 50.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I've been using Youtube for the past six months and it's great. I think mine is still set at $55 per month and don't forget, you can share it with 6 other gmail accounts as long as they are part of your family in Gmail. That gives everyone their own separate account and log in. It also includes recording and ON-Demand, the only complaint is when I go to the On-Demand section some of the stuff is upcoming.

 

[John Price]

I've been using Youtube for the past six months and it's great. I think mine is still set at $55 per month and don't forget, you can share it with 6 other gmail accounts as long as they are part of your family in Gmail. That gives everyone their own separate account and log in. It also includes recording and ON-Demand, the only complaint is when I go to the On-Demand section some of the stuff is upcoming.

YTTV is honestly the best plus the DVR features are great. The issue is that as there are not many sports going on there isn't much to watch on TV.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

I'm going back to cable. It sucks, but why should I pay 15 extra dollars for channels I won't watch when I can find something on Comcast for channels I will watch (NHL Network. Yeah they have the data cap and it sucks, but apparently watching Xfinity streaming doesn't go against the cap and I looked at how much data I'm using for AT&T and right now half way through the billing cycle it is pretty low. Of course a lot of that has to do with sports but if I'm watching sports through cable, than that shouldn't affect the Cap much. It sucks, but there really isn't a difference between these live streaming sites and cable now.

 

[Em etah Eh]

I ran DirecTV Now (which became AT&T TV Now) for about 3 years and cancelled a few months ago when Covid hit. I was paying like $65 a month at the end there... All of the streaming services seem to be in the $55 range these days.

The main programming I was using the service for was local sports, NHL network, and HBO. With no sports there isn't any reason for us to have one of these services. Once sports start up, I'll probably go to Sling (if they ever get an agreement with Fox Sports) or YouTube TV. I wish a subscription to NHL TV also gave access to NHL network. NHL network was like my "ESPN" I would just flip that on in the background and see game updates and highlights. Too bad it's pretty much always on a top tier of cable/streaming platforms.

I would love to be able to just pay like $15/m to Fox Sports directly, just to watch the local teams live... Maybe pay like $5/m just for NHL network.

 

[chicagoskycam]

My YTTV is going to $65 because they added a bunch of channels, we should have a choice on whether to accept those channels or keep paying the lower rate.

 

[bleedblue1223]

This was always going to be inevitable. It's one of 2 things, these companies accepted loses early on to under-cut the cable providers, which is those players joined the game, and now they are going to a point where they can't sustain the loses anymore. Or, they are getting greedy and justify a higher price because they offer more channels that people don't want, which is what the cable providers would do.

At this point with the streaming of live tv, and all the other subscriptions that people have, are people actually saving money anymore? There will be another breaking point at some point.

 

[chicagoskycam]

This was always going to be inevitable. It's one of 2 things, these companies accepted loses early on to under-cut the cable providers, which is those players joined the game, and now they are going to a point where they can't sustain the loses anymore. Or, they are getting greedy and justify a higher price because they offer more channels that people don't want, which is what the cable providers would do.

At this point with the streaming of live tv, and all the other subscriptions that people have, are people actually saving money anymore? There will be another breaking point at some point.

It's still cheaper than Cable for me and I don't have to play the game with contracts, ect. I can cancel anytime. Depending on what happens with Football season they may get the boot sooner than later. I think with the ability with YT to share with several people you could lower the cost.

 

[Em etah Eh]

This was always going to be inevitable. It's one of 2 things, these companies accepted loses early on to under-cut the cable providers, which is those players joined the game, and now they are going to a point where they can't sustain the loses anymore. Or, they are getting greedy and justify a higher price because they offer more channels that people don't want, which is what the cable providers would do.

At this point with the streaming of live tv, and all the other subscriptions that people have, are people actually saving money anymore? There will be another breaking point at some point.

I went to look at like dish or DirectTV and it was still higher with promotional pricing than the streaming services, but it's getting closer... And I think you still get locked in to year long contracts, but I didn't do that much research on it. I don't really need live tv right now, because, what new programs are left to air, that I can't find with my "rabbit ears"?

Dish owns Sling, and AT&T owns Direct TV and of course ATT TV Now. Hulu is a Disney/ESPN thing right? and Youtube is Google, but are they are tied to no cable/dish company, from what I can tell.

It makes sense to me that Sling and ATT TV are going to want to drive prices up closer to their satellite pricing, but not sure about the others.

I understand that the individual contracts with the networks are going to drive prices up for the services, but what a horrible time for YouTube TV to jack the price up by $15. It's the middle of a pandemic and there can't be much new programming still left to be released at this point. Why would anybody keep the service at all when they aren't tied to any contract?

 

[Em etah Eh]

It's still cheaper than Cable for me and I don't have to play the game with contracts, ect. I can cancel anytime. Depending on what happens with Football season they may get the boot sooner than later. I think with the ability with YT to share with several people you could lower the cost.

That Google account sharing does sound nice, but in my experience with ATT TV Now, your account gives you access to most of the streaming apps for which channels you are already getting. So my brother in law could access Fox Sports, NBC Sports and HBO, via their individual aps, and that would not affect our house which had a limit of 2 streams directly in the ATT TV ap.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I went to look at like dish or DirectTV and it was still higher with promotional pricing than the streaming services, but it's getting closer... And I think you still get locked in to year long contracts, but I didn't do that much research on it. I don't really need live tv right now, because, what new programs are left to air, that I can't find with my "rabbit ears"?

Dish owns Sling, and AT&T owns Direct TV and of course ATT TV Now. Hulu is a Disney/ESPN thing right? and Youtube is Google, but are they are tied to no cable/dish company, from what I can tell.

It makes sense to me that Sling and ATT TV are going to want to drive prices up closer to their satellite pricing, but not sure about the others.

I understand that the individual contracts with the networks are going to drive prices up for the services, but what a horrible time for YouTube TV to jack the price up by $15. It's the middle of a pandemic and there can't be much new programming still left to be released at this point. Why would anybody keep the service at all when they aren't tied to any contract?

Yeah, the contract is the big thing that will make me stay with streaming, even if it eventually becomes more expensive. If we hit a rough patch and need to cut costs, we just cancel our subscriptions.