OT - Another cord-trimming option: Hulu Live TV
Hulu announced a while back that it was working on a live TV streaming service to compete with the likes of Sling TV and PlayStation Vue (a "virtual MVPD" in industry parlance), and the public beta launched today: https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/03/hulu-live-tv-beta/
At launch, Hulu Live TV has ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, BTN, FS1, and FS2, which covers most channels necessary to watch every Michigan football game. Notably missing in Sotheastern Michigan is ABC affiliate WXYZ (as well as NBC affiliate WDIV). However, with ABC's new affiliate clearinghouse initiative, it probably won't be long before WXYZ comes aboard. Full channel lineup info is on their website: https://www.hulu.com/live-tv
This brings the number of virtual MVPD services to five (I think): Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV NOW, YouTubeTV, and Hulu Live TV. Die cable, Die.
I feel like this is a solid deal.
You get live TV.
You get DVR.
You get "free" Hulu access ($8/month value).
I'd consider it, but I know I'm going to go back to cable once CFB season rolls around and through March Madness. Then I'll kill it again and stick to streaming to save a few bucks for the summer. If saving $80/month for 4-5 months does nothing other than allow me to go on a trip...it's worth it, for me.
I just don't see why cable hasn't figured out a way to do this exact same thing. This is an AWESOME lineup of channels. Give me that lineup and I'd pay $45/month for cable or sat...no question about it.
There is absolutely NO reason I should be forced to have 300+ channels, when all I watch is 15.
This package (above) includes all the sports channels too - so unlike cable or DirecTV where'd you'd have to pay $10 more a month for a "sports package"...you already have everything with this option.
I stopped watching games a while ago. Just read the game threads, its just as good.
Also, I cut the cord Monday finally after years of pondering it. Second time doing so, this time I think it sticks. Splitting youtubetv 3 ways, paying 80 for 75 MBs. Comcast had me up to 200$ somehow so really glad to cut back from them, even though I don't have a choice on IP.
When I turned my cable box in 4 people were doing the same thing in the ~5 min I was there. Will be very interesting to see what happens now that there is real competition in the market place. I'm predicting we lose net neutrality and every one scurries back to cable, unfortunately.
I signed up for a HuluTV trial yesterday. Live sports on FSD is limited to 30fps, which is the same limitation that SlingTV has (reading that in closed beta HuluTV was 60fps. Maybe they cut it back for launch for performance reasons). Watching games is very choppy. I'm assuming BTN and FSN would have the same limitations. Perhaps not ESPN as they seem to always have special rules.
PSVue thus far has been the best option for sports as their channels are 60fps.
so Let me ask this with PS Vue
How do you get multiple TV's set up on it thru 1 playstation 4 ?
Do you need firesticks or rokus ?
Somebody explain, my contract with Direct Tv is done end of July and am seriously thinking about making the switch but i got 5 tvs in the house ( 3 in the mancave for sports reasons, yes its a bit obsessive)
All i need is the Local channels, sports channels, History channel, and Disney Channels and DIYTV and HGTV and I guess the channels for the ncaa tourney.
You would need a Chromecast or another supported device for the additional TVs (it can't be another PS4 as you can only sign in with your account on one PS4 at a time). But otherwise you can have 5 streams at once.
SO getting a chromecast attached to each tv would let me have the vue on all 5 tvs ?
if so can i change the channels so its different channels on each tv thus being able to watch different games on different tvs ?
Yes, you can have up to 5 feeds at one time I believe. Each act independently. I have Chromcasts, Rokus (a stick and Roku3 wired) and now an Amazon Fire TV box. They all have different interfaces for PS Vue. I recommend the Amazon Fire TV as on now - best interface as it includes a Guide feature that Roku does not. I don't like the Chromecasts because I need to use my phone/tablet as the remote..
Does anyone else in the Toledo area use Vue? The reason I ask is because I want to make sure I'd get FSD included. I looked at the listing and it appeared as though FSO was on listed, but I want to make sure I'd get the Tiger games. Any insight would be appreciated.
The biggest hurdle for most of these providers is the DVR capabilities. It's what has primarily stopped me from moving to them (Though that's may change shortly as I'm killing my DTV service this month when we move). If you look, most of these have very tight restrictions (Not Youtube) on what you can record and even if you record if you can skip past commercials. On top of that, you're going to be putting a strain on many of the data caps ISP's have on their service. so tread carefully before you jump head first into this and make sure you fully understand what you're getting into.
I told my wife this week to cancel our Xfinity cable and we'll figure out streaming options afterwards. Xfinity on demand has failed one too many times this week, and I'm sick of it. When I lived on the east coast, at least Time Warner (eventually) got their cable into a decent enough product that worked most of the time. Xfinity is THE WORST.
For example, why can't they map their HD channels in a coherent order? I mean look at this shit:
190s - TBS, Syfy, other crap
200s - Fox Sports, ESPN 1 and 2, TNT, other crap
210s - Crap
220s - E, FX, other crap
230s - ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, other crap
240s - Comedy Central, other crap
250s - Who knows?
260s - Who cares?
270s - Randomly placed non HD HBO channels for some fucking reason
280s - No idea
290s - Some kids shit for the 3 year old
300s - HBO HD
310s to 360s - AN ABSOLUTE WASTELAND
370s - BBC America, MSNBC, creeping entropy
380s - Termination Shock
390s - The Heliosheath
400s - Interstellar Space