Our monthly bills are 47.99. We have the “core + sports” package. It gives you everything you need for sports. We also have ESPN app (you can use Vue log in info). We also have HD Antenna in both rooms as well. Gets all locals pretty clear.
Advice needed about cutting cable but watching the Hawks.
- Thread starter HawkeyeKawalski
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Our monthly bills are 47.99. We have the “core + sports” package. It gives you everything you need for sports. We also have ESPN app (you can use Vue log in info). We also have HD Antenna in both rooms as well. Gets all locals pretty clear.
We had Playstation Vue. It was great but had quite of bit of lag/buffering watching sports. We switched to YouTube TV and has been great.
We live in Omaha and have Cox (150 download) and use a nvidia shield for the main TV and chromecasts for the bedroom tvs. It has worked great for us.
At the time, YouTube TV was slightly cheaper. Less channels but still has the sports plus the local channels without needing an antenna.
There's been a ton of great posts on this already but thought I would throw out my setup too
We live in Omaha and have Cox (150 download) and use a nvidia shield for the main TV and chromecasts for the bedroom tvs. It has worked great for us.
At the time, YouTube TV was slightly cheaper. Less channels but still has the sports plus the local channels without needing an antenna.
There's been a ton of great posts on this already but thought I would throw out my setup too
I LOVE the individual details that people have been sharing. Thanks for posting. It helps the rest of us know the pros and cons to each setup.
So I need either PS Vue or youtubetv or both? Then roku sticks and a HD antenna.
One or the other. I'd highly recommend doing a free trial of each, then you can see what works for you before subscribing. A fair amount of streaming TV is user and service dependent on the TV, devices you are using, internet speed, provider, etc so its tough to pin down sometimes. I will say as long as you have at least 25 meg internet which most do and a newer Roku/FireTV/Roku TV then you'll be fine.
One tip is to get a dual band router and ensure you connect at 5G to separate you from most of the neighborhood traffic, this will ensure a smoother stream IMO. I think most of the trouble comes in where your TV is too far from wireless router or the signal isn't strong.
In 2 years, I've very few issues with PSVue and I have 150 meg Cox in Omaha. If it buffers, it's only for a few seconds and changing channels is fairly quick. DirecTV probably has the fastest channel change but I LOVE the DVR from Vue and may try YouTube this fall once football starts (YouTube TV has the lowest latency, meaning streaming TV is usually 30-45 seconds behind broadcast as your friend texts you TD Iowa!)
I've been getting really annoyed with vue lately. I have been thinking of trying hulu out. I may look into youtube if they have my cubs games.
Don't you HATE that!!!
Just make sure your internet is up to par. We get 20mbps through century link and it works fine.
I bought a internet booster for the basement and have no issues.
So my monthly bill now w/internet, Netflix, and vue is 98$. Before I cut the cord it was 195.00. So I’m saving $$ every month.
I bought a internet booster for the basement and have no issues.
So my monthly bill now w/internet, Netflix, and vue is 98$. Before I cut the cord it was 195.00. So I’m saving $$ every month.
I have PSVue with the sports package.. bought a roku tv and it works pretty well for me so far, haven't had too much trouble streaming that I can recall. It is a little behind real time so don't follow twitter while watching game. My total bill is about $48 per month with tax. I get all espns, sec network, btn, nfl network, and cbs sports fox sports, NBC sports and cbs (possibly more sports channels). The only thing I don't get it ABC, fox and NBC. But an antenna should get them .. also if you are out of range for an ABC station (like me) you can just download watchespn app and every ABC game is able to be watched on that app with your psVue account.
Also get hgtv which helps convince the wife it is all worth it. Also gets the Olympic channel which I have watched a lot more than I ever thought I would. Would recommend until something better comes along.. I'm a little curious about YouTube tv
Also get hgtv which helps convince the wife it is all worth it. Also gets the Olympic channel which I have watched a lot more than I ever thought I would. Would recommend until something better comes along.. I'm a little curious about YouTube tv
And like was said earlier, you do not need a PlayStation to use it. They should have called it sonyvue or something bc when I first heard about it I just assumed you needed a PlayStation to use it
You guys might want to look into YouTubeTV, it has local channels tons of sports channels, cloud DVR, $40 per month with a 1 month trial. I've had it for several months and really like it. The only down side is I'm not sure if it's available everywhere, worth a look and trial if available in your area.
Two quick fix options. First, reboot your router and connect at a 5G band if your router is dual band. Download a free wifi analyzer app on your phone and it tells you the channels with the least congestion. Connect to a channel, say 153 vs. the stock connection (3 or 4) that all routers connect to out of the box.
Second, delete PS Vue app, and then reinstall in case updates were made as they smooth out the experience. Which device are you using to stream? Roku?
Lastly, you might need to boost your wifi signal, look at Best Buy or Amazon for a few small devices that plug into AC power and boost wifi signal through your house.
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I haven't tried on the 1 local on my Vue (CBS Omaha) but I believe there is a way via something called Tablo or some other aftermarket boxes out there.
Playstation Vue is really good, it does struggle sometimes on Football Saturdays due to the amount of people hammering the internet but it generally works really well. It's a really nice bonus to have up to 5 devices it can stream on at any time. The downsides are that it doesn't have local channels in the IC area and that on your phone/iPad certain channels are mobile restricted so you can't watch them outside of your house, BTN being one of them.(Makes no sense btw, all I had to do was download BTNGo and use it to watch basketball.) Best mix of value, quantity and quality of the streaming services.
Sling TV can be the cheapest or one of the most expensive depending on what you want and how much you order from their A la Carte service. They don't have local channels in the IC area, a glaring omission is they don't have the BTN channel and their picture quality is not near as good as the other streaming services but it is still HD. They have some nasty restrictions if you go to their Orange package(sports) because you can only stream from one device at a time, go Blue and it lifts to 2-3 devices but Blue doesn't have sports. If you go Orange + Blue you get 3 streams but most of the Orange channels are still restricted to one stream at a time. Oh and their DVR isn't available for all of their channels, only some of them. Best used if your single and want to cut costs.
Hulu Live TV has most local channels(NBC is the only missing one) and a good selection of sports + entertainment channel. Streaming quality is good, though I don't like their UI choices lately. A bonus is you get a subscription to their Hulu service included in the Live TV price, so spending an extra $28 for 40-50 channels is really good. Where Hulu makes their money is they have add-ons service like Enhanced DVR and Unlimited Streams. Overall a very good option but take a look at the offered channels to see if a key one is missing.
Youtube Live TV has most local channels and a very good selection of sports channels, it has the best DVR of any service offered. The UI is a little clunky but manageable. Streaming is high quality and rock solid. Like Hulu they have roughly 50 channels and they only offer one tier of service. Just like Hulu I would recommend looking at the channel options to see if a key one is missing, like for instance Youtube Live doesn't have HGTV. (I forgot to mention Youtube Red is included in its subscription.)
DirectTV Now has the biggest selection of channels out of any streaming service and of these services it is the most like a traditional cable company with its channel selections. It is like Vue in that it only offers OnDemand for locals in IC area. The streaming service is hit and miss sometimes, of all the streaming companies Now has struggled the most in keeping the service up and running smoothly. Its a good buy if you want to have the most cable like experience with a streaming service.
FuboTV is new and is a sports fanatics dream. Thats really about all I know about it though.
IPTV services. Not known to most people, IPTV services are by far the cheapest option out there for tv and they offer an incredible smorgasbord channels for incredibly cheap prices. Most of them don't have DVR but it is possible to setup your own if you are technically inclined. The streams can vary from 1080p to 480p quality depending on channel and service providers. The streams and guides can be up and down due to the nature of their IPTV services but all that can be forgiven because $11.99 for 1,200 channels including Pay-Per-View is an incredible value. Most people who have these services have 2-3 different IPTV providers just in case one feed goes down or do IPTV and one of the streaming services like Vue.
Sling TV can be the cheapest or one of the most expensive depending on what you want and how much you order from their A la Carte service. They don't have local channels in the IC area, a glaring omission is they don't have the BTN channel and their picture quality is not near as good as the other streaming services but it is still HD. They have some nasty restrictions if you go to their Orange package(sports) because you can only stream from one device at a time, go Blue and it lifts to 2-3 devices but Blue doesn't have sports. If you go Orange + Blue you get 3 streams but most of the Orange channels are still restricted to one stream at a time. Oh and their DVR isn't available for all of their channels, only some of them. Best used if your single and want to cut costs.
Hulu Live TV has most local channels(NBC is the only missing one) and a good selection of sports + entertainment channel. Streaming quality is good, though I don't like their UI choices lately. A bonus is you get a subscription to their Hulu service included in the Live TV price, so spending an extra $28 for 40-50 channels is really good. Where Hulu makes their money is they have add-ons service like Enhanced DVR and Unlimited Streams. Overall a very good option but take a look at the offered channels to see if a key one is missing.
Youtube Live TV has most local channels and a very good selection of sports channels, it has the best DVR of any service offered. The UI is a little clunky but manageable. Streaming is high quality and rock solid. Like Hulu they have roughly 50 channels and they only offer one tier of service. Just like Hulu I would recommend looking at the channel options to see if a key one is missing, like for instance Youtube Live doesn't have HGTV. (I forgot to mention Youtube Red is included in its subscription.)
DirectTV Now has the biggest selection of channels out of any streaming service and of these services it is the most like a traditional cable company with its channel selections. It is like Vue in that it only offers OnDemand for locals in IC area. The streaming service is hit and miss sometimes, of all the streaming companies Now has struggled the most in keeping the service up and running smoothly. Its a good buy if you want to have the most cable like experience with a streaming service.
FuboTV is new and is a sports fanatics dream. Thats really about all I know about it though.
IPTV services. Not known to most people, IPTV services are by far the cheapest option out there for tv and they offer an incredible smorgasbord channels for incredibly cheap prices. Most of them don't have DVR but it is possible to setup your own if you are technically inclined. The streams can vary from 1080p to 480p quality depending on channel and service providers. The streams and guides can be up and down due to the nature of their IPTV services but all that can be forgiven because $11.99 for 1,200 channels including Pay-Per-View is an incredible value. Most people who have these services have 2-3 different IPTV providers just in case one feed goes down or do IPTV and one of the streaming services like Vue.
On YTTV, there is a cloud based DVR that holds shows I believe 9 months. I use it fairly frequently. For many shows, it cuts down the commercials to where at most it's 15 to 30 seconds instead of your usual 2 to 4 minute breaks. You can FF thru the commercials at 15 second intervals if it doesn't automatically cut down the commercials.
Awesome write up, thanks! Fubo doesn't have ESPN so that automatically puts them at a disadvantage, DirecTV doesn't carry Viacom and YouTube is missing HGTV so that's a hard sell in most homes. I will say when I tried DirecTV now the picture quality was very, very good, some channels even seemed 1080p on my 4K TV, I think all of Vue is 720p however as long as it's 60 frames on my sports channels I'm good!
DirectTV Now and Fubo are the only services I haven't tried at home. Hulu and Youtube are each missing a key channel I want for my base service so I am staying with Vue currently and am also a subscriber to VaderStreams, one of the IPTV services I talked about.
Anyone have any experience with Hulu TV? It looks like they have BTN and all of the local channels. Pretty reasonable price too. We're looking at moving away form DirecTV this year too and from what I've seen, YouTube TV and Hulu TV seem to be the best options. The cloud based DVR for those is a big plus too.
Just a comment for those that may not know.....there is no such thing as an “HD antenna”. Even old fashioned rabbit ears will deliver HD.
Going to be cutting the cord soon. Will try them all, but so far, YouTube TV appears to be the best option when looking at the channels I want and price. Plus, their DVR is the best out there right now.
Going to be cutting the cord soon. Will try them all, but so far, YouTube TV appears to be the best option when looking at the channels I want and price. Plus, their DVR is the best out there right now.
Some basic questions from a beginner.
1. Does "cutting the cord" include giving up cable internet and going to DSL? Or, can you (and does it make sense to) keep the cable internet and just cancel the TV?
2. I still have one large screen "not-smart" TV. Can that TV still work with the cord cutting options?
3. What is the "internet/DSL speed" needed to do a good job and running all of your household devices?
4. I'm paying $235 per month for TV and internet.
I don't need or want a cheap alternative, I just want to stop paying an exorbitant amount. I need it to be simple and maintenance free (I'm old), which is why I've stayed with cable so long (and lazy). We hardly watch "regular TV" any more, except for sports. Most of the rest of our TV viewing is Netflix, Prime, etc. What's my best option?
I promise to give "likes" to anyone answering these questions! Plus, for good answers, I'll find 4 more posts and provide likes! That's 5 free likes for good answers!
1. Does "cutting the cord" include giving up cable internet and going to DSL? Or, can you (and does it make sense to) keep the cable internet and just cancel the TV?
2. I still have one large screen "not-smart" TV. Can that TV still work with the cord cutting options?
3. What is the "internet/DSL speed" needed to do a good job and running all of your household devices?
4. I'm paying $235 per month for TV and internet.
I don't need or want a cheap alternative, I just want to stop paying an exorbitant amount. I need it to be simple and maintenance free (I'm old), which is why I've stayed with cable so long (and lazy). We hardly watch "regular TV" any more, except for sports. Most of the rest of our TV viewing is Netflix, Prime, etc. What's my best option?I promise to give "likes" to anyone answering these questions! Plus, for good answers, I'll find 4 more posts and provide likes! That's 5 free likes for good answers!
1. You don’t have to give up cable for dsl. I happen to have dsl already with Centurylink....$50/mo price for life for 60mbps.Some basic questions from a beginner.
1. Does "cutting the cord" include giving up cable internet and going to DSL? Or, can you (and does it make sense to) keep the cable internet and just cancel the TV?
2. I still have one large screen "not-smart" TV. Can that TV still work with the cord cutting options?
3. What is the "internet/DSL speed" needed to do a good job and running all of your household devices?
4. I'm paying $235 per month for TV and internet.
I promise to give "likes" to anyone answering these questions! Plus, for good answers, I'll find 4 more posts and provide likes! That's 5 free likes for good answers!
2. You don’t need a smart tv, but you will need a streaming device such as a Roku, fire stick, etc.
3. Depends on how many you have. Usually 25mbps or more is sufficient.
4. There are a lot of options....what you should do is make a list of all “must have” channels, then check out as many services as you can to see what fits the best. Don’t forget to compare dvr capabilities. Pretty much all services offer a free trial period. There is no one-size-fits-all. I will be cutting the cord soon. For me, YouTube tv offers the channels I want at the price I want to pay. Plus, they have the best dvr of all the major services. The cool thing with you tube tv, psvue, directv now, etc, is you are not tied to a contract. You can switch at any time.
Sorry if this has been answered, but does YTTV, Vue, etc have the B1G Network overflow channels?
This might be a dispositive issue for those outside of Iowa or the Midwest. If overrun channels are not available, then you will at least occasionally not get the Iowa game ( at least for football)
This might be a dispositive issue for those outside of Iowa or the Midwest. If overrun channels are not available, then you will at least occasionally not get the Iowa game ( at least for football)
We have had both Vue and Hulu "Live". Personally, I think Vue was better. hearing good things about YouTube, as well, with the bonus of having the new "Cobra Kai" series on YouTube Red!
I honestly do not know - but what I do know is you can download for the Roku B10N2Go's app - and the approval process verifies via the YTTV subscription.
So either way, the answer inevitably is yes. It'll merely depend if the overflows show up in the menu on YTTV on game day, or you have to go to the B10N2Go app.
This is how I watched the Iowa spring practice live, for it wasn't on the B10N main channel and was online only.
Vue and Hulu do. The difference is in how the service may "classify" them, i.e., Vue calls them "alternate", I think Hulu just calls each one a BTN channel.
Go to a bar and watch the game or slum at a friend's place......or.........buy tickets and go to the games.
You're welcome.
FWIW, PlaystationVue is going up $5 a month. I’m going to switch to YouTube because it’s cheaper and you can dvr single events instead of having to sift through anything labeled “college football”.
huh? you can just record iowa games, unless that has changed.
honestly I like the layout of vue way more than YT. That said, I always had "lagging" issues and had to give up vue. If you don't have those, then I'd get a free trial of youtube while you still have vue and decide which you like before dropping vue.
Anytime I’ve tried recording an Iowa game, which is labeled “college football”, I’ll have tons of recordings of UTSA and NMSU from CBSNetwork, etc. Same with basketball.
you have it set to record all iowa games right?
if so, I don't know.....I dropped it about a year ago due to the lagging. I've actually thought about getting it again to see if it still happens.
I haven’t found where you can specify teams. If you try and click on a game before it starts, you can record it but then it records anything with the same title, which is always “college football”.
I want to say the lagging has gotten a lot better this past year.
This is correct, you cannot just DVR "Iowa games"...it grabs everything labeled college football and several times, I cannot even find the Iowa game later after sifting through 20 screens.
YouTube TV and PS Vue (base package) are both now $50, although YouTube's main (and only) package has more stations and it recently added HGTV so that should keep the wife happy. I will say if you utilize your Vue login to access other apps, PS Vue probably has more and better access to these apps (e.g. Disney, TBS, TNT, etc.)
