# Playstation Vue - the best streaming alternative to cable/satellite



## phrelin

I'm starting a new thread after *the last two posts appeared on the Sling TV Competitors thread* indicating that this streaming service has gone national.

First of all, Playstation Vue streaming can not only be viewed on PS4™ and PS3™ console, but on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Chromecast and iPad® or iPhone®. Presumably they might allow Roku and Apple TV someday. (For whatever reason Sony dropped the Playstation TV box from their line, though you can still buy one from Amazon for under $50. But you can buy an Amazon Fire TV for under $100.)

But *WOW!!!*

Here's the full package comparisons for_ my San Francisco Bay Area DMA_ from the *Playstation Vue website*:





































A couple of quick questions for those who have used this:

Every reliable review I read seems to indicate you have a sort-of "recording-playback" access with fast forward/rewind but no skip. Can someone tell me how well this works? If it works even just ok for bypassing commercials I may start testing it.


CBS is trying to get the NFL to ok streaming games live on CBS All Access. Can you stream NFL games live on network channels?
How's the connection/stream reliability?
Incidentally, the earlier thread PlayStation Vue launches live-TV service in three cities offers some discussion.


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## KyL416

I can't really comment on CBS since I'm not in a market with locals.

In the few markets where locals are carried, you can get ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, MyNetworkTV and Telemundo, provided that you also have O&O stations of those respective networks. (i.e. in NYC WWOR is owned by Fox so MyNetworkTV is available, but in Philly WPHL is owned by Tribune, so MyNetworkTV is not available)

They use dynamic streaming, so it also works on slower DSL connections. The HD channels just show up as SD widescreen on slower connections.


They also have the following RSNs, but they're only available within their local territory based on your zip code and are not available out of market:
CSN Bay Area
CSN Bay Area Plus
CSN California
CSN California Plus
CSN Chicago
CSN Chicago Plus
CSN Mid-Atlantic
CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus
CSN New England
CSN Northwest
CSN Philadelphia
FSN (the local feeds for your zip code along with a national gameless base feed in select areas)
TCN Mid-Atlantic
YES
YES2

They don't have Altitude, MASN, MSG, MSG Plus, NESN, Root Sports, SNY, Sportstime Ohio, TCN Philadelphia, TWC Sportsnet or Sportsnet LA. No Longhorn or Pac-12 either.

The online listing is for the entire market so they list some extra RSNs that are only available at the extreme edges of a market, but you only receive the ones for your zip code.


You also get access to many of the TV Everywhere apps from Disney, Fox, NBCU, Turner, Discovery, Scripps, Viacom and a few others


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## lparsons21

I'm trying it out on my FireTV. Works OK, UI is not the best I've seen, but it will do.

The 'recording' is kept online for a month. Skipping is hit or miss, some will, some won't. None will do it good enough to not quickly decide it isn't worth the effort!

The pricing you gave is for the original markets that have live locals. They now have 3 'slim' packages for the new markets that don't have live locals for $10 less.

I.e.; I have the Core Slim and it is $34.99 vice the $44.99 you showed. If you go to the site (psvue.com), it will either pick up your location or prompt for you to give it, then it will show the packages/prices available in your market.



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## trh

Looks promising. Although we only have 1 supported device right now (Amazon Fire Stick). My wife does have an iPad, but the channels not available on iOS would make her kill me if I shifted her off DIRECTV. 

When Roku or SmartTVs are supported, this could end up being our TV provider. But my ISP provider with 250GB cap right now, might make this a non-starter.


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## lparsons21

For many of the channels on PSVue, you can also use the various 'anywhere' apps. It seems the mobile side is still in quite a bit of flux at the moment. I would expect that to get better, but who knows.
Overall it is an excellent choice for those wanting to cut the cord. Here's a financial comparison. I'm using Dish, but a similar comparison could be made.

Dish : 1 Hopper + Welcome pack = about $34.00 and has almost nothing worth watching though locals are there. Supports one TV as is, more equipment allows for more TVs and of course, more cost.

PSVue :
Core Slim = $35, supports up to 5 streams, comparable to at least the T200 and is nearly the same as T250 minus Encore channels.

Core = in markets with live locals, $45, and does the above.

One other thing I noticed. Mediacom's Family Cable which is similar in channel lineup is about $45 in the first year on a promo, plus equipment costs.

From a straight up look, PSVue is very competitively priced with anything else and is pretty feature complete.

The notable downside is that if you use it, you will suck up bandwidth and that could push the cost of Internet service up which would make it a little less competitive.

EDIT: Here's something to think about. If you had 5 TVs and bought 5 FireTVs you'd have an upfront cost of about $500 for the FireTVs, FireTV Sticks would be cheaper. But then NO equipment cost, no 'connection' fee, nada, zilch.


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## phrelin

Hmmm. The more I read the more confusing it gets. *This Variety article* from two days ago written in straightforward English helps:



> Now that Sony's PlayStation Vue has added ESPN, the company is pitching the over-the-top TV service everywhere in the U.S. - although in most markets, it will lack live local TV programming today.
> 
> The Slim version of PlayStation Vue, starting at $30 per month, will be available in 203 TV designated market areas in the U.S. While that won't have live local TV, it will provide on-demand next-day access to primetime content from ABC, NBC and Fox; programming from CBS is not available at launch, but will be added in "select TV markets" at a later date.
> 
> The full PlayStation Vue service with local TV stations is available only in seven markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and Miami. Sony will continue to negotiate with broadcasters to bring on local live channels to the service, Benefield said.


.
Since I haven't subscribed, I don't know what choices I would be offered, but the "Slim" option is not accessible to me on front end of the website. Not that I would use it since OTA isn't an option here. But for those with OTA available, I noticed Amazon offering this bundle of the Fire TV and an OTA antenna:


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## lparsons21

If the 'slim' option is not shown for your market, you can't get it. And in those markets that now have 'slim' packages available, when/if they get live locals, they won't be able to keep the 'slim' package from what I've read.

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## phrelin

lparsons21 said:


> The 'recording' is kept online for a month. Skipping is hit or miss, some will, some won't. None will do it good enough to not quickly decide it isn't worth the effort!


I'm seeking clarity.

Internet streaming using fast forward is always awkward. Is that what you're describing?

The feeling I'm getting is the broadcast networks love this because basically you have to watch commercials.

I notice that A&E and its related History and Lifetime channels are missing, though I don't care. What's really puzzling for me is the missing BBC America which is now handled by AMC. It doesn't matter much as I can get enough Brit, Australian, New Zealand, Irish, and Canadian programming from PBS and Amazon Prime for free and Acorn TV for less than $5 a month. Plus there's some on Hulu and Netflix.

All this is still speculative for me as I'm committed to Dish for another year. But if I could back down to the Dish Smart Pack package at $36.99 instead of the AT120 package at $64.99 I could save $28 which I could apply towards that $39.99 initial subscriber fee allowing me to experiment.

Money isn't _the_ issue for me, instead it's redwood trees. What I'm looking at is this based on today's prices:










Assuming I could live with the Vue FF (which is a pretty big assumption), I'd save roughly $30 a month until Comcast started charging me additional usage which could happen as soon as sometime this year and Vue and other pricing went up. On the other hand Dish could become more competitive by lowering their equipment related prices.

It will be interesting to see what impact the competition will have, nonetheless.


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## Jim148

phrelin said:


> .....A couple of quick questions for those who have used this:
> 
> Every reliable review I read seems to indicate you have a sort-of "recording-playback" access with fast forward/rewind but no skip. Can someone tell me how well this works? If it works even just ok for bypassing commercials I may start testing it.
> 
> 
> CBS is trying to get the NFL to ok streaming games live on CBS All Access. Can you stream NFL games live on network channels?
> How's the connection/stream reliability?.....


I just dumped DISH Network a few weeks ago and sent the 722k receiver back, via UPS, last night. Since the UPS store is close to a Best Buy, I drove right there and bought an Amazon Fire TV box. It was suggested to me that a device with ethernet might be better that wifi only. Anyway, set this up and I have it on how. So, it is a bit too early for me to answer many questions yet.

I am looking to connect it to my SlingBox PRO HD. I want to get an HDMI splitter that splits it to HDMI out AND component out.


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## KyL416

phrelin said:


> What's really puzzling for me is the missing BBC America which is now handled by AMC.


Sony signed their deals before AMC Networks got control of BBC America and BBC World News in late 2014


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## nmetro

Well, this is not available fro Android devices:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/03/15/playstation-video-app-launches-on-android-devices-today/

This is not updated on their web site.

$50, and it is very tempting. Add Pluto, which is a free app (about 100 channels of its own), and this could be a nice set up. I already have OTA, so locals are solved. I would pay $5 more if they included the rest of EPIX and the Encore channels.

Did not see Root Sports Rocky Mountain or Altitude, but I guess they will come eventually with the Denver roll out.

The channels they offer, I usually watch. Sony did a good job of determining channels selection.

Just curious, are the channels in HD?


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## Rich

KyL416 said:


> YES
> YES2


Where are you seeing the YES network? I've looked at the links and I don't see it. Do you know and can you explain how the RSNs work?

I'm not sure this is something that would interest us, but it is interesting and if I can get YES that would satisfy me. I also don't understand this: I like to binge watch series and from what I've read that might not be possible. At least it seems someone is heading in the right direction. I'd be thrilled with an IP that uses cloud storage for binging and has YES. I already have 3 FTV boxes.

Rich


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## KyL416

nmetro said:


> Just curious, are the channels in HD?


Yes, provided you have a connection fast enough to support HD streaming, otherwise those channels show up as SD widescreen.

Everything is HD except for the following channels which are either SD only or they don't carry the HD feed:
BET Gospel
BET Jams
BET Soul
Boomerang
Centric
Chiller
Cloo
CMT Music
CNBC World
Fox College Sports Atlantic
Fox College Sports Central
Fox College Sports Pacific
Logo
MTV Hits
mtvU
TeenNick
VH1 Classic



Rich said:


> Where are you seeing the YES network? I've looked at the links and I don't see it. Do you know and can you explain how the RSNs work?


Enter your zip code at the Playstation Vue site and make sure you have either Elite or Core selected as the package when you scroll down to the channel list. If you have a monitor with a resolution of 1366x768 you might have to put your browser in full screen mode to see the entire channel list.

Also a list of the markets that have locals available:
NYC:
WABC
WCBS
WNBC
WNJU (Telemundo)
WNYW (Fox)
WWOR (MyNetworkTV)

Los Angeles:
KABC
KCBS
KCOP (MyNetworkTV)
KNBC
KTTV (Fox)
KVEA (Telemundo)

Chicago:
WBBM (CBS)
WFLD (Fox)
WLS (ABC)
WMAQ (NBC)
WPWR (MyNetworkTV)
WSNS (Telemundo)

Philly:
KYW (CBS)
WCAU (NBC)
WPVI (ABC)
WTXF (Fox)
WWSI (Telemundo)

Dallas:
KDFI (MyNetworkTV)
KDFW (Fox)
KTVT (CBS)
KXAS (NBC)
KXTX (Telemundo)

San Francisco:
KGO (ABC)
KICU
KNTV (NBC)
KPIX (CBS)
KSTS (Telemundo)
KTVU (Fox)

Miami:
WFOR (NBC)
WSCV (Telemundo)
WSVN (Fox)
WTVJ (CBS)


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## Rich

Thanx, one more question: Can I save series in any way? I do prefer to binge watch some series.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Yes you can. You pick a show and make it a favorite and it 'records' all the episodes. Not sure if just new or old and new though. But the longest it keeps that 'recording' is one month according to what I've read.

One thing I found today was that unless I'm brain dead you can't cancel except on a PS3 or 4. Couldn't do it online, in an iOS app or on the FireTV. That's not good.

BTW, after testing with it, I could live with it in spite of the relatively poor UI. But I'm in contract with Dish and am pretty pleased with Dish's offerings overall.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Yes you can. You pick a show and make it a favorite and it 'records' all the episodes. Not sure if just new or old and new though._* But the longest it keeps that 'recording' is one month according to what I've read.*_
> 
> One thing I found today was that unless I'm brain dead you can't cancel except on a PS3 or 4. Couldn't do it online, in an iOS app or on the FireTV. That's not good.
> 
> BTW, after testing with it, I could live with it in spite of the relatively poor UI. But I'm in contract with Dish and am pretty pleased with Dish's offerings overall.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


That is the one thing that would stop me from signing up. We're still catching up on shows from a year ago.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> That is the one thing that would stop me from signing up. We're still catching up on shows from a year ago.
> 
> Rich


I'm not quite that bad!! 

I do have some older stuff but not very much since most of the older stuff is on either Hulu, Amazon or Netflix, all of which I subscribe to so having a recording isn't as important as it once was.

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## trh

lparsons21 said:


> One thing I found today was that unless I'm brain dead you can't cancel except on a PS3 or 4. Couldn't do it online, in an iOS app or on the FireTV. That's not good.


That would be a major issue for some. And it is unclear on their web site.



> How do I upgrade, downgrade or cancel my subscription?
> You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription once per billing cycle (once per month). You can make adjustments to your PlayStation™Vue account by logging in at www.psvue.com and selecting My Subscription.
> 
> To make adjustments to your subscription from PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 console:
> 
> Within PlayStation™Vue, highlight [Settings].
> Go to [Subscription] and press X.
> Choose [Modify My Subscription] or [Unsubscribe].


Not sure if you can cancel via the web site. Something you can check out under 'My Subscription'?


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## lparsons21

I looked there, but it didn't take me anywhere near a 'cancel'. 

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## phrelin

lparsons21 said:


> I looked there, but it didn't take me anywhere near a 'cancel'.
> 
> Sent from my App Runtime for Chrome using Tapatalk


No "Choose [Modify My Subscription] or *[Unsubscribe]*" option??? That would be a major oversight if that choice isn't there after the free period!


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## lparsons21

Nope, nada. Or at least I couldn't find it.

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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> I'm not quite that bad!!
> 
> I do have some older stuff but not very much since most of the older stuff is on either Hulu, Amazon or Netflix, all of which I subscribe to so having a recording isn't as important as it once was.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


Yeah, I do find those shows on NF or AP as a rule and don't have to deal with the commercials. I'd cut the cord if it weren't for the Yankees. And the Vue does give out YES. It's beginning to look more and more like I'll be snipping that cord sometime in the very near future. We do have a Playstation in the house, I'd much rather use an FTV box for that, tho and I already have 3 of them. The fees for all the HRs I have are really annoying me. I still haven't seen HBO NOW on anything we have in the house that we can use without an actual subscription to HBO from D* or another provider. I do have a Showtime app (I think it's on Amazon) that I can use without a subscription to another provider. Any info about HBO NOW in this regard would be appreciated. Can't help but wonder why the Apple TV boxes don't have access to Vue. Best streaming box I've ever used, the Apple is.

Rich


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## Rich

phrelin said:


> No "Choose [Modify My Subscription] or *[Unsubscribe]*" option??? That would be a major oversight if that choice isn't there after the free period!


Sadly, I don't find this surprising.

Rich


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## gt2982a

For grins I signed up and realized that you have to have a PS account. We don't have one so I just cancelled the free trial. Overall, I was very eager to try this service but Sony botched it.

Fortunately, this is just the start of streaming providers so I can wait


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## trh

How did you cancel your account?


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## Eddie501

Rich said:


> I still haven't seen HBO NOW on anything we have in the house that we can use without an actual subscription to HBO from D* or another provider. I do have a Showtime app (I think it's on Amazon) that I can use without a subscription to another provider. Any info about HBO NOW in this regard would be appreciated. Can't help but wonder why the Apple TV boxes don't have access to Vue. Best streaming box I've ever used, the Apple is.
> 
> Rich


Sounds like you have Apple TV. HBO Now can be accessed through this w/o cable/sat subscription. In fact, they were the first & held the exclusive for a while. Which is the only reason I own one in the first place.


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Yeah, I do find those shows on NF or AP as a rule and don't have to deal with the commercials. I'd cut the cord if it weren't for the Yankees. And the Vue does give out YES. It's beginning to look more and more like I'll be snipping that cord sometime in the very near future. We do have a Playstation in the house, I'd much rather use an FTV box for that, tho and I already have 3 of them. The fees for all the HRs I have are really annoying me. I still haven't seen HBO NOW on anything we have in the house that we can use without an actual subscription to HBO from D* or another provider. I do have a Showtime app (I think it's on Amazon) that I can use without a subscription to another provider. Any info about HBO NOW in this regard would be appreciated. Can't help but wonder why the Apple TV boxes don't have access to Vue. Best streaming box I've ever used, the Apple is.
> 
> Rich


Rich, HBONow is a standalone subscription service. It is separate from HBO via sat/cable. HBOGo is the one that requires a sub on cable/sat.

Your AppleTV has an app for that as does the FireTV and I think ROKU. Some Smart TVs do too.


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## gt2982a

trh said:


> How did you cancel your account?


Login and then go to https://www.playstationnetwork.com/vue/my-subscription/.You should then see an option to cancel.


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## Rich

Eddie501 said:


> Sounds like you have Apple TV. HBO Now can be accessed through this w/o cable/sat subscription. In fact, they were the first & held the exclusive for a while. Which is the only reason I own one in the first place.


Yeah, I do have a couple ATV boxes, didn't realize that we could sub to HBO thru that. I gather you've tried this?

Rich


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Rich, HBONow is a standalone subscription service. It is separate from HBO via sat/cable. HBOGo is the one that requires a sub on cable/sat.
> 
> Your AppleTV has an app for that as does the FireTV and I think ROKU. Some Smart TVs do too.


Why am I always the last one to know this? Thanx. I do have the app on both my ATVs and my FTVs, but the last time I tried them I was asked to put in my D* info. I'm still gonna wait until the GoTs new season is done, but I certainly will subscribe then. All I want from HBO, Starz or Showtime is the series they have. Is there any place that has Starz without having to have a D* sub?

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Why am I always the last one to know this? Thanx. I do have the app on both my ATVs and my FTVs, but the last time I tried them I was asked to put in my D* info. I'm still gonna wait until the GoTs new season is done, but I certainly will subscribe then. All I want from HBO, Starz or Showtime is the series they have. Is there any place that has Starz without having to have a D* sub?
> 
> Rich


Yep, Amazon has it as an add-on to Amazon Prime. Surely you have Amazon Prime??? 

Rich, HBONow has to be subbed to from somewhere else. iTunes, Amazon (I think), may be others. You don't have to have anything else from Apple to use the iTunes buy, just need an Apple account.
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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> _*Yep, Amazon has it as an add-on to Amazon Prime. Surely you have Amazon Prime???*_
> 
> Rich, HBONow has to be subbed to from somewhere else. iTunes, Amazon (I think), may be others. You don't have to have anything else from Apple to use the iTunes buy, just need an Apple account.
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


I could swear I just tried HBO NOW on Amazon and was asked for my D* info. I'll give it a another try today. As I said, I've been waiting for GoT's new season to get going before I subscribe to it. Really appreciate all this, I had no idea it was available as a stand alone app on any devices.

Rich


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## lparsons21

HBONow shouldn't be asking for your D* credentials as it isn't subbed or supported by the D* HBO sub at all.


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## phrelin

Rich said:


> I could swear I just tried HBO NOW on Amazon and was asked for my D* info. I'll give it a another try today. As I said, I've been waiting for GoT's new season to get going before I subscribe to it. Really appreciate all this, I had no idea it was available as a stand alone app on any devices.
> 
> Rich


Amazon Fire TV offers both HBO Now and HBO Go. Be sure you're trying HBO Now.


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## Christopher Gould

Rich said:


> Why am I always the last one to know this? Thanx. I do have the app on both my ATVs and my FTVs, but the last time I tried them I was asked to put in my D* info. I'm still gonna wait until the GoTs new season is done, but I certainly will subscribe then. All I want from HBO, Starz or Showtime is the series they have. Is there any place that has Starz without having to have a D* sub?
> 
> Rich


I'm pretty sure amazon has Starz as an add on app just like showtime. Yes it's listed right next to the showtime add on.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> HBONow shouldn't be asking for your D* credentials as it isn't subbed or supported by the D* HBO sub at all.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


I checked it out on my ATV box and you're right. Thinking back, I probably tried it on my Samsung BD 4K upscaler. I'll try that app again. I haven't got it on my TV set's built in apps (haven't really looked for it) but I will do a search for that and see what I find. This makes me really happy!

Rich


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## Rich

phrelin said:


> Amazon Fire TV offers both HBO Now and HBO Go. Be sure you're trying HBO Now.


I've managed to ignore HBO Go since it came out and I tried it briefly. Too glitchy.

Rich


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> I'm pretty sure amazon has Starz as an add on app just like showtime. Yes it's listed right next to the showtime add on.


What box is that on? I've tried Starz apps, might have been on a 4K upscaler/BD player and I needed to have a D* subscription for it. I'll try it on the ATV box today. I really just want it to catch up on _ Black Sails _and any other series that I might have interest in.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich, Starz isn't offered outside subscriptions of other services. It is an add on to Amazon Prime and Hulu, maybe others. The ATV won't do Amazon Prime though it will do Hulu. Don't know if HBONow is available on Hulu though.


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## lparsons21

Correction to HBONow. Here's a link to their faq that will tell you exactly how to sub. Note it is NOT available as an add-on to Amazon, though Starz is.
http://help.hbonow.com/app/answers/detailHBO/a_id/118/rec/1/session/L3RpbWUvMTQ1ODU4MjA2Mi9zaWQva3hFY1AxTW0=

You need to check to ensure Starz add-ons work with the Hulu or Amazon Prime apps on whichever device you want to use.

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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Rich, Starz isn't offered outside subscriptions of other services. It is an add on to Amazon Prime and Hulu, maybe others. The ATV won't do Amazon Prime though it will do Hulu. Don't know if HBONow is available on Hulu though.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


So, no matter what device I use, I'll need to activate Starz on D*? I don't mind doing that, but I'd get better PQ using the ATV box.

Rich


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## lparsons21

Yes, unless you already sub to Hulu.


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## inkahauts

Rich said:


> I've managed to ignore HBO Go since it came out and I tried it briefly. Too glitchy.
> 
> Rich


Maybe that glitchyness was the box as I don't have any issues at all with it on the atv4.


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## 63thk

You select do not auto renew in your subscriptions


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Yes, unless you already sub to Hulu.
> 
> Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


Ah, so Hulu has Starz content (Black Sails is all I'm really interested in)? If so, I'll wait until this season of BS is over and subscribe to Hulu for the time it takes me and my wife to watch all the seasons.

Rich


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## Rich

inkahauts said:


> Maybe that glitchyness was the box as I don't have any issues at all with it on the atv4.


I've been meaning to PM you about that glitchy problem with new ATV box. I found out what was causing it. I only had 9 Mbps in my TV room. When I put it downstairs it was on a Gigabit switch and I changed out all my switches to Gigabit switches and the glitch is gone. Turns out it was my fault.

BTW, did you happen to read my comment the other day about the bad rotor in my home's generator? I have no luck... :nono2:

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Ah, so Hulu has Starz content (Black Sails is all I'm really interested in)? If so, I'll wait until this season of BS is over and subscribe to Hulu for the time it takes me and my wife to watch all the seasons.
> 
> Rich


Yes, but you sub to Hulu and add a sub to Starz on it. I think it is $9/month in addition to the Hulu sub cost.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> Yes, but you sub to Hulu and add a sub to Starz on it. I think it is $9/month in addition to the Hulu sub cost.


Might be cheaper to use D*?

Rich


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## lparsons21

Rich said:


> Might be cheaper to use D*?
> 
> Rich


I don't know what D* charges for it these days. But if you don't sub to Hulu now, it would be cheaper to sub to Starz through D*. That way it would save a little money, you'd have the VOD on D* for Starz I think, and access to StarzPlay app that could be used with your ATV.

I'm subbed to Hulu commercial free, Netflix 4K service and of course, Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime video to me is a freebie as I buy enough stuff on Amazon to more than pay for itself in the free shipping.


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## Rich

lparsons21 said:


> I don't know what D* charges for it these days. But if you don't sub to Hulu now, it would be cheaper to sub to Starz through D*. That way it would save a little money, you'd have the VOD on D* for Starz I think, and access to StarzPlay app that could be used with your ATV.
> 
> I'm subbed to Hulu commercial free, Netflix 4K service and of course, Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime video to me is a freebie as I buy enough stuff on Amazon to more than pay for itself in the free shipping.


I've tried Hulu a couple times in the past and prefer NF and AP. I'll go with D* and use the ATV for the Starz app as soon as BS completes its season. Appreciate your time and patience.

Rich


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## lparsons21

I have had Hulu for lots of years. Mostly because I like some of the CW shows and here the CW was a really bad SD station. But a few months ago they quietly changed and Dish added their HD feed to the lineup. I didn't even know it. Since then there are a few shows on it I watch and really could do without. Mostly cancelling is just one of those things I haven't gotten around to. One of these days I will I'm sure.


----------



## scooper

Playstation Vue looks good - I bought an Amazon Fire TV a couple days ago (no sticks at the Best Buy) - Then this morning I started the free trial. Looks as good as (if not better than) Dish on the HD.

As I see - will need to manage 2 tuners - the Fire TV and an OTA DVR of some sort. Might need to talk the FSU into Netflix for movies.

The guide on Playstation is rotated 90 degrees from Dish - channels running Left to right, time start at the top and go down .

And $35 / month is MUCH cheaper than Dish... (internet would be in regardless)


----------



## lparsons21

Sony did a good job with this. If/when I decide to cut the cord, Sony will get some of my money. As usual there are quirks with it, just as there are with D*/E*/or any other streaming service.

Internet service has to be considered IMO. Data caps are either on your ISP's service now, or will be fairly soon. That is just a fact of life. If you don't stream a lot now but decide to later, then you need to watch your data usage to determine which works best for your.
In my case, I was on a perfectly fine 50/5 Internet service, but it had a 350Gb data cap. When I started streaming 4K and other services more, I was exceeding that regularly at $10/50Gb clip. Was seeing about $30/month in overage charge. So I upped to 100/10 service, not for the speed, but for the 1Tb data cap, and with a deal it is $60/month vice the $50/month I was paying. Even at retail for this service ($80/month), it will be cheaper to stay at that level. With just the occasional stream from Netflix/Amazon/Hulu w/out 4K, the 350Gb was fine. Now not at all.


Lloyd


----------



## scooper

That's the only thing that irks me about it - SONY ! I'm still pissed off at them about the root-kit fiasco on their media....


----------



## Wilf

lparsons21 said:


> Internet service has to be considered IMO. Data caps are either on your ISP's service now, or will be fairly soon.


I am not sure that data caps on non-wireless services are sustainable. The advertisers are already getting hit by the use of ad blockers to conserve significant bandwidth (not to mention the recent malware/ransom ware issues introduced by some ads). It will be interesting to see how this "battle" pans out.

BTW, Ad blockers are reported to save about 40% of bandwidth for normal web surfing.


----------



## Davenlr

Comcast just implemented data caps (300 GB) here prior to the release of Playstation Vue. $10 per 50GB overage. Option of $35/mo additional fee on top of internet service base price for unlimited data. That would price 25/5 service here at $50 plus $35, or $85/mo for unlimited plus the price of Vue. That is more than the combination internet/TV service Comcast offers for more channels here. 

The cable and telco/satellite companies are going to do everything in their power to price internet service so high for cord cutters you will be forced to stay with their own internet/tv packages, or just do without any TV except locals and what you can afford to stream without going over the caps. 

Myself, I absolutely hate having to watch the internet usage every day and manage the families usage to stay under the limit. Put a gamer with a Playstation 4 and computer running simultaneously, with a streaming movie watcher, then add in a couple internet surfers who watch occasional videos, and I find my household is RIGHT AT the 300GB limit just about every month. Were I to subscribe to Vue, I can promise it would be over ever month.

Of course, there is no competition here. Its either Comcast internet, or U-verse, and U-verse speed in my neighborhood is 1/0.5 (seriously). Comcast blast here is 60/5.


----------



## scooper

That's the $64,000 question, isn't it ? Right NOW with Time Warner - I'm paying $50 / month (no promotions) for 100/5 internet, no caps. The 2 of us have been averaging about 6 GB /day, and yesterday's trial of Vue kicked that to 10GB. Now - I grant that most of our TV watching IS local, which can / will become OTA if we go this route.

It's also true that Somebody (Charter ?) is wanting to buy Time Warner, and the TOS on Internet use will probably change. I really can't see going back to cable TV, so I may end up going back to Dish.


----------



## phrelin

Davenlr said:


> Comcast just implemented data caps (300 GB) here prior to the release of Playstation Vue. $10 per 50GB overage. Option of $35/mo additional fee on top of internet service base price for unlimited data. That would price 25/5 service here at $50 plus $35, or $85/mo for unlimited plus the price of Vue. That is more than the combination internet/TV service Comcast offers for more channels here.
> 
> The cable and telco/satellite companies are going to do everything in their power to price internet service so high for cord cutters you will be forced to stay with their own internet/tv packages, or just do without any TV except locals and what you can afford to stream without going over the caps.
> 
> Myself, I absolutely hate having to watch the internet usage every day and manage the families usage to stay under the limit. Put a gamer with a Playstation 4 and computer running simultaneously, with a streaming movie watcher, then add in a couple internet surfers who watch occasional videos, and I find my household is RIGHT AT the 300GB limit just about every month. Were I to subscribe to Vue, I can promise it would be over ever month.
> 
> Of course, there is no competition here. Its either Comcast internet, or U-verse, and U-verse speed in my neighborhood is 1/0.5 (seriously). Comcast blast here is 60/5.


As explained in the thread Xfinity Stream TV, Comcast is offering in some areas for $15 a month _Xfinity Stream_ which provides via the internet full access to the broadcast networks, their apps, a web-based DVR and HBO. The Stream app itself will only work on your home network and is limited to Comcast broadband subscribers. The use of its Stream TV service would not count against the data caps, according to reports.

It isn't offered in my area and we have no data caps yet. But it might become a serious alternative to normal cable/satellite if they were to offer packages like Vue.

So far no one has indicated they use the service in that thread. I'm curious about that web-based DVR.


----------



## adkinsjm

I'll likely sign up for Vue in July. Switched to Time Warner Cable, but will cancel once I get a $300 gift card for switching providers.


----------



## IndyMichael

Any hope it will be on Roku soon, or should I just buy a Fire stick?


----------



## scooper

Fire or FireStick - either one. Or, if you have a PS3 or PS4...


----------



## B Newt

Wondering if all the channels are hi def? At least 720P.


----------



## KyL416

B Newt said:


> Wondering if all the channels are hi def? At least 720P.


See my list on the first page of the thread of the channels that are not carried in HD, either because HD feeds don't exist for those channels (i.e. Boomerang, Cloo, CNBC World, Fox College Sports and the Viacom music channels), or they didn't exist at the time Sony signed their contracts (i.e. Chiller and some of the Viacom channels like TeenNick):
http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/221199-playstation-vue-the-best-streaming-alternative-to-cablesatellite/#entry3414747

Channels where they do carry the HD feed are available in HD, provided that your internet connection speed (and other conditions between you and Sony) can handle it. If you have a slower connection, or there's a lot of congestion, those channels show up as SD widescreen.


----------



## Rich

KyL416 said:


> See my list on the first page of the thread of the channels that are not carried in HD, either because HD feeds don't exist for those channels (i.e. Boomerang, Cloo, CNBC World, Fox College Sports and the Viacom music channels), or they didn't exist at the time Sony signed their contracts (i.e. Chiller and some of the Viacom channels like TeenNick):
> http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/221199-playstation-vue-the-best-streaming-alternative-to-cablesatellite/#entry3414747
> 
> Channels where they do carry the HD feed are available in HD, provided that your internet connection speed (and other conditions between you and Sony) can handle it. If you have a slower connection, or there's a lot of congestion, those channels show up as SD widescreen.


So, what is the "normal" HD resolution?

Rich


----------



## 1980ws

I bought a Fire Stick and subscribed this past Saturday. I like it very much. Hasn't buffered once, channels look good & no more blackouts on baseball & hockey here in Florida. Nice to be able to use the sub to login online as well. Much better that SlingTV. It will be interesting to see if ATT/Directv can provide a better value.


----------



## IndyMichael

Got my Fire stick last night. Got the 55 channel package for $29. Has all the channels I need.


----------



## KyL416

1980ws said:


> Hasn't buffered once, channels look good & no more blackouts on baseball & hockey here in Florida.


Just be careful when watching live sports. Because of the nature of online streaming it will always be behind by about a minute, so if you have any friends who text you after each touchdown or go on social media to react while a game is on, you will be spoiled if the next batter hits a grand slam or the next play leads to an interception and an 80 yard touchdown.


----------



## 1980ws

KyL416 said:


> Just be careful when watching live sports. Because of the nature of online streaming it will always be behind by about a minute, so if you have any friends who text you after each touchdown or go on social media to react while a game is on, you will be spoiled if the next batter hits a grand slam or the next play leads to an interception and an 80 yard touchdown.


I usually have that problem with Twitter!


----------



## IndyMichael

Just used my PS Vue login to get to watchESPN


----------



## sregener

IndyMichael said:


> Just used my PS Vue login to get to watchESPN


WatchESPN was added in February. The kicker is whether you can access ESPN3 content.


----------



## IndyMichael

Yes, tonight I see one live game on ESPN3, and 20 replays.


----------



## Link

I'm considering this to supplement my Dish Welcome Package. To add other channels and regional sports would cost me $69.99 on Dish for America's Top 120+ ($60 more). With this I can have access to the channels I need for $35 more.


----------



## Link

lparsons21 said:


> I have had Hulu for lots of years. Mostly because I like some of the CW shows and here the CW was a really bad SD station. But a few months ago they quietly changed and Dish added their HD feed to the lineup. I didn't even know it. Since then there are a few shows on it I watch and really could do without. Mostly cancelling is just one of those things I haven't gotten around to. One of these days I will I'm sure.


In the Paducah Market you get CW/MeTV and Antenna TV on Dish. I wish we got those!


----------



## Link

I've tried the past week to add Sling TV with no luck. It gives me the error they are trying to resolve and issue and try again later. It doesn't matter what browser, internet service I use, or time of day. Nothing works to subscribe. I contacted online support and they were no help.


----------



## mike1977

If you cancel your Sling subscription, they might change your login by adding a prefix to your email. That's what they did to me. I found that out on my Roku app.

Oh well, I had already signed up again with the same email address and am on another free trial.


----------



## KyL416

PS Vue added a few more channels recently

New England Cable News is now available in New England
The SD only Telemundo national feed is now available in markets without a local affiliate
Longhorn Network is now available, but only in Texas and Oklahaoma with Core and Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico with Elite. Unlike other providers that offer it nationally, there is no option to get it outside of these states with Vue.

According to the release announcing the addition of Longhorn, PS Vue will be adding ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line/Buzzer Beater/Bases Loaded and ESPN3 (There is no ESPN app for PlayStation, so until then you need another device if you want to watch ESPN3 content on TV)


O&O CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and Telemundo stations are now available in some additional "Slim" markets, along with NBC stations owned by Graham Media Group:

Atlanta:
WAGA (Fox)

Boston:
WBZ (CBS)
WNEU (Telemundo)

Denver:
KDEN (Telemundo)
KNCN (CBS)

Detroit:
WDIV (NBC)
WJBK (Fox)
WWJ (CBS)

Fresno:
KNSO (Telemundo)

Houston:
KPRC (NBC)
KRIV (Fox)
KTMD (Telemundo)
KTXH (MyNetworkTV)

Minneapolis:
KMSP (Fox)
WCCO (CBS)
WFTC (MyNetworkTV)

Phoenix:
KSAZ (Fox)
KTAZ (Telemundo)
KUTP (MyNetworkTV)

Sacramento:
KVOR (CBS)

San Diego:
KNSD (NBC)

Washington, DC:
WDCA (MyNetworkTV)
WRC (NBC)
WTTG (Fox)


----------



## scooper

If I finally decide to leave Dish completely, this is on my radar. I went ahead and unsubscribed for now - your subscription continues until your next renewal .


----------



## sregener

I've watched several ESPN3 events using WatchESPN on my Amazon Fire with my Playstation Vue account. No need to wait for that...


----------



## Bubba3

So I picked up a Fire TV and signed up for the trial. The UI takes a little to get used to. I tried to authenticate Watch ESPN and Fox Sports GO without success, is this because I am on the free trial ? Looks like my days with Dish are numbered.


----------



## msm96wolf

I had to use my iPad to authenticate instead of my laptop. Not really sure why but that worked to get Watch ESPN and FOX SPORTS. I am loving PSVUE. Still the real test will be this college football season. But it was nice to get rid of those darn equipment rental fees!


----------



## am7crew

I tried the service last week and its really great. I use it on roku3 and the PQ is great. I am very very seriously considering dropping dish for PSvue + HBO Now.


----------



## msm96wolf

I contacted the Raleigh stations have not heard back from WRAL and FOX50, no big surprise. WNCN the NBC affiliate did reply back with a positive comment. "That's a great question. And it's something we will investigate. We have a few Playstation Vue customers in the newsroom and have brought up the same question."

Basically told them, prefered their news over WTVD but I am watching WTVD on the PSVUE. It seems like the are missing a great market opportunity.


----------



## phrelin

I received an email from *Roku* tonight announcing the availability of Playstation Vue:


----------



## Art7220

Hmm, same channels as everyone else. Guess this'll have to do until the Canadian cable / sats come up with an online package. www.rokuguide.com/channels/canadatv won me over.


----------



## jerrylove56

We are currently in the 7-day trial on two differnt types of devices. 
OBSERVATIONS:
*Roku3 and Stick:*
Will not work properly. Even after intense troubleshooting with Roku, the devices will not properly play content. (16 mbps speed verifed by Roku) When it did respond it took at least 2 minutes or longer to respond to play function. The picture was clear and not buffering.

*FireTV Boxes: ** (1-Wifi) - 1-Ethernet*
Both played flawlessly. The pictures were clear and HD quality. My only complaint was the lack of certain popular channels (NFL, MLB, Lifetime and A&E primarly). Also getting use to the FireTV remote fuctions has been somewhat clunky.

If the quality remains this high (with the Fire boxes) we will cut off Directv. We are viewing the Elite package and actual have the programming we want instead of DTV - Select Package which contains no sports but lots of junk channels.

From a cost perspective: DTV - Select is $52.00 + $25.00 (Tech fee) + $21.00 (extra receivers) + Taxes = @ $100 a month vs
$45.00 for PSV. This would save us more than $50 a month. ($600 plus for the year) Yeah I can see getting a couple of new fishing rods and reels out of this.


----------



## msm96wolf

I have to say, I am about ready to go back to Fire Box. The ROKU 3 has been a huge disappointment. The lack of Guide, Playback from Start for DVR live programming has been frustrating. I am checking my receipt to make sure I have not missed my 15 day return window. With Prime Days coming up, I think a new fire box will be ordered.


----------



## phrelin

Hmmm. Well, I haven't tried the Vue on my Roku 3. A few months ago, someone with some tech knowledge posted on a Vue site thread:



> As I said in an earlier post if the current functionality is brought as is to the Roku it will be worse, much worse, than the Sling channel and the Sling channel is barely usable. I do not want to see Vue, in its present form, on the Roku as it will hurt the image of Roku.
> 
> However if Vue finds some competent programmers and cleans up the channel for the Roku then I would be VERY happy to see a Vue channel on the Roku. It could be a GREAT addition as long as the bloat and poor design is worked out before implementation on the Roku platform.
> 
> Right now Vue is to quality apps as a camel is to a horse. It looks like it was designed by committee.


Based on comments here it appears "the bloat and poor design" weren't "worked out before implementation on the Roku platform." While I'm getting used to my Roku 3, I have to admit that I'm not quite sure how well apps with true multi-channel live services will perform. As my many years of satellite TV experience have taught me, you have the problem going backwards into the feed of determining is it your receiver/dvr, your dish and its switching system, a storm blocking your dish from receiving the signal, the satellite itself, a storm blocking the uplink in wherever, a problem with the uplink from the company, a problem with the feed to the company from the TV station, a problem at the TV station, a problem between the network and the TV station, etc.

With streaming, now I have the problem going backwards into the feed of determining is it the Roku device, is it my router, is it my modem, is it my individual service from Comcast, is it a problem with the local Comcast system, is it a problem with the internet, is it a problem at the source server, etc.

It's a tough call for Roku as the risk is if they wait too long to implement something like Vue, they'll lose out when people switch to other boxes. I they initiate something like Vue before it's ready, they'll lose out when people switch to other boxes.

Since my target for "cutting the cord" is May 2017 based upon redwood tree growth, I assume things in the streaming arena will continue to get better over time.


----------



## camo

I have the Roku 4 works like a charm but miss not having any guide. Ordered FireTv finally so everyone can expect a Roku Vue guide update soon.


----------



## Rich

camo said:


> I have the Roku 4 works like a charm but miss not having any guide. Ordered FireTv finally so everyone can expect a Roku Vue guide update soon.


I was gonna buy the Roku Ultra, but I keep reading about the new ATV5 that should be out soon. I had no luck with two Roku 4s and their inability to work with my Samsung 4K TV. I might give the Ultra a shot, anything to get Amazon on a streamer...I'm sick of using the UI on my TV, it's just too hard to navigate using the built in app.

The problem I had with the Roku 4s was I lost all 4K content when I had it hooked up to my Sammy JS8500. I never heard of a workaround that would solve that issue. I lost the 4K content on AP and NF. Anybody out there have a Sammy 4K and a Roku 4 that works correctly? I might take the plunge and buy the Ultra if I can get some guidance concerning that 4K issue. Both Roku 4s worked correctly on my Panny plasmas, so I have concluded the issue was caused by some incompatibility issue between the Roku 4s and the Sammy 4K. And assistance would be greatly appreciated.

A few months ago I complained about the Roku 4s remote, I'm glad to see they moved the Select button to the center of the arrows on top of the remote.

Rich


----------



## camo

Rich you may know already the HDMI input for the Roku4 needs to be HDCP 2.2 for Ultra 4K to work. On the Sony you need to turn this feature on for whatever HDMI the Roku uses. All HDMI inputs are standard from factory. 

As far as the newer Roku models I wouldn't think any work different than the current Roku4 as far as connection goes.

BTW changed plans and cancelled the FireTV box.


----------



## Rich

camo said:


> Rich you may know already the HDMI input for the Roku4 needs to be HDCP 2.2 for Ultra 4K to work. On the Sony you need to turn this feature on for whatever HDMI the Roku uses. All HDMI inputs are standard from factory.
> 
> As far as the newer Roku models I wouldn't think any work different than the current Roku4 as far as connection goes.
> 
> BTW changed plans and cancelled the FireTV box.


The Roku 4s I had...I never checked that setting. I'm gonna buy the Roku Ultra and see how that works. There were many mentions of Samsung 4K TVs having the same problems I had when the Roku 4 came out. I gave up on it pretty quickly at the time. I'll be back with how I do with the Ultra. Naturally, I would buy the one brand of 4K TVs that has problems with compatibility.

I've had problems with the newest iteration of the FTV, too. The last box I got had pixellation problems with NF. I've got 3 FTV boxes, the older ones. Not thrilled with the way they handle AP, either. Never got that far with the newest FTV box. My understanding is the newest FTV boxes will appear before Xmas as will the newest ATV box.

Rich


----------



## camo

Vue app is now available on Sony TV's. It includes a guide and seems to work good. About time, it really had me scratching my head why the streaming service they offered needed additional hardware.


----------



## austen0316

Vue is now available on the Apple TV (4th Gen only)


----------



## MadMac

Presently trying Vue on an older Roku and have been impressed so far, especially with the "mirroring" for local news that's not on Vue. We're not huge TV watchers here (news, Jeopardy, Wheel, soccer and wrestling), so can get everything we want for about a third of the cost. I can see Direct going away here once my commitment is up in a month or so.


----------



## mjwagner

The PSVue interface on Roku devices needs work. The lack of a guide and the inability to "see" what you are FFing thru using the DVR made me switch to FireTV devices. The interface and overall experience using PSVue on the FireTV vs Roku is much better.


----------



## MadMac

mjwagner said:


> The PSVue interface on Roku devices needs work. The lack of a guide and the inability to "see" what you are FFing thru using the DVR made me switch to FireTV devices. The interface and overall experience using PSVue on the FireTV vs Roku is much better.


 Thanks! I'm purely trying it out just now, but will certainly keep that in mind when/if I switch.


----------



## camo

If you have Amazon Prime not only does Firetv box have the PSVUE guide but free music included with Prime account has a nice streaming UI showing words to songs. I've actually dumped Netflix now and stream Prime material exclusive which is just as good maybe better than Netflix with lots of 4K and exclusive content.


----------



## chevyguy559

camo said:


> If you have Amazon Prime not only does Firetv box have the PSVUE guide *but free music included with Prime account has a nice streaming UI showing words to songs.* I've actually dumped Netflix now and stream Prime material exclusive which is just as good maybe better than Netflix with lots of 4K and exclusive content.


I like that feature too....sometimes use it more than Pandora on my FireTV's and have come away from some songs laughing to myself that I had the lyrics totally wrong LOL


----------



## MadMac

Watching Premier League via the NBC Sports app - only criticism is that the picture looks a bit "filmy", like watching in the cinema. Anyone else noticed this? I'm presuming it's a limitation of the old Roku.


----------



## espaeth

All of the streams available from the NBC Sports App are 30 frames per second.

Broadcast TV is either 1080i or 720p. 1080i is interlaced at a rate of 60 fields per second, but it takes 2 fields to render a full frame. (think even & odd lines on your TV) 720p sends a full frame every 60 seconds. In either case, every 1/60th of a second there is a change in picture on your screen. (although interlacing can produce artifacts during fast motion because of the half update)

Quite a bit of online streaming video, however, is progressive but at only 30 frames per second. So rather than your screen updating every 1/60th of a second, it's every 1/30th of a second. That extra delay causes noticeable jerkiness on things like scrolling text at the bottom of news screens, or panning shots for sports.

It's one of the big reasons people like Vue over Sling - while all of Sling's streams are 30 frames per second, Vue is distributing full 60 fps video for their channels. (provided you have a device that supports the 60fps feeds, that is)


----------



## MadMac

Ah! All makes sense now. From what I understand, the Fire boxes are 60 fps-capable. Thanks!


----------



## mjwagner

On my FireTV boxes PSVue has been 720p 60fps on every channel that I have checked.


----------



## B Newt

Just wondering if I sign up PS Vue on my PS3 unit. Will my subscription work on my firestick in my bedroom? Or do I have to have a seperate sub for the firestick?


----------



## peds48

B Newt said:


> .Will my subscription work on my firestick in my bedroom?


yes

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## camo

mjwagner said:


> On my FireTV boxes PSVue has been 720p 60fps on every channel that I have checked.


Whats nice about FireTv you can use developers tool called Xray. 
On directional pad, press and hold the *center* and *down* together for 5 seconds; then press the remote's *menu* button.
Then use advanced option for true input data. 
This gives codec used both audio and video,
Bitrate, resolution and frame rate.
If you don't use advanced option you don't get true look at stream.


----------



## mjwagner

camo said:


> Whats nice about FireTv you can use developers tool called Xray.
> On directional pad, press and hold the *center* and *down* together for 5 seconds; then press the remote's *menu* button.
> Then use advanced option for true input data.
> This gives codec used both audio and video,
> Bitrate, resolution and frame rate.
> If you don't use advanced option you don't get true look at stream.


Exactly, that's how I know that, at least for the channels that I checked, they were 720p 60fps. I haven't checked all of them though.


----------



## camo

mjwagner said:


> Exactly, that's how I know that, at least for the channels that I checked, they were 720p 60fps. I haven't checked all of them though.


I wanted those who use the feature realize using advanced feature is needed. ( Its an extra step). Now material off Amazon and Netflix filmed 24 fps & up with variety of resolutions no longer is there a question what stream actually is.


----------



## camo

Example what the feature looks like turned on. This is HBOGO


----------



## scooper

Yes - but of course you need to get the PS Vue app for FireTV.


----------



## camo

scooper said:


> Yes - but of course you need to get the PS Vue app for FireTV.


True


----------



## lokar

I was missing my UEFA Champions League too much so I started the free trial on PS Vue a couple of days ago. I was watching on my PS3 and the Fox Sports 1 stream definitely didn't seem to be 60fps, it was watchable though. If it matters, I was watching it on the cloud DVR and not live. My network connection bar was at full strength, do other people get 60fps with the PS3? I tried a few channels and they all seemed at 30fps.

I really want to like this service, I can get NBCSN and FS1/2 for a fraction of the cost of DirecTV who I ditched a couple of years ago.


----------



## mjwagner

Don't know about the PS3 but so far every PSVue channel that I have checked on my FireTV box is 720p 60fps. On the FireTV box you can enable a screen pop up that tells you exactly what the stream is. You really can't rely on just eyeballing it.


----------



## camo

mjwagner said:


> Don't know about the PS3 but so far every PSVue channel that I have checked on my FireTV box is 720p 60fps. On the FireTV box you can enable a screen pop up that tells you exactly what the stream is. You really can't rely on just eyeballing it.


Yes they are 720p but whats important is bitrate. Around 5000 @ 60fps provides very good picture. This is twice the bitrate of Directv NOW which runs 2500 bitrate using the developers app Xray.


----------



## mjwagner

camo said:


> Yes they are 720p but whats important is bitrate. Around 5000 @ 60fps provides very good picture. This is twice the bitrate of Directv NOW which runs 2500 bitrate using the developers app Xray.


I haven't looked at the bitrate but will have to check the next time I look. Honestly so far I have been very pleased with picture quality and pretty much everything else with PSVue. It does have a few things that need getting used to as a long time customer of DTV, but so far the experience has been very positive. And I like saving $80 per month on my entertainment budget... ; - )


----------



## Bronxiniowa

Make sure you have an Internet provider with a ton of allowable data. A month of streaming can easily go over 500GB.


----------



## camo

Bronxiniowa said:


> Make sure you have an Internet provider with a ton of allowable data. A month of streaming can easily go over 500GB.


I average around 660 GB month. ISP's vary, mine has no cap but I've heard some putting 1TB limit. So if you had a large family you could easily hit limit.


----------



## chevyguy559

Bronxiniowa said:


> Make sure you have an Internet provider with a ton of allowable data. A month of streaming can easily go over 500GB.


I have yet to break 300 gb of my 1TB cap on Xfinity and I've been streaming only since Oct. Granted I live alone except when my son is with me so I could see how a bigger household could have a higher bandwidth usage.


----------



## lokar

mjwagner said:


> Don't know about the PS3 but so far every PSVue channel that I have checked on my FireTV box is 720p 60fps. On the FireTV box you can enable a screen pop up that tells you exactly what the stream is. You really can't rely on just eyeballing it.


But my eyes are all I have  I can tell a definite difference between watching PSVue on Roku and watching on PS3. Roku looks better and has better framerate (looks very smooth to me) but no guide.


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## mjwagner

I don't doubt you at all, and my eyes certainly aren't what they used to be...;-) I never really looked very closely at the video quality of PSVue on Roku. I couldn't stand the PSVue UI on Roku so swapped out all my Roku boxes for FireTV boxes. Honestly the picture quality wouldn't have mattered, the PSVue UI on Roku is seriously that bad, IMHO.


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## dennphill

Cox Communication just gave me a 'reduced service' and an 'increased cost' bill for Feb 2017! I am P-Oed to the max! Took out my Cox Cable/Phone modem, one Mini Box, my wife's Contour Record 6 Receiver (I left her with a regular Cox Receiver and Contour Flex Economy Channels in the bedroom) and turned them in, and I downgraded the viewing channels. (That means I almost cut-the-cord!) Have a Roku 3 in the bedroom and a Roku 2 in the guest bedroom and using a new (cheap) ROKU TV (model 55UP130) in the living room. Signed up last week for Sony PlayStation Vue (Elite Slim package) and - for now - signed up again for Hulu Plus (w/o ads for $11.99). I have had Amazon Prime (shopping and shipping, mostly) for a year or more. Some buffering with PS Vue...especially after changing channels...but is settles down. I have yet to see if Cox's 1TB limit is an issue with the streaming, and if they goose up ($s) my Premier Internet from current $68/mo. No FIOS here. I am really a Cox-hater. They treat customers - especially long, loyal ones - like pure S**T! They are the only show in town (where I am) and they know it. I could get DirecTV or Dish but there are always problems with weather here...and the SatGuys are as bad with channel packaging as Cox. (I was paying for 330+ channels just to get Velocity, American Heroes, Science and NatGeo Wild (for me) and LMC and Cooking Channel, etc. (for my wife). So far, maybe, PS Vue is an option. More later.


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## toobs

How are you liking the DVR features on PSVue? Is it pretty much the same as DTV? I have both DTV and DTV Now and I finding myself using DTV only vs Now.


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## lokar

toobs said:


> How are you liking the DVR features on PSVue? Is it pretty much the same as DTV? I have both DTV and DTV Now and I finding myself using DTV only vs Now.


The DVR is different: it's better than DTV in that you have no storage concerns whatsoever. It is also easier to set a show to record, e.g. you say I want to add CSI to My Shows and you can then call up CSI episodes on any channel that it airs. PSVue also has ondemand and login authorization like DTV. The only negative is that you can't save anything longer than 28 days. Also depending on how snobby you are with sound, it doesn't seem like anything in PSVue uses Dolby Digital.


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## mjwagner

toobs said:


> How are you liking the DVR features on PSVue? Is it pretty much the same as DTV? I have both DTV and DTV Now and I finding myself using DTV only vs Now.


Personally, after about a month I now prefer the PSVue cloud DVR over what I had with DirecTV.


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## CeeYion

what are the benefits of PSVue cloud DVR that makes you like it better than what you had with DirecTV?


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## mjwagner

CeeYion said:


> what are the benefits of PSVue cloud DVR that makes you like it better than what you had with DirecTV?


Unlimited storage capacity.
No conflicts to worry about.
No hardware to worry about/manage/replace/etc.
Less power consumption, related to above.
In addition to all that I'm saving $80 per month and I have zero commitments. If something better comes along I can quickly and easily switch. No hardware to worry about/send back etc.


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## mjwagner

toobs said:


> How are you liking the DVR features on PSVue? Is it pretty much the same as DTV? I have both DTV and DTV Now and I finding myself using DTV only vs Now.


DTVNow in it's current form is simply not at all competitive with PSVue. For as long as DTV has been in this marketplace they should be embarrassed with DirecTVNow. It is pretty clear that they are playing catch up...and they better move pretty quickly or they will have a bunch of execs blaming one another for not seeing the train that just ran them over.


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## camo

PSVue does have issues with not being able to extend timers and shows getting cutoff at end. I've experienced it several times plus the 28 day storage assures nothing can be saved for future. A few things I enjoy saving are music awards shows ACM's, CMA etc.


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## peds48

mjwagner said:


> Unlimited storage capacity.
> .


"Unlimited" for how many shows you can save for 28 days.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## camo

Everything you add to My Shows. I've noticed some are dated back to November. I think what Sony does is just save everything automatically on cloud so to access any show user just adds to my shows. Exception I've noticed is my only local CBS station won't DVR at all. Could be they just haven't added local network markets to cloud yet and may not.


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## lokar

Does anyone know if you can watch HBO live on the PSVue app and also through HBO Now if you subscribe to HBO through PS Vue? I looked on their web page and it looks like subscribing to HBO through PSVue gets you access to HBO Now but it doesn't say if you also get the live channel.


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## camo

I don't have HBO but don't think you would get a typical live channel. You would be limited on content, unlike HBO NOW streaming service gives you all available HBO programming. If worried about premiere programming like GOT etc. most is available on Now at same time. 
LINK: Are shows on HBO NOW available at the same time as broadcast HBO?


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## trh

lokar said:


> Does anyone know if you can watch HBO live on the PSVue app and also through HBO Now if you subscribe to HBO through PS Vue? I looked on their web page and it looks like subscribing to HBO through PSVue gets you access to HBO Now but it doesn't say if you also get the live channel.


Why would you subscribe to both? Now is a stand-alone streaming service and doesn't require you to have HBO through your provider.

EDIT.... ignore, sort of, what I just said. It appears you don't subscribe to HBO with PS Vue, but you are subscribing to HBO Now.

FAQ


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## Eddie501

lokar said:


> Does anyone know if you can watch HBO live on the PSVue app and also through HBO Now if you subscribe to HBO through PS Vue? I looked on their web page and it looks like subscribing to HBO through PSVue gets you access to HBO Now but it doesn't say if you also get the live channel.


Yes, I had this set up for a while. You can use your Vue log in credentials for HBO Now, and also get live access to the streaming channel in the vue app. The other cool thing is that you can subscribe ONLY to HBO without having to have a base package if you want. So this is probably the best way to sign up for HBO as you get the best of both worlds.


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## espaeth

The only gotcha is that you can't DVR anything on HBO on Vue; it's live or on-demand only. You can watch a live feed of HBO East/West, but if you want to watch a show like Last Week Tonight and you miss the 11pm (eastern) broadcast, you have to wait until it gets added to VOD or pushed out to HBO Now before you can watch it.


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## mjwagner

espaeth said:


> The only gotcha is that you can't DVR anything on HBO on Vue; it's live or on-demand only. You can watch a live feed of HBO East/West, but if you want to watch a show like Last Week Tonight and you miss the 11pm (eastern) broadcast, you have to wait until it gets added to VOD or pushed out to HBO Now before you can watch it.


Interesting, I have never subscribed to HBO on PSVue so didn't know that. What is the typical delay before it is on VOD or HBO Now? If it's not too long it wouldn't be an issue as there are no commercials to FF thru anyway.


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## espaeth

mjwagner said:


> What is the typical delay before it is on VOD or HBO Now?


It can be up to 24 hours, depending on the program -- HBO publishes this timeline: When does new HBO original programming become available on HBO NOW?


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## lokar

espaeth said:


> The only gotcha is that you can't DVR anything on HBO on Vue; it's live or on-demand only. You can watch a live feed of HBO East/West, but if you want to watch a show like Last Week Tonight and you miss the 11pm (eastern) broadcast, you have to wait until it gets added to VOD or pushed out to HBO Now before you can watch it.


Thank you, that is exactly the information I was looking for! Sucks about the no DVR, but it's still better than HBO Now by itself.


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## mjwagner

espaeth said:


> The only gotcha is that you can't DVR anything on HBO on Vue; it's live or on-demand only. You can watch a live feed of HBO East/West, but if you want to watch a show like Last Week Tonight and you miss the 11pm (eastern) broadcast, you have to wait until it gets added to VOD or pushed out to HBO Now before you can watch it.





espaeth said:


> It can be up to 24 hours, depending on the program -- HBO publishes this timeline: When does new HBO original programming become available on HBO NOW?


If it's 24 hours or less than I don't see the issue. Like I said, there are no commercials to FF thru anyway...


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