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huskerfan1414

Heisman
Oct 25, 2014
12,603
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0
Looks like my run with Directv is over as they arent trying to retain me with anything lucrative anymore.

Looking to do a streaming service but I am WHOLLY illiterate in this and you guys are brains with this stuff.
Maybe it would be easier if I just lay it out for you and if anyone thinks they have ideas please share them with prices. Heres what I want/need:

All local channels
BTN
ESPN, 2, U
FS1
AMC
TCM
QVC and Food (for the wife)

There are others than I can do without. DVR would be nice but we did without that before. Any ideas or is it gonna end up not saving any money after I get nickle and dimed to death?
 
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TheNewNU_rivals50820

All-Conference
Dec 27, 2014
4,513
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Hulu and Youtube would have most of what you listed except for Food and QVC. The streaming cable packages are mainly for sports and offer bare minimum outside of that. Might have to go with one of the old cable companies to get everything you want. I just switched to Directv, I'm honestly not a fan but my family watches a lot of the niche networks so it was kind of a must.
 
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H

huskerfan1414

Heisman
Oct 25, 2014
12,603
12,740
0
Hulu looks good and so does youtube tv. Hulu doesnt hve AMC however, but the entire hulu library is a nice feature.
But I noticed none have NET!? Thats strange. Any way to watch that?
Any glitch problems?
 
E

EATAFAT1

Senior
Oct 10, 2009
1,567
898
0
I have HuluTV. Its been fine for us except they just took away one streaming quality option. There used to be 3 now theres 2. I wish they'd stop taking away features. They also just raised the price of the service by 5 bucks while lowering the cost of the non live Hulu service. To be honest its not worth it now. They are playing the cable company game and if it goes up more, I will find a cheaper service. At least I'm not locked in and can bail at any time. Be aware that most people have had the best luck with ROKU and Hulu, but that may have changed. I'm sure there are lots of articles out there if you care to Google them. The quality of the service has been fine, no real problems. We occasionally lose service for a VERY short time, but thats VERY seldom and may be more to my internet carrier. Good luck.
 
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SeaOfRed75

All-Conference
Dec 5, 2010
3,218
1,142
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Hulu live doesnt have AMC
YouTube TV doesnt have Food Network

otherwise both similar

Sling was never considered for me as no BTN.
PS Vue I never considered as I mainly use Xbox one to stream. So PS Vue may be option for you.
 
bigboxes

bigboxes

All-American
Sep 4, 2004
46,208
6,740
113
PS Vue. Mega sports and a bunch of channels (plus locals for me). My ISP keeps trying to win me back, but I'm fine being unbundled. Gives me more control.
 
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gw2kpro

All-Conference
Dec 2, 2007
3,986
1,311
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PSVue. I get the package with the B10 network during football season and drop back down the rest of the year.
 
PAHusker139

PAHusker139

Freshman
Jan 12, 2008
633
61
28
Hulu and HDTV antenna.
You can only watch Hulu on one TV.
You can watch Hulu on numerous devices.
 
H

huskat

Senior
Jan 27, 2005
2,531
501
113
pahusker139 said:
Hulu and HDTV antenna.
You can only watch Hulu on one TV.
You can watch Hulu on numerous devices.
Click to expand...
You sure about that? That's a pretty big detail that is not mentioned in their FAQ:

A Hulu + Live TV subscription allows you to watch on up to two screens at a time. If you want to enjoy Hulu + Live TV simultaneously on more than two supported devices, you can always add the Unlimited Screens option, so everyone in your household gets to watch at home whenever they want. With the add-on, you can also watch on three screens when you're on the go.
 
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huskat

Senior
Jan 27, 2005
2,531
501
113
Was just doing this research myself. Hulu TV had the best channel lineup for me, but it's DVR service was bad. If you upgrade to their "enhanced DVR", you're looking at ~$60/mo. Still better than the $133 I just got bumped up to w/ DirecTV, but not exactly what I had in mind when I was looking at cutting the cord. YoutubeTV had the best DVR service, but missing all the Viacom channels (HGTV, etc.), which was a pretty big deal for us. Much better price at $40. PS Vue has great channels, but like Hulu, pricy and less than great DVR service.

A lot of companies trying to figure out streaming TV right now, which makes DirecTV/cable able to say, "we've got it all already", and unwilling to bargain.
 
ridge222

ridge222

Sophomore
Jan 19, 2015
363
143
43
To find out the best fit for what you need go to Suppose TV it lets you put in the channels you want based on area code. I am in the same boat with Dish and finally ripped off the band-aid this month. I went with YouTube TV and Philo and was able to get pretty much everything I wanted for channels for under $60.
 
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mgbreeze

mgbreeze

All-Conference
Dec 16, 2004
10,078
3,490
113
Last time I checked YouTube TV wasn't available in my area (Nebraska). I was 90% to trying PSVue but realized they don't have Nickelodeon, which is kinda important to one of the household members for a little while longer. Okay... I like Spongebob...

EDIT: I just checked again and it is available here now.
 
Last edited:
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9

9and4_rivals188421

All-Conference
Dec 4, 2013
4,216
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Hulu. In Iowa City, every other service blacks out MLB games that don't involve the Cubs or the White Sox because we're in-market for KC, St. Louis, Minnesota and Milwaukee as well. Hulu gives me access to all six MLB teams without having to spend $250/year on MLB.tv. Hulu just raised its monthly fee from $40 to $45, though. Still a bargain, and I get Sarah Silverman, BTN, every ESPN channel except the Longhorn Network, FS1, FS1, NBCSN and CBSSN. No NFL or MLB Networks, though. I also get the local channels, but they're from Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, so it's pretty low-quality news, and two of the outlets are owned by Sinclair.
 
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T

ThrowBones92

Senior
Sep 5, 2011
544
554
0
EATAFAT1 said:
I have HuluTV. Its been fine for us except they just took away one streaming quality option. There used to be 3 now theres 2. I wish they'd stop taking away features. They also just raised the price of the service by 5 bucks while lowering the cost of the non live Hulu service. To be honest its not worth it now. They are playing the cable company game and if it goes up more, I will find a cheaper service. At least I'm not locked in and can bail at any time. Be aware that most people have had the best luck with ROKU and Hulu, but that may have changed. I'm sure there are lots of articles out there if you care to Google them. The quality of the service has been fine, no real problems. We occasionally lose service for a VERY short time, but thats VERY seldom and may be more to my internet carrier. Good luck.
Click to expand...
The thing I like about the services is that you aren't locked into your market. These services have to compete nationally with every other streaming service. At least they haven't segmented it by region or state or city yet. I hope they don't. As long as there are at least a few quality options, prices should stay reasonable.

I'm actually more frustrated with what we are asked to pay for internet-only connections.
 
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T

ThrowBones92

Senior
Sep 5, 2011
544
554
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ridge222 said:
To find out the best fit for what you need go to Suppose TV it lets you put in the channels you want based on area code. I am in the same boat with Dish and finally ripped off the band-aid this month. I went with YouTube TV and Philo and was able to get pretty much everything I wanted for channels for under $60.
Click to expand...
Ive never seen Suppose TV. That's pretty cool!
 
M

MOHUSKER

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2009
16,561
1,806
113
Try Directv retentions department, they knocked $90 off my bill without issue. Paying like $24 a month currently.
 
S

Spurs90

Freshman
Jun 6, 2017
69
70
1
Playstation Vue for me. Works wonderfully. Love access to the apps through the fire stick as well. With the subscription you can pretty much download the app for any of the channels in the package and watch whatever season of whatever show you want. Makes that DVR feature pretty much obsolete, although it's technically still there.
 
H

huskerfan1414

Heisman
Oct 25, 2014
12,603
12,740
0
Some great stuff guys I appreciate it!

Youtube tv is looking like the best channel line up. Who has it? Any issues?
DVR is only 9 months so I cant hoard but oh well.
 
H

huskerfan1414

Heisman
Oct 25, 2014
12,603
12,740
0
jmliehr said:
Try Directv retentions department, they knocked $90 off my bill without issue. Paying like $24 a month currently.
Click to expand...
Ive been able to haggle sweet deals before.
Had 65 bucks knocked off last year.
This year? They offered 5. It was insulting.
 
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dand84

All-Conference
Oct 28, 2017
3,429
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Hmmm...lots of good answers here. About the only thing I would add is streaming services can buffer more often and if you don’t have unlimited data, you will be in for a surprise if you stream a lot.
 
bigboxes

bigboxes

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Sep 4, 2004
46,208
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dand84 said:
Hmmm...lots of good answers here. About the only thing I would add is streaming services can buffer more often and if you don’t have unlimited data, you will be in for a surprise if you stream a lot.
Click to expand...

I have a great wireless router and great internet (200M no caps), but I hard wire all of my Fire TV devices. No buffering.
 
S

saluno22

All-Conference
Mar 1, 2006
8,043
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ThrowBones92 said:
The thing I like about the services is that you aren't locked into your market. These services have to compete nationally with every other streaming service. At least they haven't segmented it by region or state or city yet. I hope they don't. As long as there are at least a few quality options, prices should stay reasonable.

I'm actually more frustrated with what we are asked to pay for internet-only connections.
Click to expand...
It's a nice gravy train for now (save for Cox more than doubling their internet rates over roughly the last 7 years in my area), but I'm curious how long before the streaming services start buying each other in the same manner as other media companies and providers have?
 
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barney44

All-American
Oct 2, 2005
185,597
5,623
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bigboxes said:
I have a great wireless router and great internet (200M no caps), but I hard wire all of my Fire TV devices. No buffering.
Click to expand...

IMO hard wiring is the way to go. WIFI is fine and all but there are times when the sound is behind on things like football games and such. I never have that with my devices hardwired..
 
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ThrowBones92

Senior
Sep 5, 2011
544
554
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barney44 said:
IMO hard wiring is the way to go. WIFI is fine and all but there are times when the sound is behind on things like football games and such. I never have that with my devices hardwired..
Click to expand...
Is the lag still the same when you "watch live"? Or does hardwiring take care of that? My guess is its a service thing, since your sending it through the stream from the company?
 
S

saluno22

All-Conference
Mar 1, 2006
8,043
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ThrowBones92 said:
Is the lag still the same when you "watch live"? Or does hardwiring take care of that? My guess is its a service thing, since your sending it through the stream from the company?
Click to expand...
Could it also be that live streams aren't compressed as much as their archive library?
 
H

huskerfan1414

Heisman
Oct 25, 2014
12,603
12,740
0
Update...
Currently trialing youtube tv. Here are my thoughts, and take it easy on me as Im a tech dummy.
The quality on screen is great, the channels are good except no NET. My internet holds up fine, no glitches.

But this isnt as practical as they make it sound.
First, you have to have a mobile device like a phone or tablet. Next, you have to have a whatchyamacallit hooked up to your tv to connect to your mobile device. I was under the assumption that the decice you hook into your tv was all you needed, no mobile device. (We got chromecast for free so trying that).
Next, each tv you want to use needs its own whatchyamacallit and mobile device.
Next, I had to sign into something or another 8 different times just to watch tv, then I had to verify location whenever I tried a local station.
Next, wanna change the channel? Phone needed. Didnt know that. What if phone has no battery?
Havent figured out how to dvr, sure it isnt hard, but its hard to search whats on past one day on youtubetv.

So if I want to mimic my current tv experience, Ill have to buy more and better stuff. Im sure we will get smart tvs in the future, does that mean I wont have to mess with mobile devices or a whatchyamacallit? Are you able to actually turn the channel with a remote on your tv screen with those? TIA.

For now, Im calling directv tomorrow and trying to get a better deal. Streaming is the future but isnt really practical at this point if you simply want to sit down, grab a remote, and turn on the tv.
 
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Shimmer003

All-Conference
Feb 25, 2005
10,027
2,631
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huskerfan1414 said:
Update...
Currently trialing youtube tv. Here are my thoughts, and take it easy on me as Im a tech dummy.
The quality on screen is great, the channels are good except no NET. My internet holds up fine, no glitches.

But this isnt as practical as they make it sound.
First, you have to have a mobile device like a phone or tablet. Next, you have to have a whatchyamacallit hooked up to your tv to connect to your mobile device. I was under the assumption that the decice you hook into your tv was all you needed, no mobile device. (We got chromecast for free so trying that).
Next, each tv you want to use needs its own whatchyamacallit and mobile device.
Next, I had to sign into something or another 8 different times just to watch tv, then I had to verify location whenever I tried a local station.
Next, wanna change the channel? Phone needed. Didnt know that. What if phone has no battery?
Havent figured out how to dvr, sure it isnt hard, but its hard to search whats on past one day on youtubetv.

So if I want to mimic my current tv experience, Ill have to buy more and better stuff. Im sure we will get smart tvs in the future, does that mean I wont have to mess with mobile devices or a whatchyamacallit? Are you able to actually turn the channel with a remote on your tv screen with those? TIA.

For now, Im calling directv tomorrow and trying to get a better deal. Streaming is the future but isnt really practical at this point if you simply want to sit down, grab a remote, and turn on the tv.
Click to expand...

Go get a roku stick. They’re like $40 and it gives you the remote you want. My cheap roku stick and ps Vue give me a similar experience to traditional tv. You have to use the guide to change channels but it’s about the same otherwise
 
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