a question for the cord cutters - best streaming service for live tv

[trenty]

If you cut the cord and use streaming service for live tv, what do you use and why did you choose it?

 

[azdisneylover]

We have an antenna and we use Hulu Plus. It depends on what channels you watch. I purchase Hulu gift cards from Target to save 5%. Purchased the antenna from Amazon. It was under $20. This works for us. Oh, we recently purchased another antenna for another TV because I like our local news.

 

[DisFan22]

We signed up for Directv Now. There was a promo where if you prepaid four months, you'd receive a free Apple TV, which made the service practically free, and seemed like a good deal. We still get our local channels (NY here) and we have DVR Functionality, and our kids didn't lose their channels. I've honestly been very happy with it, and we've only had slight problems with it being a little choppy when Time Warner/Spectrum was doing something with our internet.

Basically, you have to use a streaming device. And have a decent broadband connection, but you don't need a Dish... and the HUGE benefit it, I only have to pay for monthly service on one house, instead of two. We were paying $137/month to Dish Network on 1 house, and $82/Month for another, and now our bill is less than $60, for all of our TV's.

The thing you have to do -- is compare the channel line ups as Dish has a "Sling" Service, while Directv has their own. You just have to find out what channel package and lineup works best for your family. Can't recommend it enough though, we are saving a ton of $$$!


https://www.sling.com/c/channels
http://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/compare-packages-account.html

Also - I think the Apple TV promo might still be going on. Worth taking a look.

Additionally, We've been Netflix subscribers since 2007, and can't recommend the service enough. It's gone up a bit over the years, but they have a lot of nice programming, and a really good movie collection for families. Not a HULU subscriber but maybe someone else can step in with their opinion on that.

 

[jen7233]

We recently went to DirectTV Now, after moving we decided it's a good time to try it out. It's fine, it came with AppleTV. I have a lot to learn with figuring out the remote, and I think the only feature I "miss" is being able to record ridiculous amounts of show we never ended up watching anyway! Overall I'm fine with it, because I hardly watch TV anyway and have wanted to switch for very long or just cut the cord on satellite and cable. Really all I ever watch is Netflix, and as far as regular TV just the occasional news, Today show for a few minutes, Survivor, HGTV, and then the major sporting events like Superbowl/World Series. The only channel I gave up is the Weather Channel, as it's not part of the package we got. I only watch that during major weather events though. We pay $35 a month for this service. So, my negatives would be not being able to record shows without thinking of space (we have 20 hours now), learning the Apple TV remote, and losing the Weather Channel. Overall, really not anything to be concerned over.

 

[Nayan]

There's Sling, DirecTV Now, Hulu and Playstation Vue to choose from. I would look at each of them and go with the one who offers the channels you want most. But you need to be careful price-wise, as this article shows how quickly you're "Yeah, not paying for expensive cable anymore!" can easily rack up the same amount, if not more, than you're former bill as this article shows:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...-way-keep-cord-cutting-prices-down/764921002/

Also be aware your internet bill may soar without being bundled to TV service. I pay $95/month for internet alone, so YMMV.

 

[trenty]

Thanks all. Trying out Hulu plus TV. Seems to have the best channels for our needs.
Haven't looked at PS vue yet.....will check that one out too.

Our internet is not bundled so that won't be an issue.

 

[snoodledoo]

We have had PS Vue for more than a year now. No complaints and the biggest benefit for us is the DVR. This might be a helpful article: https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-streaming-services-channel-lineups-compared/

 

[megsters]

YouTube TV gets good reviews too. We love DirecTV Now. I like that we can take it while we travel.

 

[striker1064]

There are lots of options. We've been cordcutters for years.

We have an antenna to get local channels and local news. That's never been an issue. For keeping up with shows we like that we can't or don't watch live, Hulu Plus has been great.

I love college football, so in the fall I need ESPN channels. We've tried Sling, PS Vue, and Youtube TV. Sling is the least expensive and by far the worst service - lots of buffering and freezing. I felt we got exactly what we paid for with Slong. PS Vue is the most expensive, but it looks like watching real TV (provided your internet is fast enough to keep up with it). It's awesome and works great all the time. Youtube TV has been a happy medium between the two. It's cheaper than Vue, but more expensive than Sling. It's much more reliable than Sling but hiccups occasionally (which Vue never did in the 6ish months we had it). The most reliable way to watch it is via Chromecast, which not everyone has or likes using.

The nice thing about all these services is you can cancel anytime without penalty, unlike a cable package. I sign up for Youtube TV from August until January for football season, then cancel it and pay only for Hulu Plus the rest of the year.

 

[TAPMD]

If you cut the cord and use streaming service for live tv, what do you use and why did you choose it?

I use HuluPlus and really like it. I have also used Sling TV but like Hulu’s set-up better. It has all of the channels that I need and includes the ESPN channels. I believe those were an add on with Sling. I also like that Hulu remembers my favorite shows and lets me know when there are new episodes. Lastly, it’s a reasonable price and super easy to manage your bill.

 

[kmatts]

We are loving HuluPlus and you can get occasional Hulu gift cards with Bing Rewards.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

We have had PS Vue for more than a year now. No complaints and the biggest benefit for us is the DVR. This might be a helpful article: https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-streaming-services-channel-lineups-compared/

Does Vue still require a static IP address to use?

 

[snoodledoo]

Does Vue still require a static IP address to use?

That's beyond my tech knowledge. https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/supported-devices-and-set-up/

 

[MikeNamez]

I used PS Vue when i first cut the cord. I chose it for the unlimited DVR, Individual Profiles and multiple logins at one time. I loved the service, but found I really wasn't watching that much either so moved to just Internet. I may sign back up when Football season starts but no sure yet.

I used Amazon Fire TV sticks on each TV to access the PS VUE APP which works great as well. Only downfall there is no "Channel Up/Down" using the fire stick remote.

 

[Dancind]

We have an antenna, Netflix streaming, Amazon Prime with HBO, and a Tivo with a lifetime subscription. Of course, the Tivo is making noise so doubt it will last our lifetime. But being able to record some shows and watch without commercials is important! Will probably drop HBO until GoT comes back, but it always seems like there is plenty to watch. We enjoy Food network and some HGTV shows, but there are plenty of those to binge on Netflix.

 

[bellangie]

Directtv Now. We have had Dorect tv satellite for years. We essentially get the same package as what we had for 1/3 of the price with the streaming.

 

[HeatherC]

Can you watch local sports with any of these yet? My do and son are huge Boston sports fans which is the only reason we haven’t cut cable yet.

 

[Shsmith341]

Hulu live is $39.99 a month and you can watch live TV including live sports.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

I have used DirectTV Now and Hulu Live. It really depends on the channels you value. The good thing is you aren’t locked into some long contracts like the cable companies.

 

[DisFan22]

Can you watch local sports with any of these yet? My do and son are huge Boston sports fans which is the only reason we haven’t cut cable yet.

My DH & DS are still able to watch the Yankees Games, and the Giants, here. I'd honestly give a call to the provider your considering, and ask if there is a blackout for your area. We have Directv Now.