I’ve been using Google music unlimited for about 6 months and I am very happy with it, has nearly everything I am looking for. I have also uploaded my music library to it so I can access everything in one place.
On the TV side I have been using PlayStation Vue for 2 months now and I am very happy with it. I have the second cheapest package on it at $45 per month. The main thing I like about it is that you can use your login for many channel apps directly, much more than sling and DirecTV now allows. I can therefore get all my soccer and the few shows I watch instantly and on demand.
Why is that not fair. I am watching TV on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. That’s their purpose. Chromecast was a pain in the ass to use for that. It was not a good user-experience. And you know who made the biggest push to get these devices some decent memory and performance, Amazon showing up… not Google.
Let me introduce you to the Vizio Co-star to show you some of the earlier failures of Google TV. You remember Google TV right because AndroidTV was not Google’s entry.
So what? You’re the one that tried to claim AndroidTV is Google’s entry into the market when it certainly is not their entry.
I don’t know why you’re fighting with me on this. I’ve cut cable for years now. Generation one of GoogleChromecast was shit and unpleasant in comparison to their competitors. If you enjoy it today, good for you.
I was honestly shocked recently when I watched a Marvel movie through YouTube that had been added to my account via Disney Anywhere. The video compression was horrible, far below the quality you get for HD movies streamed by Netflix, Amazon and Vudu.
I never understood the reason for Chromecast. Having to also use your phone/tablet also is just annoying for the simple sit down TV experience. Spend a few dollars more and get the Roku or Fire Stick.
I have an original Chromecast, and it comes in handy when I just want to fire up a YouTube let’s play or Twitch stream to run while I’m puttering about, but I’ve since bought the Roku stick which works for that too, I guess. Still, i carry my iPod touch around in my pocket, and I’m unlikely to do so with my Roku remote.
I’m sure it has it’s pluses. It’s not as if I am anti-Google in anyway. I use Android. I like Gmail. I use Chrome… but in this area, Google is not good compared to the competitors. It just isn’t. For cord cutting, I’ve used 3 Amazon Fire TVs, 2 Rokue Devices, an HTPC sort of set-up with Linux, smart blue ray players, Smart TV… and those are the ones plugged in today. I’ve went through Co-Star, Hauppauge… just a hot of things except Apple.
If they come up with something else, outside of Apple, that gives me live-streaming at a good price and without sports, I’m likely to try that too but what i have some between Amazon and Roku and HBO suffices.
I’ve done the NHL package for 2 years via their online-only option, which I then just streamed to my TV. I can view games as they happen or on-demand, see combined highlights, and even step through a game with markers showing big plays, penalties, scores, etc. It’s superior in just about every way over just a channel tier purchased from a satellite or cable provider. And I cannot wait for that to become part of an overall offering from some streaming company who has the guts (or money) to wrangle multiple sports into one offering via streaming.
Hulu has a new thing for $40 a month you get a bunch of channels, with DVR capabilities, which includes a few sports channels (NBC Sports being the only one that matters to me). So I looked into cutting my Comcast cable, but their bundles tie everything together, making it difficult. You can’t just get online and see how much everything would be of course, you have to deal with their salesmen. I think I can save money by going to a lower speed and cutting tv though.
I currently have 200Mbps download through Comcast, but I am really not sure I need it. Sure it’s great for downloading a game or two a month, but other than that, I don’t do enough to warrant it. Streaming 4k, as far as I can tell only requires 25 Mbps or so? It would end up saving me money if I dropped to a 100Mbps a month only option and got rid of Comcast cable.
Am I overlooking anything speedwise? Is Hulu decent? I have never used it. I am not a big downloader. I do stream Netflix etc occasionally, I don’t play only multiplayer games, I live alone.
Sure, you can drop down to 100Mbps, that’s plenty to stream video.
All of those services have free trials, so give them a shot. I certainly don’t find any of them interesting, largely because I could not possibly care less about live TV.
I was excited for about half a minute. I don’t care about live TV really. I don’t care about sports at all. I just want an easy way to stream the shows I care about when I want to watch it. Hell I would pay for cable right now if their 80 dollar internet and tease didn’t turn into 160 after a year.
I figure since it includes a DVR service, I can use that to watch on demand, just have to wait until it airs, so the live part doesn’t matter. Wouldn’t the recording aspect take care of what you want (other than having to wait for it be shown live). For me, I am looking for a way to watch soccer and about 3 TV shows without paying for a full cable package form Comcast.
As @strusser said, I guess I should do the one week trial and see how it works in practice.
The combo of Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now will get you most of the way there. You can fill in the rest with purchasing seasons from Amazon, Google, or Apple. The problem is that while you can save a couple bucks these legitimate alternatives aren’t anywhere near as convenient as paying for cable.
You’re dealing with multiple apps to watch your shows, often you can only wait a week before watching them, most of the DVR services only give 50 hours of space, some shows are blacked-out, some shows have ads (even if you pay Hulu its extra $4/month), and it’s constantly nickel and diming you to buy shows that aren’t on the streaming services.
Piracy, on the other hand, is very easy these days, addresses all those problems, and is of course completely free. There’s a reason why you see those Kodi boxes in the news all the time. So like, in summary? The content providers need to get their shit together.
The problem is, if you remove Fox News and all the sports channels, they’re not giving me much at all. In fact for my zip code, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX are On Demand only. That’s pretty much what I get today for 8 dollars a month… except no CBS. for an extra 32 dollars a month I get maybe two more shows I can’t watch today… not worth it.
As far as I can tell, these streaming cable TV replacements are almost entirely sustained by sports fans. If you aren’t a sports guy, you probably don’t care about live TV.
Evidently, but what’s the game plan here? The sports lovers are either currently with cable or they’re using other ways to get their sports. For instance, I am told MLB has a robust online offering of some kind. I thought these streaming services were meant to bring back cable cutters, not siphon more from cable sooner.
At a glance, PS Vue is still a better service than this Hulu Live service. I’ll have to look a little closer, but I guess maybe Hulu Live will be good when Vue is inevitably cancelled or crippled (assuming Hulu Live lasts that long).
