DirecTV Now Price Increase

[Zookster]

BREAKING NEWS: DirecTV Now is adding a handful of Viacom channels to its new MAX and PLUS plans. No word yet on when another $10/mo. price increase will hit those two packages.
Viacom Channels Are Coming to DIRECTV NOW PLUS and MAX Plans

 

[WTguy]

What do you mean by a long time? These OTT live TV services won't tune to a new channel as instantly as cable or satellite in my experience. So if it's taking longer then two or three seconds on average then you might want to see about ensuring you're getting an adequate Wi-Fi signal or try a wired connection. It should take as long as loading a show on Netlix if not a bit faster on YTTV. I guess I've just gotten used to the delay so I don't think about it anymore.

It take as long as 30 seconds, on average a channel is loaded in 15 seconds. It is by far the slowest of any streaming service I have tried. I like the service but by biggest problem with it is they have not authorized the fox sports app to view the Fox RSN's (I have read that some areas are getting their FOX rsn's).

 

[Ronnie-]

It take as long as 30 seconds, on average a channel is loaded in 15 seconds. It is by far the slowest of any streaming service I have tried. I like the service but by biggest problem with it is they have not authorized the fox sports app to view the Fox RSN's (I have read that some areas are getting their FOX rsn's).

Wow, that seems WAY outside the norm based on my own experience with the service. I will have to pay closer attention as I have gotten used to the load time, but I would say 5 seconds is what I experience. Maybe.

 

[ncted]

5 seconds seems reasonable given what is required to setup the stream. Not bad at all actually.

 

[harshness]

5 seconds seems reasonable given what is required to setup the stream. Not bad at all actually.

Yet a relative eternity if you've been using PIP or Side-By-Side (SBS) or hopping channels on OTA or cable TV.

 

[Ronnie-]

Yet a relative eternity if you've been using PIP or Side-By-Side (SBS) or hopping channels on OTA or cable TV.

Went straight from sat to it, as much as I thought it would be an issue, it wasnt. To me.

Since you arent "surfing" in the traditional sense, maybe that is what makes it less noticeable?

 

[Zookster]

I just tested the channel loading time on YTTV instead of just guessing, and it was consistently three seconds. That's comparable to loading times for Netflix and better than what I usually get with Prime content. The delays were a bit worse when I first cut the cord three years ago and was using PS Vue on a PS4, but within a few months, app upgrades significantly cut the time. And it isn't something I really think about with YTTV. I guess the only time I'd like to see it go faster is when I'm flipping back and forth between two sporting events, but buffers for both programs are retained flipping back and forth, so I can RW if I feel I missed something during those 2 extra seconds of loading.

 

[harshness]

Since you arent "surfing" in the traditional sense, maybe that is what makes it less noticeable?

Ping-ponging between channels during one's favorite sporting season hasn't really changed/diminished with the introduction of OTT (at least until someone offers RedZone OTT). Unless some provider sends a feed with both channels somehow merged into a single image (how do you pick which one you get sound from?), people will still desire to hop.

The question is how well the service implements recall.

Maybe there's a market for a multi-stream box that offers PIP, SBS or better.

 

[Ronnie-]

Ping-ponging between channels during one's favorite sporting season hasn't really changed/diminished with the introduction of OTT (at least until someone offers RedZone OTT). Unless some provider sends a feed with both channels somehow merged into a single image (how do you pick which one you get sound from?), people will still desire to hop.

The question is how well the service implements recall.

Maybe there's a market for a multi-stream box that offers PIP, SBS or better.

I don't know. I always ping ponged for sports, and still do.

I just do it differently now, and in some ways it's better In some it is worse.

Now instead of a back button to the last channel, I hit a button to see the last several sports channels I've viewed. I don't find it any less efficient during sports. In many ways its better, even with the few second load time.

 

[ncted]

AT&T Sued over DirectTV Now:

AT&T is Being Sued Over Misleading Investors About DIRECTV NOW - Cord Cutters News

 

[Alan Rovner]

With respect to the speed of channel changing, I'm beta testing a new DTV Now hardware platform that is almost instantaneous when changing channels. The Roku app is probably 5-10 times slower in this area.

Al, K7AR

Sent from my moto x4 using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[Zookster]

Ping-ponging between channels during one's favorite sporting season hasn't really changed/diminished with the introduction of OTT (at least until someone offers RedZone OTT). Unless some provider sends a feed with both channels somehow merged into a single image (how do you pick which one you get sound from?), people will still desire to hop.

The question is how well the service implements recall.

Maybe there's a market for a multi-stream box that offers PIP, SBS or better.

Redzone is already available OTT through Playstation Vue and FuboTV (maybe others?). In fact, originally, you could get Redzone as a standalone via PS Vue without having to sub to any other channels; now it's part of a sports add-on package that requires at least the base channel package.

PS Vue has also offered multi-view (PIP with up to three different games) via the PS4 since March 2017. And it's recently launched on Apple TV: PlayStation Vue Launches Multi-view on Apple TV Today On PS4, you'd pick which one you get sound from by switching it to the "primary" stream.

No need for a multi-stream box, just one with enough processing power and internal memory to handle running 2-4 streams simultaneously. I think it's very possible for YTTV to implement at some point. Already in the guide on PC browser, I see live video thumbnails of each channel listed.

 

[harshness]

Is anyone in the OTT business carrying a "Game Mix" (DIRECTV terminology) or "Multi-View" (DISH terminology) for March Madness?

Of course services like DIRECTV Now and Sling TV only offer two streams total so they're not good options for creating your own composite.

Let's not confuse what's possible with what's available. By the time those features debut, the landscape may have changed considerably.

 

[NashGuy]

Is anyone in the OTT business carrying a "Game Mix" (DIRECTV terminology) or "Multi-View" (DISH terminology) for March Madness?

Of course services like DIRECTV Now and Sling TV only offer two streams total so they're not good options for creating your own composite.

Let's not confuse what's possible with what's available. By the time those features debut, the landscape may have changed considerably.

Well, as noted above, you can create your own "multi-view" of 4 different March Madness games (assuming that there are 4 concurrent games airing on 4 different channels) with PS Vue on Apple TV. But, AFAIK, they don't have a "March Madness Multi-View" menu option to automatically create that for you.

PlayStation Vue Adds Multi-view to The Apple TV - Cord Cutters News

 

[Zookster]

I don't think creating a multi-view would be dependent on the number of simultaneous streams allowed by the service as that restriction seems to be linked to the number of different devices active. For example, with YouTube TV, I know I can have several PC browser windows open simultaneously running the service (more than the stated limit of 3) and effectively create a multi-view that way.

I'm sure some of these bells and whistles will come with time. It's probably not high on the list of priority enhancements -- especially if not all device models can handle it. But yes, if you want to highlight every tiny advantage paying two to three times more for your TV service gives you, the multi-view function could be added to the list. Though at the risk of repeating it for a third time, PS Vue has had a multi-view feature on PS4 for two years (within one year of launching nationally) and is now expanding it (Apple TV).

 

[harshness]

If you have to spread your money across several services that don't deliver on their own, is there not a cost there (in addition to the respective costs of the various services subscribed to)?

The proposed DIRECTV packages are closer to being comprehensive, but as I pointed out previously, they only get halfway to the identically priced DBS namesakes in terms of channels offered.

I submit that it is a matter of when rather than if Sony and Google will raise prices on their OTT products. Make hay while the sun shines, but have a plan for when the rain comes.

 

[CyberWhip]

I have DirectTv Now, for almost a year and it has been decent, not great but works fine with few issues others have mentioned. I got an email that says they have new packages and I can switch but I can keep current package (for now) it seems price is still unchanged $56 per month (for now). I checked web site just now and they are charging $110 per month for basically same package I have, maybe adding one or two channels, no HBO or premium channels. Are they nuts, that's basically satellite prices? I'm considering a backup of HuluTv at $45 per month for basically same channels I have now. I should probably jump ship right now, I'm really considering it for next billing cycle.

 

[navychop]

Welcome to the real world. Those OTT cheap prices (& losses) couldn’t keep up forever.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[harshness]

I checked web site just now and they are charging $110 per month for basically same package I have, maybe adding one or two channels, no HBO or premium channels.

They're throwing in some HBO channels as part of the new packaging. Still not reason enough to jack the price as they're proposing.

 

[harshness]

Some interesting goings-on with respect to DIRECTV Now and the Time Warner acquisition:

Lawsuit: AT&T’s DirecTV Now is a flop and AT&T lied to investors about it