Internet TV - What are my Options?

[21st Hermit]

I get most of my news, weather, etc. via my PC. But that's requires an active (mouse, keyboard) input. There are times I want passive entertainment, that's where a TV excels. I watch zero serial TV shows, and few movies, just educational programming, news and some NFL when in season.

Where I live there's zero OTA TV, it went away when TV switched from analog to digital. So my only options are satellite or internet TV. I've been satellite for the last 15-years and I'd like to switch to internet TV.

What are my options? What do you recommend? Are there demos available? I'm leery of money back options.

Thanks

 

[Juan]

Roku, appletv, firetv are the most popular

 

[harshness]

Your above-board options for NFL are virtually non-existent outside of buying AT&T's NFL Sunday Ticket for $399/season and with Sunday Ticket, you usually don't get the local feed of the local game(s). Movies are easier but you end up paying per movie to get many titles. Yes, there is lots of free stuff but there are many more movies that aren't free. While live (or close-to-live) local news programming is often available, other live broadcast TV programming typically isn't.

The problem with IPTV is similar to the problem with FTA satellite: You may have to spend a lot of time looking to find something specific. That makes IPTV a relatively poor source of passive entertainment.

With the exception of DISH's SlingTV, there aren't really any formal alternatives for linear programming and SlingTV is limited to one session per account.

Unless you're an Apple household, I recommend a Roku 3 or higher to give you access to what's available. If it is available, you can probably get it using a Roku (except for iTunes).

 

[Ronnie-]

With the exception of DISH's SlingTV, there aren't really any formal alternatives for linear programming and SlingTV is limited to one session per account.

.

Actually, PlayStation Vue is available nationwide with no single stream limitation. There has been a rather active thread on here since it became available everywhere.

Currently it is on the PlayStation consoles and the fire tv devices. Roku support is probable in the near future.

 

[Lehman bud farm]

What are my options? What do you recommend? Are there demos available? I'm leery of money back options.

You may want to hold off a bit to see what is coming out here.

AT&T has announced that it plans to offer internet-based streaming TV service later this year. The new services, which will be branded and packaged as DirecTV products, will let you stream video from smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, set top boxes, PCs, or other devices using a wired or wireless internet connection.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/1/11140478/att-directv-streaming-internet-tv-service

Also there is another thread about Disney/ESPN offering a $40.00 per month offering.
So it looks like things may open up by the end of this year for internet tv.

 

[harshness]

Currently it is on the PlayStation consoles and the fire tv devices. Roku support is probable in the near future.

I more or less dismissed it as it isn't supported on Roku (though maybe through casting). I'm also peeved at their omission of History and that they claim to carry some local channels and RSNs but none in my area (DMA #24). Personal peeves aside, I should have mentioned it.

 

[harshness]

AT&T has announced that it plans to offer internet-based streaming TV service later this year.

The way things usually go, it will be at least a year before something like this gets rolling and that would be an awfully long wait to start chopping away at a satellite bill.

AT&T needed to remind consumers about their plans to answer Sling TV, Playstation Vue. It surely isn't a coincidence that the AT&T announcement followed within a day or so of Amazon's announcement that they were taking a stab at a live streaming service.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/amazon-live-tv-streaming-service-news-rumors/

 

[Juan]

Somebody needs to come up with a free advertiser supported (legal) streaming service..much like traditional broadcast tv

 

[JTBenson]

Somebody needs to come up with a free advertiser supported (legal) streaming service..much like traditional broadcast tv

It's called You Tube

 

[Juan]

It's called You Tube

No..not even close

 

[harshness]

Somebody needs to come up with a free advertiser supported (legal) streaming service..much like traditional broadcast tv

Incessant advertising is what is killing traditional broadcast TV and forcing people to turn to streaming. Several minute long ad breaks are slaying continuity and the half hour show only has 20 minutes to get its point across.

That said, one of the promised DIRECTV streaming schemes is rumored to be ad supported.

 

[Juan]

Incessant advertising is what is killing traditional broadcast TV and forcing people to turn to streaming. Several minute long ad breaks are slaying continuity and the half hour show only has 20 minutes to get its point across.

That said, one of the promised DIRECTV streaming schemes is rumored to be ad supported.

Would u rather pay $40 for fox?..to me that's insane..that probably includes commercials..I personally would like a free view satellite system like they have in Europe

 

[harshness]

Would u rather pay $40 for fox?..to me that's insane..that probably includes commercials..I personally would like a free view satellite system like they have in Europe

What's "free view" about having to pay a dozens of dollars a year TV license?

The problem is that there are too many different revenue schemes when only one can work at any one time.

 

[Juan]

What's "free view" about having to pay a dozens of dollars a year TV license?

The problem is that there are too many different revenue schemes when only one can work at any one time.

where did the revenue come from for broadcast tv and radio? (before greedy cable)

 

[Tampa8]

Incessant advertising is what is killing traditional broadcast TV and forcing people to turn to streaming. Several minute long ad breaks are slaying continuity and the half hour show only has 20 minutes to get its point across.

That said, one of the promised DIRECTV streaming schemes is rumored to be ad supported.

I maintain online media is surpassing traditional for Ads. Site after site now make you watch a short ad before watching one lousy video of something, including news and sports clips. I immediately close the tab as soon as that happens unless they use the traditional way, an advert for the first video but mostly none after that for each session. Then there are all the pop-ups which sometimes if you suppress them won't allow you to continue. Online programming? Many times the commercials are not able to be skipped. And wait till real regulations and higher costs kick in when the government realizes there is another way to tax.

I stream from Amazon, Vudu etc and find it really is a good way to watch original programming from the Amazon, movies from Vudu etc. I am not buying a 4K player in favor of streaming instead. But as I see things unfolding if people want traditional ways to watch TV disappear, and online streaming to be the primary way to watch programming they are asking for fools gold. I don't discount technology and that is the one saving thing, just as DVR's and all the other enhancements came along, so too hopefully it would for online streaming.

 

[harshness]

where did the revenue come from for broadcast tv and radio? (before greedy cable)

In the formative years of radio and TV, entire programs were paid for by a single company and the commercials were almost built in to the show. When I was young, we still got our weekly dose of exotic wildlife from an insurance company in the form of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Radio shows had big corporate sponsors to pay for big names and networked distribution. I submit that the producers were the greedy ones as they started peppering shows with ads from anyone who would pay.

 

[Need]

If you have Charter in your area, you maybe able to get Charter's Spectrum Stream Plus package. It is only $19.99/month for all local channels (ABC, NBC, NBC, Fox, CBS, PBS, etc..) and a whole bunch of cable channels like History, ESPN, TBS, HGTV, Food Network, etc... oh and all HBO channels. Everything in HD and they give you a free Roku 3 to watch channels. No money equipment rental, no increase in price for 2nd year or after. I don't think there is anything better out there for the same price.

 

[TNGTony]

I submit that the producers were the greedy ones as they started peppering shows with ads from anyone who would pay.

The issue is programs became much more expensive than most sponsors were willing to pay. At first there were "affiliate sponsors" who would piggy-back on a sponsored program so you might have the main sponsor and a 30 second break for the second sponsor. But this didn't last long. Eventually the single sponsor model fell apart strictly because of costs associated with productions in general. And the costs generally went up as the sophistication and production quality improved. The number of people and equipment required to make a well produced 22 minute show is jaw-dropping!

 

[mdavej]

Several things put Vue on top. Charter is a close second, IMO.
- Biggest channel selection plus some a la carte (especially sports)
- Cloud DVR (of sorts)
- Limited commercial skip
- Multiple streams on one account

I'm not ready to cut the cord just yet. But I did get Vue for my parents, and it's working out great. The went from a $100-ish satellite bill to $35 and have way more channels than they did on their bottom of the barrel satellite package. They do miss their locals and PBS, but the networks do have pretty complete on demand content., and there is a separate PBS app that has a lot of content, as does Netflix and Amazon.

 

[Bob Haller]

i have tivo, the roamios and bolt ? have a search, that returns what ways there are to get the show and its costs.

i am new at this so others will know more