Need some recommendations for internet TV?

[bigj954]

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

So I'm new to the whole internet TV. Long story short is that I live in a condo that has a horrible local subcontractor company for TV and internet, they have multi dwelling Dish Network as the provider for TV. Which they provide outdated equipment and Dish Network is in dispute with a lot of channels that I frequently watch, such as local Fox, regional Fox Sports Net, HBO and Cinemax to name a few channels. I was looking into getting Internet TV because the condo has exclusivity with this subcontractor company and internet TV is the only way to beat around this unfortunately.

So with that being said, what service would you recommend for someone that's used to having a lot of channels (usually the best package that traditional cable companies offer)? So I'm looking for the most channels, comparable to the number of channels that traditional cable companies provide. Which I haven't seen any TV internet providers except for YouTube TV that offers approximately 70 channels, but they don't offer HBO or Cinemax as add ons. I mean is there not anything like a stand-alone version of the Xfinity streaming app (like how you get pretty much almost every cable channel as a streaming version).

 

[Bilbo1]

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

So I'm new to the whole internet TV. Long story short is that I live in a condo that has a horrible local subcontractor company for TV and internet, they have multi dwelling Dish Network as the provider for TV. Which they provide outdated equipment and Dish Network is in dispute with a lot of channels that I frequently watch, such as local Fox, regional Fox Sports Net, HBO and Cinemax to name a few channels. I was looking into getting Internet TV because the condo has exclusivity with this subcontractor company and internet TV is the only way to beat around this unfortunately.

So with that being said, what service would you recommend for someone that's used to having a lot of channels (usually the best package that traditional cable companies offer)? So I'm looking for the most channels, comparable to the number of channels that traditional cable companies provide. Which I haven't seen any TV internet providers except for YouTube TV that offers approximately 70 channels, but they don't offer HBO or Cinemax as add ons. I mean is there not anything like a stand-alone version of the Xfinity streaming app (like how you get pretty much almost every cable channel as a streaming version).

AT&T has at&t tv and at&t tv now, which offer the same packages as directv. I'm not sure AT&T TV is available in all markets yet, but the Now product is.

But, with internet TV, traditional linear channels arent really the best way to think about it. Streaming allows you to access content. You want to make sure you can get the content you want when you want it.


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[Juan]

Slingtv is dish over the internet

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[lparsons21]

Slingtv is dish over the internet

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You need to excercise your fingers so you can type more than just a few words at a time. Your reply is much too simplistic.

While SlingTV is owned by Dish, the line-up in packages is not anywhere near the same. It is made up of quite a few skinny bundle of channels that you can pick an choose from.

ATT’s offering at this point is fat channel counts quite similar to what ATT’s satellite offering is.


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[Ronnie-]

Slingtv is dish over the internet

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Thats an oversimplification that will cause someone to think the two are the same, when they are not. They are owned by the same parent company, but the packages they offer are very different in most respects.

 

[Juan]

In terms of disputes...yes they are the same...it was a headsup rather than a recommendation

Thats an oversimplification that will cause someone to think the two are the same, when they are not. They are owned by the same parent company, but the packages they offer are very different in most respects.

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[lparsons21]

In terms of disputes...yes they are the same...it was a headsup rather than a recommendation

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Then you should have said that.


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[harshness]

Slingtv is dish over the internet

Alas, DISH isn't providing all that the TS wants.

 

[Juan]

He doesn't want dish

Alas, DISH isn't providing all that the TS wants.

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[harshness]

AT&T has at&t tv and at&t tv now, which offer the same packages as directv. I'm not sure AT&T TV is available in all markets yet, but the Now product is.

The AT&T Now product likely isn't long for the world (each quarter sees about half of the subscribers walk away) and and they're asking an unprecedented $80/month to get the Max package. I doubt that AT*T TV is going to be a better bargain but would be happy to be proven wrong. Value doesn't seem to be an attribute associated with any of the AT&T offerings these days.

 

[harshness]

He doesn't want dish

I fully understand that. In your quest for brevity, you didn't expand on why that was important so I did.

 

[Juan]

Thanks

I fully understand that. In your quest for brevity, you didn't expand on why that was important so I did.

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[harshness]

Don't consider PS Vue as they officially shut down last Thursday.

If you're looking for a one-size-fits-all solution, there probably isn't one. The typical streaming solution involves multiple services to cover all the bases. An Amazon Prime subscription can give you access to many of the channel families that you're used to (at an additional cost). YouTube TV covers a lot of the live channels and the primary locals in many markets. If broadcast stations are important to you, don't assume that they come with every streaming service. HBO and Cinemax can be had through Prime or direct to HBO but not from YouTube TV.

Philo is an overlap option that gets some mentions.

These sites provide some good insights into which services carry what:

Suppose... you could design your perfect TV service

Suppose lets you select your favorite TV channels, searches billions of combinations of cable, satellite and streaming TV services, and finds the best for you.

www.suppose.tv

Live Streaming Services Channel Comparison in 2024

We show you which live TV streaming service has the best channel selection. Compare channels lineups for DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, & YouTube TV. See channel availability of top cable channels, local channels, sports channels, & regional sports networks that you can stream on...

thestreamable.com

 

[Bilbo1]

The AT&T Now product likely isn't long for the world (each quarter sees about half of the subscribers walk away) and and they're asking an unprecedented $80/month to get the Max package. I doubt that AT*T TV is going to be a better bargain but would be happy to be proven wrong. Value doesn't seem to be an attribute associated with any of the AT&T offerings these days.

Doesn't matter. Streaming cable/satellite TV replacement services are most likely a passing transitional fad. As I use YouTube TV and other online services more, I find less need for linear channels and the bits and pieces of the associated services.

Which was, of course, the broader point I was trying to make. The OP should out what content they need and find the best way to get it. It probably isn't a cable replacement service


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[Bilbo1]

they're asking an unprecedented $80/month to get the Max package.

This in particular, over a 2 year period, I saw my price go from $50 to $65 to $75. That was the breaking point, and after much nashing of teeth with my wife, we dropped DirecTV (AT&T) Now and took You Tube TV last fall.

As for those of you worried about a rate hike, I don't expect one. That $50 price point is a psychological price. Going above it and keeping customers will be difficult. I don't think streaming prices are not going to be as elastic as cable/satellite service pricing, at least not for me, any more.


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[harshness]

This in particular, over a 2 year period, I saw my price go from $50 to $65 to $75. That was the breaking point, and after much nashing of teeth with my wife, we dropped DirecTV (AT&T) Now and took You Tube TV last fall.

Did adding HBO and Cinemax take away the $25 savings you were getting by going to YTTV?

Many don't want to look at the big picture but since saving money is the goal, you're not winning if you end up spending the same or more money to get all your desired content.

As for those of you worried about a rate hike, I don't expect one. That $50 price point is a psychological price. Going above it and keeping customers will be difficult. I don't think streaming prices are not going to be as elastic as cable/satellite service pricing, at least not for me, any more.

Now that PS Vue has shut down, I wouldn't rule out YTTV raising their price or offering multiple tiers. We are told that the service is not making a profit and that's the bottom line.

 

[Bilbo1]

Did adding HBO and Cinemax take away the $25 savings you were getting by going to YTTV?

I don't subscribe to either. I had the grandfathered middle package with DirecTV Now before they included HBO. I've had HBO, Showtime, and/or Cinemax at times over the years. I could take them or leave them.

I get Netflix free through T-mobile. I also pay for the Disney+ bundle.


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[anex80]

Hulu Live TV is a good option. I recently replaced my Dish service with this and couldn’t be happier!

They have a large channel selection missing only Viacom, pro sports league channels like NFL, MLB, etc., and a few others. Plus you get access to the extensive Hulu streaming library.

The best things I’ve noticed from Hulu is the streaming quality and reliability. I’ve been subscribing for a little over a month and have had no issues whatsoever. Hulu Live TV is the best replacement for Sat or cable IMO.

 

[lparsons21]

I’ve been doing the numbers and channels to switch to either all streaming or a combo of streaming and OTA and here are some thoughts.

ATT - This is possibly the way to get the most channels, but at a price higher than most other streamers. And you have to deal with ATT. Wasn’t of interest to me so I didn’t do any numbers for it.

Hulu Live TV - good choice, especially if you like the Hulu Basic stuff already. Channel selection is very good. For me, the UI is just horrible and has been for a long time. Cost w/o ads with the expanded DVR is about $71/month.

YouTubeTV - good choice overall. Good channel selection IMO. Unlimited DVR is a big plus, but it is a bit different. Their DVR for series shows only allows for recording the series and mixes current recordings and VOD for previous episodes. You can skip ads with the stuff you record, but for the VOD stuff you can’t in almost all cases. It should be one to try a trial with to figure out the idiosyncrasies and see if they are off putting. Cost is $50.

When I did my spreadsheet of all this stuff, I was looking at the savings compared to my cable subscription. Here’s that:

Hulu LiveTV - Savings about $21/month. This is for Hulu Live + Hulu Basic w/no ads + expanded DVR. For me, the higher price of this isn’t worth it as it is missing AMC and BBC

YouTube TV - Savings about $41/month. This is for YTTV and cancelling CBS and Hulu because of the way YTTV does their DVR. I would lose the Hulu originals which isn’t a loss to me as I found nearly all their originals to be poor. I would also lose CBS All Access originals, but could get those with one or two month long subs to that and binge watch, same as I do with the Premium movie channel now.

There are other services, but the issue with streaming services is that depending on exactly what shows/channels are important to you, it is difficult to find them all on one service. And when you start looking at multiple services, then saving significant money can be difficult.

Here’s a good article comparing YTTV and Hulu Live TV:

YouTube TV vs. Hulu Live: Which Streaming Service Is Better?

YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are two of the most popular cable TV alternatives, but is one better than the other? Here are the pros and cons.

clark.com

Here’s one comparing nearly all of the cable/sat replacement services:

Hulu vs. YouTube TV vs. Sling TV vs. DirecTV Stream channels

Explore the top channels on popular live TV streaming platforms with this practical guide.

www.cnet.com

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[Bear Paws]

Been looking to go streaming. Have Cox cable For internet, TV, and phone now. Toooo expensive. But along with TV they also provide many apps in their menu to the internet which although doesn't make it worth while if I get another streaming device, does make it convenient as hell.

The rough plan was to keep Cox cable internet (80 bucks stand alone) stream maybe YTTV or something similar and go Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) for the phone.

But before I do that I need to get decent $ Roku or some other conversion devices for 5 TVs and a VOIP .. One is an older smart TV and a bit clunky. I rewired my whole house Cat 5 for Ethernet everywhere a few years ago so WIFI is not a necessity nor preferred
and would probably opt for the Roku Ultra--at least for the BIG TV with 7.2 sound system.

My big issue is not only content choice like the OP's but also recording and storage space. We are often recording 5 programs and watching at least another. There are three adults here. My wife, me and my 52 year old stepson who is currently between wives.... or something like that.. all with very different taste buds. The "kid'' is a sports junkie, I'm a news/political freak and the wife is a science/history/movie nut. To wit...Oh btw, Curiosity Stream is the absolute cat's nuts..\

So here is the problem.. I'm starting to wonder if the price of change is worth the lose of convenience and content as the end cost being only a 50 bucks different by the time I get the streaming channels, phone, and internet along with the upfront equipment load..

I'm burning up the calculator trying to justify 50 or so bucks in savings..I'm over researched and no conclusion as of yet.