Live Streaming TV Confrontation: Sling Vs. Playstation Vue Vs. DirecTV Now
Services like Sling, Playstation Vue and DirecTV Now let you watch live TV over the Internet without having to resort to a complicated package from your cable company . We took a look at these three services to see how they fit together.
Applicants
Unlike services like Netflix or Hulu, live TV streaming services give you cable TV capabilities without having to mess with your internet and phone service. You just pay a monthly fee and stream live TV programs to your web browser, phones, tablets or set-top boxes. For streamers, this is one of the best ways to watch live sports, and you even get a selection of content on demand. Here are the services we are considering today:
- Sling TV : Sling kicked off the trend of online live TV in 2015. The company’s basic plans are some of the cheapest, starting at $ 20 a month for a selection of major channels. You can then select one of the add-on packages to add additional channels, such as a group of kids or comedy channels for $ 5 a month.
- Playstation Vue : The cheapest Playstation Vue plan at $ 30 is slightly more expensive than the Sling, but you get one huge advantage: DVR. With Vue, you can record your favorite shows and movies as they air and come back to watch them later.
- DirecTV Now : DirecTV Now, owned by AT&T, is the newest TV service on the scene, so it’s a little unrefined . Like Sling, it lacks a DVR, but on the other hand, you can getHBO and Cinemax as add-ons for $ 5 in addition to the cheapest plan at $ 35 a month, so that’s pretty cool.
Each service has its own strengths and weaknesses, but keep in mind that they are all still live broadcast packages. All channels in the packages of each company have commercial breaks and advertisements. If you’re looking for a replacement for your existing cable package, you won’t notice the difference, but if you’re used to the relatively ad-free Netflix or HBO, you should know what you’re getting into.
I also noticed that all three had a drop in streaming quality due to factors that are likely far beyond the control of the service. On one occasion, an episode of Simpsons on Sling looked garbled and had framerate issues, so I checked it out on Playstation Vue. He had the same problem, of course. This makes sense as they both relay the same channel. Overall, each service seemed to offer comparable video quality, but your experience may vary based on your local TV stations, network broadcast capabilities, and your internet connection.
Lanyard allows you to create the desired cable package, others use cable type tiers
Everyone wants to pay only for the cable channels they need, but that doesn’t always make it cheaper to watch all of the content . Playstation Vue and DirecTV Now take a packaging approach reminiscent of traditional cable packages. You start with a basic package that includes multiple channels and can pay a higher monthly fee to get access to more channels.
You can compare Playstation Vue plans here , which range from $ 30- $ 65 per month. The basic plan includes channels like ESPN, Disney, ABC, and Fox, while higher tiers include premium channels like HBO and Showtime. Likewise, you can watchDirecTV Now packages here (account required) which range from $ 35- $ 70 per month. Unlike Playstation Vue, HBO, and Cinemax are $ 5 extra per month.
Both of these models have one major drawback: if you need at least one of the higher tier channels, you will have to pay a large upgrade fee. DirecTV Now lets you pay for HBO separately – and that’s $ 10 less than you would pay for HBO Now separately. However, let’s say you want a basic package plus Boomerang because you really enjoy Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes. On Playstation Vue, you need to go up to $ 45 per month. On DirecTV Now, you can only get Boomerang at the highest tier, which costs twice as much as the basic package. It won’t make you feel like you only pay for what you want.
Sling, on the other hand, takes a different approach. You can check out Sling’s plans here . At the Basic level, you can choose from two packages: Sling Orange ($ 20) or Sling Blue ($ 25). Each gives you a different choice of channels with significant overlap between them. If you want channels from both, you can get Orange + Blue for $ 40. Notably, the Orange package only allows you to stream to one device at a time, while the Blue package only allows you to stream to three devices. If you choose the combo package, you can stream to four different locations at the same time.
In addition to the basic plans, Sling offers Add-ons, which are bundles of related channels for a small monthly fee. For example, Kids Extras includes Nicktoons, TeenNick, and Boomerang for $ 5 a month. Comedy Extras gives you MTV, Spike, and TV Land for $ 5 a month. You can also add premium channels like HBO ($ 15 / month) or Cinemax ($ 10 / month) separately.
This model gives the Sling a lot more flexibility than the Playstation Vue or DirecTV Now. If you want a basic TV package, plus a few sports channels and a couple of kids’ channels, you can get it for as little as $ 30 a month. As for other services, you will have to accept whatever level they offer that includes the channels you want. You cannot mix and match. The downside, however, is that Sling prices can go up. If you want to access all the channels under the sun without spending a ton of money, a premium package from DirecTV Now or Playstation Vue might better suit your needs.
Each service focuses on a different aspect of traditional cable surveillance.
Once you’ve finally analyzed all the plans available, you’ll need an app to start browsing. Sling and Playstation Vue are leading in this regard. You can download apps for both services on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and both offer Chromecast support in their mobile apps. Also, Sling has an Xbox app, while Playstation Vue naturally has a Playstation app. You can find links to Sling apps here and most Playstation Vue apps here . DirecTV Now, on the other hand, only offers Android and iOS mobile apps, as well as Apple TV and Chromecast support. If you want this on a third-party game console or console, you’ll have to wait. I tried all three services on the Android and Android TV mobile app on NVIDIA SHIELD to see what it was like to actually use them.
Sling has focused heavily on helping you find the shows you want to watch, but that could be a little confusing. The section titled “Now” shows what is playing on the different channels, and you can choose the show you want to watch. In a separate section called “Guide” you can browse the channels, moving from one channel to another, no matter what is going on. However, if you want to add multiple channels to your favorites list and just watch them, you need to go to the My TV section and add them manually. It was a little counterintuitive to figure this out, but once I did, the My TV section was most useful. Here, I could only watch channels and shows that I really care about, in one place, without digging into tons of irrelevant content.
DirecTV Now was a little more direct in helping me find what I was looking for. The app has buttons for shows, movies and networks. If you click Shows, you can browse or search for TV shows, whether they’re currently streaming live or on demand. The convenient “Add to Watchlist” button will save your choice for future reference. On the Networks tab, you can view an alphabetical list of channels. Just tap one of them to start playing. While browsing, you can swipe left and right to scroll through the channels. Of all the apps, this was the most similar to the old school style of channel viewing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way to add channels to my favorites list or see everything on my watchlist right away.
The Playstation Vue home screen in the mobile app displays a selection of shows and channels that are streaming right now, but if you’ve added your favorite channels and shows, they will appear at the top. In a separate section of the channels, you can view all the channels to which you are subscribed. Tap one of them and you can add it to your favorites or start watching live. Unfortunately, the Android TV app was very different. On the home screen, you might have seen the “Channels” section, but if you added any favorite channels, you would see them instead. I eventually realized that I could use the Guide tab to flip through every channel that was on, but the inconsistency was confusing.
After spending some time getting used to the applications of each service, Sling felt most comfortable, but it took a little work to get to all of them. DirecTV Now has been the friendliest of couchsurfers looking to flip through the channels until they find what they love. Playstation Vue is best at finding something to wear without much hesitation, and helps take your favorite shows to the top when available. Sling’s purpose seems to be to help you find channels and show that you care about the rest and turn them off, although the app doesn’t always figure out how to do this. Which service is most convenient for you will depend a lot on how you watch TV, so it’s worth trying them before buying. Luckily, all three of these services are offering 7-day free trials right now, so give them a chance to see which one best suits your needs.
At the moment, only Playstation Vue is equipped with a dashboard camera, but more are coming soon.
If you are looking for a TV service with the ability to record live performances for later, Playstation Vue is your only option right now. When you add a show to your watchlist, it doesn’t just lay it down for later. He will record every new episode of this show. You can keep recordings for up to 28 days after their original air date. Some shows and channels don’t support DVR, but luckily most of them.
In addition, Playstation Vue will compare your recordings to on-demand suggestions. If you missed some recent episodes or are not available for DVR, the app will fill in the blanks if an on-demand version of the episode is available. All episodes available to you are listed chronologically on the Shows page, so you can view them all in one place.
As for Sling and DirecTV Now, both promise there will be DVRs, but neither is available yet. Sling started offering the beta by invitation only , but there is no guarantee that you will get into it. Sling also offers a three-day Playback feature that lets you watch an episode you missed for three days after the show aired, but that’s not the case. available for all shows. Meanwhile, the DirecTV Now dash cam is due out sometime this year , but there is no specific release date yet.
Verdict: Playstation Vue is the most powerful, but the sling offers pricing flexibility
A live subscription is a strange type of service that aims to replicate the old style of cable TV viewing and update it for the Internet age. Sometimes it seems like these two goals don’t coincide with each other, and none of the three opponents we looked at felt clear superiority.
That being said, Playstation Vue gets full marks for DVR support. Already on this basis, he stands out from the general mass. If you want to be able to record shows for later and watch them at your convenience, you pretty much have to use Playstation Vue right now. Sling and DirecTV. Now it is said that they will board the DVR train this year, but for now Sony will support you.
On the other hand, Sling’s best asset is its price. If you’re looking at live packages because you want to cut the cord, Sling gives you a lot of flexibility to only get the channels you want without spending a fortune on a bunch of junk you don’t give a damn. If you care about a lot of channels, it will cost you a lot, but for the minimalist, it’s a reliable service that doesn’t cost too much money.
DirecTV Now is more difficult to recommend, but it may depend on your preference. It’s a bit more expensive than Playstation Vue and doesn’t have a DVR. However, it was easy to open the app and jump directly to the desired channel. I also appreciated the ability to change channels as if I were pressing a button on the remote. DirecTV Now is the newest kid in the neighborhood, so naturally he has room to grow. Hopefully it will offer a little more as it grows, but it’s a little too expensive right now and is missing a couple of key features to recommend over the Playstation Vue or Sling. He may also run into trouble when Hulu releases its own streaming service later this year.