YouTube TV vs DirecTV Now vs Sling TV vs PlayStation Vue: Face-Off!

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You don't have to sign up for a trial subscription to see what ps3 vie package offers what and they don't make it hard to find out it's directly on the website in plain sight when you click on compare packages. I liked the article for the most part but please don't write about things like you're an expert if you haven't actually used it and just had someone give you the information. It's not a good look on your credibility as a tech writer. But still outside of some false info this is still a good article for me and anyone else wanting to know what the two new kids on the block has to offer. Thanks
 
I have tried them all, and in my opinion DirectTVNow is the best bang for your buck, so to speak. Sure no dvr yet, but I rather have a ton of live channels to choose from anytime. Probably YouTube comes in second best with a bit of lower channel lineup for now, but I'm sure that's going to increase sooner than later if they want to compete. Oh and they have a lot of experience in the video arena. The remaining 2 are about a tie, though they may not fit my personal needs, I'm sure they are perfectly fine for other viewers looking for different lower lost and/or more concurrent streams. That's ina nutshell, lets hear your experiences.
 
SlingTV lags badly on Chromecast devices. Audio is consistently out of sync. YouTube TV is $15 more per month for what amounts to a very meager lineup of channels compared to Playstation VUE. Hulu is still the best option if you watch Network television.

IMO, Hulu it up and pick up HBO when GoT is back in season. :)
 
Also, Comcast Xfinity crushes all of these on features - but it's not available in all markets yet. Onscreen Rotten Tomatoes reviews, awesome remote voice control, and a very easy menu to navigate.
 
I would like to see commercial skipping addressed in the article. I've read that you can't do that with YouTube TV DVR programs that are also available On Demand; i.e., you get the commercial-laden On Demand shows that don't allow skipping.
 
Here is a kicker though... doesn't PS-Vue only allow to stream from your home internet? Do any of the other services allow for 'outside' viewing (e.g. traveling around). Last time I tried to view my PS-Vue away from my home location(wifi), it wouldn't let me.
 
Youtube TV replaces a recording with the on-demand content during playback. When that happens, it doesn't let us seek or skip ads. For me thats a major bummer and defeats the purpose of dvr.
 
I think all of these are like a joke. They are just as expensive or more so than my Comcast, considering I it is cheaper to get TV and internet together. They are also much less reliable causing nothing but problems with equipment and browsers instead of simply working. (I have not tried all of them though). All these sites offer much less channels, even if I don't watch them, the price per channel is just stupid high. I would all these services to be $10 a month max and I still would not get them as I would need several to cover all the channels.
 
I have had both Sling and DirecTV NOW. Currently I have DirecTV NOW which initially was terrible with buffering and video quality etc. but now I have absolutely no problems. Sling is definitely cheaper but DirecTV NOW is $35/mt and that includes HBO and HBO GO. Additionally the DirecTV NOW login works on most cable channel's websites (if its an included channel) . No DVR but they have 72 hour rewind for many channels.

Sling TV was solid and fast, never any issues buffering or poor quality. limited on demand but they have dvr. they let you scale down to $20/mt for the smallest package.

So I use a ROKU TV which has an "antenna channel" for OTA broadcast. (OTA picture quality is by far the best) - i get all my local stations FREE of charge, I don't understand why the need to pay the cable company to rebroadcast your local tv and compress it reducing the quality.

add the "DirecTV NOW channel" and I have way more than I want for $35/mt + $80/mt internet (150mbs)

and a single remote control for all.

****P.S. a hard drive can be attached to the Roku TV and used as a DVR, so OTA broadcasts can be recorded.****
 


There is nothing "terribly hard" about finding out what the pricing tiers are. The Vue website states them clearly in plain English. The statement that you have to sign up for a free trial to find out the cost is patently false. It's a disservice to cord cutters when you publish incorrect information because you didn't take the time to do the research.
 
The Vue pricing information is outdated. Sony is in the process of eliminating the Slim (smaller TV market) packages. Local channels are being added in those markets, so those customers will pay $10 more--the same price that's been charged in the larger markets from the beginning. The large metro areas were paying more because they had locals. There are now 4 different channel line-ups to choose from: Access, Core, Elite, and Ultra. There are also premium channels that you can add to your subscription for additional cost.

The Vue DVR feature is hardly what I'd call "limited." There is virtually no cap on how many hours of programs you can save for viewing later. There is no additional charge--use of the DVR service is included in the Vue subscription price. These facts put Vue's DVR way ahead of the competition. For the programs available via "on-demand" viewing, there is no need to use the DVR feature. Those shows have already been saved to the cloud and can be watched anytime.
 
you really need to differentiate between "android" and "android tv" as people wont know which devices are available on the shield, razor etc. vs which ones are available on phones and tablets
 
I think what all of this comes down to is that most people aren't technical enough or don't want to put the effort into figuring out which service to use, what streaming device to use, antenna or not antenna, etc.

but that's why I think the TCL Roku 4k TV is a smart buy. There's your TV with OTA and a streaming device all in one. all that is left is to buy the streaming service you want and Bob's your uncle.

The cable / satellite co's set everything up for you, it works, and there is a support number to call when something doesn't work. so that's something i guess.

However, I get the feeling they do not want you to put up an antenna, they won't tell you that digital broadcasts are higher quality and signal strength is better these days so most people should get a signal. anyway i will get off my soapbox
 
Per the full review:

On the bright side, YouTube TV allows six simultaneous streams, so you can share the service with a large household — or a bunch of friends and family — and never worry about who gets to watch.
 
We've tried PSVUE, Sling and Hulu Live in the past 3 months. Sling lagged badly and channels were always with 'technical difficulties, we're working on it'. PSVUE was great. Very minimal buffering issues that we never noticed. We then sampled and currently on Hulu Live. It's great that we get access to the Hulu library but the buffering issues are awful with live channels. We are thinking of going back to PSVUE at the end of the month. It will be 5 bucks more because of my regional Fox sports channels (LA Kings, Clippers, Lakers, Ducks). These are included with Hulu's $40/monthly plan. Been watching the Dodgers on TBS and the Kings on Fox Sports West but the hiccups and delay are awful. It's as if I watched the Kings vs. Canadiens last night in fast forward or skip to live mode. Sucks. (Performed all the troubleshooting and then some) I believe Hulu jumped into this live tv streaming game too early. Just too much buffering that it's annoying. I still have two weeks and in those two weeks, I have a new router coming and will hardwire it to our Amazon Firesticks (2nd gen) via the new ethernet adapter recently released by Amazon for their new Amazon TV (no more ethernet slot in those) I will see if the issue was the wifi. I doubt that it is because I have an android box directly connected to my router and Hulu still buffered. We shall see. :):fou:
 
I would like to see the required "bandwidth usage" for the streams, I have a 100MB/5MB connections, and I am far more interested in a clean internet for 4 gaming household, over "streaming TV" that sucks the bandwidth and make everyone else "lag and high pings"

I am not moving from cable until those numbers are shown, hell plenty of folks complaining on toms forum that if one or more people are watching Hulu or Netflix while others are gaming, causes massive issues.

 
Getting the streaming live TV packages does not make you a cord cutter. The reason is because you are still getting the same per subscriber rate as someone who gets regular satellite or cable.

Just by the number of channels, Directv Now is the better choice. They have also added more local channels.
 
One month and two long sessions with tech support into Hulu Live, and it is so bad that their advertising qualifies as FRAUD. Do not waste your time on this piece of CRAP. I'm back in the market now, maybe even back to Comcast, much as I hate given then my money. Anyway, Hulu Live = Zero Stars out of 100.
 


 
My Sling vs YouTube comparison

Sling @ $30 gets 2 out of 5 stars
• Customer service will not issue refunds on non-functioning service. Ordered a $60 PPV event and the feed was terrible. I had company over to watch the event, so after 15 minutes of putting up with buffering, freezing, and skipping, I had to order via another provider. Since it was the next day when I contacted them, they refused to issue the refund. I’ve never had a service provider not do this if the service was the problem.
• Browser login screen takes forever to load for some reason making it near impossible to access your account.
• The interface is clunky. You have to click multiple times on a show to actually watch it, making this an unnecessary and frustrating step.
• There is no included DVR function.
• No pause function on almost all channels.
• The feed often buffers, pauses, and skips.
• Once a show is over, it bumps you back out to the menu screen.
• The only reason they get 2 instead of one is that comparatively it is cheaper than YouTube TV.

YouTubeTV @ $35 gets 5 out of 5 stars
• Very easy to use, intuitive, and beautify done interface. Google knows a thing or two about this stuff.
• Easy one click viewing and recording buttons.
• No cost and unlimited cloud DVR.
• Some shows actually auto-skip commercials that have been recorded.
• Real time recording/pause/skip function built in.
• More channels are available.
• Never had any feed issues (buffering/pausing/skipping/etc…).

I have cancelled my Sling service and will continue to enjoy YouTube TV. Hope this helps!
 
Please excuse me if this is a duplicate comment. Henry, you may want to update the article about the pricing for PS Vue. Currently, the SLIM package is no longer available. The cheapest version of PS Vue is "Access" at $39.99 ($40). I spoke with a PS Vue rep, and she said the Slim pricing was always intended as temporary; it was discontinued in July 2017.
I know you update this post because recently, you added information about just announced T-Mobile Layer3. Thank you.
BTW, you may want to update this post and include Philo into the mix. No news, no sports, but about 37 to 46 channels for the fairly cheap price of $16 and $20 per month, respectively.
 


Thank you for the news about the Slim packaging. They've always been cagey about hiding/talking about it. I'll look into Philo!
 
Henry, just thinking: Fubo TV is a real player in the streaming TV world now. Some localities having live CBS, NBC, and Fox. Not me, though. All localities having roughly 69 channels to choose from, although they are a heavy lean toward Sports (ironically, not any ESPN channel). Nonetheless, Fubo is now competitive with Hulu Live, DirecTV Now, YouTube Live, PlayStation Vue and Sling. Time to update this article, or create a brand new one 🙂. BTW, I have created an Excel table with a comparison between DTV, Fubo, Hulu Live, Philo, PSVue, Sling, and YouTube, which is similar to what you have at top, but all the Channels, and all the compatible devices that these packages play on. If you would like it, I could email it as an attachment.
 
In September, Hulu rolled out a new interface to accommodate their Live product. It is AWFUL and if you search "Hulu interface" or "Hulu menu" and you will find TONS of complaints. For those of us who have older eyes, especially for those with low vision, the new interface is at times unreadable! Many people are leaving Hulu because of it. Just an FYI, definitely do a trial first.
 
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