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Playstation Vue (Streaming TV Service) Launches Today Starting at $49.99
- Thread starter RedAssedApe
- Start date
sometimes i game
Member
I've used this for a bit now in NYC.
1. The UI is both impressive and terrible.
*The buttons don't seem to be mapped in the most efficient way.
*The main guide doesn't feel efficient and is ugly, having you scroll sideways without a video PIP feed while scrolling.
The "You're Watching" guide that comes up by hitting O is what brings the magic. It shows you shows, and you can watch past episodes right away, so it makes cable TV feel like Netflix.
2. The DVR feature is confusing
Add a show to your shows and you can watch past episodes from the last 28 days I believe, but I added a show and it's only giving me two episodes as options. I know it's had new episodes every week for the last few months, so this is odd.
3. The video feed is HD and fast
However it seems Vue won't downgrade your picture to continue the video feed, but will instead pause and buffer, which is a bit annoying. If for some reason my shitty TWC internet is being slow, it's being slow, I'd rather watch 720p or SD for a few seconds than watch a loading bar. (Netflix/Sling TV will downgrade picture if needed)
VS Sling TV:
Sling TV's guide seems to be more future/nicer to me
Sling TV buffers a tad more slowly (i.e. picture is SD and then takes longer to become HD)
Sling TV obviously has less channels, but does have ESPN
Sling TV has no DVR, but has a 3 day on demand feature for some channels
Sling TV is $20
Overall, Vue really isn't a cord cutter option imo. It's more of competition for TWC or Direct TV than Sling or Netflix. If you want this more capable/Netflixing-cable UI and way of watching, you can get your cable from Sony instead of your current cable provider. With OTA channels, you might even be able to save $ and cancel Hulu Plus. At the end of the day, for all it's features, I can't decide if $40-$60 is worth it yet, leaning towards not.
Side note, I'm very surprised that for $60 they couldn't afford to add in ESPN but Sling could in a $20 package. That math feels off and Sony must have known people want their ESPN.
1. The UI is both impressive and terrible.
*The buttons don't seem to be mapped in the most efficient way.
*The main guide doesn't feel efficient and is ugly, having you scroll sideways without a video PIP feed while scrolling.
The "You're Watching" guide that comes up by hitting O is what brings the magic. It shows you shows, and you can watch past episodes right away, so it makes cable TV feel like Netflix.
2. The DVR feature is confusing
Add a show to your shows and you can watch past episodes from the last 28 days I believe, but I added a show and it's only giving me two episodes as options. I know it's had new episodes every week for the last few months, so this is odd.
3. The video feed is HD and fast
However it seems Vue won't downgrade your picture to continue the video feed, but will instead pause and buffer, which is a bit annoying. If for some reason my shitty TWC internet is being slow, it's being slow, I'd rather watch 720p or SD for a few seconds than watch a loading bar. (Netflix/Sling TV will downgrade picture if needed)
VS Sling TV:
Sling TV's guide seems to be more future/nicer to me
Sling TV buffers a tad more slowly (i.e. picture is SD and then takes longer to become HD)
Sling TV obviously has less channels, but does have ESPN
Sling TV has no DVR, but has a 3 day on demand feature for some channels
Sling TV is $20
Overall, Vue really isn't a cord cutter option imo. It's more of competition for TWC or Direct TV than Sling or Netflix. If you want this more capable/Netflixing-cable UI and way of watching, you can get your cable from Sony instead of your current cable provider. With OTA channels, you might even be able to save $ and cancel Hulu Plus. At the end of the day, for all it's features, I can't decide if $40-$60 is worth it yet, leaning towards not.
Side note, I'm very surprised that for $60 they couldn't afford to add in ESPN but Sling could in a $20 package. That math feels off and Sony must have known people want their ESPN.
EASTC0AST_GH05T
Member
No ESPN no ABC no buy.
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
Wow. The first page of this thread is a doozy.
I dig the service, but I will not be subscribing due to the lack of ESPN. It is a lot more intuitive from a navigational standpoint than FIOS is. The image quality is also very good. I imagine YMMV, but for me it's better than my FIOS cable image quality. I love some of the DVR functionality and "catch up" stuff they're doing. If they can get Disney to commit, I may be on board. Pick up an Apple TV and get my HBO Go that way.
People who expect the "unbundling" of cable to be any cheaper than cable is now are delusional. The mere idea that cord cutting and this Sony service is seen as unbundling is problematic.
EDIT: Disney/ESPN made a deal with DirecTV, whether that deal excludes them from Sony's platform IDK. I would expect if they do get a deal done for the price to stay the same. You're not going to pay a premium for ESPN.
I dig the service, but I will not be subscribing due to the lack of ESPN. It is a lot more intuitive from a navigational standpoint than FIOS is. The image quality is also very good. I imagine YMMV, but for me it's better than my FIOS cable image quality. I love some of the DVR functionality and "catch up" stuff they're doing. If they can get Disney to commit, I may be on board. Pick up an Apple TV and get my HBO Go that way.
People who expect the "unbundling" of cable to be any cheaper than cable is now are delusional. The mere idea that cord cutting and this Sony service is seen as unbundling is problematic.
EDIT: Disney/ESPN made a deal with DirecTV, whether that deal excludes them from Sony's platform IDK. I would expect if they do get a deal done for the price to stay the same. You're not going to pay a premium for ESPN.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
I think they'll have to adjust it as it expands. $50 seems totally fine for these large markets, its a non starter in other markets where the price of cable is not exorbitant (in comparison)
abstract alien
Member
Couldn't give a single shit about ESPN for my own personal use, so it's lack or inclusion is weightless to me. Have we had a comparison list of prices with other baseline services from other providers? Can it handle PPV? Framerate?
I need to get in and test this out. Not that I watch much tv anyway, but it's nice to have every now and then.
I need to get in and test this out. Not that I watch much tv anyway, but it's nice to have every now and then.
franknbeans
Member
I'm really impressed with the user interface. Its butter smooth. Puts Xfinity X1 to shame. I'm willing to trade ESPN for my local comcast sportsnet station for the same price. I read somewhere that the video quality is 720p. I'm watching the Robert Morris VS North Florida game and the video quality is about the same quality as an ESPN3 stream through Chromecast. The video quality of non-sports programming seems much better
Outtrigger888
Member
Wait this is 50$ a month? I can get basic cable for that with more channels :/
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
Get me Espn and I will consider it.
darkazcura
Member
Is every channel available for DVR on Vue? No one is really talking about it, but that's probably why Sony couldn't get Disney/ABC on board. Sling TV lets cable networks decide whether viewers can go back 3 days or not and pause/rewind, etc. Sony may want it to be mandatory, and Disney/ABC is clearly not willing to let up based on what we are seeing with Sling TV. I like Sling's approach I think...cable networks will have to be slowly dragged out of the stone ages. I'd rather have ESPN than no ESPN, and hopefully they will allow us to pause one day..
Marty Chinn
Member
Did you ever try DirecTV?
TheAbsolution
Member
They have some of them, yeah.
I'm honestly digging this service. Price is the killer for me though. Sony HAS to find a way to lower the price and get the ABC family of cannels on. My wife loves it because she gets her VH1 and Mob Wives (our guilty pleasure).
Is anyone having trouble with the local news though? I'm thinking it's because of blackout reasons. For that we have our HD antenna though.
Is anyone having trouble with the local news though? I'm thinking it's because of blackout reasons. For that we have our HD antenna though.
Is there a list? Mostly interested in CSNNE
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
More channels full of fluff. I don't need 1000 channels when I only want to watch 10.
TheAbsolution
Member
Where do you live?
They do have Comcast Sportsnet stuff it seems.
Mass, looking to see if they would carry celtics games!
BlastProcessing
Member
Years ago. I assume it's pretty good these days?
TheAbsolution
Member
Hey for anyone wondering, AMC and its networks joins the lineup next month.
awww shit!
MastaKilla
Member
No ESPN is a deal breaker. can't even consider it without espn.
mercenar1e
Member
I have a roommate I'll just get both when sling TV comes to ps4 and pay 35 a month for all of that not bad
i heard Sling TV is never coming to the PS4 because of PS Vue..
inpHilltr8r
Member
That looks like it might actually be a deal with Apple. Who didn't get the channels Comcast owns.
Marty Chinn
Member
Ya they revamped the UI and the DVR. I used to be TiVo exclusive for DVR, but I haven't switched back to TiVo cuz the DirecTV DVR does a pretty good job now. Every time I hear someone complaining about the UI or DVR, it sounds like it's always a cable company.
vpance
Member
Ouch.. Sony gonna feel that junk status pain
qa_engineer
Member
I can't even get the thing to load on my ps4. And yes I live in NYC.
Is there an article, survey, or study that supports what you're saying? While I do imagine this being a deal breaker or some, there are people out there who don't care for sports.
I think you are ignoring the fact that if you're not watching alot of television then you don't have to pay for it. You will not incur any late fees. You do not have to send back any equipment. You just don't renew the service. And when your favorite show starts back airing then start the service back up.
serversurfer
Member
Stereo sound is kinda lame. Hopefully they fix that soon.
Lempel said the service is too complex for the Vita, so Vita support is merely "in consideration," which doesn't make much sense to me, at either end of the comment, really.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/18/sony-playstation-vue-streaming-tv-launch/
Also, I've read a couple of places that while the service supports three streams, only one can be to a PS4, which makes even less sense to me. =/
Lempel said the service is too complex for the Vita, so Vita support is merely "in consideration," which doesn't make much sense to me, at either end of the comment, really.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/18/sony-playstation-vue-streaming-tv-launch/
Also, I've read a couple of places that while the service supports three streams, only one can be to a PS4, which makes even less sense to me. =/
http://www.cnet.com/news/playstation-vue-vs-sling-tv-streaming-live-tv-compared/
Big article on CNET, pretty good.
Thing to note is that you get 28 days for every show you favorite, so 3 days you can use only for live stuff like news.
They also integrate with 10 on-demand services right now with 35 coming soon, meaning you will likely be able to easily watch all on-demand shows from those 10/45 channels. iPad app is coming in next few weeks.
AstroNut325
Member
Add the Disney channels and I'm in. I think this is a better deal than Sling since it supports 3 streams and includes DVR. Also... please make it available on other platforms.
Edit:
Stereo sound? WTF? Is this 1999?
Edit:
Stereo sound? WTF? Is this 1999?
SlingTV can only be used on one device at a time. Each additional device is another $20
$50/ per month for 76 channels (no contract) is a bit much to ask. Maybe they'll bundle it in with PS+ or offer a 20% discount if you have PS+ which could bring it down to only $40
Killing_Joke
Member
The DVR is a tad confusing. I mean if adding a show to your favorites is "recording" every single episode. Then that's pretty cool. No worries of storage or deletion till the 28th day at least. Everything just gets saved. The UI is good that it all blends pretty nice. It's a cool combination of Hulu/Netflix and live tv.
I think if they can get ESPN by football season and drop it to at least $40 then it's a no-brainer.
I think if they can get ESPN by football season and drop it to at least $40 then it's a no-brainer.
TheAbsolution
Member
No. Just the basic stuff.
wumster3000
Member
Exactly, I don't see the value in this at all. I'll take Sling TV instead. I only have one TV in my home and plan on keeping it that way, so Sling it is.
damn it would have been a NBA package if they would have held that because then I would have been able to watch the bulls on it.
Marty Chinn
Member
Wait, Vue offers local Comcast Sports Net?
MikeE21286
Member
That comparison of Vue channels vs. Sling channels in that CNET article is basically impossible to follow.
TheAbsolution
Member
Yes, for the markets it serves. As well as regional Fox Sports networks.
You should probably go take a look at the channel list.
it really offers so much stuff, but Sony just doesn't know how to sell their shit sometimes...
with Vue you can get (someone correct me where I'm wrong)
MMA
UFC Events (Fox Sports 1&2)
Bellator MMA (Spike)
KickBoxing (Spike)
Premier Boxing (NBCSN/SPIKE)
Soccer
Premier League Soccer (NBCSN)
Champions League (Fox Sports)
Major League Soccer (Fox Sports)
MLB
on Fox Sports
TBS
reginal local teams (if you pay the extra $10)
NBA
TNT, TBS.... your local NBA team ( that extra $10)
and of course Sports TV programs... on Fox Sports...NBC Sports.. NFL Turning Point (NBCSN) ProFootball Talk... regional sports shows (again that extra $10)
and more for $50-$60 a month.
but the best part of all this, which Sling does not do all the time is. You don't have to watch these live to..shit just watch them. I know watching sports live is important, but sometimes it doesn't work out.. and to be able to get home, and have it already have EVERYTHING *recorded already*...and just be able to go through all the things you want to watch.... is great.
I had SlingTV for the past 2 months and I loved it... but I wasn't using it enough... I'd only watch ESPN for their NFL programs like NFL insiders/LIVE and NBA games and sometimes Sportcenter. BUT if I missed these programs..besides Sportscenter.. I'd have to wait until they showed them again. Be it at 1AM like it is for NFL Live or rerun of NBA games.
imo, that extra $30 is worth getting all those other sports events AND being able to watch them when I can.
the advantages to me about SlingTV is it being on multiple devices, instead of having to use your power hungry PS3 or PS4 (that you might want to game on at the same time). But being able to catch everything at your own leisure after gaming, might make up for it.
and of course $20 a month. (that's about 2 drinks at a club)
uh oh.
Get ABC and Disney... included in the basic $50 or $60 tops, and I'm ...
Well. It's only 3 cities for the time being anyway, so nm
But it's a good sign, for sure.
RadarScope1
Member
The only sport I give a shit about is baseball. If this service offers me St. Louis Cardinals game from Fox Sports when it comes to my area then I'm definitely in for $50 a month with all those other features. No jump in price and no contracts is great.