Any favorite streaming tv service? (circa early 2021)

[BlueSkies2]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!

[retiredguy123]

YouTube TV is probably the most popular service.

I would suggest going to the website "suppose.tv". You can select all of the channels you want and the site will list every streaming service that you need to get those channels and the cost. It is a very useful website.

[UpNorth]

YouTube TV. Not the cheapest, but you get all the locals and probably all the cable channels you want. Great DVR with unlimited storage for a full year. Reliable and easy to use. Get a free trial and see if it's right for you.

[OpusX1]

We tried
Hulu for a couple months and it was good, we liked it because it had History Channel. Now that Discovery Plus is available for $5 a month we went with YouTube Tv and Discovery Plus. YouTube is so much easier to use, has 2 or 3 ESPN channels, golf and pretty much everything else we need, no contracts cancel anytime.

[EdFNJ]

YoutubeTV is excellent as they provide cloud DVR service and 85 channels but at $65/month + Internet (about $50 on low side) + tax it's pretty close to cable service. I have Xfinity 400Mbps (actually get close to 500Mbps) internet and still got quite a bit of buffering on YTTV when I "borrowed" my kids account for a week when they switched 2 months ago to try it out. Xfinity, as much as I hate them, for example is 125 channels with 100Mbps service for 2 TVs is only ~$130 including tax using your own modem or another $15 with theirs. Either way you need a cable modem to buy or rent. I still don't see the real bargain in streaming services YET as they really aren't that great of a bargain. You save a few bucks but not a great deal and, like cable, they do go up in price as YTTV did last July from $50 to $65.

Although this article is 9 months old from when YTTV increased their prices has a lot of good info: YouTube TV hiked price to $65: Sling TV and Hulu offer better value - CNET (https://www.cnet.com/news/youtube-tv-hiked-price-to-65-sling-tv-and-hulu-offer-better-value/)

I REALLY miss Fios. :(

[ohiosbestus]

We like Hulu . we also added netflix and the wife also likes Hallmark....Smart Tvs are the greatest.

[UpNorth]

Keep in mind that with streaming services like YouTube TV, there are no contracts or service call charges. You can cancel anytime. And you can take your TV service with you anywhere and watch on your phone, tablet, laptop or TV in another state if you wish. And you don't need to rent anything from a cable company.

[Average Guy]

FYI - One of the channels you mentioned that you want, Tennis Channel, is no longer available on YouTube TV.

[Northwoods]

YouTube TV is probably the most popular service.

I would suggest going to the website "suppose.tv". You can select all of the channels you want and the site will list every streaming service that you need to get those channels and the cost. It is a very useful website.

This is excellent. Thanks.

[JohnN]

Youtubetv has all stations, is reliable and cost competitive. we dropped comcast a few years ago and couldn't be happier. My wife likes Hulu for a few bucks a month because she can stream so many past shows from HGTV/Food network too.

[ked425]

I use Streamers. Buy the box for around $100.
The service is $10 per month. Need to have intranet. I get literally every thing. Even before the Pandemic movies in Theaters. My boyfriend has Wya TV. It is about $25 a month. Need to buy a Firestick to access. You can take either of these with you when traveling.
Just connect with the hotel and connect to their WiFi.
Just plugs into the TV.
One to month. Zero contracts.

[Amy Kruger]

We use Sling. It works well and has all of the channels except local, which we use an antenna for. It’s literally half the cost of YouTube TV(who keep raising their prices)

[bjp1673]

Don’t use HughesNet. Constant buffering.

[matandch]

We use Sling. It works well and has all of the channels except local, which we use an antenna for. It’s literally half the cost of YouTube TV(who keep raising their prices)

I also use Sling with an OTA antenna for locals. Many options and combinations of channels to suit your needs. Basic package is $35/mo.

[ithos]

Youtube TV is cheaper but does not have as many options as Hulu with Live TV. If you start watching a show after it starts , you usually have the option of starting from the beginning. Also there are far more shows available on demand from Hulu and it is much easier to find them to record. They also have a section where you can go through every network and select the shows you can curate for watching later. If you prefer a streamlined simple interface then Youtube is it.

The downside for HULU is that the navigation is more cumbersome and the fast forwarding is much slower.

Definitely recommend trying both with the free trials.

[jswirs]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!
We tried several streaming services and chose Sling, which is a better fit for me since I am a tennis fan and many others do not carry the tennis channel.

[banjobob]

We are You Tube subscribers and love it Century link internet and Discovery plus and Roku, too much to watch huge variety of shows and movies $65 bucks month plus internet, best value for us.

[Marge Mitrano]

We use UTubeTV

[dewilson58]

YouTube TV.
It travels any where.
Can have it in different locations.

[UseYourBrain]

[QUOTE=EdFNJ;1907377]YoutubeTV is excellent as they provide cloud DVR service and 85 channels but at $65/month + Internet (about $50 on low side) + tax it's pretty close to cable service. I have Xfinity 400Mbps (actually get close to 500Mbps) internet and still got quite a bit of buffering on YTTV when I "borrowed" my kids account for a week when they switched 2 months ago to try it out. Xfinity, as much as I hate them, for example is 125 channels with 100Mbps service for 2 TVs is only ~$130 including tax using your own modem or another $15 with theirs. Either way you need a cable modem to buy or rent. I still don't see the real bargain in streaming services YET as they really aren't that great of a bargain. You save a few bucks but not a great deal and, like cable, they do go up in price as YTTV did last July from $50 to $65.


The cost comparison here is not really valid. It assumes you won’t pay for internet if you don’t stream. If you are going to have internet no matter what, the cost comparison should only be of the tv services. Streaming is much cheaper.

[mcwood4d]

We are snowbirds so dual locations were important. Some services limit use of live TV streams in different locations. Our choices (in order) are; 1. Youtube TV for all the reasons mentioned above 2. Prime because of the shipping and video 3. Netflix since it offers more variety than we could ever want.

[mikemalloy]

There are definitely advantages to streaming. First, there's no contract. Second you can take it anywhere and if you use roku you can hook up when you're traveling. Third, there's none of those equipment charges that are never mentioned by cable companies. We have 4 tvs and using streaming saves a lot of money. We started with Youtube TV and enjoyed it. But they then raised their rates because they were adding 6 worthless to us channels. We switched to Hulu and found it good but not as easy to navigate as Youtube. We considered other streaming packages. Spectrum didn't offer the Golf channel. When we looked at Sling it didn't have some channels we watched such as Fox Business. That may have changed. Steaming seems to be the way to go if you have sufficient internet bandwidth.

[LTarter]

If you use Sprint for your cell phone, they give you Hulu for free. They also pay for your AAA membership for two people. Our unlimited plan is less than 30.00 a month for cell service.

[Streamers]

Hi, I have a streaming service that gives you any channel you want, all local, sports, movies like HBO etc. it costs about 20 dollars a month. I can give you a demo if you are Interested.

Sue
860-946-9110

[Bellj30]

Sports TV

[Ralpro1]

I use Sportztv. It's only $10 a month and it does provide all the channels everyone has mentioned previously. The service is a little inconsistent but at $10 it's an amazing value.

[Dick47]

I switched to FUBO and it has worked great. FUBO has probably the most sports channels as well as many of our other favorite channels including The Weather Channel.

[dejees]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!
If you have T-Mobile cellular, they have interesting packages for streaming with no contract. Must be a T-Mobile customer to sign up. If you need the big 4, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX including all the other Orlando broadcast station, go to locast dot org. For $5.50/month you can’t beat it. Had to do the dot notation since the forum won’t let me post internet links

[bjd0105]

We use Hulu and love it

[Guitarman1951]

We use You Tube TV for around $60 a month vs the $175/mo that AT&T was charging us. It has about 70+ channels including local Orlando and the golf channel. Not sure about the tennis channel. Works well with our 100GBS internet service via Xfinity. That service is $66/mo but would have that either way. We also stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Acorn and PBS. Once you get used to the somewhat cumbersome start up it's certainly worth the money and options difference. Be sure you have a wifi capable TV. We have LG and Samsung TVs.

[davephan]

We use Sling. It works well and has all of the channels except local, which we use an antenna for. It’s literally half the cost of YouTube TV(who keep raising their prices)

We have YouTube TV, which is much more expensive than it used to be. The unlimited DVR is nice with YouTube TV, but the user interface is lousy! You have to search for programs you recorded by name. There’s no recorded programs list you can scroll through. A very poorly designed user interface! I’ll look at SlingTV again.

[jedalton]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!

try sportz tv, $9.95/mth for over 4,000 channels, all local, all sports, all entertainment and many more.
1st you don't need a smart tv to use firestick. Just a tv with a HDMI input (most tv's from last 5-7 years have this).

For xfinity you will need a different netgear router if you want to hook up your landline. That requires a Netgear c7100V walmart had it on sale now for $160.00 (NETGEAR C7100V-100NAR (C7100V-100NAS) Nighthawk Cable Modem WiFi Router Combo For Xfinity by Comcast Internet - Supports Cable Plans Up to 400 Mbps AC1900 WiFi speed (Manufacturer Refurbished) - Walmart.com - Walmart.com (https://www.walmart.com/ip/NETGEAR-C7100V-100NAR-C7100V-100NAS-Nighthawk-Cable-Modem-WiFi-Router-Combo-For-Xfinity-Comcast-Internet-Supports-Plans-Up-400-Mbps-AC1900-speed-Manu/407828001)). with no landline a Netgear c7000 router will work (around $125)

Service call is $35 for 1st 30 minutes, then $17.50 each 15 minutes. See attached fee schedule. any questions feel free to call or email or text me.

Normal installation for 1 tv and firestick runs between 1.5 to 2 hours or $140.00. If router needs to be setup that would be approximately an additional $70.00.

Things to do before I arrive.

1. know your wi-fi password and network name (should be what your currently connected to)

2. know your Amazon login and password

3. Know your cable company login and password.

Thanks for the inquiry.

After startup exenses you will only be paying for your wi-fi and $9,95/mth-$27.95/mth for your streaming service.

Let me know if interested

[nhtexasrn]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!

We recently found Gen2TV provider with SoPlayer streaming program. If you have a smart tv SoPlayer should be in your apps. Gen2TV has hundreds and hundreds of tv shows, movies, local channels and sports. We were able to watch the Cowboys whole season which we couldn't on DirectTV without paying $220 a month. Gen2TV has no contracts and is $29 a month. If you don't like it, you don't have to renew. We were watching Outlander on Netflix and finished season 4. Netflix does not have season 5 yet. We went to Gen2TV and bamm!! There it is! Season 5. I was soooo happy!! lol You can buy the program online and it gives you instructions as to how to set it up.

[collie1228]

I have Netflix and Prime, and when Netflix recently notified me of a price increase, it made me think about how little I use it. Frankly, I very seldom watch a movie, as I find most movies boring or they make little sense. So this is my last month with Netflix. Not worth almost $20 a month.

[Megabates]

I also use Sling with an OTA antenna for locals. Many options and combinations of channels to suit your needs. Basic package is $35/mo.

what is OTA ?

[jrbeatty007]

Which OTA do you have and how good is the quality?

[cherylncliff]

YouTube TV is probably the most popular service.

I would suggest going to the website "suppose.tv". You can select all of the channels you want and the site will list every streaming service that you need to get those channels and the cost. It is a very useful website.

The supply.tv website is a great tool. Thanks for noting it.

[lennythenet]

YouTubeTV. It has all the channels we want.

[Tmarkwald]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!

I have been with DirectTV Now since it's inception, now ATT Now. I have tried them all -YouTube, Sling, even Playstation. Nothing gets you the variety of the ATT Now platform. I carry a Firestick with me where ever I travel so I always have my stations and my DVR stuff to play. Only time it gets funky is when I go to Europe or Asia - then I have to use a VPN to fool the Firestick into thinking I am in the US..

There are other options, I understand, but that works for me...

[Tmarkwald]

We recently found Gen2TV provider with SoPlayer streaming program. If you have a smart tv SoPlayer should be in your apps. Gen2TV has hundreds and hundreds of tv shows, movies, local channels and sports. We were able to watch the Cowboys whole season which we couldn't on DirectTV without paying $220 a month. Gen2TV has no contracts and is $29 a month. If you don't like it, you don't have to renew. We were watching Outlander on Netflix and finished season 4. Netflix does not have season 5 yet. We went to Gen2TV and bamm!! There it is! Season 5. I was soooo happy!! lol You can buy the program online and it gives you instructions as to how to set it up.

EXCELLENT - yes, this is one of the best there is outside of the main providers!

It's not legal though, and the website really stinks. And, the main servers go down sometime. But it is cheap. Once you get past that the channels are endless..

[John_W]

what is OTA ?

OTA stands for Over-the-air , basically it's antenna that receives broadcast channels. I have one in my attic and I can get a lot channels, but not channel 2. I don't use the antenna, I installed the antenna because it was only $27 on Amazon and wanted to have TV in a guest bedroom, I have Directv for 12 years on my main two TVs.

Antenna discussions and what you can get, do you need 2 antennas, where do you put the antenna, do have a barrier inside the roof, all those questions you can forget about. I put this on another thread, but I guess some of you didn't see it, or didn't read it.

Locast is an app that will give you all the local channels in HD. I have it and used it last month when Directv had a dispute with our local ABC affiliate and we didn't get channel 9 for two weeks. I used it to watch Jeopardy.

I have a ROKU stick plugged into the back of my TV I bought in December at Best Buy for $27, and I connected to the Locast app. They will ask for a $5 a month donation or $60 a year. They are a non-profit to bring viewers the local TV broadcast channels. If you don't pay the donation, you will see a commercial every 15 minutes, that's it.

I just looked at my on-screen guide and these are channels I get:

I get in HD the Orlando channels 2, 2.2, 6, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 8, 8.2, 9, 9.2, 10, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 15.2, 15.3, 18, 18.2, 18.3, 24.2, 24.3, 24.5, 26, 26.2, 26.3, 26.4, 26.5, 27, 27.4, 31, 31.3, 31.4, 35, 35.2, 43, 42.2, 43.3, 43.4, 45, 52, 52.3, 52.4, 52.5, 55.2, 55.3, 55.4, 55.6, 55.7, 55.8. 55.9, 55.11, 56, 55.2, 55.3, 55.5, 55.6, 65, 65.2, 65.3, 65.4, 68, 68.2, 68.3, 68.4

[Natalino1]

YouTube TV. Has it all.

[davephan]

YouTube TV. Has it all.

Including, a really poorly designed user interface. It's a royal pain to have to search for recorded programs by names to playback the recorded programs. It seems like it would take very little effort on YouTube TV's part to simply add a recorded programs menu, where you could select the recorded programs to playback. The "On Demand" programs doesn't allow you to fast forward through commercials, which is annoying. It would be much better if we could Al La Carte channels. We probably only watch less than 10 channels. It's annoying to pay for sports channels, when we never what sports the channels. We still have YouTube TV, even after the cost keeps going up. We haven't switched yet.

[Shutterbug]

We're ditching AT&T tv service (streaming) and like some sports channels. Wondering what streaming options would allow us to get ESPN, FS1, Golf channel & Tennis channel. Like not having a contract.

Anyone have a favorite? Many new options but we'd like to know what others think of each service, their customer service, features, etc.

Love to hear from you.

Thanks!

If you have internet go to: ustvgo.tv. There is a whole list of sites to go to. All are free but for some you need to have their VPN which is about $4 - $5 per month.

[Vernon Hud]

I have All Access TV. I purchased this at Marion Market about 2 yrs ago now. With All Access, you can get any channel that you want, I mean any channel, I get U-Tube, netflix,amazon, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Golf, all baseball,HBO,Cinemax, I mean anything you want to watch, all around the world. The only country's I kept is Canada, Great Britian, and Ireland. They have this perfected so good now, I may get 2-3 bufferings a day, for maybe 3-5 seconds. I pay $45.00 per month, plus internet. I was paying $235.00 a month, now down to $ 90.00 a month, Internet, and TV. We go to MN in the summer for a few months, we take our 2 boxes with us, order internet, and we are set up in MN in 5 minutes or less. If you need more info, you can call me at 612-245-6880 Vern

[Sunflower33]

I use spectrum for 49.99 a month which includes taxes modum and router. It’s a great deal and it works great. So satisfied with their internet. I stream well. No buffering

[John_W]

I have All Access TV. I purchased this at Marion Market about 2 yrs ago now. With All Access, you can get any channel that you want, I mean any channel, I get U-Tube, netflix,amazon, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Golf, all baseball,HBO,Cinemax, I mean anything you want to watch, all around the world. The only country's I kept is Canada, Great Britian, and Ireland. They have this perfected so good now, I may get 2-3 bufferings a day, for maybe 3-5 seconds. I pay $45.00 per month, plus internet. I was paying $235.00 a month, now down to $ 90.00 a month, Internet, and TV. We go to MN in the summer for a few months, we take our 2 boxes with us, order internet, and we are set up in MN in 5 minutes or less. If you need more info, you can call me at 612-245-6880 Vern

The fellow back on post #31 is selling that as well. When I go Facebook Villages site there are 5 people selling those, the Market of Marion, even on Amazon who makes and sells the legal Firestick will have those for sale by a third party. It's a gray area, you're legal to view as long as you don't download any material, what's the definition of download, is that to view, the NFL might have something to say about that.

So the FCC has busted a few sellers in the past few months, but chances you as a homowner will probably not get busted. My neighbor who's had his jail-break Firestick for a couple of years, he has letters all the time from Comcast Xfinity Internet warning him to stay off those sites, he just throws them away and keeps watching.

I don't know, maybe I don't like breaking the law. If you're really sharp, you can watch videos on youtube and make your own jail-break Firestick. However, if I had one, I wouldn't broadcast it too far.

This whole subject was discussed in December.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/legal-get-tv-free-firestick-they-sell-flea-market-313605/?highlight=market+marion