Yeah, time for me to check out the competition. I have three months at the old rate.
I guess these guys are going to try to raise rates as fast a cable. I wonder if they are ever going to learn. I think it would be wise for @TabloTV to setup APIs where these apps could integrate the locals into these services. Carrying locals is very expensive and these local stations are always looking for increases in every contract.
I got the email about the price increase the other day, 33% is a dealbreaker for me. I’m doing a one month free trial of DirecTV Now, and will be dropping PS Vue before my next payment is due. Wonder what percentage of customers will be dropping the service along with me. It’ll be interesting to see what happens as a result.
I will be dropping the service before the price increases. (unless they add a whole bunch of NON-locals to their line-up. I doubt that will happen though)
Looks like I’ll be heading back to sling tv to try out their new dvr service and their “a-la-cart” channel structure. I hope it has improved since my last endeavor with them.
I got their email the other day… doing a trial of DirecTV Now, and will be dropping PS Vue before my next billing date. 33% increase in my cost is a non starter for me. Unfortunately, Sling doesn’t have what I’m looking for, which is why I went with PS Vue to begin with.
DirecTV Now is only $5 less than PS Vue. I might do a trial to see how I like it, but I’m not sure I’d switch for that. Unless I switch my phone to AT&T.
Sling is very confusing. I THINK Sling Blue has what I need.
The DVR system has to work well, or it’s not an option.
What’s the status of Sling TV’s DVR functionality? Switched to PS Vue for DVR features, but if Sling has caught up, I would gladly go back.
Not sure if Sling TV still have the $5 discount offer when you’re a Tmobile customer coz that’s what I had before… They do have DVR but you have to pay extra… If you signed up for Basic only and DVR with a $5 discount then yes you’ll save a bit on your monthly bill, other than that you’ll end up paying as close to PSVue.
Sling Blue + Cloud DVR would be $30, same as I was paying for PS Vue. So it’s worth doing a trial on it.
Oh forgot to mention that you get a $5 discount monthly for 12 months if you’re Tmobile customer with no contract… Again, this is what I had before so am not sure if this offer still exists… I signed up for Sling Orange + Kids package… I didn’t get Sling Blue coz it didn’t have ESPN and Disney for kids…
I read somewhere that the T-mobile offer is no longer valid. What a shame too…I’m a t-mobile customer.
I really hope sling’s dvr works well. I guess I’ll find out in a few months.
My understanding all along has been that areas with locals were $10/month more & thus when locals were added to your area you would then incur the price bump.
Has Vue added locals in your areas?
I have had PSVue for the past year & have enjoyed the lower price because I live in a small community with no locals. I have not yet received an email saying my cost is going up.
DirecTV Now is not even close to as good a value. No DVR functionality & only 2 simultaneous streams per account. I would have to have 2 DirecTV Now accounts so you would have to double their pricing in a comparison & there would still be no DVR. No Contest.
Sling has 2 packages (Orange & Blue) with Orange allowing only 1 stream & blue 2 simultaneously. And from what I understand even if you have both packages, if one person is watching an Orange package channel no-one else can simultaneously watch any other Orange channel. Likewise, only two Blue channels can be watched simultaneously. Sling does now have a DVR but it costs $5/month & is rather limited. You are only allowed 50 hours of storage & some channels don’t allow it - all the Disney & ESPN channels & all the Fox channels including Nat Geo. IMO, PSVue is still miles ahead in value to Sling unless of course multiple streams & DVR functionality is not important to you.
YouTube TV & Hulu Live is not even worth mentioning at the present IMO.
For those already paying for locals, the price is NOT increasing. For those who were NOT paying for locals, your price goes up in 3 months. Essentially everyone will pay the same price whether you have locals or not.
Effective 7/6/2017 for new customers, (Existing customers, renewals after 10/6) PlayStation™Vue plans will have the same nationwide pricing, as follows:
Access: $39.99/mo*
Core: $44.99/mo*
Elite: $54.99/mo*
Ultra: $74.99/mo*
I have the the elite package so I guess 55/mo it will be, that suck$.
But IMO it will still be must better than the alternatives. To have a comparable package with DirecTV Now I would have to “Go Big” twice to have 4 simultaneous streams, thus $120/mo with no DVR. I would need Blue + Orange + DVR with Sling which would be $45/mo and would be pretty limited stream & DVR wise.
I was really hoping that the new competitors were going to give me some truly good options for my live cable channels, but it seems that cooperate America is once again showing they are way to greedy to allow consumers a competitive market.
PS Vue gives me CBS. ABC, Fox, and NBC are “on demand”, which means not all shows. No CW or PBS.
And honestly, I’m not a big fan of the PS Vue UI. And it’s “out of home” system for mobile devices is very buggy.
I’ve started a week trial of Sling Blue + DVR. We’ll see how I like it.
I have the same “on demand” for the local networks but there is no need for them with Tablo.
As I already mentioned I would need both Blue & Orange with Sling and would be lacking in the simultaneous stream department - we use 3 simultaneous streams every night & sometimes 4 (and chances are when it is only 3 it would not happen to be one Orange & 2 Blue). Furthermore, no DVR for the ESPN & Fox sports channels and only 50 hours is a deal breaker for me.
Lastly, I never do any “out-of-home” viewing. Tablo & PSVue are simply my home entertainment system - how 20th century of me.
We all have different needs & as of now no-one else comes close to the value I get from Vue. Let me know how Sling works out for you though. I hope it fills your needs & maybe it will even give you a better “out-of-home” experience.
I bothered by it too. At $30 it was a great option. At $40 not as much but it is still a lot cheaper than what I can get with cable. TV and internet + SD cable box rentals (no DVR) were just about $100 when we cut the cord 6 years. If we wanted DVR it was an extra $20 plus I would have to upgrade to the HD package. Oh well, if I could afford it I would only get it for two or three months for summer pay TV shows.
After the net neutrality battle is over maybe we can ask for the option opt out of locals/ broadcast Networks and fees regardless of platform.
I have been very happy with the PS Vue. I use tablo for my local stations so the 10 dollars does stink. I think it is still worth it for the DVR and the flexibility. I don’t have to pay for cable box fees to watch it on a specific tv.
FlyingDiver,
I just discovered that Sling Blue actually now allows 3 simultaneous streams, so with Blue + Orange it is possible for 4 simultaneous streams but only if one & only one is an orange package exclusive channel. Throw in the limitations of the DVR & it still might be dicey for me. But I also learned that Sling has worked out a deal with Fox so that their channels are included in their DVR service. So it is becoming a more viable option & maybe worth a look for me as well.