Anybody have YouTube TV?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/14/2019 at 12:24 • Filed to: None

0

37

I’ve heard some good things about it from a couple of friends who use it, and I’m thinking of bailing on Dish after 15 years. YTTV would be about a third of what I pay for Dish, and it would have the majority of the live sports that I like to watch. We already have Netflix and Amazon.

Do any Opp os have YTTV? Thoughts?

Monkey B > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:31

0

I’m about to cut Verizon TV service and found this site that compares all the services, costs, channel lineups etc.

https://clark.com/technology/tvsatellite-cable/streaming-tv-comparison-best-channel-lineup/

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:32

1

I had a coworker that loved it, but outside of that I have no idea.  It might be worth it alone so they stop spamming you about it when looking at other youtube videos.

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:36

0

We’ve had it for about 3 months, and it’s perfect for what we need. We don’t watch much network TV, but we do watch some baseball and football, and alpine ski racing (that’s the hard one).

The thing that made me try it was that unlike every other subscription-based service I’d used before (e.g. MLB TV) will black out local area games which is totally missing the point. I want to give you money and I want to watch all the Red Sox games; I live near enough to Boston to be “in-market” because of course I do! YoutubeTV says, “Oh you live near this major city? Here’s your local sports channel, full access.” That’s the way it should be!

The ability to cloud-DVR stuff from an app is nice, too. One thing you can’t do is go back and watch something you didn’t record, which seems silly. It’s not like they’re giving ME my own cloud storage capacity, right? They’re just giving me access to already-stored content to watch later, along with everyone else who “recorded” it... unless I started recording right at the beginning, I can’t go back in time (which I believe Hulu lets you do) but I digress.

For our limited desire for actual TV, this hits all the reasons we want some TV access - the fact that it includes a couple obscure channels that air alpine ski racing is a total bonus. Oh and recently, those same obscure NBC sports channels have had decent Dakar coverage! Another bonus.

ttyymmnn > Monkey B 01/14/2019 at 12:37

0

Excellent. Thanks!

SHARPSPEED > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:38

0

My parents have so far had nothing but good things to say about Roku, if you’re looking for options. So much so that my dad’s just gonna outright get me one this weekend even though I said I’d rather wait until I can pay him back. 

ttyymmnn > functionoverfashion 01/14/2019 at 12:40

0

That sounds great. Does it give you access to replays on partner sites, like ESPN? I can watch stuff I missed by entering my cable provider, which is how I’m catching all the holiday bowl games that I missed.

NBC does have some good coverage of more obscure sports, ones which I enjoy like rugby and curling. So I’m glad YTTV offers it.

ttyymmnn > SHARPSPEED 01/14/2019 at 12:40

0

But Roku is nothing more than a pathway to use services like YTTV, right? A device that gets “internet” to play through your TV?

Nothing > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:42

0

My wife’s family just switched this past weekend. I imagine it’s similar to most other online providers. We’ve been on Directv Now since they started offering it, so we’re grandfathered in at the lower price. We’ve had no performance/streaming issues at all, we have the Go Big package for $40/mo, with HBO thrown is as a loyalty bonus. I see they’ve increased a bit from that.

I don’t think you can go wrong with streaming, as long as your internet provider doesn’t have a low monthly data cap.

Bo Knows > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:42

0

I have it as of 2 weeks ago. So far I like it a lot; it has all the local channels and plenty of sports channels. Also has a couple of D isney/cartoon options for the little one but she’s too young to watch/care for those now.

ttyymmnn > Nothing 01/14/2019 at 12:43

0

I don’t think you can go wrong with streaming, as long as your internet provider doesn’t have a low monthly data cap.

That I don’t know. It would bear looking into. Thanks.

ttyymmnn > Bo Knows 01/14/2019 at 12:44

0

My teenagers don’t watch TV any more. If they aren’t playing Fortnite (see my other post from today) they are watching YT. I’m the crusty old fart who has to change. 

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:50

0

I don’t think you get access to on-demand stuff from the channels you get. I think you have to “record” it. But I haven’t tried, to be honest. It’s easy to record stuff, though, via the app. You just have to think ahead.

Some things, you can “follow” and it automatically records all instances of that. Like ski racing, I followed FIS (the governing body of the skiing world cup) and it records all FIS events, including cross-country and ski jumping, but who cares, because it also captures all the alpine races.

NFL, though is not like that; nor college football. You have to select individual games. Tedious, but again, not hard if you spend a couple minutes.

I’ll have to try accessing the ESPN content... now I’m curious.

ttyymmnn > functionoverfashion 01/14/2019 at 12:53

0

NFL, though is not like that; nor college football. You have to select individual games. Tedious, but again, not hard if you spend a couple minutes.

I’ll have to try accessing the ESPN content... now I’m curious.

Not a whole lot different from what I’ve been doing for the last 15 years. And in all that time, I’ve had an old receiver that only lets me DVR two things at a time. I assume I can “ DVR” multiple simultaneous events.

If you could let me know if that works, I’d appreciate it.

Nothing > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 12:53

0

We have a 1TB cap we’ve exceeded twice, but mainly because people would turn off the TV and not the Apple TV we use for streaming, thus we’d be using data all day. My wife and I both work from home as well. For an average month with a decent amount of viewing and a Fortnite playing teenager, we average around 700GB/mo.

functionoverfashion > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 13:12

0

I am unaware of any limit to simultaneous recordings. I went to espn.com/watch but I can’t see any college football replays, as in, there are none listed. What else should I try?

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 13:26

0

I’m going to cancel my U-verse today.  We have been considering streaming services.  Hulu and Sling are near the top.  My wife needs her football.  It’s a little tricky finding one with the Hallmark channel for me.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 13:39

1

Check out this link

https://clark.com/technology/tvsatellite-cable/streaming-tv-comparison-best-channel-lineup/

and make sure you are getting the sports channels you want. One thing Sling has going for it is the Discovery Network channels that are absent from YTTV and Hulu. YTTV also does not have the Food Network. But Sling is missing the Big Ten Network and CBS Sports, but it does have ESPN3 which is missing on all the others . So you’re still back to figuring out which channels you watch more.

E92M3 > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 13:46

1

I have YTTV, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Toget h er they have more than enough content than I’ll ever need. My only complaint with YTTV are t he commercials. Sometimes they have 5 in a row, but I understand they need to offset the cost with advertising. Even with these 3 subscriptions, half of the content I watch is on regular Youtube.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 13:49

0

Yeah thanks , I saw that link above  and followed it. The more I look at these things, the more I wonder why we don’t just go back to books for now. But really, anything we get will be a better value than what we pay AT&T right now. Also, It’s encouraging that you can do month to month so you can change whenever you want.

ttyymmnn > E92M3 01/14/2019 at 13:51

1

Thanks. Commercials are a necessary evil. Otherwise it wouldn’t be $40.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 13:53

1

I wish I could get my kids to read a book. Since they won’t read, I’m reading to them (The Hobbit right now). We’re paying Dish over $120/mo, and that’s on top of ISP, Netflix and Amazon. And I don’t even want to talk about  what I’m paying for five cell phones.....

ttyymmnn > Nothing 01/14/2019 at 13:56

0

Just checked on my Spectrum account, and no cap. I would be interested to know how much we use now, though, and how that will get significantly higher when I start streaming TV. 700GB strikes me as a tone of data, and I’ve also got two Fortnite junkies in the house. 

Bo Knows > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 14:02

0

I have Roku installed in my tv and YTTV is, in my opinion, much better. And you’re correct, there is a YTTV app that I use that’s downloaded within the Roku service/app/whatever you call that.

Don’t know how/if the built-in Roku differs from the external version.

ttyymmnn > Bo Knows 01/14/2019 at 14:07

0

Thanks. I was just looking at their site, and you can also access the service through a browser (Chrome, of course). I’ve got a Mac Mini hooked up to the TV right now, so I think I can use that, rather than buy a Roku or Apple TV. Quality should be fine, I’ve watched lots of sports replays from ESPN and it looks great.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 14:42

0

My kid loves to be read to. She hates reading herself. A lot of it is grounded in her struggle with seeing patterns on the page. But when she does read, she does it so well and makes a story come alive. But mostly she seems to prefer having stories fed to her through a screen like most kids these days.

I often regret ever letting her have a phone. 

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 14:47

0

When I kick my kids off the computer, they immediately grab their phone. If I kick them off the phone, they turn on the TV. If I ban all screens, they wrestle and hurt each other because they don’t have the creative instincts to find something to do . Oftentimes, when we go places around town,  I have them all pass their phones up front. If they aren’t being stupid and wrestling, they are staring out the window in sullen silence. Which I believe is good for them. My oldest, who is starting to drive, has no idea how to get around town because he’s always had his face in his phone. 

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 15:01

0

My daughter has a creative side that comes out when she can’t use screens. The big problem for my wife is she often demands too much of her attention when my wife is trying to get work done. So often it ends up being a lot of bargaining between them.  I don’t like how my kid gets when she's been on screens.  It looks too much like withdrawal symptoms.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 15:08

0

We’ve witnessed withdrawal symptoms since the earliest days of Minecraft. It’s like taking away the crackpipe. 

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 15:11

0

Same back when we just watched stuff on Nick. When did we lose control? I want  it back, but it would mean causing some serious trauma and battles at a difficult time dealing with the other medical issues (that I haven’t said anything about before here). Sometimes I feel so powerless.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 15:20

1

Sometimes I feel so powerless.

God, do I know what you mean. Sometimes I just have to walk away, because I don’t want to go to war over something. But we have to maintain some sort of control, or we have anarchy. It’s been 16 years of parenting, and I still haven’t found the sweet spot on that one.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 15:22

0

This is relevant to my interests. My wife and I were discussing the same last night. I would like F1 and IndyCar. She wants football and we need some kind of HGTV equivalent for when my mom visits. The kids are full up Netflix and Youtube .

ttyymmnn > f86sabre 01/14/2019 at 15:51

1

YTTV does not have Food or HGTV, which would be bad when my Mom comes to visit. Maybe we do a one-month trial of something else when she’s in town? But it does seem to have the best spread of sports channels, though Sling is the only one that offers ESPN3.

There’s lots of good info in this thread, including this chart of what channels the various services offer (or don’t offer). Somebody else suggested checking your ISP (mine is  Spectrum) to see if they cap the amount of data, which is a good thought. Spectrum does not, at least on my plan. And, with YTTV, I can use the Mac Mini that I already have hooked up to the TV for Netflix and Amazon. No need to buy a Roku or Apple TV.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 16:15

0

If we ever have a  sit down, we have many beers to go through.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/14/2019 at 16:16

1

Agreed. 

GLiddy > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 18:22

0

I just concluded a 5-day trial of YouTube TV. I dropped it. I’m one of the rare people who don’t care for sports, so all those channels were wasted on me. The actual cable channels weren’t all that hot either. I’ve become extremely jaded on cable channels. It seems all they show are reruns of movies. BBC America just shows old American TV series, much like the rest. The user interface was difficult, as it took some clicking around to schedule recordings. Finding specific programs I wanted was also difficult. I think people mostly get this for the live TV, but I have a Channel Master DVR and a TIVO which get more local channels, as YT-TV does not carry the sub-channels like MeTV or even independent locals that I have. $40 a month? No way.

I’ve tried Sling TV and DirecTV NOW and found them to suit me much better. Plus if you subscribe to DirecTV Now, you can authorize some of the channel-specific streaming apps as on Roku. (Maybe YT-TV can too, but its selection is so poor, I didn’t bother to check.)

Hard pass for me.

ttyymmnn > GLiddy 01/14/2019 at 18:48

1

That’s some great feedback. Thanks!

GLiddy > ttyymmnn 01/14/2019 at 19:14

1

I think if you buy a Roku stick, they’ll still offer you a free one-month trial of YouTube TV.  I just set up a Roku 3 that I bought at a garage sale on my Roku account and the next day I received an email for a 30 day trial.  Might be something to consider.  Better than the 5 days I got.  (Though I said I don’t care for sports, I signed up so I could watch the college national championship game.  I went to ‘Bama so how could I not watch?)