Today we are pleased to announce PlayStation Vue’s expansion to Apple TV. As one of the most highly requested devices by our fans, the PlayStation Vue experience on Apple TV will provide viewers with a better option to watch your favorite live TV programming, with unique streaming features such as cloud DVR, simultaneous streaming, and no long-term contract commitments.
I wonder how popular services like this are for people. There are still channels missing that I would like to watch, but Vue and SlingTV are making strong plays for customers.
So far have tried SlingTV and now PS Vue (twice, started one up yesterday to see what the Vue app is like on the Apple TV). I am curious to see what AT&T/DirecTV announce on the 28th.
For me, Vue is the winner. First trial was on a Roku 3; good experience there, though lack of a proper program guide was a mark against the service. But on Apple TV: Vue is a winner. Still a few weird UI/UX issues to iron out, but a great start. I get several local channels where I live which is HUGE as a big sports fan. And outside of–I’d say, 3 or 4 channels that just went missing (Vue ended a deal with Viacom I believe, prolly wanted too much money)–Vue easily wins over SlingTV…which, when I tried it several months ago, had MAJOR video buffering/stuttering issues…while Vue does not.
Got plenty of bandwidth–so once my free NFL Sunday Ticket comes to an end, am definitely making the switch. Don’t really need a hardware DVR any more, and with the money we’ll save each month with Vue (at least $70 per month!) on our 1 television in the house, we’ll buy seasons of shows not available on Vue from iTunes and STILL come out ahead at the end of the year by dropping the satellite dish. Money savings, all the live sports I want, and a good enough “cloud DVR” for when we miss a show’s live airing–which is almost all the time. We don’t even own a PlayStation!
Just hoping the Vue Apple TV app improves & doesn’t become abandonware…it’s fine now, but room for improvement.
I’ll check out Vue. I sub to Sling right now and I like it for a couple of reasons.
First, I can get sports on it which I can’t otherwise get (no cable aside from internet connection) i.e. I can get ESPN, NFL Network and other things that aren’t on over the air. It also gives me access to other cable channels.
But the best part? If, after football season I don’t think it’s worth it, I can cancel it. If I want to pick it up for a month for March Madness? I can do that. This flexibility is REALLY nice when compared to Comcast etc. where I have to call or go in and plans keep changing.
How would you compare Sling to Vue? The Sling UI is… not good.
I’d say both Vue and Sling TV are about…equal…in terms of how each of them frustrated me.
That is, until Vue came out with the Apple TV app. To be fair I have not used Sling TV on the Apple TV, only other devices. With Vue’s Apple TV app there are still a few (minor) frustrations but it’s WAY better than it is on the Roku 3 and any experiences I had with Sling TV.
What channels would you miss? I’ve been a Vue subscriber since the summer and it’s been good. The Apple TV app makes it great.
The last time I checked, I think PS Vue was missing A&E/History and maybe a handful of other niche cable channels. Out of all the Viacom stuff they just lost, I’d probably only miss Comedy Central. The locals still make Vue one of the best choices I’ve seen, however.
It will be interesting to see what DirecTV Now brings on the 28th.
Hmm. Thanks. The Sling app has an annoying band of channels that you scroll though as you channel surf. Also, it’s not integrated with Siri so you can’t say “tune to ESPN” or something. Is Vue?
I haven’t tried the Siri “tune to…” thing yet. I will have to try it.
That’s the one thing I wish Vue did: give me a thin band of channels to scroll through along the bottom of the screen while keeping what I have on visible. I use a thing like this with DirecTV and will definitely miss it once we cut the cord.
Am already planning on being disappointed with what AT&T/DirecTV announce on the 28th–I think Vue will be hard to beat in terms of what they offer for the price. But we’ll see. If DirecTV can offer local channels as well as regional sports networks I might consider it.
Agreed. Locals are a must, and we even get Comcast Sports on AT&T U-verse right now. AT&T does have the licensing muscle to do it. Hopefully they can without bundling a bunch of junk in there, too.
While it’ll “never” happen, it’d be nice to have a la carte options. What’s unknown is if there will be some levels/choice of packages from AT&T/DirecTV. I’ve read the rumors so far as “one package, $35 per month.” Almost a “take it or leave it” option, with add-ons for premiums like HBO/Showtime/etc.
The fact that Vue has Comcrap SportsNet was the deciding factor for me. I can live without most of the recent Viacom channel departures; even with Vue’s “Elite” package, which has everything I’d want–still would save $70 per month over satellite. If DirecTV can come close to that $55 price point of Vue, I’ll consider it. Don’t think it’s gonna happen though…
Oh if the band was overlaying what’s playing that would be OK. It just stretches across the top of an otherwise blank screen.
If you try the “tune to” or other voice search features I’d love to know if it works. It doesn’t on Sling and that means that I can’t say “Hey Siri, go to the Seahawks game” if it’s on, say, ESPN via Sling.
And you haven’t found it greatly diminished in value since they lost all the Viacom channels, or have they not been pulled yet? Without those, it’s no longer a good deal IMHO.
Nope. I looked through the Viacom channels that are now gone; Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, Spike, a few others…nothing there of value to me personally. Can’t say I watch any of those channels regularly any more. And with the cost savings I’ll have from dropping DirecTV and switching to Vue–should a series come up that I’d like to see, I’ll buy the season in iTunes…and in the end still come out ahead of where I was financially.
Viacom’s lineup isn’t very important to me. Only channel my family watches is Nick Jr. for Paw Patrol. I’d rather buy a few episodes on iTunes than have my bill go up.