Oh duh... I read that wrong.

The Hollywood Reporter is also talking ESPN's woes, esp why it's cutting so much of its talent (from Olbermann to Simmons and it seems like Cowherd is leaving as well):

From Keith Olbermann to Bill Simmons, Why ESPN Is Sacking Top Talent - Hollywood Reporter - The Hollywood Reporter

The idea that there is a "bubble" that is going to pop like the stock market or real estate market did is hyperbole. It has been and will continue to be a slow leak. It's been going on for a while now, far too long for it to be a surprise to anyone.

In the meantime, ESPN has the luxury of trying out a lot of different options to see what works. There are probably many more options than either stopping cord-cutters or offering a standalone product at $30+.

I think the amount of money saved on talent pales in comparison to what some of their expenses are, but I guess you have to start somewhere.

It's basically the canary in the mine. And its things they can easily get out of now.

Okay I can agree with you on the hyperbole. But when you have expenses in the billions that are locked in for many years, even slow leaks can be pretty traumatic to a business model. I'm very interested in seeing what some of the effects could end up being.

is there any way to get an RSN without cable?

Finally getting around to doing this. My Directv contract ends in Nov. I'm thinking of getting sling for espn and an indoor antenna to get my locals, which should work as I'm within good range of Louisville. I can go from $135 a month to roughly $50 for sling and netflix.

I think DTV is only $20/mo to cancel early

Are there any updates on Sling?

I realized I really don't watch that much TV and seeing if I can cut some costs over the next few months.

Figuring I watch mainly NBA/NHL over winter, I think ESPN + TNT + HGTV (and using my brother's account information to stream NBC Sports Live) should be more than enough.

Anyone here been using the service over the last few months? Thoughts?

I have been using Sling and enjoy it just fine. I finally cut the cord last month and just have an OTA HD antenna, Netflix, Amazon and Sling and have more than enough T.V. I was worried on the sport front, but have actually not missed anything of importance to me. Having both ESPN's, AMC, History, TNT and TBS and a few movie channels on Sling is really just fine with me. I stream it through my Xbox and the only issue I get is a slight delay in buffering (probably more due to my www speed) and a slight delay in sports. Whenever ESPN has a game on and ABC/Fox/CBS also does, I can just change the input as quick as changing the channel and keep up on all I want.

So, I like it.

Yeah, Sling is alright. It can be glitchy at times. But generally, it's ok. And when it's being glitchy and you want to watch ESPN, it gives you WatchESPN access (I wish it did the same for AMC, mind).

Been using Sling for many months now and am happy with it. It can sometimes glitch but more recently over the last two months I've had almost no issues. If you look online you will find a mix bag. Some people will swear it is the worst thing ever and is down 90% of the time. Not sure if it is a hardware issue or what for them but there are plenty of people not having many issues as well. You may want to give the free trial a spin first to see how it goes.

I've been using Sling TV since April. It is definitely not perfect. I've found that some of the channels work better than others.

For example, the Food Network never has any issues for me, not once.

ESPN on the other hand, I seems to always have an issue like last night. Every time they would return to the MNF game from commercial, it would stop playing and I would have to reload the channel. Happened every commercial starting in the 4th quarter.

I just unsubscribed from HBO on Sling because HBO Now is a channel on Roku. I'm a big on demand watcher with HBO and found it to be a pain in the ass for on demand viewing. There's not a list of shows perse, you get a horizontal list of shows with thumbnails and it takes forever to fire up a show or movie. I just want a list damn it! There's not a search I could find either.

All in all, it's not too bad. If you're looking to cut the cord, I recommend it as long as you're willing to deal with some glitches here and there.

SlingTV just got Chromecast capability as well.

I think SlingTV would definitely benefit if you could use it on AMC.com or Cartoon Network's website/app to watch episodes as you could if you had a more traditional cable subscription. Heck, it'd be a way to bypass the SlingTV app in its entirety if its acting up ;).

Comcast just dumped Spike and CMT off their basic cable plan (along with some other smaller channels I believe). It's not a huge deal but it's just another notch against keeping cable going forward. If I could find a way to get my local sports teams here I think I'm done with cable.

So I want to cut the cord. With having a 7 month old, I just dont really watch that much TV. A lot of sports and HGTV in the background and not much else. My problem is that I would like DVR capability, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem very possible to have it, especially with slingtv? We dont really watch that many cable shows, mostly sitcoms and other shows on the regular channels.

For those of you with satellite, I have a couple of dumb questions. First, how often does weather interfere with reception? And second, can you order channels ala carte, or do you have to stick with specific packages?

I have DirectTV

(1) Rarely. Only in huge wrath-of-God style storms, really.

(2) Packages. Not any different than cable in that way.

I believe Sling has a decent amount of On Demand content.

I found that Hulu basically does what I need a DVR to do and feel it's an essential piece of my ability to cut the cord. I tend to purchase Hulu through gift cards like these: Hulu Plus Subscription $50 Gift Credit Via Email | eBay

Just be wary of purchasing gift hulu/netflix subscriptions on ebay. A very high percentage of them were purchased using stolen credit cards.

Looks like DirecTV will be introducing a SlingTV-style offering later this year.

AT&T and DirecTV to launch streaming TV service later this year | The Verge

PlayStation Vue is now nationwide and offers Fox Sports regional channels. It also has a cloud DVR. May actually cut the cord since I could save about $30/month. At the very least, I'll use a 7-day free trial.

I've switched Playstation Vue. I have the $30/mo package (it's $35 if you want the Fox Sports regional channels). I also like how it, unlike Sling TV, has deals with the channel providers so you can easily log into their apps or website. And the base $30 package includes SyFy, FX, and USA - so I have some stuff to catch up on ;).

Was watching it last night for CNN's primary coverage and it barely hiccupped - much better than Sling TV.

SlingTV is brutal for the hiccups. I notice it much more when I am streaming it through my Xbox and especially on ESPN. If I watch it on my tablet, it is fine. Same internet, so I am not sure what the issue is.

I dropped cable and am missing FX and because of that am missing 'The Americans'.

So, the Playstation Vue allows you to get on the FX app and select the 'cable provider' of Vue so you can watch shows or is it included in the Vue in their library?

Yep. Basically Sony struck deals with just about every channel they offer to allow them to be listed as a cable provider on their app, which is brilliant. I find the cable station apps to have far more back catalogue than anything else (though some, frustratingly, have a lack of Chromecast support or lack of a Roku channel - I'm looking at you SyFy).

There is one major downside of Playstation Vue... it's limited on where you can use it. Obviously you can have it on Playstation 3 and 4. You can also have it on Amazon Fire TV (or Stick). And then you can have it on iOS devices, and Chromecast through that. But that's it. No Roku support. No Android app yet.

I had no idea Playstation Vue existed. I might have to switch from Sling. It has more channels at the same price.

I have a PS3 on one tv and a PS4 on the other as Blu Ray players, so this might be perfect.

Exactly. I am probably sold. The mid-tier package has the BIG Network, which sold me almost immediately. On top of that, having FX and USA and some other stuff Sling doesn't have for $15 more a month and still keeping AMC and adding DVR cloud recording. Cable would be $67 for me, up from $52 (right now I have Netflix, Prime, Tivo Guide and Sling), which is still better than the $118 I was paying with AT&T.

Thanks for bringing this up.

Vue has local channels, too is that right?

DVR & local channels makes it a given I think.

I don't believe it does. PlayStation™Vue | PlayStation™Network, is package 2 for $35.

I have my HD ant and the Tivo Guide to record those shows (local channels and others my ant pics up). With Vue having a lot of the other channels I miss and the DVR cloud, we can ditch HULU as there really is no need for it, especially if I am able to access the app and say that Vue is my cable provider in order to access those shows.

I have been using Sling and Hulu for a while and the Vue looks like it would perfectly replace those two and save us a couple bucks a month in the process. Very nice.

And I could even get my FSN back!? That'd be awesome...

It only has local channels for a handful of cities and the packages cost more there because of the locals.

I had no idea until about 5 minutes ago that the Vue was available on non-Playstation products.

I was one of the (maybe lucky) ones that had lots of success with Sling. Not much down time or trouble connecting, ran very smoothly. I was pretty OK with the service.

I signed up for the Vue trial and it blows Sling out of the water. It just has so much to offer for pretty much the same price.

The only issues I have had relate to the hardware supported. I've got Rokus in my house but Vue is not yet on there, so I've been using the Amazon Fire Stick. The issue people have with the Fire stick, myself included, is the menus are incredibly sluggish. Once the video plays everything is cool but getting there is a bit of a pain right now.

I hope they support Roku soon because even aside from the sluggish menus, I just don't like the Amazon interface at all compared to Roku. For now I'll use it to get Vue but I am really hoping Roku support comes soon.

With Vue, the DVR is in the cloud, is that correct? This does seem like an incredible service and if it were already available on Roku I'd likely have bought already. This might be the thing though that pushes me over into getting a PS4 (had debated it a few times and always decided against). How easy is it to navigate the Vue stuff on the PS4?

Yes, it is in the cloud for 28 days.

I got started on the Vue last night through the Fire Stick and am sold. There were some pauses, but not as bad as Sling. The other only small con, is that navigation is slow, but that is from my understanding, caused from the Fire Stick, not Vue itself.

I got the trial so if I do change my mind, I am out nothing. I did cancel Sling as my next bill was on the 19th, so I am not losing anything at all. I was able to setup my favorite channels and some recordings in about 15 mins, even with the slow navigation. Tonight, I will check my recording of 'The Americans' and hope it is smooth.

If the navigation and speed is better through the PS4, I too might be tempted to switch over from Xbox to PS4.

I hope this comes to Roku. I have a PS4 and PS3, but using those ups the degree of difficulty for the wife and kids.

Was debating the move with the wife last night. I have the same issue with having to worry about her managing too many devices. It's completely ridiculous since she's not an idiot.

The selling point that made the difference for her is Vue allows you to watch on multiple devices at once. Sling only allows 1.

I think I am trying Vue tonight on PS3.

Yeah. I'll hope that it makes it to Roku by the time my current DirecTV contract is done.

I got rid of sling, I found I was paying for something I wasn't watching, much like cable.

I pay 96 bucks for internet and phone (only because I need a landline for security).

I may renew sling when the basketball draft occurs, but probably not...

I'm really happy without cable tv, amazon prime and netflix have kept me busy, and I always splurge at b&n when the criterion sales occur.

So, about a year ago we cut the cord. My only internet options are Comcast or AT&T. When we cut the cord we switched from AT&T to Comcast and went with their basic package to get internet. I could not get internet without getting basic cable.

I guess my 1 year promo just expired because my bill just went up $20.

This shit is such a ripoff.

And it isn't even just when promos end. It seems like their fees always go up -every three months or so you're paying two or three dollars more each month.

I tried to get out of my Directv contract a week ago without a fee, unsuccessfully. Got them down to $89 for the everything package around October, but 2 months ago associated fees raised it all up to $100. I tried to tell them I have the recording where we agreed my bill would be $89 after fees and taxes for 12 months, but they didn't care. Wouldn't let me out, as they are allowed to raise fees outside of a general contract. Just a bunch of thieves all around.

Assuming Playstation Vue stays at its current price, I'll probably switch, even though I don't have a playstation in the house.

Not sure if things have changed since the ATT acquisition, but they out used to be you were moving into an apartment complex that didnt allow satellite dishes.

You don't need a PS3 or PS4. Fire TV or Fire Stick works just as well. There is a little lag in menu navigation on the stick though that doesn't exist on the PS system from my understanding.

If Disney would offer their stuff online without needing a sign-in from a provider, I'd probably just dump it altogether and use a mashup of antennas and kodi plugins (XBMC). Until then I'll stick with it, lest my daughter murder me. She watches stuff on Netflix, but still likes the Disney shows that haven't quite made it over there yet (Lion Guard/Miles/Sofia).

I'm so far behind on shows I was somewhat interested in that I've pretty much given up on watching TV in my spare time. I love the Americans, but I'm over a season behind right now. Love Better Call Saul, but still haven't watched any of this season. I just don't have the time right now to watch anything that isn't watched by both the wife and I.

Just an FYI, but over at the PS boards a LOT of people are saying the local FSN is not working with their package.

Anyone trying Vue? I'm going to hold off and do a 7 day trial once the baseball season starts, I want to see if Reds games actually show up.

I signed up for the trial and first non-trial day started today. I was using it on the FireStick but now use it straight on the PS4 (I just purchased the PS4 a few days ago since my other close friends all have one (I was on the XBOne) and we now call all game with each other)) and it works just great. Smooth menu, no noticeable buffering, love the cloud DVR.

Are you getting your local FSN?

I am.

Is your connecting hard wired, or wired? And your speed?

I switched from Sling to Vue and am loving it. A few hiccups here and there, but the channel selection alone is worth the switch. Tack on the on-demand channels (and ability to use the on-demand apps for most of the networks) and cloud DVR and it is a slam dunk. Plus it helped us to get rid of Hulu Plus (which we had really only been using as a back up when our local OTA shows were screwy), so it was a wash money-wise. Depending on how things go at the new house next month in terms of internet speed and such, I may spend $5 extra to get the FSN channels (would be nice to have my Brewers on TV again!)

Are you using a PS3 or PS4?

Vue is awesome on my PS4. Not so good on the PS3. They are in different locations, so need to test that.

Anyone else using it with PS3 having good results?

In the interim period between me last checking the channel lineup and signing up for the free trial, they took off FS Southwest from the channel guide. So, I could not stream the Thunder game. They only had the Fox Sports national stream, which had a UFC fight. So, that's a bummer. But the NBA season is almost over, so I could probably try it long term over the summer.

Worst case scenario, I leverage this into a cheaper cable rate. Vue will save about $30 bucks per month as it stands now.

I have a PS3, but I am actually use a Fire Stick to access the Vue at the moment. We only have one TV using it but when we move, that will change, and I will likely use my PS3 for the 2nd (or maybe even Chromecast)

I'm using Chromecast with my iPad (really the only thing I use my iPad Air 2 is a glorified remote these days). I'd love to see it on Android soon, but for now that works well (except one night the first weekend where it was slow and didn't load right - I think they've fixed those issues).

Random side-effect of cord-cutting: I sort of got into WWE over the last 18 months because all that stuff is on Hulu the next day. And then once Wrestlemania rolled around i was like "well, WWE network is only 10 bucks a month... and the first month is free!" I've probably paid for that like... 5 out of the last 12 months.

In general I just watch less European soccer than I used to. I already wasn't watching much TV, so i've been completely content since dropping cable.

I had only kept cable for the year prior because It was basically only costing me 10 bucks a month over my internet cost; Time Warner had given me a great offer while i tried to cancel my cable. The next time i tried to cancel they weren't nearly as accommodating, so i actually went through with it. Zero regrets.

Google Fiber should be up and running in Raleigh (the whole Triangle area) within the next year. It's going to drop a bomb on Time Warner i think. Maybe they'll actually get competitive.

I can't wait to tell TWC to fuck off. I'm paying $170 for 50 mb internet, dvr, and phone. They tell me if I cancel cable and phone my internet will be $109. As soon as I have any other internet option that is high speed I may throw my shit through their office window.

Regarding streaming...

The other day, I decided to try ESPN3 through my browser, because it's available through my cable company and there was a game I wanted to watch.

I supposedly have high-speed internet. Right now, it tests at 17Mb/4Mb. But when I tried to watch this game, it quickly dropped down to a fairly low resolution (can't read the score, even) and was buffering a lot.

Is that just the state of television online? Or is ESPN3 something very different?

I've found ESPN3 through the browser to be wonky. I have about 75mb/75mb and it still does that sometimes. If I stream ESPN via my Roku or phone it's almost flawless.

When I called to cancel my cable TV, I was offered my local channels, HBO (and HBO Go), and Starz and my DVR service for $16 on top of what it was going to cost just to keep my high speed internet. The price is good for 12 months and I am not locked in. I went ahead and took it because I had a couple shows I wanted to finish on my DVR. I get my locals via antenna, but the HBO GO will be nice to keep (although not mandatory for me as I don't watch Game of Thrones).

Netflix is getting ready to raise rates for its' longer-term customers, to match the same price new customers have been paying for the last year.

http://www.avclub.com/article/netfli...-custom-235017

That really sucks for whoever it is that actually pays my account.

So this may be a dumb question but do any of the services (Amazon, Hulu, Netflix...) allow you to queue and watch movies or shows without an Internet connection? Like in the car on a trip or while waiting on my car to be worked on? I'm guessing no.

Amazon does, Netflix will be soon-ish, no idea on Hulu.

Yeah Amazon does for some titles, not all. They're pretty big files so if you're looking to download a bunch of shows you'll need a lot of space.

I've taken many Amazon Prime shows via download on my Kindle on business flights. Works well.

On a related note, getting close to going with PS Vue over cable, as it has sounded like most are happier with that than Sling. Sounds like PS Vue now has a Roku app, which is big for me, along with recently adding Watch ESPN access, which is a must.

Anyone use PS Vue on a Roku... are DVR functionalities available on that, or just the PS platform itself?

DVR works on Roku as well. It's a cloud DVR, so it keeps all your tagged favorite shows for 30 days.


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Amazon only lets you download videos on a Kindle Fire. Can't do it if you have a regular android tablet.

I just started using the PS Vue app on Roku this weekend.

My only issue is I haven't found a way to get a standard channel listing like on my PS4. The channels are displayed in a grid with a picture of what is currently playing on the channel. I would like to see a standard channel listing so I can see what's on next and in the future. The app is pretty responsive though.

Are you trying to do it through the Amazon Video app? That's how I do it on an iPad so I'd be surprised it wouldn't work there.

Amazon video functionality on Android tablets is pretty new but you can now download most Prime movies if you're a subscriber. I watched some movies on my tablet in a cabin in the middle of nowhere Idaho this weekend.

PS Vue is getting NFL Network and NFL Redzone in time for football season. That's pretty huge. The only thing that I would want that I currently don't get from them is Fox Sports Oklahoma for Thunder games. Hopefully that comes soon.

I signed up for the trial. All I really need are the soccer channels and Disney jr, so I'm hoping it works out.

Dayum. After 30 minutes of screwing around on the PS3 and the Roku this is pretty damn impressive. No doubt I'll be dropping DirecTV before my next bill drops. 35 dollars for ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, Fox Sports North, NBC Sports, Big Ten Network, and BeIN Sport is fabulous.

Should save me 1,050 dollars over the course of a year.

PS Vue?

What kind of Internet connection are you guys running on with the Vue?

I'd say on average we run about 30mbps..my concern is it is terribly inconsistent. Also can you do DVR through Vue? With kids it's quite difficult to watch what we want on regular scheduled times


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Yes.

I am on a 75 meg plan. I obviously haven't been using it a ton, but I've only seen one hiccup so far and the buffering lasted all of like half a second. I don't have a wired connection available upstairs so I'm using wireless with a PS3. Downstairs I have a wired connection with a Roku 3.

I haven't played around much with the DVR function yet. From some brief reading on reddit it sounded a bit rudimentary. Like when you record sports I don't think there is an option to add 30 minutes to accommodate something running past schedule.

Thanks
I still have a few months with my cable contract. I'm going to keep digging into this, really the only thing I "have" to watch is sports.


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I'm well into Week 2 on the PS Vue.

Previously, I was on Time Warner Cable, and we did most of the viewing of that via 2 Roku boxes that were in our house. So I was already used to their Roku app and really did not use the DVR functionality due to the box being in an inconvenient place in the house.

The TWC app was better than the PS Vue Roku app. The Guide for PS Vue on Roku is horribly clunky. For me, it is usable. What I have done is created a Guide for myself on TitanTV, so I can browse whatever is on at any time on that, rather than relying on the on-screen guide.

The other complaint about PS Vue I have is that the DVR is spotty at best. The couple of times I have tried to start recording something in the middle, when I go back to that show, the recording is basically unusable.

Last week, I recorded Mr. Robot, and tried to begin watching it while it was still airing. The recording began a noticeable lag... to where the sound gradually became 10-15 seconds ahead of the action. The fix to that was to pause for about 15 seconds... then repeat about 20 times. Very annoying. Also, I recorded one live sports event, and when I started it, it jumped to somewhere in the middle for no apparent reason.

Compare that to the no-DVR I did have, and it's a step up. For people used to a DVR experience, it'll be quite frustrating. As sov said, there is no option to extend a Live recording past its original end time... you just need to schedule the show after to record as well. Considering the DVR is unlimited (only limit I see is all shows disappear after 28 days of recording), that shouldn't be a problem.

The PS Vue experience is MUCH better on a PS3/PS4 box than the Roku. There is a usable live guide, and more buttons from your PS controller mean easier functionality. I hear the Amazon Fire TV box is also a very good experience. I stick with Roku due to the remote headphone jack. My wife and I are on very different sleep schedules, so I am often up 2+ hours after her watching TV at night, and the headphone jack in the Roku remote is a lifesaver.

I am on 50MBps plan from Time Warner Cable. I went from $202 a month with a TWC bundled plan (including home phone, which we have since removed), to $70 internet and $45 Elite Slim PS Vue package... so saving about $80 a month or almost $1000 a year.

Plus, PS Vue has our local Fox Sports Ohio channel streaming, which TWC never had on their Roku app. Another thing PS Vue has that I enjoy is both BeIN sports, and One World Sports, which show World Sports like soccer, cricket, track and field among other things.

On the 2nd week of Vue. Working well so far, but haven't really put it through its paces yet. I called to cancel DirecTV, that sets in next week. I really wish they would come out with a Vue app that's native to Android TV. I have a Nexus player, and I can work it well enough using a game pad, but it's not useable at all for anyone else in my family on that TV.

Works fine on our 2 Fire TV sticks... the interface is slow, but the stream works well. Works OK on the Roku 3 after I changed a developer setting on the Roku, as I kept having the stream stop and reload every 10 minutes. I do wish they'd put a guide on the Roku version.

Love the price though. $35 a month and we get every channel we used on DirecTV, plus BEIN sports.

Downside is that network channels are over the air in my area, and we live just far enough away that I can't get HD CBS and any ABC without setting up an outdoor antenna. Even then, ABC might be too far away since its VHF here. I'm able to get CBS since they simulcast the SD feed on the CW station. Good news is, all ABC college football streams on WatchESPN, and we don't really watch anything else on ABC live. Then we can just on-demand the rest of their stuff.

Set up NextPVR on a PC upstairs with the indoor antenna picking up the channels. Have a dual Tuner PCI card, so we can record/watch 2 things at a time. Then I have NextPVR and Emby connected so I can live stream the network channels to any box in the house. Also able to stream any recorded network shows throughout the house. Works well on the AC router in the house.

Vue is still working good for me. Decided to give the Fire TV box a try (replacing my PS3 which was a bit laggy) after reading of its superior app and indeed it is. Hopefully Roku can develop something more competitive and with a guide. For anyone looking to take a plunge the Fire TV box is probably where it's at right now.

How does Vue work with CSN? One of the things holding me back is the Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks all play a bunch of games on CSN Chicago. Does it give me access to the regional networks? Is it based on my location? I guess I don't understand how the CSN part works.

Also is there a ton of taxes tacked on like with cable?

No taxes. I assume there is still a free 7 day trial that will auto cancel. If you have a supported device doing that would get you the best answer. There is also an active subreddit for Vue and I'm willing to bet there is another Chicagoan with the answer.

Just run the trial. Cancelling is easy, everything is online.

I have 2 Roku sticks and a Fire stick in my house, running the 3 televisions that we have. I subscribe to PS Vue and Netflix.

IMO, while Vue has the guide on the Fire Stick that is the only advantage. I find I don't even use the guide that much though. The Rokus have better remotes, a better interface and it responds faster. The fire stick is closest to the wifi source too, so that is not the issue. I may even replace the Fire Stick with a Roku someday.

I cut the cord in January. I pick up CBS and Fox over the air, NBC on PS Vue and ABC...I haven't wanted to watch that channel yet but I'm sure I can figure something out. ESPN and ESPN2 come on Vue and it gives you access to Watch ESPN/ESPN3, so sports is covered. Vue also has 28 day cloud DVR capability, so it is perfect for me. Cut my TV/internet bill in half and I could not be happier with the setup and the fact that Frontier/Comcast/Direct TV/etc. is out of my life (at least in a direct way, I think Comcast owns some of this shit, but please don't tell me I don't want to know. I just know I don't have to call them ever.)

Vue DVR is pretty great. It gets occasionally wonky, but I've used it for all the episodes of MR. ROBOT this year, to watch about a half hour in to avoid commercials, and it's worked like a charm.

Yeah getting WLOS out of Mt Pisgah is ridiculous for Greenville.
If you are on the north side, you literally grab WSOC out of Charlotte easier with an attic mounted directional.

I went back to Dish after cutting DirectTV in January. It's kind of a relief, I never got used to the Vue DVR and it sometimes just didn't work. It wasn't reliable for sports. And the response-time of the Vue app always lagged even outside the DVR. And sometimes it randomly reset. Maybe I just don't have good enough internet in the neighborhood.

It's nice to just rely on Dish for 95%+ of my TV viewing (it even has a Netflix app), rather than trying to keep track of which shows I was watching on Netflix v. over-the-air v. vue v. various network apps using the Vue sign-on, v. some things working better on roku and others working better on the fire stick. And I never figured out all the different rules regarding what you can watch remotely, or in the house on different devices. (By the end, I somehow got locked out of watching anything beyond the main TV, and I didn't have the will to figure out what the issue was.) Plus, I was getting close to my internet cap month-after-month and don't have to worry about that anymore. And, it's kind of nice to old-school flip-around, I catch bits and pieces of a lot of random sports when I have time to sit down. It's $57/month for the next two years for a mid-range package after hunting for promo codes, maybe the landscape will look different at the end of this contract, but for now, I'm glad to be back.

Very good article. I thought when I clicked it'd just be a 'Yay, cord cutting' article, but it really raises questions about what happens to the sports leagues who are selling TV rights for such high costs? If ESPN would fold if they continue paying the high costs of league rights, then how will those leagues cope when ESPN says sorry we can't pay that much anymore?

Sports are becoming overrated. With baseball, basketball and hockey schedules as long as they are there's only a handful of "must see" games in each sport (nothing that going to a bar to see those infrequent premier matchups couldn't solve). Fantasy sports is such a major part of viewership, especially for football, that it's surprising leagues aren't catering to that crowd even more (I personally think injury reports will begin to eventually be set the day before a game in order to accommodate fantasy football players, as opposed to having game time decisions, but that's for another discussion). Even now I'm only concerned with highlights and stats, watching the games isn't really necessary for me anymore especially since I'm a father and just can't devote *every* Sunday to sitting around watching football all day.

Demand drives value. If viewership is down and subscribers are shrinking there is no way ESPN will pay as much for the next contract. I'm more concerned with the fallout with fans and how the viewers are impacted.

So, after 2 bad experiences with DirecTV installers and customer support, I am looking for a way to move away from the cable/satellite providers. I have a couple of questions that will help this decision.

1. What are the options for the following channels: ESPN, HGTV, USA, TNT, network channels, TBS, kids channels (Disney, Nick Jr, etc)

2. What are the options for a DVR?

3. Any other concerns?

Thanks for the info.

Playstation Vue has all those but Nick, and maybe the big 4 networks. But if you live within 50 miles of towers, a cheap antenna can get you those. Vue has a 30 day DVR, but a lot of the individual streaming channel apps have some older episodes. Plus we only pay $35 a month.

Honestly, we don't watch nearly as much TV since we jumped from cable/satellite. Pretty much all we watch live are sports and award shows. We've dropped 99% of the shows we watched due to apathy. It works fine for my daughter using Disney apps and Netflix.

I'd say use apps instead of the Vue app. For some reason, Vue drops the stream more often than say Fox Sports or ESPN apps. The resolution also seems slightly better.

DVR, the best option is PS Vue right now. My understanding is that DirecTV Now is "working on it", and Youtube TV will get there, but they are a slow roll out.

PS Vue lacks all of the Viacom channels, so no Comedy Central, MTV, or Nickelodeons. I could see how that would be a deal breaker if I were a parent of a small child. Comedy Central has been a loss for me.

But the DVR functionality is not awesome. It is wonky when you are trying to watch something in the middle of when it is recording, but I think that may be a function of my old Roku than the service itself. There are a couple of shows that it has replaced my "DVR" copy with the VOD copy, which won't allow you to fast forward through commercials. But other than that, it works well.