Apple TV/Whats Free?

[touro1979]

I am contemplating getting Apple TV but I don't know much about it. Is there free programing or do you need to have subscription to Netflix or hulu plus? I mostly watch documentaries on history/military/Smithsonian channels golf and movies. My daughter watches Sprout/Disney junior. My wife watches HGTV kinda stuff. None of us watches any network TV shows. Can we cut cable and get apple TV or will I need to keep some kind of service?

 

[Boyd01]

Have you seen this? It might be a little ambiguous about what is free in some cases although the footnotes explain most of it.

https://www.apple.com/appletv/whats-on/

 

[touro1979]

Looks like a good portion of the services require a cable subscription.

 

[Boyd01]

I got my AppleTVs so that I could use them with my large iTunes library (about 600 movies and over 600 TV shows). Back here in the woods, the only internet connection available is really slow DSL so streaming doesn't interest me much. I can't get cable here and wouldn't want it anyway. However my granddaughter loves to watch PBS kids when they visit. All the PBS content is free, you just need to sign up on their website (also free).

Apple is supposed to offer some kind of streaming packages in the fall that might work for you though

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/18/apple-cable-viacom-discovery/

Discovery and Viacom are in discussions with Apple to be included in its rumored streaming TV service, reports The Wall Street Journal. The partnerships could see mid-tier channels such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon available through the subscription-based service on devices including the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Apple is planning to launch a streaming TV service anchored by American networks ABC, CBS and Fox. The rumored service would offer a lightweight package of about 25 channels for between $30 to $40 per month. Apple is expected to announce the service at WWDC in June ahead of a September launch, according to the report.

 

[touro1979]

I got my AppleTVs so that I could use them with my large iTunes library (about 600 movies and over 600 TV shows). Back here in the woods, the only internet connection available is really slow DSL so streaming doesn't interest me much. I can't get cable here and wouldn't want it anyway. However my granddaughter loves to watch PBS kids when they visit. All the PBS content is free, you just need to sign up on their website (also free).

Apple is supposed to offer some kind of streaming packages in the fall that might work for you though

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/18/apple-cable-viacom-discovery/

That would be cool. I would love it if I could subscribe to like 15 channels since that's all I watch yet I have to pay for 600 channels to get the 15 I want. God I hate cable.

 

[westrock2000]

The "free" content is spotty. A lot of the content within the apps (Discovery, History, PBS, etc) is limited in time (clips instead of episodes) or they only have some episodes instead of an entire season.

If that is what you are interested in, then an AppleTV is probably not ideal for you. Apple has a pretty strong history of following the law in regards to copyright infringement. Other set top boxes are more lenient about having questionable sources.