Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The service is temporary down right now (or as of 10 minutes ago).


I had an update on the Amazon Fire tv app yesterday and it totally screwed up the app. Get nothing now. And the Apple tv app show an empty guide although i can watch channels. Wonder if they screwed up the updates?
 
I signed up for the three months  TV bundle and I'm trying really hard to like it and I'm still optimistic that by the time my 3 mos are up it'll have improved drastically but it's tough when channels keep displaying an error message. Especially the kid's cartoon channels.
 
So what the consensus? Of the three...
Sling TV, PS Vue and Directv Now... which is the best choice based solely on features, UI and performance?
 
So what the consensus? Of the three...
Sling TV, PS Vue and Directv Now... which is the best choice based solely on features, UI and performance?

I've had all 3 for trials.

I like DIRECTV Now the best.

If locals and DVR get figured out I could probably come over for good.
 
So what the consensus? Of the three...
Sling TV, PS Vue and Directv Now... which is the best choice based solely on features, UI and performance?
I've used all three as well. Right now, Vue has my vote. DTVNow needs to fix their on demand like crazy. Thats a huge issue that overshadows everything else for me!
 
I've used all three as well. Right now, Vue has my vote. DTVNow needs to fix their on demand like crazy. Thats a huge issue that overshadows everything else for me!
What's really sad is that Apple should have done this by now. We know that their UI would have lead the class.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vestaviascott
Released their own OTT TV service. But it seems they were being greedy with the content providers. Sony, Sling, and now AT&T don't seem to have issues with offering this service.
In Apple's defense, not all content providers are the most flexible, either. Look what Viacom did to Vue, and what CBS/Showtime is doing to DTV Now. My guess is Apple didn't want a half-baked offering, and wanted to make a "perfect" service.
 
In Apple's defense, not all content providers are the most flexible, either. Look what Viacom did to Vue, and what CBS/Showtime is doing to DTV Now. My guess is Apple didn't want a half-baked offering, and wanted to make a "perfect" service.
I can see that. But disagreements with content providers will always be an ongoing issue. What I'm seeing is a radical reshaping of Live TV and Apple is not a part of it.
 
Unlike the music industry, who needed Apple and iTunes to get people to pay for music again and keep their business alive by any means, the video content providers are negotiating from a position of strength.

They can afford to make demands that Apple and other burgeoning video service providers can't or won't meet.

It hasn't reached the point yet where upsetting the status quo will benefit them more than nurturing the nascent OTT service business. They can still engage in the occasional carriage skirmish with a rogue MSO, knowing full well that customer anger will eventually force capitulation, with any cost increases passed on to users. That well hasn't run dry yet.

Despite the lifeline, the music industry came to regret the power Apple gained, and still do. But change is constant, and they were clever in giving streaming startups like Pandora, and then Spotify, a chance, and build a hedge against Apple's control over their distribution.

That worked. People have now become accustomed to trading ownership of music for access to variety. Even Apple didn't see that coming, and were reluctant late comers to the streaming game. But in the end, the music industry has gotten closer to their holy grail, a form of micropayment "pay per play" via the rental/streaming business.

Steve Jobs was a known and respected figure in the entertainment industry. Eddie Cue is as well, but not to the same extent. The absence of a "closer" like Jobs weakens Apple's negotiating position. I think it's safe to say Cook hasn't filled that void.
 
  • Like
Reactions: besler3035
I haven't tried Vue, but I'm patient and like dtvnow. Yes there are newbie error that they will fix. I haven't been down for more than a few minutes. And I just usually change the channels on errors. After a month most of these issues will be fixed
 
I tried Both and Kept VUE and I think it comes down to thier VOD and Cloud DVR, Last night I was able to do what I normally did with my Dish Hopper, Start watching my recording of the Walking dead 20 min into it and was able to skip the commercials. Because it is recorded versus VOD, to me this is Huge, add to that the DTV service doesnt even show last Nights episode yet, plus the Picture and sound has been rock steady. One more selling point my regional new and sports channels.
[doublepost=1481559528][/doublepost]I still have Dish and will for a few more months till i know VUE can hack it alone, but it's looking good so far
 
  • Like
Reactions: vestaviascott
I tried Both and Kept VUE and I think it comes down to thier VOD and Cloud DVR, Last night I was able to do what I normally did with my Dish Hopper, Start watching my recording of the Walking dead 20 min into it and was able to skip the commercials. Because it is recorded versus VOD, to me this is Huge, add to that the DTV service doesnt even show last Nights episode yet, plus the Picture and sound has been rock steady. One more selling point my regional new and sports channels.
[doublepost=1481559528][/doublepost]I still have Dish and will for a few more months till i know VUE can hack it alone, but it's looking good so far
I am also trying to like Direct now but quite frankly it just isn't ready for full release. I had Comcast and cancelled that service and now have ATT modem with apple TV connected via Ethernet and still I am getting crazy freezes and such. I can live with this, sort of, but my Wife a technophobe, so completely at odds with Direct Now and wants to know when we are switching back to Comcast, Never I hope.
Xerxers
 
I'm unimpressed. I signed up for DTVnow cuz I wanted to replace my ATV3 with a 4 so why not see what DTVnow is all about.... I guess in the time we've been cord cutters we've learned a different way to watch TV. I no longer have the patience to scroll through a guide looking for something to watch. I much prefer to have it all available to stream at my whim. I watch local news OTA. Granted, I just signed up last night so I have until the end of March to change my mind.... But now I'm just going to stream a program via Hulu....
 
I can see that. But disagreements with content providers will always be an ongoing issue. What I'm seeing is a radical reshaping of Live TV and Apple is not a part of it.
I get your point. I'd love to see Apple offer a service. But to say they are not a part of it is a stretch considering the Apple TV is a killer vehicle for these services.

The holdup has been getting the big 4 on board for locals.

My hope is that Apple will work out the remaining deals and offer a bundle of apps all tightly integrated with the new tv app, including locals and the best of class apps already in Apple TV system. We just need a keychain to unlock the apps that Apple bundles as packages. Apple doesn't have to build anything except adapt iCloud for dvr services. Then the tv app becomes the ultimate TV guide.

If they can't work things out soon they should do their own "airtv" dongle for atv4 to stream locals ota into our Apple tvs.
 
Last edited:
I get your point. I'd love to see Apple offer a service. But to say they are not a part of it is a stretch considering the Apple TV is a killer vehicle for these services.

My hope is that Apple will work out the remaining deals and offer a bundle of apps all tightly integrated with the new tv app, which becomes the ultimate TV guide. If they can't work things out soon they should do their own "airtv" dongle for atv4 to stream locals ota into our Apple tvs.
Apple is making money on the hardware (ATV4) but not on the content. That's a good strategy for phones where they have great margins but doesn't work for set top boxes. Apple needs to get into the live TV content game.
 
So what the consensus? Of the three...
Sling TV, PS Vue and Directv Now... which is the best choice based solely on features, UI and performance?

I've tried all 3 this month. I ultimately chose Vue and it was not a close call. DTVNow may eventually get there but for my money today? Vue wins.

There are some issues with Vue.

They've only had their Apple TV app out since mid Nov and there are some significant issues compared to the Fire TV version, which is widely held to be the best Vue client at present.

First, the horizontal guide is maddening to use and crashes/freezes often, especially when returning to it after favoriting a channel.

More importantly, they haven't programmed thumbnail previews while fast forwarding and the 10 second skip ahead is a nightmare dealing with 3 minutes of commercials. I can crash the program at will simply by clicking the 10 second skip too fast.

There is also no way to ff/rw when using harmony remotes with Vue on Apple TV. So my wife is going to be a reluctant fan until they work that out.

Other than that, I love it enough that I ditched satellite this week after 14 years. All for the promise of what I'm getting with Vue on Apple TV.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 2010mini
I've tried all 3 this month. I ultimately chose Vue and it was not a close call. DTVNow may eventually get there but for my money today? Vue wins.

There are some issues with Vue.

They've only had their Apple TV app out since mid Nov and there are some significant issues compared to the Fire TV version, which is widely held to be the best Vue client at present.

First, the horizontal guide is maddening to use and crashes/freezes often, especially when returning to it after favoriting a channel.

More importantly, they haven't programmed thumbnail previews while fast forwarding and the 10 second skip ahead is a nightmare dealing with 3 minutes of commercials. I can crash the program at will simply by clicking the 10 second skip too fast.

There is also no way to ff/rw when using harmony remotes with Vue on Apple TV. So my wife is going to be a reluctant fan until they work that out.

Other than that, I love it enough that I ditched satellite this week after 14 years. All for the promise of what I'm getting with Vue on Apple TV.
Same situation here. I've been using Harmony and DirecTV for years but I bit the bullet and went with the Apple TV and VUE. Now I'm just using the Apple remote for everything. HDMI CEC and HDMI ARC make everything work seamlessly.
 
I get your point. I'd love to see Apple offer a service. But to say they are not a part of it is a stretch considering the Apple TV is a killer vehicle for these services.

The holdup has been getting the big 4 on board for locals.

My hope is that Apple will work out the remaining deals and offer a bundle of apps all tightly integrated with the new tv app, including locals and the best of class apps already in Apple TV system. We just need a keychain to unlock the apps that Apple bundles as packages. Apple doesn't have to build anything except adapt iCloud for dvr services. Then the tv app becomes the ultimate TV guide.

If they can't work things out soon they should do their own "airtv" dongle for atv4 to stream locals ota into our Apple tvs.
An "airtv" dongle only works for those of you who have OTA available. For those who have OTA available there are already apps that work with the aTV, right? Like Channels? What we really need is streaming locals that are available to everyone who has an internet connection.
 
I've tried all 3 this month. I ultimately chose Vue and it was not a close call. DTVNow may eventually get there but for my money today? Vue wins.

There are some issues with Vue.

They've only had their Apple TV app out since mid Nov and there are some significant issues compared to the Fire TV version, which is widely held to be the best Vue client at present.

First, the horizontal guide is maddening to use and crashes/freezes often, especially when returning to it after favoriting a channel.

More importantly, they haven't programmed thumbnail previews while fast forwarding and the 10 second skip ahead is a nightmare dealing with 3 minutes of commercials. I can crash the program at will simply by clicking the 10 second skip too fast.

There is also no way to ff/rw when using harmony remotes with Vue on Apple TV. So my wife is going to be a reluctant fan until they work that out.

Other than that, I love it enough that I ditched satellite this week after 14 years. All for the promise of what I'm getting with Vue on Apple TV.

Thanks. Right now I'm a ATT/Directv bundle customer. And I have optimum as my isp provider. I am thinking of breaking that contract and go with PSVue
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.