Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
DirecTV Now?
- Thread starter tromboneaholic
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I just signed up today since I had no issue paying for three months of service and them throwing in ATV4. Initially I'm not a huge fan of their iOS app. I have yet to download the app to our ATV we have in the living room, so I'm hoping the experience is much better on the TV.
I think the UI needs some work. I mainly watch TV via Apple TV and not on iOS (like the iPad). I have been using Apple TV as my only box for over a year now. Once the Channels App came out I returned all of my equipment to Verizon FIOS and went with HDHomeRun Prime's with Cable Cards. I prefer the Channels App UI but no reason Directv Now could not easily improve the UI but not sure they will based on the size of the group. The Channels App is developed my 2 very talented developers that pay close attention to the users. My experience is large companies like AT&T will not be that responsive which is actually pretty crazy. But the DTV Now service is actually pretty good. There is a lot about it I like. They mainly need to get the local channels solid. Like CBS and NBC are the main 2 missing on the Apple TV. NBC is available on iPad but I normally do not watch tv on the iPad. Also, I do not watch commercials so they really need a DVR or some kind or No Commercial Tier (like with Hulu and CBS All Access which I also use). To me the DVR's main purpose is to skip commercials. With on demand for the complete season and a no commercial option there would be little need for a DVR. I think that will be the future but that will not happen too quickly. I think we will need a 2-3 years of Cloud DVR before getting there. Anyway, pretty excited with all that is happening.
I'm pretty excited as well. Although we're using this three month period as a testing phase for the service. We already have Netflix, Hulu (with Showtime add on), HBO NOW, Starz, and Amazon Video subscriptions, so I'm curious to see how Directv Now will fit in with the other subscriptions my fiancée and I have. Especially since we don't watch live TV at all (being cord cutters), so I'm mostly curious about the On Demand content more than anything.
It will be nice to upgrade the ATV3 in our bedroom to the ATV4 (especially since we use the ATV4 in the living room as our main way to consume media).
I got the 3 month service as a test as well. I did not cancel anything but HBO Now since I was paying $15 a month and now only $5. So really my $35 is actually only costing $25 and a FREE Apple TV which I will really just give as a gift since I have all that I really need. I expect the on demand to be better with the Apps and not the service. Mostly what I have seen in the DTV Now App is limited compared to what you get from the TV Apps. But of course we need to authenticate them with the DTV Now Credentials (Single Sign On will be great). But again for me I do not watch commercials and all of the On Demand (pretty much) have commercials that you can not skip. 90% of my TV watching (other then live tv) is via Hulu (with no commercials) and CBS All Access with no commercials. As you can see I watch a lot of TV. Another recommendation is WatchAid if you have not heard of it. It is a Universal Guide (better then the New TV App from Apple). I have pretty much everything I watch go thru that UI (not movies or live tv).
I signed up today. Been dancing around cutting cable for months. Finally cancelled last night, while 50mb internet was going in by another company. I did the 3 month ATV deal. I have not used it on my TV yet, but it works great on my Mac and iPhone. Having this running along side Kodi I should not miss a beat with TV.
My only gripe is the two connections. Five TVs that could be on at once. I suppose the good part is they all have Kodi as well, so we can make it work. This is saving me just over $100 a month.
My only gripe is the two connections. Five TVs that could be on at once. I suppose the good part is they all have Kodi as well, so we can make it work. This is saving me just over $100 a month.
I signed up at launch and cancelled my PS Vue subscription. So far I am happy with the service and selection.
I already have an Apple TV but when I signed up I did the free Apple TV deal.. It shipped today so once it arrives I'll either toss it in an extra room, sell it, or give it to someone for Christmas.
[doublepost=1481056907][/doublepost]
Mine shipped and I never got an email saying it did.. What I got was notification from FedEX Delivery Manager.. If you are signed up for that service watch for something shipping from: Group O Marketing Solutions in Milan, IL
I already have an Apple TV but when I signed up I did the free Apple TV deal.. It shipped today so once it arrives I'll either toss it in an extra room, sell it, or give it to someone for Christmas.
[doublepost=1481056907][/doublepost]
Mine shipped and I never got an email saying it did.. What I got was notification from FedEX Delivery Manager.. If you are signed up for that service watch for something shipping from: Group O Marketing Solutions in Milan, IL
Last edited:
I haven't used the iOS app much, but it and the ATV app seem pretty much the same to me. Spartan, but hopefully it will improve over time. Good to see they pushed a minor update today, less than a week after launch.
At this point, I'm not particularly fond of the ATV touch remote, which can be overly sensitive. In some contexts, hard buttons are preferable. I'd rather have clearly labelled buttons over having to remember gestures, especially when they aren't consistently implemented across different apps.
It's clearly still very early in this game, and the optimist in me thinks things can only improve. The realist in me remains cautious that they may not.
If Apple wanted to show some "courage," they'd go back to the negotiating table and start an OTT service of their own, even if they had to accept some compromises. Additional competition would benefit everyone.
At this point, I'm not particularly fond of the ATV touch remote, which can be overly sensitive. In some contexts, hard buttons are preferable. I'd rather have clearly labelled buttons over having to remember gestures, especially when they aren't consistently implemented across different apps.
It's clearly still very early in this game, and the optimist in me thinks things can only improve. The realist in me remains cautious that they may not.
If Apple wanted to show some "courage," they'd go back to the negotiating table and start an OTT service of their own, even if they had to accept some compromises. Additional competition would benefit everyone.
I went for the 3 month with ATV 4 deal today. I tried to find out how long the initial $35 per month price was valid for, but could find no date. It was the ATV that really clinched it for me, as I was on the fence about replacing my ATV 3 anyhow. For $105, can't complain. Will consider it as a bargain priced ATV 4 that includes a 3 month free trial of the DirecTv Now service. I presently have a fairly low-end Comcast package with rented DVR. Works fine, but pricey for the few channels I actually watch. On the plus side, I have cheap 1 Gb/s fiber-to-the-home, so internet bandwidth is no issue.
I was very impressed with the ease of signing up. In less than 3 minutes I had my account and a simple billing of $105 with no taxes or fees. With the one week free trial, there will be no other billing until 13 March. It worked immediately on my iPad after downloading the app. On my iMac I needed to download and install the SilverLight browser plug-in for my Safari Browser. That all went smoothly as well. So high marks for easy sign-up and set-up and billing.
Haven't spent a lot of time watching anything yet, but my initial impression is that the resolution is acceptable. Channels can be changed fairly quickly. On a few channels I sampled, there was a noticeable syncing problem between audio and video, but it looked acceptable on most channels.
The biggest single shortcoming so far is the lack of ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS. I would gladly exchange 110 or so of my 120 channels for them ;>)
I'm hoping that the 3 months will be long enough to check everything out - including hopefully some type of DVR addition. The ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS situation might also be at least partially resolved by then. Depending on how all that turns out, I may be looking at an outside antenna with Tablo DVR for OTA channels.
So, overall, too soon to tell: but semi-encouraging.
I was very impressed with the ease of signing up. In less than 3 minutes I had my account and a simple billing of $105 with no taxes or fees. With the one week free trial, there will be no other billing until 13 March. It worked immediately on my iPad after downloading the app. On my iMac I needed to download and install the SilverLight browser plug-in for my Safari Browser. That all went smoothly as well. So high marks for easy sign-up and set-up and billing.
Haven't spent a lot of time watching anything yet, but my initial impression is that the resolution is acceptable. Channels can be changed fairly quickly. On a few channels I sampled, there was a noticeable syncing problem between audio and video, but it looked acceptable on most channels.
The biggest single shortcoming so far is the lack of ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS. I would gladly exchange 110 or so of my 120 channels for them ;>)
I'm hoping that the 3 months will be long enough to check everything out - including hopefully some type of DVR addition. The ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS situation might also be at least partially resolved by then. Depending on how all that turns out, I may be looking at an outside antenna with Tablo DVR for OTA channels.
So, overall, too soon to tell: but semi-encouraging.
Thanks E3BK. Yes, I agree.
My mistake - I wasn't clear. What I meant was: How long do I have to sign up for the introductory $35 rate for the normally $60 package? After a few minutes searching, my best assessment was "Nobody Knows". This was of some import to me because there was one channel in the bigger package, NBC Sports, that I do watch and was not available in the low-end $35 package. It is available in the $50 package. So there was a $15 per month incentive to take advantage of the introductory rate for the bigger package.
The bottom line is that everyone needs to assess what channels they actually watch and then make a decision on what to do (or not to do) with this initial DirectTv Now offering.
Cheers!
I took that with a grain of salt, as with any promises from a member of an oligarchy.
They reserved the right to adjust based on their "programming costs."
With regard to length of the introductory promo period where they're offering the $35 rate for the $60 Go Big tier, who knows?
It depends on how much they're willing to lose on acquiring users and building share, now with the upfront costs of the free ATVs, in addition to any future shortfalls if they actually do honor the $35 grandfathered rate.
But who would sign up now for the lowest tier now while the Go Big promo is in effect for the same cost? There is no contract, so dropping down later shouldn't be a problem if the price of the Go Big tier does increase. They're betting that people won't.
I haven't received a shipping email from DirecTV either (nor did I ever get an order confirmation), but I did get a shipping notification via the FedEx delivery manager earlier today. I ordered late on the first day.
I ordered early in the morning. Nothing from FedEx as well. Hopefully receiving soon some shipping info or just right away on my doorstep
.
I bought an Android Mi Box last night in hopes to get it running on there. No go...the app isn't available for it. I sideloaded it and opens, but you can't use the remote with it. Going wireless mouse lets you get into the app, see the movies, guide, etc. However, no content plays. It appears there are no Android TV boxes that will work as of yet.
If you can I highly recommended going to an ATT store and signing up for service If you were interested in the free apple tv. I called my store last night and they held the last apple tv gen4(32GB) they had for me. Sign up process is the same as online(They do it on their ipads) and they ring out the apple tv no charge. Took me 5 mins!
Last edited: