I disconnect Directv finally after 10 yrs.

[ClintonIAfan]

I just ordered a RCA 1650 Digital Flat Indoor antenna. It is still in the mail. After I get it I will hang it on my wall. It is rated multidimensional so the direction that it is mounted is not supposed to matter. It is rated to 50 miles so I can pick up the stations from the Quad Cities. If it works for that distance it should work for Iowa City from CR. I will post again after I receive it and set it up to let you know. Anyways, look for an antenna that is rated to 50 or 60 miles and you should be safe.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I just ordered a RCA 1650 Digital Flat Indoor antenna. It is still in the mail. After I get it I will hang it on my wall. It is rated multidimensional so the direction that it is mounted is not supposed to matter. It is rated to 50 miles so I can pick up the stations from the Quad Cities. If it works for that distance it should work for Iowa City from CR. I will post again after I receive it and set it up to let you know. Anyways, look for an antenna that is rated to 50 or 60 miles and you should be safe.

Sucker!!

 

[Hawkguy712]

Will playstation vue get us btn overflow channels too?

 

[Joyride]

I'm stuck with mediacom at the moment, 2 year contract that's up next march. Had to go that route due to my apartment location (no possibility for satellite) I will be looking at dish/direct tv, playstation vue and other options when i go to new apartment. mediacom for reasons i cannot comprehend decided des moines is part of the st. louis media market so i get the fox sports networks. unfortunately im a chicago sports fan (sans white sox) but comcast is not even an option at other cable packages.

I'm a big Cubs/Blackhawks fan and the 1 main reason I keep DirecTV is for Comcast. IMHO they are just excellent and have done nothing wrong in my opinion. If I could cut the cord and be sure I can still watch Hawks, Cubs and Blackhawks for less $ than DirecTV than I would go that route. Just need to find the best way

 

[hawkeyescott]

Them blacking out many of my Cub's games is the top reason I may ditch them. That was the last straw with me.

That isn't DirectTV's fault, that is MLB's fault. Hell in Des Moines the MLB Network has blacked out the Yankees/Red Sox or even other games where the 2 teams aren't even close to the Des Moines market.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I'm a big Cubs/Blackhawks fan and the 1 main reason I keep DirecTV is for Comcast. IMHO they are just excellent and have done nothing wrong in my opinion. If I could cut the cord and be sure I can still watch Hawks, Cubs and Blackhawks for less $ than DirecTV than I would go that route. Just need to find the best way

Exactly, making sure to live programming for all Hawk games (f-ball and b-ball) and all or very close to most Cubs games is the most important to me. I also wondered about overflow channels.

If I did get something like the Roku stick, how does it work with multiple TV's in the house? Would each TV need a stick to watch different shows. Also, if one stick is fine, can different shows be watched on multiple TV's?

 

[zhawk]

I'm a big Cubs/Blackhawks fan and the 1 main reason I keep DirecTV is for Comcast. IMHO they are just excellent and have done nothing wrong in my opinion. If I could cut the cord and be sure I can still watch Hawks, Cubs and Blackhawks for less $ than DirecTV than I would go that route. Just need to find the best way

I didn't see any timeline for when it will happen, but when I was on Sling's website the other day looking at the channel lineup for the "Blue" package (the one that includes Fox) it listed Comcast SportsNet as "Coming Soon!" I'm going to wait and see whether it will actually be available in Iowa, because the Fox Regional Sports Networks are listed as currently available but I can't access them where I live in Iowa. So we'll see, but if we can get that I will be very happy.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

I've never had a live sporting event (non-PPV), college or pro, that I couldn't find on stream2watch.co

How about MLB Playoffs? I definitely want to see the Cubbies this October.

 

[SpiderRico]

I just "cut the cord" this past week and went to Playstation Vue. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord, but still have a "slimmed down" live TV package. Here are some particulars that should help people looking to switch:

1. PS Vue works on every device except for Apple TV
2. Your PS Vue login works for over 60 "TV Everywhere" apps such as Watch ESPN, Fox Sports Go, etc.
3. PS Vue has BTN (plus overlfows), all the ESPNS, FS1, FS2, FSMW, TNT, TBS, USA, Golf, NBCSN, TruTV (for the once a year when you need it for March Madness), IFC, Sundance, Food, etc., etc. Of the top 25 channels watched in the US, they have 21 (only don't have A&E, History, Hallmark, and one other that's escaping me).
4. Unless you live in one of the Top 10 tv markets, there's no live locals, so you'll need to by an OTA antenna, but the locals all have on-demand.
5. For DVR'ing thru the Vue, there is unlimited recording and unlimited times you can record. It's all done in the cloud and the shows expire in 28 days.
6. You can stream in up to 5 devices in your home. However, you can't stream multiple PS4s or PS3s (but can stream one of each). And your "home" is recorded via your IP, so if you try to give away credentials to someone, they will block you. Only can watch on mobile/tablet outside of the home and choices are limited.
7. Picture quality is just as good as DirecTV. However, the one drawback is sound is in 2.0 stereo....not 5.1 Dolby.
8. If you have Mediacom cable, you will need to bump up your internet subscription to the Ultra to get the 1,000GB data plan. Each hour of live TV streaming will use up about 2 GB of data. Over this past weekend, with games galore on Saturday, I used over 30GB of data.
9. The only drawback is for KC Royals fans. PS Vue does have Fox Sports regionals, but because they don't have FSKC specifically, it's all blacked out here. But we'll manage.

Ultimately, I couldn't be happier with the decision at this point. I went from about $150/mo with Direct down to $35 with PS Vue and I get all the stations I could ever want, with very little that I don't. It's not true "a la carte", but it's the closest thing around.

 

[zhawk]

I just "cut the cord" this past week and went to Playstation Vue. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord, but still have a "slimmed down" live TV package. Here are some particulars that should help people looking to switch:

1. PS Vue works on every device except for Apple TV
2. Your PS Vue login works for over 60 "TV Everywhere" apps such as Watch ESPN, Fox Sports Go, etc.
3. PS Vue has BTN (plus overlfows), all the ESPNS, FS1, FS2, FSMW, TNT, TBS, USA, Golf, NBCSN, TruTV (for the once a year when you need it for March Madness), IFC, Sundance, Food, etc., etc. Of the top 25 channels watched in the US, they have 21 (only don't have A&E, History, Hallmark, and one other that's escaping me).
4. Unless you live in one of the Top 10 tv markets, there's no live locals, so you'll need to by an OTA antenna, but the locals all have on-demand.
5. For DVR'ing thru the Vue, there is unlimited recording and unlimited times you can record. It's all done in the cloud and the shows expire in 28 days.
6. You can stream in up to 5 devices in your home. However, you can't stream multiple PS4s or PS3s (but can stream one of each). And your "home" is recorded via your IP, so if you try to give away credentials to someone, they will block you. Only can watch on mobile/tablet outside of the home and choices are limited.
7. Picture quality is just as good as DirecTV. However, the one drawback is sound is in 2.0 stereo....not 5.1 Dolby.
8. If you have Mediacom cable, you will need to bump up your internet subscription to the Ultra to get the 1,000GB data plan. Each hour of live TV streaming will use up about 2 GB of data. Over this past weekend, with games galore on Saturday, I used over 30GB of data.
9. The only drawback is for KC Royals fans. PS Vue does have Fox Sports regionals, but because they don't have FSKC specifically, it's all blacked out here. But we'll manage.

Ultimately, I couldn't be happier with the decision at this point. I went from about $150/mo with Direct down to $35 with PS Vue and I get all the stations I could ever want, with very little that I don't. It's not true "a la carte", but it's the closest thing around.

I don't have a television set, Roku, PS or similar devices. Can I just stream PS Vue on my laptop computer, or do I need some sort of intermediary device?

 

[SpiderRico]

To sign up, you need one of those devices. After that, you can download the app to stream to a computer/tablet/mobile device. However, selection is much more limited (how limited, I'm not sure as I haven't tested that out).

 

[zhawk]

Thanks for the information. That was what I had been told. I guess I'll stick with Sling for now, but PS Vue does sound like a great choice if you do have the appropriate device already on hand.

 

[Mrke1]

I just "cut the cord" this past week and went to Playstation Vue. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord, but still have a "slimmed down" live TV package. Here are some particulars that should help people looking to switch:

1. PS Vue works on every device except for Apple TV
2. Your PS Vue login works for over 60 "TV Everywhere" apps such as Watch ESPN, Fox Sports Go, etc.
3. PS Vue has BTN (plus overlfows), all the ESPNS, FS1, FS2, FSMW, TNT, TBS, USA, Golf, NBCSN, TruTV (for the once a year when you need it for March Madness), IFC, Sundance, Food, etc., etc. Of the top 25 channels watched in the US, they have 21 (only don't have A&E, History, Hallmark, and one other that's escaping me).
4. Unless you live in one of the Top 10 tv markets, there's no live locals, so you'll need to by an OTA antenna, but the locals all have on-demand.
5. For DVR'ing thru the Vue, there is unlimited recording and unlimited times you can record. It's all done in the cloud and the shows expire in 28 days.
6. You can stream in up to 5 devices in your home. However, you can't stream multiple PS4s or PS3s (but can stream one of each). And your "home" is recorded via your IP, so if you try to give away credentials to someone, they will block you. Only can watch on mobile/tablet outside of the home and choices are limited.
7. Picture quality is just as good as DirecTV. However, the one drawback is sound is in 2.0 stereo....not 5.1 Dolby.
8. If you have Mediacom cable, you will need to bump up your internet subscription to the Ultra to get the 1,000GB data plan. Each hour of live TV streaming will use up about 2 GB of data. Over this past weekend, with games galore on Saturday, I used over 30GB of data.
9. The only drawback is for KC Royals fans. PS Vue does have Fox Sports regionals, but because they don't have FSKC specifically, it's all blacked out here. But we'll manage.

Ultimately, I couldn't be happier with the decision at this point. I went from about $150/mo with Direct down to $35 with PS Vue and I get all the stations I could ever want, with very little that I don't. It's not true "a la carte", but it's the closest thing around.

Gosh darn it man, you're really pushing me towards this. I was worried about a device restriction, but if its 5, that's no problem at all. There has to be some other draw backs? Can't think of anything else?

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I just "cut the cord" this past week and went to Playstation Vue. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord, but still have a "slimmed down" live TV package. Here are some particulars that should help people looking to switch:

1. PS Vue works on every device except for Apple TV
2. Your PS Vue login works for over 60 "TV Everywhere" apps such as Watch ESPN, Fox Sports Go, etc.
3. PS Vue has BTN (plus overlfows), all the ESPNS, FS1, FS2, FSMW, TNT, TBS, USA, Golf, NBCSN, TruTV (for the once a year when you need it for March Madness), IFC, Sundance, Food, etc., etc. Of the top 25 channels watched in the US, they have 21 (only don't have A&E, History, Hallmark, and one other that's escaping me).
4. Unless you live in one of the Top 10 tv markets, there's no live locals, so you'll need to by an OTA antenna, but the locals all have on-demand.
5. For DVR'ing thru the Vue, there is unlimited recording and unlimited times you can record. It's all done in the cloud and the shows expire in 28 days.
6. You can stream in up to 5 devices in your home. However, you can't stream multiple PS4s or PS3s (but can stream one of each). And your "home" is recorded via your IP, so if you try to give away credentials to someone, they will block you. Only can watch on mobile/tablet outside of the home and choices are limited.
7. Picture quality is just as good as DirecTV. However, the one drawback is sound is in 2.0 stereo....not 5.1 Dolby.
8. If you have Mediacom cable, you will need to bump up your internet subscription to the Ultra to get the 1,000GB data plan. Each hour of live TV streaming will use up about 2 GB of data. Over this past weekend, with games galore on Saturday, I used over 30GB of data.
9. The only drawback is for KC Royals fans. PS Vue does have Fox Sports regionals, but because they don't have FSKC specifically, it's all blacked out here. But we'll manage.

Ultimately, I couldn't be happier with the decision at this point. I went from about $150/mo with Direct down to $35 with PS Vue and I get all the stations I could ever want, with very little that I don't. It's not true "a la carte", but it's the closest thing around.

Spider, how do you "record" on psvue? I just added the "middle" package ("CoreSlim"), but only see a way to add "favorites". What am I missing? BTW, I use it on my Roku...

 

[SpiderRico]

Spider, how do you "record" on psvue? I just added the "middle" package ("CoreSlim"), but only see a way to add "favorites". What am I missing? BTW, I use it on my Roku...

There's a difference between "favorite" (which is what you do with a channel so it will come up first in the list of channels in your guide) and "add to my shows", which is what you do to shows you want to record. When you add a show to "my shows", it will record it every time it comes up.

For those (like me), that were used to the old DVR function with DirecTV, this one is quite a bit different. The main drawback is that you can't watch the show you are "recording" to the cloud until the show is over. You can obviously watch it live while it's going on, but you can't actually choose it from your "my shows" list until it is over. Where this can be a drawback is for live sporting events. For example, I was about 20 mins late in turning on the Hawks this weekend. In the past, I would have pulled up the recording on my Directv and just started watching the recording from there until I caught up to the actual live action (after FF thru commercials). On the PS Vue, I didn't have that luxury....I had to wait until the game was over to watch what I had missed.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[whammer33024]

spider, i'm still learning the psvue as i go. were you able to pick just the iowa game to record? what are you using to set your recordings? a roku or a playstation device(3 or 4). i tried setting it up to record the iowa game through the roku but all i could do was record "ncaa football". so when it got to over 10 shows recorded it deletes the oldest. unless im using it wrong

 

[SpiderRico]

spider, i'm still learning the psvue as i go. were you able to pick just the iowa game to record? what are you using to set your recordings? a roku or a playstation device(3 or 4). i tried setting it up to record the iowa game through the roku but all i could do was record "ncaa football". so when it got to over 10 shows recorded it deletes the oldest. unless im using it wrong

whammer,

You're right concerning the record setting when it comes to sporting events. When you click the "Iowa vs Miami(OH)" game, it will record every show that says "NCAA Football". I'm not aware of any 10 show maxiumum....I didn't run into that issue. I only know that it will keep all shows you record, regardless of the number, for up to 28 days. I'm hoping that the folks at Sony will work this out so that you can record an individual game, rather than a "show" called "NCAA Football". But for me, it wasn't a huge deal. I figured there'd be a few sacrifices going from $150/mo to $35/mo!

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I just "cut the cord" this past week and went to Playstation Vue. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord, but still have a "slimmed down" live TV package. Here are some particulars that should help people looking to switch:

1. PS Vue works on every device except for Apple TV
2. Your PS Vue login works for over 60 "TV Everywhere" apps such as Watch ESPN, Fox Sports Go, etc.
3. PS Vue has BTN (plus overlfows), all the ESPNS, FS1, FS2, FSMW, TNT, TBS, USA, Golf, NBCSN, TruTV (for the once a year when you need it for March Madness), IFC, Sundance, Food, etc., etc. Of the top 25 channels watched in the US, they have 21 (only don't have A&E, History, Hallmark, and one other that's escaping me).
4. Unless you live in one of the Top 10 tv markets, there's no live locals, so you'll need to by an OTA antenna, but the locals all have on-demand.
5. For DVR'ing thru the Vue, there is unlimited recording and unlimited times you can record. It's all done in the cloud and the shows expire in 28 days.
6. You can stream in up to 5 devices in your home. However, you can't stream multiple PS4s or PS3s (but can stream one of each). And your "home" is recorded via your IP, so if you try to give away credentials to someone, they will block you. Only can watch on mobile/tablet outside of the home and choices are limited.
7. Picture quality is just as good as DirecTV. However, the one drawback is sound is in 2.0 stereo....not 5.1 Dolby.
8. If you have Mediacom cable, you will need to bump up your internet subscription to the Ultra to get the 1,000GB data plan. Each hour of live TV streaming will use up about 2 GB of data. Over this past weekend, with games galore on Saturday, I used over 30GB of data.
9. The only drawback is for KC Royals fans. PS Vue does have Fox Sports regionals, but because they don't have FSKC specifically, it's all blacked out here. But we'll manage.

Ultimately, I couldn't be happier with the decision at this point. I went from about $150/mo with Direct down to $35 with PS Vue and I get all the stations I could ever want, with very little that I don't. It's not true "a la carte", but it's the closest thing around.

Thank you so much for the detailed report.

 

[HawkeyeCamaro]

I went to PSVue this summer and I like it. I don't get local channels in central iowa but if you absolutely need to have them just a get a HD antenna. I went from $95 dollar dish bill to $35 PSVue bill. If you are patient about all the games on ABC, normally they re-aired on ESPN or ESPNU that night. That is how I was able to watch the Texas ND game but just the next day. It also has DVR and records almost all of the games for me automatically as well. The DVR worked really well when the Olympics were on as well!

 

[hawkeyebob62]

There's a difference between "favorite" (which is what you do with a channel so it will come up first in the list of channels in your guide) and "add to my shows", which is what you do to shows you want to record. When you add a show to "my shows", it will record it every time it comes up.

For those (like me), that were used to the old DVR function with DirecTV, this one is quite a bit different. The main drawback is that you can't watch the show you are "recording" to the cloud until the show is over. You can obviously watch it live while it's going on, but you can't actually choose it from your "my shows" list until it is over. Where this can be a drawback is for live sporting events. For example, I was about 20 mins late in turning on the Hawks this weekend. In the past, I would have pulled up the recording on my Directv and just started watching the recording from there until I caught up to the actual live action (after FF thru commercials). On the PS Vue, I didn't have that luxury....I had to wait until the game was over to watch what I had missed.

Hope this makes sense.

Absolutely makes sense. So, to watch Hawks, you choose "College Football.." as one of "My Shows" and it will record all games on that channel? Or just Hawks? Either way, the "catch-up" feature, or lack thereof, is kind of a drag, obviously