Sling tv for bama ball?

aldo

BamaNation Citizen
May 8, 2010
59
1
27
for those of you who are cutting the cord (or at least considering it), here's a great site that allows you to see which package(s) you need based on what channels you want:

https://suppose.tv
Thinking about trying one of these streaming services when my contract runs out in June. youtube tv looks pretty good to me.
 

aldo

BamaNation Citizen
May 8, 2010
59
1
27
Is it real easy to cancel YouTube Tv before the trial ends? I want too see if I like it enough to use once/if I cancel my tv service.
 

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,633
34,727
362
Mountainous Northern California
Is it real easy to cancel YouTube Tv before the trial ends? I want too see if I like it enough to use once/if I cancel my tv service.
From their faq section:

What if I want to cancel?
No problem, cancel anytime. There are no fees for canceling. We’d hate to see you go, but we’ll save your settings in case you want to restart your membership later.


Compare and contrast with concast.
 

TideMom2Boys

Hall of Fame
Nov 17, 2010
20,214
398
102
Alabama
We cut the cord right before football season and we love it.


We have youtubeTV and it is great for sports. We stream it on a Roku device and it is really simple to use. We actually also have Philo TV, which is used for channels like A&E, HGTV, Hallmark..etc. For both of the services we pay about $56 total.
 
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CHATTBRIT

Hall of Fame
Dec 3, 2003
5,762
504
237
Falling Water, TN
Plan A, Amazon Fire Stick plus sign in creds from a friend and you get all the ESPN/SEC you want.

Plan B. Free with Sports Devil on Kodi. Can be very frustrating at times but again its free.

Not that I would advocate either of these things personally as I don't believe they are quite legal.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,615
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I’ve used both Sling TV and Direct TV Now extensively. I like Direct TV Now much better for a few reasons-
1) If you’re an ATT customer you get a discount. I’m paying $40 per month for the middle package. It’s regularly $55.
2) If you’re an ATT customer you can stream Direct TV Now data free.
These are perfect examples of why what you choose needs to be tailored to your situation.

To give another example, if you are going to use the ESPN app anyway, as long as the provider has the channels you need, I don't think the provider matters much. ESPN should be using their own servers, your provider is just giving you login credentials. So, in that case it makes sense for someone to pay $25 for ESPN vs. the next cheapest option at 40. It matters how you'll watch it, what you have, etc... because to go one step further, interfaces are going to vary by device. So how you navigate one service on a Roku might be different than how it is on your Tivo for instance. So, that's where free trials and the like come in handy, you can see what works best for you, but it's not at all one size fits all.

Some things I didn't even get into would be things like the fact that I get my internet (only) from Xfinity. It comes with some on-demand TV options though, and all the free trials from HBO, Epix, etc... so I have a fair bit of on demand content from Xfinity (and a free cell phone plan, not bad for $20 a month). My library also supports Hoopla, so I can get some content from there. That, plus my student Amazon prime content, my brother's family Netflix plan, my $1 Hulu plan, and then the aforementioned 64 broadcast+Pluto channels on my TV's guide, and my OTA Tivo (along with Tubi, Crackle, Stirr, etc...) mean I'm swimming in content. For that, when I don't need ESPN I'm paying a whole $6 a month.

So... what you want, what you get, what is a good value to you, what's available to you, that all varies. But there's a lot of money to be saved for people willing to really consider their options.
 

mark4tide

1st Team
Mar 7, 2005
806
0
35
48
Hoover, AL
I used sling and had no problems and missed zero Bama games.Worked well for me.I use an HD antenna for local Chanel access.
I have had Sling for several years now. I upgrade to the sports package when it is football and basketball season and get the SEC Network then go back to regular subscription the rest of the year. I have never had a problem with Sling and with not having a problem I can't justify spending more for anything else.
 

mikeua69

All-American
Apr 16, 2002
2,691
81
167
Alabaster, AL
Both Youtube TV and Hulu live are great. I get all the sports I need. I tried both and went with Hulu to get Discovery and Food Network
 

CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
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Maybe I'm in the minority but I don't think I've ever had a game streaming without some type of interruption i.e. switching from hi def to low def, buffering, or some error message where you have to close the app and restart it. I have several friends and family members who stream and it's the same thing when I'm at their house. I have gigabit internet and the other all have 100 mbps or faster. I'm not saying the issues make it unwatchable but just more annoying to deal with.

So as Krazy and others have said it really depends on your use case. If I only wanted TV for Alabama football then I'd be more inclined to deal with the drawbacks of streaming. Also have to take into account the continued increase of streaming prices. Netflix was $7.99 when I first signed up and its $14 now. Most full streaming services (Youtube TV, Hulu) are around $40 once you optimize the package. I've had Direct TV for 7 years for roughly $60 per month. Have to call once a year and threaten to cancel and they bring the price back down. So for me it's worth paying ~$20 more per month and just being able to turn on the TV and watch it versus dealing with some of the issues caused by streaming. Direct TV goes out maybe once or twice a year in severe weather. Other than that I have not had an outage. Comcast runs $49.99 introductory price and then $59.99 after the 1st year in my area. Unless you're looking for a bare bones streaming package I'd consider seeing what's offered in your area in terms of cable. At least for comparison sake. I look at streaming options every 6 months or so and I haven't seen enough to make me switch yet. Continually watching though. My Direct TV promotion is up this month so if they don't give me the discounted price back I will look at Comcast or a streaming option..
 

bamanut_aj

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2000
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Spring Hill, TN
Another thing YouTube TV has over Sling, is the interface. Sling is clunky and laborious. YouTube TV looks just like a cable interface. Very easy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ledsteplin

Hall of Fame
Nov 20, 2013
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Florence, Alabama
Maybe I'm in the minority but I don't think I've ever had a game streaming without some type of interruption i.e. switching from hi def to low def, buffering, or some error message where you have to close the app and restart it. I have several friends and family members who stream and it's the same thing when I'm at their house. I have gigabit internet and the other all have 100 mbps or faster. I'm not saying the issues make it unwatchable but just more annoying to deal with.

So as Krazy and others have said it really depends on your use case. If I only wanted TV for Alabama football then I'd be more inclined to deal with the drawbacks of streaming. Also have to take into account the continued increase of streaming prices. Netflix was $7.99 when I first signed up and its $14 now. Most full streaming services (Youtube TV, Hulu) are around $40 once you optimize the package. I've had Direct TV for 7 years for roughly $60 per month. Have to call once a year and threaten to cancel and they bring the price back down. So for me it's worth paying ~$20 more per month and just being able to turn on the TV and watch it versus dealing with some of the issues caused by streaming. Direct TV goes out maybe once or twice a year in severe weather. Other than that I have not had an outage. Comcast runs $49.99 introductory price and then $59.99 after the 1st year in my area. Unless you're looking for a bare bones streaming package I'd consider seeing what's offered in your area in terms of cable. At least for comparison sake. I look at streaming options every 6 months or so and I haven't seen enough to make me switch yet. Continually watching though. My Direct TV promotion is up this month so if they don't give me the discounted price back I will look at Comcast or a streaming option..
I currently pay $164 a month for Comcast.

HD Digital Preferred 220+ Channels
Blast![emoji2400] Internet Download speeds up to 100 Mbps.
XFINITY Voice Unlimited US & Int'l Calling,
Modem rental.
Taxes and surcharges.

I like most of what I get. Don't really need the Voice phone. I do like the X1 voice remote. That's actually pretty cool. What does one get for $59.99? I assume that's before taxes and surcharges.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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I currently pay $164 a month for Comcast.
I know I'm butting in, but making money go further is kind of my thing. I mentioned that I'm paying $6 a month for my TV options and my cell phone is basically free (no data when not on wifi, Obama phone taxes still apply). If you add my internet to the list, I'm basically paying $30 a month for internet, Amazon prime, Hulu, unlimited talk and text on cell phone, and home phone. Lowering cost is a matter of how creative you want to be and what sacrifices you are willing to make.

I helped my aunt and uncle lower their costs recently, but I only took it down from $200 a month to $100. They're not tech savy, and used to the whole DVR/cable channel situation so I didn't want to disrupt things too much. But if you are willing to, you can do things like get home phone for free or nearly free through VOIP options, and so on. Chances are if your bill is over $150 there's some bloat there you simply don't need, just a matter of how much you want to inconvenience yourself.
 

B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
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I know I'm butting in, but making money go further is kind of my thing. I mentioned that I'm paying $6 a month for my TV options and my cell phone is basically free (no data when not on wifi, Obama phone taxes still apply). If you add my internet to the list, I'm basically paying $30 a month for internet, Amazon prime, Hulu, unlimited talk and text on cell phone, and home phone. Lowering cost is a matter of how creative you want to be and what sacrifices you are willing to make.

I helped my aunt and uncle lower their costs recently, but I only took it down from $200 a month to $100. They're not tech savy, and used to the whole DVR/cable channel situation so I didn't want to disrupt things too much. But if you are willing to, you can do things like get home phone for free or nearly free through VOIP options, and so on. Chances are if your bill is over $150 there's some bloat there you simply don't need, just a matter of how much you want to inconvenience yourself.
My cable bill is over $200/mo. I also have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. When I move someplace with better options, I'll switch to YouTube (if the service survives). For now, I'm happy with the cost of my entertainment.
 

TideEngineer08

TideFans Legend
Jun 9, 2009
36,284
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Beautiful Cullman, AL
My only complaint is with my Roku device. We have Youtube TV. It works great with anything except live sports. Then, it's constant buffering, freezing, and error messages about the quality of my Internet connection. The same Internet connection that is a consistent 60 mbps download speed. The same Internet connection and WLAN that can serve 4 streaming devices at the same time without a single hiccup. But for some reason, streaming live sports via Youtube TV on my Roku simply won't work. Indeed, I can stream it on my iPad or Macbook with no issue at all. And I'm not alone; I have found others having the same issue.
 

CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
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I know I'm butting in, but making money go further is kind of my thing. I mentioned that I'm paying $6 a month for my TV options and my cell phone is basically free (no data when not on wifi, Obama phone taxes still apply). If you add my internet to the list, I'm basically paying $30 a month for internet, Amazon prime, Hulu, unlimited talk and text on cell phone, and home phone. Lowering cost is a matter of how creative you want to be and what sacrifices you are willing to make.

I helped my aunt and uncle lower their costs recently, but I only took it down from $200 a month to $100. They're not tech savy, and used to the whole DVR/cable channel situation so I didn't want to disrupt things too much. But if you are willing to, you can do things like get home phone for free or nearly free through VOIP options, and so on. Chances are if your bill is over $150 there's some bloat there you simply don't need, just a matter of how much you want to inconvenience yourself.
I appreciate your creativity but just a couple of points:

-Most people don't want to share login credentials. That's great when it works but when it doesn't then it's a problem. I think ESPN limits to 2 or 3 streams now so sharing login is not something that most people can or are willing to do.

-Pluto TV is good for what it is but they overlay ads over the entire screen during live events. Again, considering Pluto is free maybe it's worth it to some but I'd rather not have full screen ads while I'm watching a live sporting event. Maybe they changed it now but back when I looked into Pluto this is something everyone complained about.

-Maybe it's different in your area but my experience with $20 or $30 internet is not good. Especially for streaming. I think $30 internet plans get you around 50 mbps where I live and like most internet plans you generally get about half that. I've had comcast, wow and knology with 50 mbps or 100 mbps and they all were flaky at times. I switched to AT&T Gigabit (1000mbps fiber) about 2 years ago and it's the only internet I've had that doesn't drop or have bandwidth issues.

Completely agree with you that it's possible to have an almost no cost viewing experience which is a great option to have. Just not for me due to the drawbacks
 

UAH

All-American
Nov 27, 2017
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My only complaint is with my Roku device. We have Youtube TV. It works great with anything except live sports. Then, it's constant buffering, freezing, and error messages about the quality of my Internet connection. The same Internet connection that is a consistent 60 mbps download speed. The same Internet connection and WLAN that can serve 4 streaming devices at the same time without a single hiccup. But for some reason, streaming live sports via Youtube TV on my Roku simply won't work. Indeed, I can stream it on my iPad or Macbook with no issue at all. And I'm not alone; I have found others having the same issue.
A year ago I left my AT&T two wire internet and went over to WOW cable internet. I knew streaming live sports could be challenging and made sure to wire my ROKU direct to the cable modem. I also changed from Sling to YouTube TV. I have had some moments when cable usage was high in the neighborhood that my picture clarity decreased but I have had very few problems with buffering. For the Super Bowl this weekend I switched to my antenna but found little difference between HD TV and streaming on YouTube. Count me generally pleased with streaming on YouTube TV during this entire football season.
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,213
29,373
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Vinings, ga., usa
Streaming is getting as bad as cable with all the add-ons. A bunch of networks are coming up with their own streaming channels that you have to shell out more money for.
 

Bama-94-00

All-American
Nov 1, 2004
3,201
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67
Huntsville/Madison, AL area
We're being using Youtube TV for sports and other channels including local since last summer. We added Philo app to get extra channels. Now we get more channels that we had with satellite TV for less than half the cost ($66 vs. $140). We tried Sling 2-3 years ago and found it too grainy and choppy.
 

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