PlayStation Vue subscription streaming service launches on Apple TV App Store

AppleInsider · November 17, 2016 8:11PM

Following availability on iOS and the PlayStation 4 game console, Sony on Thursday expanded its PlayStation Vue cable cutting service to the Apple TV.

The free PlayStation Vue app gives users access to the subscription service on their fourth-generation Apple TV. It includes live TV programming, cloud DVR, simultaneous streaming, and no long-term contact commitments.

Networks included in the service are ESPN, AMC, FX, HBO, Showtime, and NFL Network. Plans start at $29.99 or $39.99 in select cities.

PlayStation Vue has offered live TV capabilities on Apple's iPad since mid-2015. While it initially launched in a handful of major U.S. cities, availability has since expanded to include more areas.

Users can check access and channel lineups at the service's official website, where a free trial is also offered.

Rumors have suggested Apple has sought to offer a similar service, but the company's plans are said to have been internally delayed due to roadblocks in negotiations with content owners.

Apple will, however, launch a new unified television experience next month with a new "TV" app for tvOS and iOS. It will feature a single sign-on for existing cable providers to stream content, and also make it easy to find where programs are available across a variety of apps and services.

cali · November 17, 2016 8:23PM

And so it begins. I have a feeling soon all services will be available on Apple TV.
Now if Sony could get their subscription games service on Apple TV that would be crazy.

One thing Apple needs to do is SELL. If Apple TV sold more, Amazon and others would have no choice but to jump on board like they do on iOS.

cali · November 17, 2016 8:26PM

sog35 said:

BOOM. Apple is so slow with their TV package. I gave up on them. I gave Apple 1 year from the release of the new AppleTV and still nothing.

I signed up for this. Can't wait to use it.

I tried Sling TV for 7 days (free trial) and it was a mixed bag. The stream was absolutely horrible during Sunday night football. And of course Sling has no DVR which is really awful. Did not like the Sling interface either. CANCEL.

This is my cord-cutting setup now:

1. Digital Antenna + HD HomeRun + Channels App on AppleTV and iOS devices

This allows me to watch all the local broadcast channels in beautiful HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS). The quality blows away my HD feed from my cable company. I didn't want to use an Antenna because its ugly and I needed to buy 2. But with HD Homerun+Channels I can have my Antenna hidden in my office and access it through my router on my 2 AppleTV's and 5 iOS devices ( 2 at a time). Awesome. Still not perfect since I can't record shows yet.

2. Playstation Vue - for cable channels - ESPN, CNN, TNT, ect

Right now I'm saving about $70 a month on my TV bill. Plus I was getting a promotional deal from my cable company so I'm actually saving $100+ after 12 months.

Pro's of cord cutting:
Better broadcast HD picture
Can access all channels on iOS devices (cable company had many limitations)
Can access Playstation Vue channels off of network (cable company only allowed ESPN)
Save $70 a month
Only have 1 box running everything in my living room (AppleTV). No need for a cable box and another remote

Con's:
No recording OTA channels

Wait, the ugly HD homerun box doesn't have to be connected to your Apple TV or HDTV?

mike1 · November 17, 2016 8:33PM

sog35 said:

BOOM. Apple is so slow with their TV package. I gave up on them. I gave Apple 1 year from the release of the new AppleTV and still nothing.

I signed up for this. Can't wait to use it.

I tried Sling TV for 7 days (free trial) and it was a mixed bag. The stream was absolutely horrible during Sunday night football. And of course Sling has no DVR which is really awful. Did not like the Sling interface either. CANCEL.

This is my cord-cutting setup now:

1. Digital Antenna + HD HomeRun + Channels App on AppleTV and iOS devices

This allows me to watch all the local broadcast channels in beautiful HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS). The quality blows away my HD feed from my cable company. I didn't want to use an Antenna because its ugly and I needed to buy 2. But with HD Homerun+Channels I can have my Antenna hidden in my office and access it through my router on my 2 AppleTV's and 5 iOS devices ( 2 at a time). Awesome. Still not perfect since I can't record shows yet.

2. Playstation Vue - for cable channels - ESPN, CNN, TNT, ect

Right now I'm saving about $70 a month on my TV bill. Plus I was getting a promotional deal from my cable company so I'm actually saving $150+ after 12 months.

Pro's of cord cutting:
Better broadcast HD picture
Can access all channels on iOS devices (cable company had many limitations)
Can access Playstation Vue channels off of network (cable company only allowed ESPN)
Save $70 a month
Only have 1 box running everything in my living room (AppleTV). No need for a cable box and another remote

Con's:
No recording OTA channels

Cost with Cable - $145 - 2 DVR's, 200+ channels, 100 Mbs internet. Regular price for this plan is $200

Cord cutting cost - $42 for 100 Mbs internet, $32 for Playstation view (this includes all tax and fees) = $64

Sure I'm missing some channels. But I wasn't even watching those crappy channels anyway. I'm not missing any channels I even care about or use.

Of course there was hardware/software costs to cord cut:

Digital Antenna $30
Channels App for ATV and iOS $40
HD Home run $95
Total $165 - which I will recoup after 2 months of savings on cable. After that I will be saving $1000 a year. Even more if cable jacks up prices even more.

Unfortunately the deal breaker for many is local HD channels via antenna. Just live too far away from the city. (NYC in my case)

techprod1gy · November 17, 2016 8:34PM

I feel Apple has really dropped a major egg here. I know it is tried and true they will wait and roll out a service after everyone else has paved the way because they can. Sometimes it is OK to lead the way. It inspires people. They continue to make good stuff but they sure don't have me on the edge of my seat.

stickista · November 17, 2016 8:42PM

sog35 said:

really?

Have you tried an attic antenna? Most people can get good reception with an indoor antenna or a larger attic antenna.

Yes, really. Believe it or not, there actually are a lot of people who don't get OTA. not just distance but large objects like mountains in the way.

wood1208 · November 17, 2016 8:42PM

List is growing. Waiting to see when and what AT&T Direct TV Now offers on Apple TV. Interesting to see how their 100 channels for $40 stacks up against SLING and Sony Playstaion Vue. AT&T giving free Apple-TV(3-months service), the number of apple-tv box will grow which will attract more apps supported. Need Comcast,Time-Warner,Cox,etc to join the parade..

stickista · November 17, 2016 8:43PM

sog35 said:

The big problem is getting the local channels.

Apple wants all the local channels + cable channels in one.

So far no streaming service has been able to do that in all markets. Playstation vue has all locals in about cities right now.

To this day I don't understand local stations objection to streaming their OTA signal. What is their loss? The commercials go along for the ride.
Anyone know?

zroger73 · November 17, 2016 9:17PM

Neither Hulu nor Sling TV support DD 5.1. Does PS Vue?

That's very important to me. I tried Sling TV, but didn't care for it. I've been looking forward to PS Vue coming to the Apple TV for a while. I'm excited to try it out, but now I'm anxious to see how DirecTV now compares.

boltsfan17 · November 17, 2016 9:43PM

sog35 said:

zroger73 said:

Neither Hulu nor Sling TV support DD 5.1. Does PS Vue?

That's very important to me. I tried Sling TV, but didn't care for it. I've been looking forward to PS Vue coming to the Apple TV for a while. I'm excited to try it out, but now I'm anxious to see how DirecTV now compares.

None yet.

Not really a big priority for most users. Having 5.1 would require more bandwith and more expense (licensing from Dolby)

DirectTV looks like vaporware at this point.

Even though its more expensive compared to Vue, I'm not ready to ditch DirecTV. I'm a big fan of soccer so the streaming options don't work. They don't have the NBC Sports overflow channels that show the English Premier League. No 4K options either. DirecTV has live 4K college football and really good documentaries on the 4K channel.

cali · November 17, 2016 9:52PM

zroger73 said:

Neither Hulu nor Sling TV support DD 5.1. Does PS Vue?

That's very important to me. I tried Sling TV, but didn't care for it. I've been looking forward to PS Vue coming to the Apple TV for a while. I'm excited to try it out, but now I'm anxious to see how DirecTV now compares.

Pathetic. I thought everything supported 5.1 in late 2016

fallenjt · November 18, 2016 7:35AM

sog35 said:

BOOM. Apple is so slow with their TV package. I gave up on them. I gave Apple 1 year from the release of the new AppleTV and still nothing.

I signed up for this. Can't wait to use it.

I tried Sling TV for 7 days (free trial) and it was a mixed bag. The stream was absolutely horrible during Sunday night football. And of course Sling has no DVR which is really awful. Did not like the Sling interface either. CANCEL.

This is my cord-cutting setup now:

1. Digital Antenna + HD HomeRun + Channels App on AppleTV and iOS devices

This allows me to watch all the local broadcast channels in beautiful HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS). The quality blows away my HD feed from my cable company. I didn't want to use an Antenna because its ugly and I needed to buy 2. But with HD Homerun+Channels I can have my Antenna hidden in my office and access it through my router on my 2 AppleTV's and 5 iOS devices ( 2 at a time). Awesome. Still not perfect since I can't record shows yet.

2. Playstation Vue - for cable channels - ESPN, CNN, TNT, ect

Right now I'm saving about $70 a month on my TV bill. Plus I was getting a promotional deal from my cable company so I'm actually saving $150+ after 12 months.

Pro's of cord cutting:
Better broadcast HD picture
Can access all channels on iOS devices (cable company had many limitations)
Can access Playstation Vue channels off of network (cable company only allowed ESPN)
Save $70 a month
Only have 1 box running everything in my living room (AppleTV). No need for a cable box and another remote

Con's:
No recording OTA channels

Cost with Cable - $145 - 2 DVR's, 200+ channels, 100 Mbs internet. Regular price for this plan is $200

Cord cutting cost - $42 for 100 Mbs internet, $32 for Playstation view (this includes all tax and fees) = $64

Sure I'm missing some channels. But I wasn't even watching those crappy channels anyway. I'm not missing any channels I even care about or use.

Of course there was hardware/software costs to cord cut:

Digital Antenna $30
Channels App for ATV and iOS $40
HD Home run $95
Total $165 - which I will recoup after 2 months of savings on cable. After that I will be saving $1000 a year. Even more if cable jacks up prices even more.

What about fck the subscription and you save 100%. OTA broadcast is free.

fallenjt · November 18, 2016 7:38AM

sog35 said:

cali said:

sog35 said:

BOOM. Apple is so slow with their TV package. I gave up on them. I gave Apple 1 year from the release of the new AppleTV and still nothing.

I signed up for this. Can't wait to use it.

I tried Sling TV for 7 days (free trial) and it was a mixed bag. The stream was absolutely horrible during Sunday night football. And of course Sling has no DVR which is really awful. Did not like the Sling interface either. CANCEL.

This is my cord-cutting setup now:

1. Digital Antenna + HD HomeRun + Channels App on AppleTV and iOS devices

This allows me to watch all the local broadcast channels in beautiful HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS). The quality blows away my HD feed from my cable company. I didn't want to use an Antenna because its ugly and I needed to buy 2. But with HD Homerun+Channels I can have my Antenna hidden in my office and access it through my router on my 2 AppleTV's and 5 iOS devices ( 2 at a time). Awesome. Still not perfect since I can't record shows yet.

2. Playstation Vue - for cable channels - ESPN, CNN, TNT, ect

Right now I'm saving about $70 a month on my TV bill. Plus I was getting a promotional deal from my cable company so I'm actually saving $100+ after 12 months.

Pro's of cord cutting:
Better broadcast HD picture
Can access all channels on iOS devices (cable company had many limitations)
Can access Playstation Vue channels off of network (cable company only allowed ESPN)
Save $70 a month
Only have 1 box running everything in my living room (AppleTV). No need for a cable box and another remote

Con's:
No recording OTA channels

Wait, the ugly HD homerun box doesn't have to be connected to your Apple TV or HDTV?

Hell no.

Connect ugly antenna to ugly HD homerun box.
Connect ugly HD homerun box to your internet router (must be ethernet)
Have your router in your office FAR AWAY from your TV and AppleTV.

Now buy the Channels app for ATV or iOS and you can stream those channels on your AppleTV or iOS devices. It really is magic.

Now I can watch Antenna/Broadcast channels on my iOS device or the AppleTV anywhere in my house. Without an UGLY antenna next to my TV.

This was really the piece of tech that made me cut the cord. This wasn't possible just a few months ago.

With internet outage, you can kiss your own box good bye to the streaming.

crowley · November 18, 2016 11:01AM

It amazes me how much some people pay for TV.

LegacyAppleFansByte · November 18, 2016 10:10PM

mike1 said:

sog35 said:

BOOM. Apple is so slow with their TV package. I gave up on them. I gave Apple 1 year from the release of the new AppleTV and still nothing.

I signed up for this. Can't wait to use it.

I tried Sling TV for 7 days (free trial) and it was a mixed bag. The stream was absolutely horrible during Sunday night football. And of course Sling has no DVR which is really awful. Did not like the Sling interface either. CANCEL.

This is my cord-cutting setup now:

1. Digital Antenna + HD HomeRun + Channels App on AppleTV and iOS devices

This allows me to watch all the local broadcast channels in beautiful HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS). The quality blows away my HD feed from my cable company. I didn't want to use an Antenna because its ugly and I needed to buy 2. But with HD Homerun+Channels I can have my Antenna hidden in my office and access it through my router on my 2 AppleTV's and 5 iOS devices ( 2 at a time). Awesome. Still not perfect since I can't record shows yet.

2. Playstation Vue - for cable channels - ESPN, CNN, TNT, ect

Right now I'm saving about $70 a month on my TV bill. Plus I was getting a promotional deal from my cable company so I'm actually saving $150+ after 12 months.

Pro's of cord cutting:
Better broadcast HD picture
Can access all channels on iOS devices (cable company had many limitations)
Can access Playstation Vue channels off of network (cable company only allowed ESPN)
Save $70 a month
Only have 1 box running everything in my living room (AppleTV). No need for a cable box and another remote

Con's:
No recording OTA channels

Cost with Cable - $145 - 2 DVR's, 200+ channels, 100 Mbs internet. Regular price for this plan is $200

Cord cutting cost - $42 for 100 Mbs internet, $32 for Playstation view (this includes all tax and fees) = $64

Sure I'm missing some channels. But I wasn't even watching those crappy channels anyway. I'm not missing any channels I even care about or use.

Of course there was hardware/software costs to cord cut:

Digital Antenna $30
Channels App for ATV and iOS $40
HD Home run $95
Total $165 - which I will recoup after 2 months of savings on cable. After that I will be saving $1000 a year. Even more if cable jacks up prices even more.

Unfortunately the deal breaker for many is local HD channels via antenna. Just live too far away from the city. (NYC in my case)

This is assumed nonsense.

PlayStation Vue subscription streaming service launches on Apple TV App Store

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