Do you really need a live streaming package?

The question many people ask when they cut the cord or start streaming is "How can I still watch TV like I'm used to watching it?"

The answer is, you can't. You almost can, but it won't be the same.

Is the difference difficult? For some people, it is. But for most people, it's really not that difficult.

How do you determine how difficult it will be? Well, how upset do you get when the cable company changes the channel numbers, or drops a channel and replaces it with something else? If you throw a hissy fit, well, you got worse problems than trying to watch TV. But I know people like that. If you're like that, be better than that. If you're not like that, I suspect you know people like that. Bless their hearts.

But, let's say you're a reasonable person that can deal with the stuff that happens. You're a functional adult, or on your way to becoming one upon reaching a certain age. You'll be fine then.

Have you ever moved? I mean, really moved? To a different city? Or to a different place that didn't have the same cable service? That took some getting used to. Finding out where the old channels now were. What new channels you have. What old channels you lost. But you dealt with it, right?

It's not exactly the same when you go to streaming, but it is different. But a lot is the same. Just like when moving to where there's a different cable system. Different, but the same.

What you really need to ask yourself is do you need live streaming? How much do you have to watch when it airs? How much can not wait until a few hours later? Just how big of a deal is that?

If you already DVR most of the stuff you watch, you are already not using your live TV setup. Your DVR is functioning as an on-demand service.

Why does this matter? Well, what's the difference between $6 and $65? That's the difference between Hulu standard service, which includes a lot of current season TV content available hours after airing (like a DVR) and Hulu + Live TV service, which has that, plus live TV.

Yes, Hulu + Live TV also has some programming that's not part of standard Hulu. But is it worth $59/month, every month? That's $708/year.

Even if you decided that you needed live streaming during certain times of the year -- say during March Madness, Bowl season, or some other specific time of year -- you could easily add a live streaming service during that part of the year. The savings won't be as great, but it will be significant.

However, saving money isn't the only reason people stream. Some simply like the benefit of having more control of their TV, watching content on their own schedule.

Whatever your reason or primary benefit there is for streaming, you should always be able to make the best decision about what's right for you. Is it extra work? Yes, at first. But is the benefit worth the extra work? Maybe.

If replacing cable with a live streaming service is the thing for you to do, then get the best one that meets your needs. But if you find that you can save more by going with on-demand packages, and that's what's best for you, to that. I'm not suggesting you not use live streaming services, I'm just bringing up that it's possible to have a great experience without it. You know what's best for you. I'm trying to make sure you know your options.

Do whatever works best for you, and take control of your Streaming Life.

Air TV

I replaced my TiVo devices with a couple of options. I manage TV at two locations and I put Tablo TV at one and Air TV at the other. Why? Well, both are great options. You remember my recommendation that either would be a good replacement for TiVo?

They're both great. They work a lot alike, but have some small differences.

Which one would I recommend? Well, I'd say check for special deals on service bundles. If you already use Sling TV, go with AirTV. If you don't, go with whichever you can get a better deal on. You'll be happy whichever way you go.

I truly meant that. And I went with both. But today, I'm going to talk about Air TV. I'll deal with Tablo TV later.

Hooking up an Air TV device is pretty simple. Or it seems so. There are actually several options that can impact how you do it, and I'll talk about those, and about what options I chose and why.

Here's how Air TV works. You hook up an antenna to the Air TV device. You add the Air TV device to your network. You watch the content through the Sling TV app, and no you do not need a subscription.

That seems fairly simple, right? Well, yes, but there are some options you have, and that can complicate things. So let's work through it and come up with the best decision for you.

First, you really need to figure out where to put two things: your Air TV device itself, and the antenna.

If you use an indoor antenna, make sure it can pick up a good signal. I went with an outdoor antenna because I'm far enough away from TV towers that it's really the best decision for me. If you're close enough that an indoor antenna will do the job, great. If not, it becomes a little more complicated.

Where should you put your Air TV device? Well, you really should put it close to your router. It would be better if you can connect the Air TV device to your network by Ethernet cable. If you can, and if you can place an antenna close by, then that's the way to go.

If it's hard to put an antenna near your router, you need to determine if you can run an antenna lead/cable far enough to reach, or if you have to connect your Air TV device to the network wirelessly.

You always want to use Ethernet connectivity if you can. Air TV supports wireless connectivity, but that's one additional connection that can go wrong and that would need to be checked if things don't work like you expect.

So, location of Air TV and antenna? Close to the router, if possible. If not, do the best you can and connect Air TV wirelessly.

Once you do that, you use the Sling TV app to set up the connection and the TV channels using the "Over the Air Channels" selection under Settings. Scan the channels and follow the prompts. It's really easy.

Using Air TV is easy, too. You launch the Sling TV app and the antenna channels show up with the rest of the stuff. You don't need a Sling TV subscription. It works with Sling TV free, and of course, with the subscription service. It's as if the local channels were part of Sling TV's package.

What about DVR? Well, that depends on a couple of things. Currently there are two major Air TV devices: Air TV 2 ($100) and Air TV Anywhere ($200). I went with Air TV Anywhere. The differences?

• Air TV 2 has two tuners, while Air TV Anywhere has four.
• Air TV 2 required a separate USB hard drive to be able to record and store DVR content, while Air TV Anywhere has a 1 TB drive built in.

That's really it. If you don't need but two tuners, and you have your own USB hard drive already, you can save money with Air TV 2.

There is another device called Air TV Mini, but that's actually a limited streaming device, not something to which you can connect an antenna. Your options are Air TV 2 and Air TV Anywhere.

How well does it work? It works okay. There are a couple of things that are an irritant. Every so often, not that often, but occasionally, the stream will buffer. This happens mostly on the hard-to-get stations. However, it also happens on DVR playback. If it was recorded that way, I'd understand, but it happens on content that was recorded without issue.

I've played content back and tested the playback when that happens. I've rewound the content and played that section of the recording again and it didn't buffer there. So, that tells me it's the playback that has issues, not the recording.

That tells me that my network isn't always running at 100% efficiency. Or maybe it's my Sling TV app. Or maybe the Air TV Anywhere device can't keep up.

And that's one of the things about streaming. You do have the occasional issue and it's not always so simple to determine the cause. A lot of people automatically assume it's one thing, when it's actually something else.

What's the problem with using Air TV? Nothing really. It works fine. It does what I bought it to do. And I stand by my recommendation.

Chromecast testing

I'm going to test the new Chromecast device. This is going to be difficult, I can tell.

Don't misunderstand me. I've used Chromecast before. It was my go-to device for casting from a Chrome browser tab for many years before Roku added that capability.

I used the old stick style Chromecast. I used the newer dongle style (yes, I know, technically a stick is a dongle, but you know what I mean). And I've used the new Chromecast with Google TV. So, no, Chromecast isn't new to me.

Google has two versions available: the standard Chromecast device is $30. That's the traditional device that required you to use a mobile device as the control and launcher.

The other version is Chromecast with Google TV (they really need to work on that name) which has all the functionality of the standard Chromecast, but also includes a Google TV interface. It's $50 and has a remote. It's a full featured device. It doesn't require any other device to operate. 

Well, a TV, but that's a given for any streaming device.

I've used the Chromecast with Google TV and I like it okay. So why am I testing it? Well, I used it, tried it out for a day or so, but then went right back to my Roku. I'm going to spent the next couple of weeks acting as if the only device I have is Chromecast with Google TV.

I'm not a fan of the Google TV interface; I like Roku's better. But I'm going to force myself to use it for a while.

I am okay with the remote, but I like Roku's better. But I'm going to force myself to use it for a while.

I'll even try out the Google Assistant features, although I don't use Roku's voice features. I'm just not a fan of that. I do use voice control from Google Home devices on occasion, so I'm not opposed to them. It's just that using a remote control is easier for me than trying to tell it what to do.

So, it's Chromecast with Google TV for this Roku fan for the next several days. In fact, I already started.

How will this end? Probably by my going back to using my Roku. But maybe not. Maybe Chromecast with Google TV will become my device of choice. I kinda doubt it, but let's see if this experiment makes a change in My Streaming Life.

Sling TV

>With the dispute between Roku and YouTube TV in the news recently, live streaming services are getting more attention. Not a while lot more, because they have probably been one of the major reasons for the large increase in the number of streamers and cord-cutters over the last few years.

I'm not going to focus on YouTube TV nor Roku specifically right now. There is a lot that people are saying, and I talked about that briefly the other day.

Today, I want to talk about the granddaddy of live streaming, cable alternative services: Sling TV. 

I subscribed to Sling TV when the service was launched in February 2015. The service was, and remains, essentially a small cable TV-type package of channels. Over the years, the number of channels offered has increased, as has the price. Still, at $35 (as of this writing) Sling TV remains one of the cheaper options for cable alternative streaming services.

Sling TV offers two packages. The Orange package is the successor of the original package and today includes ESPN, AMC, CNN, HGTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network / Adult Swim, Disney, History, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, Food Network, TBS, BBC America, Freeform, IFC, A&E, Viceland, Fuse, Lifetime, Travel Channel, AXS TV, Newsy, Cheddar, Bloomberg Television, Local Now, and Tribeca Shortlist. Users are allowed one stream. Regular price (as I write this) is $35.

The Blue package is similar but adds FOX News, MSNBC, HLN, Fox (select markets), NBC (select markets), Fox Sports, NFL Network, FX, USA, Bravo, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBC RSN, FXX, SyFY, Nick Jr., Tru TV, BET, National Geographic, and Nat Geo Wild while taking away ESPN, Disney, ESPN2, ESPN3, and Freeform. Users are allowed three streams. The Blue package is the same price as the Orange package.

The packages are the same price, but you can get a combo package that includes both Orange and Blue for a discounted price of $50 (at this writing).

Many of the more expensive services offer local channels, which drive the price higher. Sling TV does not offer local channels, except Fox and NBC in select markets. That's why Sling TV is around $30/month cheaper than, and nearly half the price of, some other services. If you require local channels to be part of a streaming package, Sling TV will not be the choice for you. However, if you don't need local channels, or if you can pick up local stations via an antenna, then Sling TV is one of the most affordable options for cable alternative streaming.

As I've mentioned before, I don't use a live streaming service year-round. I do subscribe to such a service during college football season, strictly for watching games live, usually on ESPN. Unless one of the other services offers a great deal, or some bonus equipment or content, I will subscribe to Sling TV, canceling after the season.

There is one other aspect of Sling TV that I need to mention. Sling TV offers a free live streaming service. You won't find the big cable channels, but you will still find a lot of content. You can try it out. It's free. Seriously. Not a free trial, but free. https://www.sling.com/deals/sling-free

The final thing about Sling TV that I want to mention is that it works with Air TV. I mentioned that Sling TV doesn't include local channels. That's true, but if you have an antenna, you can add an Air TV device and make the local channels available on your network through the Sling TV app. You don't need a Sling TV subscription for that. It works with the free portion of Sling TV.

I like and recommend Sling TV, as it has many things that many users want. It certainly has what I want, when I want it.

Live streaming services are vastly different

There are several services that can be considered live streaming services, and they aren't all the same. The phrase "live streaming" can mean a variety of things.

If you consider live streaming to be actual live, real time, as it happens, then there aren't that many services available. But, if you consider a service that performs similar to traditional TV, then there are many. Let me offer a couple of examples of that varied difference.

Services that are intended to be and act like cable replacements fall under the category of live streaming. They are, as mentioned, replacements for cable TV and act pretty much like cable TV services. They also usually have a larger cost involved, although at this writing, the prices range from less than $20/month to around $80/month, with most in the $65/month range. Some of these include Sling TV, YouTube TV, Philo, Frndly TV, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, AT&T TV, Univision Now, and more.

There is also another group of live streaming services that aren't generally thought of as cable replacements, but still are much like the other ones mentioned. These include Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Xumo, Stirr, and others.

The primary difference between these services are the selection of channels, but not necessarily the type of content. For example, Pluto TV -- I'm choosing this because it's the biggest of the similar services -- has a wide variety of movies and TV shows playing all day, much like the "superstations" of days past. You go to a particular channel and watch a movie. If the movie is already underway, you can watch it to conclusion, then watch whatever comes on next. This is similar to watching cable channels such as TCM in how it operates, and even with some of the content.

For Sling TV -- I'm choosing this service as it's the oldest of the major services -- you can go to TNT, History, AMC and the like, and watch it.

A main difference is that you won't find first-run content on Pluto TV like you will on Sling TV. But, if you enjoy reality TV, movies, classic TV shows or cartoons, news, and other content, you can find similar, but not the same, content on each service. One may be better, or newer, but the overall type of content is the same. 

The other difference is price. Sling TV and the other services cost a monthly fee. Pluto TV and other similar services are free, ad-supported services. And, you will still see commercials on Sling TV just like you do on cable.

Which do you need? That's easy: which do you want?

You have options, plenty of options, to help you enjoy your Streaming Life.