best streaming service for college football

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Schnauzer

Schnauzer

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I'm getting to that age where I am just starting to feel dumb about technology - which is particularly tough as I have traditionally been the one that family members call to ask questions about their computers, TV, etc.

I am a LONG time DirecTV customer and I have to admit I have felt pretty smart when the Gophers play an away game on some obscure channel like CBS sports net and I see others scrambling to watch it.

But, DirecTV is pretty expensive too so I just briefly took a look at Hulu and it looks like it would be decent for sports... DVR capabilities, local channels, regional sports channels, BTN, etc. With DirecTV I get particularly frustrated with the dumb things like $7 per tv set charges, dvr charges, etc. I may actually be finding myself being swayed.

Anyone have recommendations, or want to share potentially unforeseen problems with the streaming services? I have several apple TV's and XboxOnes, and smart TV's so I am assuming I'd be able to cover both home and cabin multiple TV locations with streaming capable TV's.

Will I regret this? Especially for sports and particularly for college football??
 


I've heard good things about YouTube TV, Sling and Hulu Live. Just make sure whatever you select has the channels you need and that your devices support the app. Otherwise they should all work pretty similarly.
 

I live in WA and use YoutubeTV to watch all the games, never had a single issue with it. I personally stream using a Roku Stick, but I think YoutubeTV should be available on Smart TVs, and possibly AppleTV (I'm not sure though). The bonus has been I am able to stream from my phone as well, so if I am not going to be near a TV I can still watch the game.
 

I have YouTube TV as well and use it with a Firestick. Channels depend on location. But the only sports channel that i dont get is NFL network. Otherwise on any given satruday during the season you can watch as much football as your heart desires!

and the added bonus you can watch on tablet or phone. Can basically watch the games anywhere you want
 



Really like Playstation vue but as of Saturday, they are no longer offering the service. We've already signed up for youtube TV and it works great. To be honest the guide is probably better than vue was. The only thing youtube TV doesn't have right now is the NFL Network.

The other great thing about the streaming services is the recording option. It's unlimited space. I just have mine set to record all of NCAA football and basketball so when I click on a game, it will always ask if I want to watch it live or start from the beginning.
 

It looked like Hulu had an option for $10 extra a month to be able to fast forward through commercials and go from 50 hours of cloud DVR to 200 hours. Is YouTube TV different in that it offers unlimited recording space?

also, I like the local channel lineup better on YouTube but Hulu has HBO. Decisions...

And, If I have a visitor at my house, how would they control channel changing on the TV, is there a remote?
 
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GophersInIowa said:
Really like Playstation vue but as of Saturday, they are no longer offering the service. We've already signed up for youtube TV and it works great. To be honest the guide is probably better than vue was. The only thing youtube TV doesn't have right now is the NFL Network.

The other great thing about the streaming services is the recording option. It's unlimited space. I just have mine set to record all of NCAA football and basketball so when I click on a game, it will always ask if I want to watch it live or start from the beginning.
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we were in the same boat. really liked the Vue. But agree the guide is a little easy on YouTube and you can custom it so all your favorite channels are towards the top.
 




youtube TV says up to 6 users under one account but also says only three simultaneous streams. Does that mean If I am watching in one room, my wife is watching in a different room, there is only one 'stream' left over at that moment for my two kids at college and one still at home? Will we be booting each other off of TV when we log in? And, if each of us have multiple devices and smart TV's spread through out our five people, does each device count as one of the 6 available?
 

Schnauzer said:
youtube TV says up to 6 users under one account but also says only three simultaneous streams. Does that mean If I am watching in one room, my wife is watching in a different room, there is only one 'stream' left over at that moment for my two kids at college and one still at home? Will we be booting each other off of TV when we log in? And, if each of us have multiple devices and smart TV's spread through out our five people, does each device count as one of the 6 available?
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For the 3 simultaneous streams, yes. If you and your wife are both streaming there is only 1 stream left for your 3 kids. When there are 3 streams what I believe happens is that the 3 streaming stay streaming and anyone else who joins will see a message saying that there are already 3 streams and that to watch one of the current streams must stop. I only share with 1 person though, so I've never encountered this in real life.
 

mngolf said:
I switched at start of football season to YouTubeTv. And if you use that with a roku, works great. Now only $50 per mth with no contract.
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I do the same. Plus you can set it to record legitimately every college football game being shown all in real time. Then when switching, you can jump into from the start or where you left off. Let's you watch multiple games in their fullness in as close to real time as I've found. Really liked youtube TV. Also think the TV package is overall pretty good and the sharing of the account is super easy
 



And it also offers a "just the highlights " version of the game to watch off dvr.
 

I use Hulu Live which works pretty well

Just realize all streaming has a slight delay, so if you have score update, follow on twitter, or have friends that text you, big moments could get ruined
 

Went from cable —> DirectTV —>PlayStation Vue —> YouTube TV. We use Roku Ultra boxes.

After roughly 15 months of exlusively streaming live tv overall I’d say I’m satisfied due to the excellent YouTube Tv DVR (unlimited capacity and perfect functionality). Also love associated apps Philo, Youtube, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Disney+.

The negative which can occasionally be irritating is you are subject to more frequent hardware and/or software glitches and slowdowns. YouTube TV has been light years better than PS Vue as far as picture quality which seems to be due to a different software algorithm and perhaps hardware throughput or capacity. However, during national broadcasts of big games I did notice some transient picture degradation even with YouTube TV which was disappointing. This may be a local or regional issue...this worsened after the PSVue customers were rolled over onto YouTube tv so I suspect its a capacity problem which may be fixed down the road.

There are also the occasional necessary router and/or modem hard resets but that’s nothing new. It might be more confusing for someone in that elderly strata. In that regard Directv satellite tech was bulletproof over many years. YMMV.

Finally, the Roku Ultras are great, remote is EXCELLENT but these boxes also occasionally need a reboot in our experience. We had a Roku Stick in the guest bedroom (upgraded it recently) which tended to overheat due to lack of a heat sink which would lead to speed and connectivity issues.

Usually no issue at all watching games except for the biggest national games. We’re sticking with streaming. I do think the price differential will eventually shrink to nothing and even reverse simply due to who owns the products...
 
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Schnauzer said:
It looked like Hulu had an option for $10 extra a month to be able to fast forward through commercials and go from 50 hours of cloud DVR to 200 hours. Is YouTube TV different in that it offers unlimited recording space?

also, I like the local channel lineup better on YouTube but Hulu has HBO. Decisions...

And, If I have a visitor at my house, how would they control channel changing on the TV, is there a remote?
Click to expand...


I have a smart TV and operate Hulu Live through my regular remote. If you use Roku or something, you'd use the remote for the Roku
 

Taji34 said:
For the 3 simultaneous streams, yes. If you and your wife are both streaming there is only 1 stream left for your 3 kids. When there are 3 streams what I believe happens is that the 3 streaming stay streaming and anyone else who joins will see a message saying that there are already 3 streams and that to watch one of the current streams must stop. I only share with 1 person though, so I've never encountered this in real life.
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Question for you. Does the user have their own profile so they only see the things they want to DVR? Or does everyone see the same thing?
 

GophersInIowa said:
Question for you. Does the user have their own profile so they only see the things they want to DVR? Or does everyone see the same thing?
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Shared YouTube TV memberships & family groups
Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other people.
How family groups work on YouTube TV
  • If you've purchased a YouTube TV membership, you can create a family group to share your membership with up to 5 people at no additional cost. When you create a family group, you become the family manager.
  • As the family manager, you can invite family members (13 or older) to join your family group.
  • As a family group member, you can build your own personal library of content in YouTube TV. Your viewing preferences and DVR are all your own—we won't share your library or watch history with your family group.
  • Sharing YouTube TV as part of a family group also lets you share other Google services with the same people. Learn more about family groups on Google.

Create & manage a shared YouTube TV membership, or family group - YouTube TV Help

Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other members at no extra cost. How family groups work on YouTube TV If you purchase a YouTube TV members
support.google.com
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Shared YouTube TV memberships & family groups
Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other people.
How family groups work on YouTube TV
  • If you've purchased a YouTube TV membership, you can create a family group to share your membership with up to 5 people at no additional cost. When you create a family group, you become the family manager.
  • As the family manager, you can invite family members (13 or older) to join your family group.
  • As a family group member, you can build your own personal library of content in YouTube TV. Your viewing preferences and DVR are all your own—we won't share your library or watch history with your family group.
  • Sharing YouTube TV as part of a family group also lets you share other Google services with the same people. Learn more about family groups on Google.

Create & manage a shared YouTube TV membership, or family group - YouTube TV Help

Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other members at no extra cost. How family groups work on YouTube TV If you purchase a YouTube TV members
support.google.com
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 


upnorthkid said:
I do the same. Plus you can set it to record legitimately every college football game being shown all in real time. Then when switching, you can jump into from the start or where you left off. Let's you watch multiple games in their fullness in as close to real time as I've found. Really liked youtube TV. Also think the TV package is overall pretty good and the sharing of the account is super easy
Click to expand...
Nice...although I might never leave the couch on any given Fall weekend. ;)
 

salzie said:
I use Hulu Live which works pretty well

Just realize all streaming has a slight delay, so if you have score update, follow on twitter, or have friends that text you, big moments could get ruined
Click to expand...
I tried the free week a few weeks back. I couldn't even watch a quarter. It appeared blurry with the speed of the game. Is that an internet problem? Do I not have a robust enough internet?
 


Who really likes a 50"+ TV that they would recommend?
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Who really likes a 50"+ TV that they would recommend?
Click to expand...

Honestly most TVs are pretty great and cheap these days, it's hard to go wrong.

The real questions are about how many inputs you want, or how you're going to use it (are you going to use any of those smart TV features (i suggest not)), and so forth.


Granted can you see the difference between the 2k super fancy TV in the store, yeah, will you notice at home? Probably not....
 

Went from PSVue to Hulu Live. I've been very pleased so far.
PSVue was great at first, but even before they canned it, the service and cost got continuously worse.

I specifically wanted to find a service with FSN for Wild games, and I know there's been some issues with some of the providers and the Fox regional sports networks.
 

In Colorado, YouTube TV, from Google, is best here..cheap and lots of sports
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Shared YouTube TV memberships & family groups
Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other people.
How family groups work on YouTube TV
  • If you've purchased a YouTube TV membership, you can create a family group to share your membership with up to 5 people at no additional cost. When you create a family group, you become the family manager.
  • As the family manager, you can invite family members (13 or older) to join your family group.
  • As a family group member, you can build your own personal library of content in YouTube TV. Your viewing preferences and DVR are all your own—we won't share your library or watch history with your family group.
  • Sharing YouTube TV as part of a family group also lets you share other Google services with the same people. Learn more about family groups on Google.

Create & manage a shared YouTube TV membership, or family group - YouTube TV Help

Create a family group to share YouTube TV—and other Google apps and services—with up to 5 other members at no extra cost. How family groups work on YouTube TV If you purchase a YouTube TV members
support.google.com
Click to expand...

I've heard that Youtube TV is the way to go. And this sounds like an awfully cool service based upon the shared family groups.
 

I use Hulu Live. I honestly didn't know you could spend more to fast forward through DVR'd commercials. It does get pretty annoying to not be able to fast forward...

Otherwise, I like the service. Pretty much all sports channels, except NFL and MLB and PAC 12 network. We use a Roku (not the stick, but the box). I like that you can set your favorite teams and it'll automatically DVR all the games by that team. There have been a couple times this season I forgot the basketball team was playing, and later I realize there was a game waiting for me to watch.

Sling is pretty much a non-starter, as they don't have Big Ten Network.

We ended up going with Hulu, because you also get the Hulu streaming service as part of it. So we used that to justify cancelling Netflix and saving some money.
 

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