What is the Only Major Network You Can't Livestream (Hint: It's the One Your Taxes Support)
I have been working on cord-cutting around the house and have been experimenting with different devices (e.g. Roku, Google, Amazon) and different streaming services (Youtube TV, DirecTV Now, and I may test Slingbox soon since it is the only one that seems to have the Redzone channel).
The boxes vary mostly in interface. We have been a Roku family for a long time so we are comfortable with it, and it is pretty straight forward. The one flaw is that there is no sharing across devices of passwords and such and so you tediously have to enter all your streaming service passwords in every device. What is worse, the Roku tends to have these fits of forgetfulness making you re-enter many or all your passwords a second or third time. I may have not understood the Google device but it seemed to require me to do everything with my cell phone nearby and actually streamed stuff from my phone. This may be fine for millenials but was stupid for my home theater where I already have a Logitech remote that is programmed to handle everything. I have not played much with the Amazon device -- if you are an Amazon family and like Alexa it may be the best solution. I did not even consider the Apple device -- I am sure it is great if you all you use is Apple walled garden service and devices but I use many other services and in general find its interface a kluge. Roku is really the one device with neutrality going for it.
I have tried several of the streaming services. I like Youtube TV and its interface a lot. DirecTV has a few more channels that I like but I like the interface less (by the way, there are several good channel coverage comparisons of the various streaming services you can google). Both services have cloud recording functions, ability to watch content both live and in replay mode, and have good coverage of all the local networks. I was hoping that Red Zone channel would come to DirecTV live as they have the satellite rights to it but apparently slingbox is the only service that is currently offering Red Zone, so I may have to try that. I need to hurry as all my free trials are running out.
The one interesting exception to all this is that there is no way to get PBS live streamed on any device from any service right now. Some local stations livestream to your browser and I think there is now a browser-based livestream of the News hour. But you can't currently watch your local PBS station live -- you can only watch selected shows in replay mode after they have aired via a separate PBS app for devices like the Roku. It is amazing to me that the progressive socialist haters of capitalism at PBS are the only network still committed to supporting the cable monopolies. The PBS website helpfully tells you that you can buy an over-the-air antenna if you want to cut the cord and watch PBS.
