Local channels missing on app

Due to contractual agreements some channels are not available on the DirecTV app when you are away from home. Originally when the Mobile DVR feature launched it would allow you to watch all the channels in your package (like locals) by connecting to your Genie via the Internet and using one of its available tuners. However they had to remove this feature for out of home viewing IIRC.

 

I don't think it was contractual but more technical since it required the Genie to stream the channel for out of home viewing. When they pulled that feature they also pulled the ability to view recordings in your playlist from your DVR you now get the on demand version which doesn't allow you to skip through commercials.

 

If you are in a city that Locast serves, you can watch your locals using that app provided you are traveling within the DMA limits. You can watch other locals on Locast if you are within the "other locals" DMA. You can download the app.

 

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It's only a disadvantage if you actually care about such things as local channel access when away from home, which many don't. They either have no need for that kind of access or are just willing to accept the current limitations and convenience of a traditional provider and are satisfied with just being able to stream "something" when away from home.

For us, when a change in AT&T policies forced us to take a good hard look at OTT, the ease and availability of streaming local channels wherever we were from both from an OTT provider such as PSV or YTTV and/or from our FireTV Recast OTA DVR at home without the need for anything like a VPN or other workarounds, paled in comparison to even the most liberal DirecTV policies both before and after AT&T took over. Now, I don't see us going back to ANY traditional provider at any price, even if that meant our paying more a month than we did with DirecTV.

 

AT&T actually removed the local channel, away from home feature. It was purposeful and deliberate about 6 mos ago IIRC. Some channels lingered for a bit but for my DMA the last one, Hearst ABC disappeared a few months ago.

Xfinity offers it to some degree. I have found no matter where I travel, any NBC show can be watched remotely. Likely due to Comcast owning NBC. And in many cases, remote viewing of DVR'd content of ABC has been remotely viewed while away from home area.

And finally, the Xfinity Stream app is crystal clear on downloaded shows. The Genie recorded shows on an iPad are about 380MB for a 1hr file. Xfinity nearly 1GB for same show. Hence much higher resolution. You can read all credits, background signage and any subtitles.