[lparsons21]

Since ATT TV is offering free HBO/HBO Max for the 1st year, and a $100 rebate, I signed up for it today at the Entertainment level.

I don’t have ATT’s little box yet, so some of the things I may say might change when it gets here.

Equipment -
AppleTV4K - app performance is very good. The guide is one of the nicest I’ve seen on any streaming app. And there are filters to help in guide management though a bit limited.

Audio performance is worse than some streamers, mostly because the audio level is low but also because, even with their ‘premium’ product they couldn’t bother giving 5.1 audio! That sucks!

DVR and recordings management is easy and the search function works very well. On Demand stuff seems very good though I’ve not played with it much. Seems to call another app for some of it and stay in the app for others. But the transition is smooth as silk.

FireTV Cube - performance is totally unacceptable! Pig slow for all functions. I wouldn’t recommend using the FireTV for this at all.

I’ll come back to this after the box comes in to report the good/bad/changed from apps on the AppleTV4K.

 

[Jamie]

So, AT&T TV is only stereo and does not have 5.1 surround?

 

[lparsons21]

Seems to be that way though some digging around says many channels are 5.1 on FireTV but not on AppleTV. I’ll test that in a bit though the overall performance on the FireTV is not good at all IMO.

 

[Jamie]

Hmm... it seems to be the same as Hulu-- for some reason they only provide 2-channel audio on Apple TV. So, with AT&T TV, it should be 5.1 audio when using their own box, maybe?

 

[lparsons21]

Possibly. I have confirmed that it does do 5.1 audio on at least some channels on the FireTV.

 

[lparsons21]

Oh, also noticed some lip sync issues on the AppleTV. Did some googling and it is a well reported issue with the only fix a temporary one of setting the ATV to 1080p.

Supposed ATT is well aware of this and is ‘working’ on it.

 

[raott]

So the box isn’t really needed after all?

 

[lparsons21]

So the box isn't really needed after all?

No it isn't. I signed up online today, installed the app on the ATV and away I went. Then put it on the FireTV.

While ATT wants to make a big difference between ATT TV and ATT TV Now they are just the same product at different prices, channel lineups and contract or not.

 

[techguy88]

Since ATT TV is offering free HBO/HBO Max for the 1st year, and a $100 rebate, I signed up for it today at the Entertainment level.

I don't have ATT's little box yet, so some of the things I may say might change when it gets here.

Equipment -
AppleTV4K - app performance is very good. The guide is one of the nicest I've seen on any streaming app. And there are filters to help in guide management though a bit limited.

Audio performance is worse than some streamers, mostly because the audio level is low but also because, even with their 'premium' product they couldn't bother giving 5.1 audio! That sucks!

DVR and recordings management is easy and the search function works very well. On Demand stuff seems very good though I've not played with it much. Seems to call another app for some of it and stay in the app for others. But the transition is smooth as silk.

FireTV Cube - performance is totally unacceptable! Pig slow for all functions. I wouldn't recommend using the FireTV for this at all.

I'll come back to this after the box comes in to report the good/bad/changed from apps on the AppleTV4K.

I will be interested to see how the restriction works. It is possible the limitation kicks in once you activate the AT&T TV device they send you. I didn't notice any lip sync issues with the Apple TV HD (4th Gen) with the AT&T TV app.

Your FireTV Cube performance sounds like the performance my FireTV Stick experienced to the T.

The AT&T TV device is nice and I personally preferred channels being organized by numbers rather than alphabetical. The AT&T TV channel #s are the same as D*'s.

Like I mentioned in my review and I will warn you switching between apps a lot will cause the box to crash and reload. When I was setting up Netflix, CBS All Access, Movies Anywhere, etc. I was just opening one app logging in and then moving on to the next. Doing this caused the AT&T TV device to lag and eventually reboot. Now I was using the beta box so I'm not sure if the boxes they are distributing has something different to rectify this.

No it isn't. I signed up online today, installed the app on the ATV and away I went. Then put it on the FireTV.

While ATT wants to make a big difference between ATT TV and ATT TV Now they are just the same product at different prices, channel lineups and contract or not.

Very true. I think the big difference they want to push is the AT&T TV device. They are only selling the AT&T TV device with AT&T TV even though AT&T TV Now is compatible with it.

The other big difference is how the customer interacts with the product from a customer service perspective.

• AT&T TV: You can call into a call center and speak with representatives, chat online, manage account online. You have to call to cancel the service.
• AT&T TV Now: Entirely self service, can chat with a representative if needed, no call center representatives and can cancel online without speaking to a care representative.

Also AT&T TV Now offers Entertainment - Ultimate & Optimo Mas at their regular non-promo rates but for Choice - Ultimate you don't get billed for the RSN fee. I find that odd lol.

 

[espaeth]

Oh, also noticed some lip sync issues on the AppleTV. Did some googling and it is a well reported issue with the only fix a temporary one of setting the ATV to 1080p.

Supposed ATT is well aware of this and is 'working' on it.

It's been broken since November. You have to do 4K Dolby Vision or HDR, or 1080P/SDR. 4K/SDR is broken.

The osprey box forces everything to 4K/HDR, so you're stuck with terrible choices either way.

 

[compnurd]

Curious.. Was the Fire Stick and Cube used the older generations?

 

[lparsons21]

Curious.. Was the Fire Stick and Cube used the older generations?

I didn't use a stick, just the Cube. I think it is one generation old given how long I've had it.

 

[lparsons21]

I will be interested to see how the restriction works. It is possible the limitation kicks in once you activate the AT&T TV device they send you. I didn't notice any lip sync issues with the Apple TV HD (4th Gen) with the AT&T TV app.

Your FireTV Cube performance sounds like the performance my FireTV Stick experienced to the T.

The AT&T TV device is nice and I personally preferred channels being organized by numbers rather than alphabetical. The AT&T TV channel #s are the same as D*'s.

Like I mentioned in my review and I will warn you switching between apps a lot will cause the box to crash and reload. When I was setting up Netflix, CBS All Access, Movies Anywhere, etc. I was just opening one app logging in and then moving on to the next. Doing this caused the AT&T TV device to lag and eventually reboot. Now I was using the beta box so I'm not sure if the boxes they are distributing has something different to rectify this.

As I remember it, you don't have a 4K TV. Lip sync seems to be an issue with 4K on the ATV. Mine is set to 4K/HDR and the lip sync issue isn't on everything, it is a bit random.

The Cube is working a little better this morning. Still slower than the ATV, but not as pig slow as I was getting last night. It's nice to have 5.1 audio using the Cube but the Cube's audio levels are low compared to the ATV and the ATT app is also low compared to most other apps so I have to push the volume quite a bit to get something acceptable.

I really like the DVR since I control it. That was one thing I never really liked with YouTubeTV. Too messy IMO.

Trick play on the FireTV is a bit on the irritating side since during skips you don't have thumbnail to see where in the ads you are and when the show starts again, only a time indicator. However the controls work better than on the ATV.

On the ATV it tries to show the video as you move but the app isn't strong enough to handle it well and oft times get an error about internet performance. Note that all these streaming guys try to blame your internet performance for almost all issues. It is a seemingly constant refrain I see reported in many forums.

 

[lparsons21]

Hmm... it seems to be the same as Hulu-- for some reason they only provide 2-channel audio on Apple TV. So, with AT&T TV, it should be 5.1 audio when using their own box, maybe?

Coming back to this. I have to wonder what the hell Apple is doing with audio on the ATV that is different in a way that makes doing 5.1 audio harder. As you note, Hulu doesn't do 5.1 on ATV either.

 

[lparsons21]

HD PQ is fine with the ATT app, maybe even a tiny bit crisper than YouTubeTV or some other video apps.

I have noticed some video quirks now and then. Like a jump or quick freeze, not horrible but a bit more often than I’ve seen with other apps.

In general the product works as advertised and with my plan to keep it a year and cancel because that will make my average per month cost about $57 for a good selection of the channels I’m interested in, a free year of HBO/HBO Max and the usual 3 months of free other premiums. It makes for a pretty compelling product/price combo if the channels and so forth fit you.

ATT really needs to get off their ass and work on the app though. They are peddling this as a ‘premium’ product but the app performance is just not premium at all, in fact is at minimum a bit slower for everything compared to others.

And the box is a nice idea though reading a lot about it tells me that their $120 price point if you want to buy one is a lot on the high side. They need to get Hulu, Amazon Prime and maybe a few other apps on it too. Market it as a one-size fits all box and its value rises.

And for god’s sake cut a deal with Roku! How the hell they think that ignoring the biggest selling line of streaming boxes makes any kind of marketing sense is beyond me.

 

[lparsons21]

A side note...

Just checked on eBay and found that lots of folks think their used beta ATT boxes are worth more than you can buy one from ATT! Pure nuttiness though I’m sure some idiot will come along and pay that much!

 

[jimmie57]

AT&T Just Lost Over 1 Million TV Subscribers -- And It's Going to Get Worse

AT&T (NYSE: T) reported 897,000 premium TV subscriber losses in the first quarter to go along with its loss of 138,000 over-the-top subscribers. The combined total makes it the third consecutive quarter in which AT&T's lost over 1 million video subscribers. The subscriber losses are absolutely staggering compared to its biggest competitor, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA).

Continue reading

 

[lparsons21]

There’s another thread talking about ATT’s financial/subscriber issues.

 

[techguy88]

As I remember it, you don't have a 4K TV. Lip sync seems to be an issue with 4K on the ATV. Mine is set to 4K/HDR and the lip sync issue isn't on everything, it is a bit random.

The Cube is working a little better this morning. Still slower than the ATV, but not as pig slow as I was getting last night. It's nice to have 5.1 audio using the Cube but the Cube's audio levels are low compared to the ATV and the ATT app is also low compared to most other apps so I have to push the volume quite a bit to get something acceptable.

I really like the DVR since I control it. That was one thing I never really liked with YouTubeTV. Too messy IMO.

Trick play on the FireTV is a bit on the irritating side since during skips you don't have thumbnail to see where in the ads you are and when the show starts again, only a time indicator. However the controls work better than on the ATV.

On the ATV it tries to show the video as you move but the app isn't strong enough to handle it well and oft times get an error about internet performance. Note that all these streaming guys try to blame your internet performance for almost all issues. It is a seemingly constant refrain I see reported in many forums.

Right I don't have a 4K TV and my ATV is just the regular ATV HD so that's why I didn't have any lip sync issues. However no matter what I did with the FireTV Stick the AT&T TV app was pig slow (and most other apps I used on it).

One of the benefits of the AT&T TV device you get the thumbnail to see where your at while FF through the ads. Idk why but seems the thumbnail is exclusive to the AT&T TV device.

 

[techguy88]

A side note...

Just checked on eBay and found that lots of folks think their used beta ATT boxes are worth more than you can buy one from ATT! Pure nuttiness though I'm sure some idiot will come along and pay that much!

Overall I think they are good boxes. They might be worth their MSRP if you could use them without an AT&T TV or AT&T TV Now subscription.

However I don't think the price is good in general for a box that essentially turns into a glorified Google Chromecast once you cancel the AT&T TV/TV Now service unless your committed to having either AT&T TV or AT&T TV Now for the long term.

Some of those people on eBay are pure wackos! I guess I was lucky to get the two beta Osprey boxes I did. (One was at $60 and the other was at $80)