[raott]

My biggest issue with YTTV is they do not have the A&E networks, which includes History and Lifetime among others.

I mentioned in a prior post that AT&T did not have the Big 10 network, it is in fact there. The only channel I'm missing is the NFL network. I'll need to figure that one out.

OK, let's do some comparison between YouTubeTV and ATT TV.

App -
YouTubeTV's app is less problematic by far from ATT's. Never seen a crash or a screw up.
ATT
ATT's app on AppleTV works just fine though the interaction with the remote takes a little twiddling to figure out.
On the FireTV the performance is just too poor to consider using it IMO.
On ATT's box the app shines. More functionality by far. Unfortunately that's as far as it goes, other apps on the box are an issue.

Audio -
YouTubeTV - stereo only officially. But I've run across times when I know it was DD 5.1 because of the way directionality of sound happens. But it is fairly rare.
ATT - On the ATT box, 5.1 on nearly all channels. On the FireTV the same. On the AppleTV just a very few.

HDPQ - essentially the same for both services and apps IMO.

Pricing -
YouTubeTV - Essentially $50 all in though there are some relatively minor add ons.
ATT TV -
1st year pricing ranges from $49.99 to $64.99 plus RSN fees for all but the Entertainment package.
2nd year pricing nearly doubles all levels.

 

[lparsons21]

My biggest issue with YTTV is they do not have the A&E networks, which includes History and Lifetime among others.

I mentioned in a prior post that AT&T did not have the Big 10 network, it is in fact there. The only channel I'm missing is the NFL network. I'll need to figure that one out.

I'm that way about AMC and BBCA. Sports for me isn't a big deal. Give me a few national sports channels and I'm good to go. Couldn't tell you the last time I watched anything on any RSN.

 

[raott]

After playing with the Android box today, I really like it. I'll keep the service. If it was app only with the AppleTV, there is no way I would. After year one I'll have to make a decision.....it's worth the first year price, not the second year price.

I'm that way about AMC and BBCA. Sports for me isn't a big deal. Give me a few national sports channels and I'm good to go. Couldn't tell you the last time I watched anything on any RSN.

 

[mrinker]

I’m in my 3rd week of att tv. When I was using directv satellite and I hit record while watching a program it would record from the beginning of that program assuming you were on that channel the entire time. Does att tv not do this? Everytime I hit record it starts from that exact moment in time and not the beginning yet I can rewind to the beginning so it should be available to do? Is there a secret to this?

 

[techguy88]

And even with the apps you can run on it, the performance, or I should say lack of, just isn't there. App lockup's and crashes are not all that rare. This is definitely only suitable to use with the ATT streaming service.

In my experience once you get everything set up and begin to use other apps like normal the lockup and crashes become less. After I set up all my apps I still noticed app lockups and crashes happened a lot when trying to watch something outside of the AT&T TV Now service. After a week I eventually hit the red reset button, gave the box 24 hours before trying any apps and to my surprise the next time I tried CBS All Access it actually worked decently. After that point I app lockup and crashes became rare for the rest of the month I was trailing the box. YMMV but that solution worked for me.

Let me add a bit to this. This box is definitely NOT suitable as a 'one box' streaming solution! That's because ATT made the conscious decision to take both Hulu and Amazon Prime off it, both used to be there and worked from what I've read. Oddly they have Sling app on it so the BS that has been floated that they were taken off because they compete with ATT is just that, BS.

The fact Hulu and Amazon Prime Video isn't available on the AT&T TV device isn't 100% AT&T's fault. This is something Google has in place with the Android TV platform including devices using the Android TV Operator Tier.

• Platform operators (in this case AT&T with the AT&T TV device or Nvidia with the Nvidia Shield TV) can't block any app from the Google Play Store from running on their devices with the sole exception being for technical reasons. This is why you can find competing apps like YouTube TV, Sling TV, Philo, etc available to use on the AT&T TV device.
• App developers (in this case Amazon with Amazon Prime Video or AT&T with AT&T TV app) can block their apps from appearing on any Android TV / Android TV Operator Tier device for any reason if they chose to do so.
  • Netflix and Amazon like to negotiate for their apps to be available on particular platforms. This is why some Android TV devices lack one or both of these key apps when they first launch.
  • AT&T currently only allows their AT&T TV device to run the AT&T TV app even though they can release a version that works with Android TV for non-AT&T TV devices.
  • Hulu has also been known to completely remove their app from Android TV devices when any technical issues arise. Recently the Mi Box S was upgraded from Android TV 8.1 to 9.0 there were issues with the app and so Hulu just removed the device completely.
  • HBO GO, HBO Now and Max GO currently have issues running on the AT&T TV device (this would be the only logical reason they are not currently available.) These are the only apps I was unable to cast to the AT&T TV device using the built-in Chromcast feature.

So the reason Hulu & Amazon Prime Video not being available could be technical or they could be negotiating with AT&T for inclusion on the AT&T TV device or both.

However after extensive testing you can use the built-in Chromecast feature and cast programs from the Hulu & Amazon Prime Video apps to the AT&T TV device. I did this a lot with the Amazon Prime Video app when I was binge watching their original shows I was catching up on.

You can also open the AT&T TV app on any supported device (iPhones, Android phones, iPads, Android tablets, Google Chromecast browser) and cast live channels, recorded programs and on demand content to any Android TV device and it will work.

So in most cases if the app you want isn't directly available on the AT&T TV device or any Android TV device but if the app supports Goggle Chromcast or Chromcast Built-In you can just cast their content to the AT&T TV device and/or Android TV device of your choice.

I plan on ordering a TiVo Stream 4K once they are available however their website has me worried that the device won't support Hulu since it doesn't mention Hulu directly.

 

[techguy88]

I'm in my 3rd week of att tv. When I was using directv satellite and I hit record while watching a program it would record from the beginning of that program assuming you were on that channel the entire time. Does att tv not do this? Everytime I hit record it starts from that exact moment in time and not the beginning yet I can rewind to the beginning so it should be available to do? Is there a secret to this?

Not that I am aware of. I trialed that thing thoroughly and couldn't find a way to have it record the whole episode after you begin to watch it. The record button begins recording the current program from the exact moment you press record. Even if you use the restart feature then press record it will begin recording from the exact moment in the program you pressed the record button. You have to press the record button right at the beginning or plan on recording a particular show/movie to get it to record the entire program.

My biggest issue with YTTV is they do not have the A&E networks, which includes History and Lifetime among others.

I mentioned in a prior post that AT&T did not have the Big 10 network, it is in fact there. The only channel I'm missing is the NFL network. I'll need to figure that one out.

I'm that way about AMC and BBCA. Sports for me isn't a big deal. Give me a few national sports channels and I'm good to go. Couldn't tell you the last time I watched anything on any RSN.

I was about ready to say even AT&T TV Now has Big 10 Network in the $80 Max package lol. I think AT&T TV will get NFL Network back after AT&T and NFL renegotiate the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket sometime in 2021. That contract is due to end after the 2022 season and AT&T's rights for the NFL Network are included in that contract which was negotiated under old DirecTV back in 2015 and is ironclad to the satellite service. If you don't mind paying for an additional streaming service for a few months you can get Sling TV Blue for $30/mo which has NFL Network.

 

[lparsons21]

After playing with the Android box today, I really like it. I'll keep the service. If it was app only with the AppleTV, there is no way I would. After year one I'll have to make a decision.....it's worth the first year price, not the second year price.

To be fair the AppleTV's remote is very limiting in some ways and that is the issue with the ATT TV app IMO. Even using my Harmony to control the AppleTV, using the ATT TV app is just enough different to make it not fun at all. I could get used to it, but since the box works so well, why bother?

I did test using the ATT TV app on an Android phone and casting it to the big screen, works well enough. My son will use it that way as he is tech challenged and uses casting whenever possible.

The Harmony Elite remote, and I would assume other Harmony's, works quite well with the ATT Box. Buttons well defined and in my case, with the media setup I have, works better than the ATT remote. It seems that the ATT remote which is rf or Bluetooth for operating the ATT Box is also sending out some IR for each button. So that means it switches some things around in my media center that are really irritating. Like turning off the soundbar when turning on the ATT Box. With the Harmony remote that doesn't happen.

 

[lparsons21]

Let’s come back to audio a bit.

On the FireTV 5.1 is there for the channels that have it, that isn’t all of them but it is a fair number.

On the AppleTV it isn’t there, or at least I can’t firmly confirm which channels it is there on.

On the ATT Box, similar to the FireTV. If the channel has 5.1 from ATT then it is there.

Now the issue I’m running into and this isn’t really ATT’s fault. The ATT Box provides DD+ for the 5.1 channels. That’s problematic for my high end soundbar. It handles it, but not in a really good way. Very boomy and bass strong as well a front speaker emphasis. If I make some adjustments to make that better then other boxes don’t sound as good since the adjustments are universal and not by soundbar input.

I had thought that connecting the ATT box to the TV and using optical back to the soundbar was the solution, but thorough testing has shown that optical on my TV doesn’t really like DD+ much so it passes stereo back to the soundbar and then the soundbar fakes the surround.

One workaround is to connect the ATT Box directly to the soundbar and turn surround on and off depending on content. While that works fine, it is a bit of a PITA! Another workaround is to use the AppleTV for those channels/shows that don’t have 5.1 anyway and just switch to the ATT box for those that do have it. With my setup that’s actually fairly easy to do.

The oddity I noticed is that on the ATT box the audio can select either stereo only or surround. But it says that surround will be there when it is in the source. Unfortunately when it isn’t it still tells the soundbar it is outputting DD+, similar to the way the FireTV does their audio.

Sigh...

I suppose I could break down and just replace the soundbar system. I would really be more interested in doing that if I could do an AVR with discrete speakers, but alas, the design of my house just sucks for that!

 

[lparsons21]

BTW, whatever ATT’s DD+ is sending to the soundbar on channels that aren’t 5.1 is a hell of a lot richer and better than what others are doing IMO.

 

[lparsons21]

Well, cancelled YouTubeTV yesterday and access will drop off soon. I’ve got to give Google credit, YouTubeTV is great in lots of ways. Even if I find their method of doing DVR/VOD a bit messy, it does have certain advantages.

For all its warts in how it is marketed and priced, ATT TV’s performance and UI are among the best of the live streamers. It really would be the easiest for a new, less technical person to switch to if they want to cut the cord.

And while the ATT box is the best way to deal with it to get all the features, the app is no slouch on the AppleTV and other than the overall sluggishness of its performance on the FireTV, the app is good.

 

[mjwagner]

It really would be the easiest for a new, less technical person to switch to if they want to cut the cord.

...which is a good thing for AT&T since as far as I can tell that's a big part of their target market.

 

[lparsons21]

...which is a good thing for AT&T since as far as I can tell that's a big part of their target market.

While I had originally thought that ATT TV would be DOA because of the contract and ETF, it may turn out I was wrong. But in a year we'll know if it really has traction. You know when those prices double.

I looked at moving up from Entertainment to Choice. A few channels there I would like. Looked to be about $5/month higher, but it isn't because it kicks in RSN fee. For my area that means it is about $13.50 more. $8.49 in RSN fee for the privilege of not having live RSN sports... Nope, not gonna happen.

 

[raott]

A couple of other observations. I now have boxes on all three TVs. What stuck out to me was the remote setup was amazingly simple. As soon as the remote was paired, it was also able to fully control my TV (Vizio) ....including volume, input selection, power etc. I didn't have to fool with finding the correct code for the specific TV...it just worked.

I've had a couple of hiccups with the box (once each two different boxes) going black....turning off and back on (which is an immediate process) fixed the issue....still that is annoying.

Finally, I'm curious as to how "streams" are defined. I'm limited to three "steams". I'm curious to know if that includes "recordings". I suspect it does not has the recording is actually in the cloud. If that holds true, that would seem to be somewhat of an advantage over Directv, which of course has to count recordings and watching live TV the same because of limitations on tuners. One downside is there is no doubleplay, which I like to use in sports.

One last observation.....is who is this marketed at? I still wonder if that market is limited. I told my daughter (15) that I had it all set up in her room and told her it was the same as Directv but slightly different......all she cared about was whether the Apple TV was hooked up so she could watch Netflix. Those are the future customers...yet she doesn't care one iota about linear tv.

 

[techguy88]

Finally, I'm curious as to how "streams" are defined. I'm limited to three "steams". I'm curious to know if that includes "recordings". I suspect it does not has the recording is actually in the cloud. If that holds true, that would seem to be somewhat of an advantage over Directv, which of course has to count recordings and watching live TV the same because of limitations on tuners. One downside is there is no doubleplay, which I like to use in sports.

This applies to both AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now. A stream on is anything you are watching through the AT&T TV app. This includes live TV, on demand and recorded shows (in any combination). You can record as many shows at the same exact time as you want and this doesn't count as a stream but the moment you begin to watch a recording that is now a stream.

If you view anything from the TV Everywhere apps (i.e. HBO Go, WatchESPN) do not count against your three simultaneous stream limit.

Those who are using the AT&T TV device if you are using another app such as Netflix, Spotify or using the built-in Chromecast feature to watch something from Hulu or Amazon Prime Video that does not count towards your three simultaneous stream limit.

One last observation.....is who is this marketed at? I still wonder if that market is limited. I told my daughter (15) that I had it all set up in her room and told her it was the same as Directv but slightly different......all she cared about was whether the Apple TV was hooked up so she could watch Netflix. Those are the future customers...yet she doesn't care one iota about linear tv.

Pretty much AT&T TV w/AT&T TV device is marketed to consumers and households who want a traditional live TV provider but with modern features like taking the service everywhere (not like DirecTV's mobile DVR but have the same experience in and out of home), ability to use other apps (i.e. Netflix, Spotify), voice remote, etc. Mainly it is to target those who would chose Comcast for its X1 platform or Dish for its Hopper platform. This is why the marketing is putting heavy emphasis on what the AT&T TV device can do. They are probably hoping your daughter realizes she can watch Netflix on the AT&T TV device instead of the Apple TV. It's secondary marketing tactic is built around those who don't want/can't get DirecTV because of the satellite dish.

Also for future customers like your daughter they have a product for her called HBO Max.

 

[lparsons21]

Yeah, ATT TV is what ATT wants everyone to switch to. It is sales structure, support, contracts and other things are all done similarly to what cable/sat has been doing for years. That’s the reason for the box too, to make the shift from getting TV via internet as much like it was from cable/sat as possible. From ATT’s point of view it is a positive change, mostly because it reduces their costs. From the consumer’s point of view it is just more of the same cable/sat stuff they’ve been peddling.

ATT TV Now is what is supposed to compete with YouTubeTV, Hulu+Live and some others, and it did when DirecTV brought it out. But since then ATT dropped quite a few channels and upped the price. That means it is not a very good competitor to YouTubeTV or Hulu+Live. It is the ATT streaming service that is dropping subscribers like flies!

Whether ATT TV will be successful going forward is a big question. But that question won’t really be answered for about a year when the promo prices drop off and the subscriptions almost double in price.

Now let’s talk the tech a bit...

The ATT Box you see in the ads is actually not bad for using the ATT TV service, in fact it is the best for that. What it isn’t good at is running the other apps on it, switching apps can and does cause the box to crash more often than it should. And the features of the apps are somewhat limited. For instance, Netflix on the ATT box will support 4K video if the show is presented that way, it won’t support Atmos audio because the box doesn’t. Similar limitations on other apps. And the box is missing 2 key streaming apps which make it not so good as the ‘one box’, notable Hulu and Amazon Prime. Regardless of the reason, it is a big limitation.

The ATT app is a mixed bag.
On the AppleTV the performance of the app is faster and smoother than on the ATT Box itself. But there are lip sync issues and the AppleTV Remote isn’t the slickest when operating the app.

On the FireTV the app is a total slug! Video glitches are common, app stability is not good and crashing the app happens more often than it should.

On the Roku devices, the biggest selling line of streaming boxes, the ATT App is a no show, nor is the app available on other AndroidTV boxes and neither of the gaming consoles. That leaves out many smart TVs too, no app for them either.

I’m sure from ATT’s perspective, they want everyone using the box and not the app, hence the rather poorly performing app. From my perspective that’s a mistake on ATT’s part. The app needs serious work done and neither ATT nor DirecTV programmers are noted for doing great apps or software IMO. I’ve read in other forums that ATT is well aware of the issues and is working on it and that a fix will come ‘soon’, but with the history of the use of that word, that means anytime from now to the 12th of never!

 

[b4pjoe]

On the AT&T website when you look at the fine print it says "with eligible wireless" for prices listed. Does that mean you have to have an AT&T wireless plan to get those prices? Further down it also states "Eligible Wireless for $10-per-month bundle discount". Kind of confusing the way they word that.

 

[lparsons21]

There’s a couple of things going on for new signups.

1st the rebate varies by what you sign up for. TV only $100, TV+Internet $300 (last time I looked)

And the first year price reduction is similar. You get a price with TV only and a lower price when you bundle with internet.

Edit : I signed up about a week ago and pay $49.99 for Entertainment and I’m TV only as ATT internet isn’t available here.

 

[b4pjoe]

Just wondering why it says "1-year AT&T TV package with eligible wireless"? to me it looks like it is saying that for the prices listed below it has to have an AT&T cell phone plan to get those prices. If that isn't the case why does it say "with eligible wireless"?

 

[techguy88]

On the AT&T website when you look at the fine print it says "with eligible wireless" for prices listed. Does that mean you have to have an AT&T wireless plan to get those prices? Further down it also states "Eligible Wireless for $10-per-month bundle discount". Kind of confusing the way they word that.

View attachment 30526

All they did was change the $10 off for 12 month bundle discount from Internet only to Internet or Wireless. A bit further in the fine print says "Eligible Wireless for $10 per month" The prices you see for the first year (i.e. Entertainment $49.99/mo) is the non-bundled intro rate. If you sign in with your wireless account all those prices drop by $10. So if you have Wireless (or are eligible for their Internet service) Entertainment becomes $39.99/mo for 12 months. The wording of the fine print is confusing as hell (pardon my French.)

This is what a potential customer would see without Internet or Wireless:

And this is what a potential customer would see if they are signed in with their existing Wireless or Internet account or is ordering new Internet service + AT&T TV.

 

[B. Shoe]

For all its warts in how it is marketed and priced, ATT TV's performance and UI are among the best of the live streamers. It really would be the easiest for a new, less technical person to switch to if they want to cut the cord.

From what I've read on these forums, along with some product reviews and videos, there appears to be a lot to like about the service itself (DD audio availability, overall channel selection, and familiar DVR functionality in relation to linear services.) That all seems to be a win.

I just can't get past the service contract and bill increase from year one to year two. It also feels weird to be in the AT&T ecosystem and not have immediate access into NFL Sunday Ticket. But everyone's financial picture and situation is different, and I'm here to learn more about comparing the services against each other. So for those that are using it and enjoying it, I am glad you're on the streaming side. Less wires, less mess, and no dish on your property. Streaming life is the good life.