I made the switch to YouTube TV from DirecTVNow (now AT&T NOW) in 2019 after getting fed up with DirecTV Now's streaming issues, limited DVR space and functionality, and their last price hike. On the whole, I liked YouTube TV better than DirecTV Now but switched to Sling TV after YouTube TV removed content that I watched and raised its prices beyond what I felt it was worth. It originally had a pretty good channel lineup (the only channel I watched regularly, that was not on the service was Comedy Central), included all my local channels, including the local Fox Sports channels (which were add-ons for AT&TNOW) and I had a lot less buffering issues with this. Plus you get 6 streams so you do not have to worry about logging out of it on one TV if you want to switch rooms. However, it did remove some of the Fox Sports content and some of the local content that I watched, which is why I switched after they raised their prices.
The other thing that was a plus for me (and something I wish Sling would do) is that it allows you to set up a custom channel lineup, and to set the channel order in the guide so you can put the channels you watch more often at the beginning of the guide and the things you do not watch as much at the end (or even hide them from the channel list entirely). The only drawback to that feature is that you had to do that from the online website, and could not do it in the Firestick app, or the Roku app, but your custom lineups do carry over to those apps. That is still one advantage over Sling.
The big minus to me is the DVR interface. You do get to "record" unlimited shows, but you do not get a traditional recording list. Basically, you add a show to your library and it will record that show as it airs and put the icon/graphic for the show at the top of your library saying that a new episode is available. But it does not categorize the recordings by date (meaning you cannot get a list of the shows that were recorded on a given date) or keep the list of shows recorded in alphabetical order. And, the most irritating point is that if you exit out of watching a recording you have to start all over again and find where you left off. In that way, it is kind of like stopping a blu-ray disc that loads to the main menu when you turn it back on. You can pause a show as you are watching it, and pick back up where you leave off, but if you exit out of the recording and watch a new show, take a break, etc., then you have to fast forward through the recording to find where you left off when you start it up again. Also, some shows do not actually record but get "released" which means that you still have to sit through the commercials as opposed to being able to fast-forward through them. I assume this has to do with copyright/licensing issues, but it is a minor annoyance. Hopefully, those things will be something that will get changed down the line.
Overall, you get a good channel line-up and when it was $50 it was a good deal. The app itself is free to download and you get a free 7-day trial, but after that, you had to pay at least $50, more if you choose to add other services like Showtime. And, the service had some good original series as well. But, I did not think it was worth the price hike above $50, especially when I was losing content. This is especially true when the interface was not as user-friendly as it could have been and the DVR was not user-friendly at all.
The other thing that was a plus for me (and something I wish Sling would do) is that it allows you to set up a custom channel lineup, and to set the channel order in the guide so you can put the channels you watch more often at the beginning of the guide and the things you do not watch as much at the end (or even hide them from the channel list entirely). The only drawback to that feature is that you had to do that from the online website, and could not do it in the Firestick app, or the Roku app, but your custom lineups do carry over to those apps. That is still one advantage over Sling.
The big minus to me is the DVR interface. You do get to "record" unlimited shows, but you do not get a traditional recording list. Basically, you add a show to your library and it will record that show as it airs and put the icon/graphic for the show at the top of your library saying that a new episode is available. But it does not categorize the recordings by date (meaning you cannot get a list of the shows that were recorded on a given date) or keep the list of shows recorded in alphabetical order. And, the most irritating point is that if you exit out of watching a recording you have to start all over again and find where you left off. In that way, it is kind of like stopping a blu-ray disc that loads to the main menu when you turn it back on. You can pause a show as you are watching it, and pick back up where you leave off, but if you exit out of the recording and watch a new show, take a break, etc., then you have to fast forward through the recording to find where you left off when you start it up again. Also, some shows do not actually record but get "released" which means that you still have to sit through the commercials as opposed to being able to fast-forward through them. I assume this has to do with copyright/licensing issues, but it is a minor annoyance. Hopefully, those things will be something that will get changed down the line.
Overall, you get a good channel line-up and when it was $50 it was a good deal. The app itself is free to download and you get a free 7-day trial, but after that, you had to pay at least $50, more if you choose to add other services like Showtime. And, the service had some good original series as well. But, I did not think it was worth the price hike above $50, especially when I was losing content. This is especially true when the interface was not as user-friendly as it could have been and the DVR was not user-friendly at all.
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