What the Tech? Sony Playstation VUE Review
This year as many as 4 million Americans may cut the cable or satellite cord to save money. They may be in for a big surprise, streaming content from one of the many services such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu or PS Vue is much different than what they’ve been using for decades.
These streaming services are all different in how they appear on your screen and, for the most part, how much they cost per month. I’m trying all of the major streaming players available now to show both the good and bad and what consumers can expect.
For the past month I’ve been using Sony’s PlayStation Vue. Here’s what I’ve found: Sony’s PS Vue is one of the most misunderstood streaming services because of the name.
Most people believe you have to have a PlayStation gaming console but you can watch PS Vue using an Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, Apple TV or most any smart television. You can also watch on smartphones and tablets and a computer.
PS Vue has a very competitive lineup of stations. Local channels plus ESPN, Fox Sports channels, all the popular cable news networks, superstations and Disney channels with its $55 Core package.
That also includes Cloud DVR which keeps recorded shows for 28 days. One big bonus is PS Vue allows for 5 simultaneous streams, that’s important for a house full of TVs and kids and more than other streaming services. You can set up each person with their own account so they can set their favorite channels and find them quickly.
On screen the menu lays out channels and shows so it’s easy to see what’s on and what’s next. Some shows lack a description though. While flipping (scrolling) across the menu, sporting events did not always show the teams playing. MLB Network’s lineup only showed “Regional Action”.
Like other streaming services, PS Vue isn’t as snappy as cable or satellite. Changing channels takes a second longer and there’s a long delay watching live TV. For example, watching a ballgame it’s 30-40 seconds behind the action on cable or satellite.
Video quality is good, but even on high-speed fiber internet and a TV with high refresh rate, the picture is a little choppy.
It has a few more channels than YouTube TV which is 5 dollars less. It also offers quite a bit of on-demand movies. It does not have Comedy, Lifetime, History or A&E but does have Disney and NFL Network.
Is it the best? That depends on what you’re looking for but its certainly in the game and don’t forget to see all of the channels offered by these streaming services, you should check out my blog, whatthetech.tv
