How to watch the Illini

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#26      
YouTube TV is good functionally, but if you take advantage of a "special offer", I suggest you take and keep a screenshot of the confirmation. Otherwise, you too may get treatment like;

I'm going with Hulu this year.
I thought Hulu had very poor streaming quality. And the TV guide is bad

I use PSVue
 
#28      

foby

Bonnaroo Land
I believe that on both Youtube tv and Hulu tv, that you can record the games to watch later. Just a tip for those who might not think of it.

Youtube seems to always run a special (either one or two free weeks generally). When you go to Youtube and find the tv in the menu, you'll see the details.

Hulu might also run a special. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you have to sign up for one of their regular plans first and add the tv on later. Together it adds up to about the same total as the Youtube tv. If you or someone you know has Swagbucks, then you can sign up through the offer there and get 35 bucks back on the Swagbucks account.
 
#29      
I thought Hulu had very poor streaming quality. And the TV guide is bad

I use PSVue
Vue is definitely worth checking out with free trial offer, imho. I had PSVue (no playstation console is necessary) for two years and liked it. I switched to YTTV almost a year ago and like it better. Both are very good for my excessive sports viewing. When I left U-verse (AT&T), the cable portion of my bill was $117 and change per month. Vue was $35 when I started and I now pay $56 for YTTV, ESPN+, and Curiosity Stream. I am not a fan of cable tv. Also, I found r/cordcutters sub-Reddit to be helpful when I made the move.
 
#30      
For you streamers, do you get all the games that the cable folks get? I think our games are on BTN, ESPN, and the big networks... Plus the "extortion " games on btn+
 
#31      

unimaroon

Baja Ontario
For you streamers, do you get all the games that the cable folks get? I think our games are on BTN, ESPN, and the big networks... Plus the "extortion " games on btn+
Short answer, "YES". Make a list of the channels you want. Compare your list to the channels offered by the live streaming service (vue, hulu, sling, yttv, fubo, & directtv), pick the best ones for your requirements and try the free trial period. In my experience, psvue and yttv have been the best for sports. Note that not all services have the four national networks in every area, though yttv does. Good luck, it's definitely worth the effort.
 
#32      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
I thought Hulu had very poor streaming quality. And the TV guide is bad

I use PSVue

I've been using Hulu for over a year now and the TV guide is really bad.....hard to use and hangs up all the time...they did a software update recently and I have had numerous crashes where it goes back to the Roku home menu and have to log in again to resume watching...It happens on sports shows mainly and the main reason I am still with them is they will give 2-3 weeks credit when I call in...Their customer support is great but I am looking for a new streaming source....
I pay $ 50 for Hulu live plus $ 8.99 for Starz so I will be looking for comparable pricing elsewhere....
 
#33      

illinifan4249

Space Coast, FL
I recently moved out of B1G country and as a result of exorbinant fees charged by the cable service where I moved to get BTN we decided to cut the cord. Based on what we watched and prices we decided to go with Youtube TV (best selection of channels for the price) and Philo TV (gets us A&E, history, hallmark, and some other channels) We are less than a week into it but so far so good.
 
#34      
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#35      

sbillini

st petersburg, fl
The nice thing about the steaming services is the ability to switch instantaneously - vs the traditional cable providers. Hopefully that keeps them competitive in price and content. YouTubeTv just had a better sports lineup when i cut the cord. But I'll always look at the changing alternatives.

In my opinion, YouTubeTV is a better alternative than traditional cable, but has some of its own flaws. Ultimately I thought it was a better option than Spectrum (my cable provider in the area). I haven't tried Hulu/Sling, etc. though I evaluated all of them as options. Just went with YouTubeTV and have been generally happy with it.

Pros
  • Essentially allows linear programming (with Ads) to be watched as on-demand (mostly without ads) - as long as you don't mind not watching it live. Unlimited DVR space and a a pretty smart DVR logic (e.g. automatically extending sports recordings that go over their allotted time - e.g. overtime). So you essentially get all the linear TV major shows (ABC, CBS, etc.) on demand without having to pay for their individual subscriptions (excl. those like Netflix, of course. And have to pay extra for things like HBO).
  • Better guide interface than what's I've seen other places.
  • Can access from various locations and don't have a bulky box. I can pull up youtubetv on my mom's smart TV in another state and still get most (but not all) of the programming.
  • For me, the channel lineup was closest to what i was looking for, though that's a personal thing.
  • No contracts, can switch at any time (though most cable companies have that as well).
Cons
  • Pricing has been creeping up. They added scripps channels a few months ago (e.g. HGTV) and brought prices up to ~$50/mo. That's pretty close to what I was paying for regular cable (with a bundle).
  • Not all DVR programming is commercial free. This is something they don't mention when signing up. Their agreements with certain shows/networks forces you to watch on demand commercials (can't fast forward). It's not all of them, probably only 20-30% of stuff we watch, but it is there. Though I will say the commercials are shorter than traditional TV.
  • Customer service has been hit or miss...but still probably marginally better than the cable company.
  • They don't integrated with traditional youtube. Some level of integration would be nice (e.g. ideally would get youtube premium for free. But at least don't make me download separate apps).
 
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#36      
Been using YTTV for over a year now. Get all the sports, very happy with the service. As a neat bonus, if you spoof your GPS, you can also change the regional games you get in your lineup. So if you want to watch the Chargers play at noon on FOX while living in Chicago, no problem. Then just cast that to your big screen and you're off.

Never had a problem getting an Illinois game unless it's on BTN+.
 
#37      
In my opinion, YouTubeTV is a better alternative than traditional cable, but has some of its own flaws. Ultimately I thought it was a better option than Spectrum (my cable provider in the area). I haven't tried Hulu/Sling, etc. though I evaluated all of them as options. Just went with YouTubeTV and have been generally happy with it.

Pros
  • Essentially allows linear programming (with Ads) to be watched as on-demand (mostly without ads) - as long as you don't mind not watching it live. Unlimited DVR space and a a pretty smart DVR logic (e.g. automatically extending sports recordings that go over their allotted time - e.g. overtime). So you essentially get all the linear TV major shows (ABC, CBS, etc.) on demand without having to pay for their individual subscriptions (excl. those like Netflix, of course. And have to pay extra for things like HBO).
  • Better guide interface than what's I've seen other places.
  • Can access from various locations and don't have a bulky box. I can pull up youtubetv on my mom's smart TV in another state and still get most (but not all) of the programming.
  • For me, the channel lineup was closest to what i was looking for, though that's a personal thing.
  • No contracts, can switch at any time (though most cable companies have that as well).
Cons
  • Pricing has been creeping up. They added scripps channels a few months ago (e.g. HGTV) and brought prices up to ~$50/mo. That's pretty close to what I was paying for regular cable (with a bundle).
  • Not all DVR programming is commercial free. This is something they don't mention when signing up. Their agreements with certain shows/networks forces you to watch on demand commercials (can't fast forward). It's not all of them, probably only 20-30% of stuff we watch, but it is there. Though I will say the commercials are shorter than traditional TV.
  • Customer service has been hit or miss...but still probably marginally better than the cable company.
  • They don't integrated with traditional youtube. Some level of integration would be nice (e.g. ideally would get youtube premium for free. But at least don't make me download separate apps).

Thanks for the info
 
#38      
Been using YTTV for over a year now. Get all the sports, very happy with the service. As a neat bonus, if you spoof your GPS, you can also change the regional games you get in your lineup. So if you want to watch the Chargers play at noon on FOX while living in Chicago, no problem. Then just cast that to your big screen and you're off.

Never had a problem getting an Illinois game unless it's on BTN+.

So if I use my vpn and switch my IP address to Chicago I will be able to watch the Bears on sundays from Austin?
 
#40      
After 15 years, we abandoned Direct TV. With the NFL package the first bill of this season was going to be $228 (no movie channels, and not their highest channel package)

Going with NFL game pass in order to see all of the Bears games, although on a delayed basis.

Are there any streaming services which offer BTN, ESPNs, and the NFL Network????

TY
 
#41      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
After 15 years, we abandoned Direct TV. With the NFL package the first bill of this season was going to be $228 (no movie channels, and not their highest channel package)

Going with NFL game pass in order to see all of the Bears games, although on a delayed basis.

Are there any streaming services which offer BTN, ESPNs, and the NFL Network????

TY
YTTV was the best sports channel option when I looked. BTNs, ESPNs and then we purchased Sunday Ticket for NFL games via one of my kids being in college - student package.

Note: I haven't looked into the VPN approach to watch FB games -will have to check that out.
 
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#42      
After 15 years, we abandoned Direct TV. With the NFL package the first bill of this season was going to be $228 (no movie channels, and not their highest channel package)

Going with NFL game pass in order to see all of the Bears games, although on a delayed basis.

Are there any streaming services which offer BTN, ESPNs, and the NFL Network????

TY
ps vue (no playstation console required). My experience with them was generally positive. It's unfortunate your isp is not outside of the US. If it was, all the games would be live. C'est la vie.
 
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#43      
So if I use my vpn and switch my IP address to Chicago I will be able to watch the Bears on sundays from Austin?

At least on mobile, it's not network address that does the location it's your GPS when you start the app. So you need to spoof GPS not IP.
 
#44      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
At least on mobile, it's not network address that does the location it's your GPS when you start the app. So you need to spoof GPS not IP.

Should be able to spoof your IP address (non-mobile) and it should work.
 
#45      
Should be able to spoof your IP address (non-mobile) and it should work.

Yeah I haven't tried using the VPN at the router level. It could work, not sure how else they would identify location. I usually watch whatever on my TV and switch to cast outside-region sports to tv via phone when I want.
 
#46      
ps vue (no playstation console required). My experience with them was generally positive. It's unfortunate your isp is not outside of the US. If it was, all the games would be live. C'est la vie.

Are you familiar with ISP's outside of the US, that are fond of customers in the US? Im flexible :0
 
#47      

unimaroon

Baja Ontario
Are you familiar with ISP's outside of the US, that are fond of customers in the US? Im flexible :0
I am not very tech savy but I seem to remember something about this in some articles I have read. You could try Google for information on subject, I think it is related to international internet network security at the residence level, kind of a very personal network cloud thing or something. Good luck.
 
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#48      

Deleted member 533939

D
Guest
Does this mean we can actually watch all the basketball games this year?
 
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