Cutting the Cord: Sony's new PlayStation Vue service
Sony has entered the cord cutting game with its new streaming TV service PlayStation Vue.
For now, only PlayStation 4 and PS3 owners in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia can sign up for the monthly service, which starts at about $50 per month.
But Sony does plan to expand into new cities later this year. This past week, they let me test-drive the service from my Washington, D.C., area home.
On its face, PlayStation Vue answers some cord-cutting prayers that even Sling TV, which went live last month, does not. For starters, it has more channels — more than 50 in the entry-level package and more than 85 in the $69.95 monthly package.
And for those who can't use an antenna — or don't want to use one — to get local TV signals, PlayStation Vue has live broadcasts from local affiliates for CBS, Fox, NBC and Telemundo. The New York area feed of PS Vue I explored actually had two Fox affiliates.
An obvious shortcoming: content from Disney including ABC, ESPN and Disney channels.
Among the other channels onboard: Comedy Central, CNBC, Discovery Channel, FX, Fox Business and Fox News Channel, USA Network, Food Network, Nickelodeon, TBS and USA. AMC, IFC and Sundance are among new channels coming next month.
At the next-highest monthly price level ($59.99), Vue has regional sports networks, something fans of local sports teams have been unable to get on Net TV offerings so far. The $69.99 monthly package tosses more than 25 additional channels including in Fox College Sports networks and the FXM movie channel and Palladia.
Like Sling TV, there's no contract and there's no new equipment needed, you just download it as an app. For now, Sling TV cuts a larger swath in that it's available nationwide on more devices including computers, Amazon Fire, Roku and Xbox One. Sony says PlayStation Vue will soon be available on iPad and other devices.
Vue's functionality rivals that of Sling TV, too. An all-inclusive guide shows you everything available to watch. You can customize a Favorite Channels menu by tapping the R1 button on the PlayStation controller. Programming can be explored by type, genre, length and age rating. And the system recommends programs by what's most popular right now.
Live TV can be paused, fast-forwarded and reversed. You can tag a favorite show and its episodes will be stored in the cloud for four weeks. And you can also record individual programs — I recorded Marvel's The Avengers — that can be found in My Shows.
The past three days of live programs remain available to watch just in case you missed something. And many networks including CBS and NBC have a library of on-demand programs, too. Overall, there's more than 15,000 hours of on-demand content available.
Video quality is very good (my PS4 was connected via Ethernet to a Verizon FiOS router with speeds up to 75 Megabits per second).
The service might appeal to homes with multiple PlayStation owners because up to three people can watch different Vue content simultaneously on one account.
But there's some obvious shortcomings. The $50-$70 price ranges approaches that of some current pay-TV packages. And considering that Vue doesn't have ESPN, many consumers might have to subscribe to Sling TV, too. Add that $20 monthly bill, along with either an Amazon or Netflix subscription, and the entire cost-cutting reason for dropping traditional pay-TV service fades away.
The good news for current and potential cord-cutters is that the number of online video choices is increasing. Those that best address consumer desires — or evolve to do so — will survive.
"Cutting the Cord" is a regular column covering Net TV and ways to get it. If you have suggestions or questions, contact Mike Snider via e-mail at msnider@usatoday.com. And follow him on Twitter: @MikeSnider.