DirecTV Now only $10 a month if you are a wireless customer.

[IcEWoLF]

Its a pretty good value, they just need to offer some type of cloud DVR option and improve their picture quality, I hear their PQ now has been scaled back to 540p?

 

[SpaethCo]

I hear their PQ now has been scaled back to 540p?

Resolution was limited on some of the FireTV devices (maybe just the stick) due to codec limitations. The AppleTV always pulled the 720p feeds, although the frame rate was scaled back to 30fps for a few weeks earlier this year.

I don't have the service anymore, but if I pull a stream manifest from my local Akamai CDN node I'm still seeing the 720p streams being offered.

#EXTM3U
#EXT-X-VERSION:4
#EXT-X-INDEPENDENT-SEGMENTS
#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=AUDIO,GROUP-ID="audio",NAME="eng",DEFAULT=YES,AUTOSELECT=YES,LANGUAGE="eng",URI="09.m3u8"
#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=SUBTITLES,GROUP-ID="subs",NAME="caption_1",DEFAULT=NO,AUTOSELECT=YES,LANGUAGE="ENG",URI="110.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=1142837,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=640x360,FRAME-RATE=29.970,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
03.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=35713,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=640x360,URI="03-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=564022,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=480x270,FRAME-RATE=29.970,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
01.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=17625,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=480x270,URI="01-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=828142,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=640x360,FRAME-RATE=29.970,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
02.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=25879,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=640x360,URI="02-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=1727272,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=768x432,FRAME-RATE=29.970,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
04.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=53977,CODECS="avc1.4D401E",RESOLUTION=768x432,URI="04-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2676132,CODECS="avc1.4D4020",RESOLUTION=960x540,FRAME-RATE=59.940,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
05.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=83629,CODECS="avc1.4D4020",RESOLUTION=960x540,URI="05-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=3800045,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,FRAME-RATE=59.940,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
06.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=118751,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,URI="06-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=5261132,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,FRAME-RATE=59.940,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
07.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=164410,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,URI="07-iframe.m3u8"
#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=6947002,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,FRAME-RATE=59.940,AUDIO="audio",SUBTITLES="subs"
08.m3u8
#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=217093,CODECS="avc1.4D4028",RESOLUTION=1280x720,URI="08-iframe.m3u8"

The distribution and control files are all unencrypted HTTP, but the streams themselves are AES encrypted. That was part of the problem with the streams freezing a few months back; they were (still are?) using Azure cloud servers to distribute the shared keys to clients after authentication, and it appears they weren't able to keep up with pushing updated keys out to all of the clients when they were rotated for each of the streams.

 

[Photog_7]

Its a pretty good value, they just need to offer some type of cloud DVR option and improve their picture quality, I hear their PQ now has been scaled back to 540p?

If only getting a DVR was that easy! I'm a long-time Dish fan (20 years), but I've also had DTVN since before Christmas. Picture quality on DTVN is fine, and the channel selection is outstanding, but watching 20 minutes of commercials per hour gets old in a hurry, and having to watch whatever is on at the moment is pretty awful too. In the last six months, they have not been able to fix the features they originally promised us, let alone announce a DVR feature. Also, reading their support forums one could get the idea that if and when they ever introduce a DVR, it will probably cost extra money and still not allow you to fast forward through commercials. I have waited patiently for a sign that they were actually working on fixing their problems, but I think this may be the month I finally drop DTVN. That said, if you already have AT&T wireless, at only $10 a month, it's a terrific bargain!

 

[JTBenson]

If only getting a DVR was that easy! I'm a long-time Dish fan (20 years), but I've also had DTVN since before Christmas. Picture quality on DTVN is fine, and the channel selection is outstanding, but watching 20 minutes of commercials per hour gets old in a hurry, and having to watch whatever is on at the moment is pretty awful too. In the last six months, they have not been able to fix the features they originally promised us, let alone announce a DVR feature. Also, reading their support forums one could get the idea that if and when they ever introduce a DVR, it will probably cost extra money and still not allow you to fast forward through commercials. I have waited patiently for a sign that they were actually working on fixing their problems, but I think this may be the month I finally drop DTVN. That said, if you already have AT&T wireless, at only $10 a month, it's a terrific bargain!

I have DTVN also. It is my live TV option. But with the money I am saving, I bought CBS All Access and Hulu NO COMMERCIAL options. I also have Netflix. I watch a lot fewer commercials than I did with the hopper. I doubt I would use the DVR functionality that much. I also use the login for many of the apps. The only complaint I have is that Turner channels don't have a log in for their apps.

 

[camo]

Not worse than DTVN but I tried the CBS all access also it was running at 30fps, the resolution low between 720&540 with strangled available bandwidth. Its more for tablets and phones can't image using it on my big screen.

 

[JTBenson]

Not worse than DTVN but I tried the CBS all access also it was running at 30fps, the resolution low between 720&540 with strangled available bandwidth. Its more for tablets and phones can't image using it on my big screen.

I have had no problem with resolution on CBS all access. I have never seen anything below HD quality.

 

[BigRyan]

They need an app for Roku, that would actually work out quite well. Can you get this service if you are already a DTV and AT@T customer both, so we could try it out?

 

[Photog_7]

They need an app for Roku, that would actually work out quite well. Can you get this service if you are already a DTV and AT@T customer both, so we could try it out?

Anyone can get DTVN. You don't need to have any other subscriptions to anything in order to try it out. The thing is, if you do happen to have an AT&T cell phone with the unlimited plan, DTVN is offering a reduced price, and I believe they ignore any bandwidth used to watch DTVN programs on your cell phone.

 

[IcEWoLF]

Anyone can get DTVN. You don't need to have any other subscriptions to anything in order to try it out. The thing is, if you do happen to have an AT&T cell phone with the unlimited plan, DTVN is offering a reduced price, and I believe they ignore any bandwidth used to watch DTVN programs on your cell phone.

The thing is, you can only receive the $25 discount for one of the services, not both. You can specify which service you would want to get the $25 discount applied to.