Cable has been the bane of my existence for years and with new cord-cutting streaming services hitting the market, things should be looking up.  Unfortunately, no cable competitor can deliver a compelling experience.

 

I hate cable.  But what I hate even more than cable is the word “no!” To be specific, and less creepy too, I hate the word “no” when it’s used to tell me that I can’t do something I could do elsewhere.  Let me clarify.  I’m currently writing an exposé on cord-cutting streaming alternative services and in the process I’m trying to thoroughly vet these things.  So far I’ve been greeted by services with missing channels, incomplete packages, crippled features, poor on-demand, etc.  And frankly, I’m ready to just say screw it and go back to cable.

Here’s the problem.  It’s not that these services are bad.  They are simply incomplete.  Let me give you a great example: this evening I tried to record a program using DirecTV Now’s new Cloud DVR service.  What I would expect is to be able to hit record and have the software affirm my selection.  But much to my chagrin, I was greeted with the “Looks like this show isn’t recordable, but there’s plenty of other content that is…” warning box.  This does not make me happy in the least.  Using my cable DVR, this was not a problem but on DirecTV Now?  This is an issue.  And to be fair, I doubt it’s DirecTV’s fault.  The company is probably taking commands from the content creator or the broadcast network.  But this kind of moronic restriction is anti-consumer.

And this kind of bonehead stupidity isn’t just limited to DVR recording.  Earlier this week I accidentally stumbled upon a show that was blacked out.  And it wasn’t even a sporting event.  A literal reality TV show airing on Discovery was blacked out from my viewing on DirecTV Now.  Why is this a thing?  Why are we even having this discussion in 2018?  The system is broken but, like the DVR, you can’t blame DirecTV Now.  It simply comes down to Discovery or the content creator not authorizing streaming rights.  It’s a joke.

Now let’s be fair, these streaming companies don’t make things easy either.  So far I have found that many of these cable alternatives don’t feature channels from Viacom.  Some are missing local channels.  All are missing something.  Playstation Vue (check out the full review here) doesn’t feature Viacom networks.  DirecTV Now (in an ironic twist) doesn’t feature the NFL Network.  Philo is a garbage fire unto itself.  How can these services be this incomplete and still call themselves cable alternatives?  It would be as if a cookie company made two chocolate cookie wafers, left out the cream, and called it an Oreo competitor.  It’s simply not the same.

But it’s not all bad.  Things are looking up as companies seem to be trying to take proactive steps in making their services better.  For their part, AT&T upgraded DirecTV Now with a revamped interface and DVR functionality.  Hulu is rolling out new features every day.  Innovation is moving faster on this avenue than compared to traditional wireline cable.  Just look at the amazingly refreshing and downright revolutionary interface of YouTube TV.  Again, however, YouTube TV doesn’t have Viacom.  But maybe they’ll add it soon.  For its part, Hulu is at least throwing in their catalog of On Demand content.  Even Playstation Vue seems to be focused on trying to deliver a good experience.

But while I commend them for their advancements, remember that these companies can’t seem to get their products straight.  Vue has a clunky interface, Hulu isn’t even close to amazing, DirecTV Now has the worst picture quality of all of them, and Philo is…well…Philo.  Just try to explain orange versus blue to someone not familiar with Sling TV.  Why is it that the DirecTV Now guide won’t circle back around to the beginning when you reach the end?  It’s aggravating to say the least.  It shouldn’t be this complicated to leave cable and find something better but it is.

Now to be fair, this is the infancy of this type of technology.  There is little reason to think that things will stay this way.  But the question is when will things change?  At what point do consumers push back against NBC to win the right to record certain programs? At what point do we file anti-competitive claims against sports networks that won’t allow the streaming rights to be sold?  At what point do we tell DirecTV Now to get with the program and switch compression algorithms?  Frankly, I’m not sure how to get through to these guys.  If you’re looking to cut the cord, be prepared for some ultimate sacrifices, at least by my view.  These services are absolute garbage fires that need to be put out.  Sadly, I don’t expect that to happen for a long time.