It seems like there are new ways to watch TV everyday—without actually having to pay a cable or satellite service. Recently, we talked about ways to get free TV using an indoor antenna. Obviously, there are plenty of streaming options as well, making it difficult to know what smart TV to buy. However, if you have a PlayStation, you don’t even need a web-enabled TV; you can get all of the live TV and on-demand content you want from PlayStation Vue.
PlayStation Vue is Sony’s new cloud-based smart TV service for subscribers with the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4. Besides live TV and on-demand viewing, PlayStation Vue has a guide for searching content, a cloud DVR for 28 days of storage, and personalization by tagging favorite channels and shows.
To start, PlayStation Vue will offer a total of 85 channels, including selections from the CBS family, Discovery, Fox, the Fox News Network, Scripps Networks Interactive (HGTV, Food Network, etc.), Turner Broadcasting, Viacom (MTV, Nickelodeon, etc.), and AMC Networks.
“The TV experience needs a revolution and PlayStation Vue changes the rules by embracing how today’s viewers want to discover and enjoy content,” said Andrew House, president and global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and group executive in charge of the Network Entertainment Business. “PlayStation Vue modernizes the TV viewing experience, taking the best of live TV and on-demand content and bringing it to the PlayStation ecosystem in a way that gives control back to viewers and enables them to spend more time watching their favorite programs and less time channel surfing using outdated menus.”
Although PlayStation Vue doesn’t require a contract or a commitment, it does have a subscription fee. For $49.99 per month, you can get broadcast networks like CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as 45 popular channels such as Discovery Channel , FX, Fox News Channel, USA Network, Food Network, TNT, Nickelodeon and AMC (coming next month). The Core package is $59.99 and adds in local regional sports networks such as YES Network in New York, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, as well as additional sports and movie networks. For $69.99, you can get the Elite package, which adds in more than 25 lifestyle, music and family channels.
Currently, the PlayStation Vue smart TV service is available in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, but it will be branching out in the coming months. Sony also plans to put PlayStation Vue on the iPad and other devices in the near future.
This article was originally published on April 2, 2015 and was updated on June 9, 2015.
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