If you’re excited about AT&T TV, the live streaming TV service from AT&T, you’re probably wondering how you can combine it with your existing DIRECTV service. Wouldn’t it be nice, you’re thinking, if there were one app that let you use your DIRECTV satellite service and also your AT&T TV streaming service?
Wellllll…….
There isn’t one app that lets you use both DIRECTV content and AT&T TV content. There probably won’t be one for your phone or tablet, not ever. That’s because if you have DIRECTV satellite service, you already have all the channels and all the on-demand content that AT&T TV offers. That’s right, if you have DIRECTV satellite service then you already have all the same stuff as AT&T TV, available on the app! No need to spend any more money!
There’s no need for both
DIRECTV Satellite is designed for people who want a very rich experience, including sports programs and every premium channel imaginable. It’s also there for apartment complexes, hotels, bars, restaurants, and other businesses. It’s a great option and still has close to 20 million subscribers.
AT&T TV is designed for people who want a very live-TV-like experience but aren’t able to get cable or satellite. The pricing is pretty similar to traditional cable or satellite, but the experience is different. In fact, I might even say it’s better.
AT&T TV is completely self-installable. There’s no need for an installer or for anyone to drill even a single hole in a single wall. When you get the AT&T TV box, you connect it to the TV, you connect it to a wall outlet, and follow the on-screen instructions. You’re instructed on how to connect to Wi-Fi, how to sign in with a Google account and with your AT&T TV account, and then you’re in business.
AT&T TV has a DVR and a remote with real number buttons, just like cable or satellite. And just like streaming, it works if you have good internet speed.
What I think would be cool
Still, I think it would be cool if your streaming box could access the stuff from your DVR. Other providers do this and it’s not impossible. So far it’s not something DIRECTV and AT&T seem to want to do, but they could always change their minds. It would be nice to have a full-function DIRECTV receiver experience in a streaming box, and it would be even better if DIRECTV content were part of the “universal search” experience available on many streaming boxes.
There was a time when I felt really confident that you were going to see this kind of thing happen with DIRECTV content. From 2011 to 2019, you could use a Smart TV which had a DIRECTV client built in, and it would have been a simple hop to port that over to a streaming box experience. But the truth is that the Smart TV experience didn’t work well and was eventually discontinued. I think the underlying technology has improved and if the folks at AT&T wanted, they could build a DIRECTV experience app for a streaming box. It just seems to be that they don’t want to. If you want streaming, they’ll tell you that you want AT&T TV.
Bottom line though, if you’re a DIRECTV satellite user, you probably don’t need to worry about AT&T TV so you don’t need to worry about that separate app. If you’re not currently using either service. call the folks at Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. They’ll help you decide which service is better for you. They’ll set you up with the right choice at the right price. If it’s after East Coast business hours, fill out the form below. They’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
