With packages offered at multiple price points, DirecTV Now has streaming options for TV viewers at any budget. If you’ve picked a DirecTV Now package that fits your needs, you may be wondering how to get the most value out of it. If that’s the case, read on to see how to get the most bang for your buck with DirecTV Now.
[See: 10 Steps to Cut the Cable Cord.]
Add on premium channels. Like most streaming services, DirecTV Now offers access to several premium channels at an extra cost. Unlike most other livestreaming services, however, with DirecTV Now, these add-ons come cheap. Where an HBO add-on typically will run you around $15 per month, with DirecTV Now, it’s just $5. That price gives you access to the core HBO offerings (HBO Go, HBO East, HBO Family East and HBO Latino), plus a solid library of on-demand titles. Cinemax, which typically costs around $10, is just $5 as well, which includes Max Go, Cinemax East and another on-demand library. You can also add on Showtime and Starz, both at $8 per month, for another killer deal with this service.
[Read: The College Student’s Guide to Cheap TV.]
Catch up on what you missed. Watching content live is great, but sometimes your schedule might get too busy to allow watching everything in real time. That’s where a cloud digital video recorder comes in. DirecTV Now offers 20 hours of recording with even its most basic package. There are a few caveats with this: The content will be deleted after 30 days, and 20 hours really isn’t much. That said, if you just use the DVR to stay caught up with your favorite shows, it’s a good way to avoid falling behind. You can also pause, rewind and fast-forward with the DVR, so you can easily skip around in your content and replay highlights. And even when you’re watching live TV, you can pause for up to 70 seconds, which is perfect for grabbing a snack.
If you’re just a few minutes late to a program currently airing, you can use DirecTV Now’s Restart feature to start the show from the beginning. Right now, this feature is available on more than 60 channels, including TNT, History and the HBO channels.
DirecTV Now has one more way to catch up on anything you miss. A feature called 72 Hour Lookback lets you watch content that aired within the last three days, even if you didn’t choose to record it. It doesn’t work with every show, but currently around 40 networks are part of the program, including HGTV, MTV and Food Network.
[Read: Cord-Cutters, Use Free Trials to Save Money and Discover Streaming Services.]
Watch on multiple screens. If your household has diverse tastes in TV, having the option of multiple streams can save frugal cord-cutting families from fighting over the remote. Even the most basic package of DirecTV Now will let you watch on up to two devices at once, and you can also upgrade to a third for $5 a month. These are pretty average offerings for most streaming services, but if you start taking advantage of this capability, it can add more value to your streaming experience.
Browse while you watch. DirecTV Now has one of the best channel guides of any streaming service (and the most similar to what you’d get with a cable subscription). Like most guides, it shows what’s up next on each channel, but if you don’t want to lose the channel you’re on while browsing, it will keep streaming that channel in a smaller pop-up window while you navigate throughout the app. This means that if you want to check out what’s showing on other channels during commercial breaks, you can still keep tabs on whatever you’re watching, even while browsing.
Tune in on the road. DirecTV Now is compatible with a ton of streaming devices, from Chromecast to Roku. But it’s also available on most mobile devices and computers, which means you can watch it no matter where you go. As long as you have a solid internet connection, you’ll be able to watch your channels at no additional cost wherever you go in the United States. You can also use your login credentials to access network-specific apps. This will keep your whole family happy on your next road trip.
With lots of package options and plenty of features, DirecTV Now is a solid pick for any cord-cutters looking for a suitable streaming service. DirecTV Now’s replay features and access to premium content mean you can binge-watch your favorite TV shows anytime at home and on the go without overloading your budget.
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How to Get the Most Value Out of DirecTV Now originally appeared on usnews.com
