Why streaming is the best way to consume the Olympics
Don't like staying confined to your couch to watch The Olympics? Or maybe you have had your fill of broadcaster gaffes during NBC's prime-time coverage of the Rio Games? There's hope.
Once again, online streaming of Olympic competition is expected to be huge. Research firm eMarketer forecasts 2.85 billion video streams of the Rio Olympics, up from 1.9 billion during the London Games in 2012.
This year, viewers have three choices for watching The Olympics online: NBC's official website and app, plus streaming services Sling TV and Sony's PlayStation Vue. Each offers great benefits, but there are some downsides to all three experiences. We spent an evening watching the Olympics on each service. Here's what it was like:
NBC
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Free, so long as you have a cable television subscription.
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
NBCOlympics.com works on any web browser. The NBC Sports app is available on multiple platforms, including Apple's iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and more.
WHY IS IT GOOD?
If NBC's prime-time broadcast is the restaurant with a limited menu, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app are the buffet.
When you first log in, you'll verify your cable TV service and log in with your credentials. Then you're off gorging on all types of Olympic competition.
Between apps on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and on a Web browser, stream quality is really good. There's a schedule briefing users on what events are happening live and what's coming soon. Sometimes, the guide doesn't update as quickly, so you may jump to a rugby match to find it has ended and the stream is on break.
When you search for an event, you can filter by sport. The mobile apps also let users set alerts for events where Team USA is currently competing, or a must-see moment selected by NBC, or when an event has reached the medal stage.
But the real reason watching the Olympics online is special: choice. Don't want to watch the high-profile stuff like swimming and gymnastics? There's handball, table tennis, badminton, judo, archery, rugby and more. Some streams have far better commentary than NBC prime time, or even no commentary at all. Can't wait for NBC to show delayed coverage of gymnastics? It's live online.
The commentary-free broadcasts can leave users confused, especially with a sport where the rules aren't clear. One judo stream discovered during viewing was great, but without anyone explaining what was happening, it was tough to follow.
NBC's prime-time TV coverage is fine if you just need a nibble of Olympics action. The true Olympics feast is through NBC's online options.
PLAYSTATION VUE
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Plans start at $29.99 a month, but users can download a 7-day free trial.
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
Through the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 video game consoles. There's also an app available for Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Chromecast.
WHY IS IT GOOD?
PlayStation Vue works as well as the WiFi connection on which it runs. It functions like a hybrid between television and free web-based streaming services from networks channels.
Viewers add their zip code so Vue can find their local channels, and it also offers additional channels for specific Olympic sports. A Vue subscription offers access to NBC's online streams as well as the NBC Sports app.
Users are able to pause and rewind the stream, just like any other service. The stream was very high quality and did not appear any different from watching on a high-definition TV.
Unlike some online computer streams, there was no buffering. Sometimes the picture froze for half a second, but not so much that it was distracting to the whole experience.
Another great Vue feature lets users watch shows that had been on TV earlier that day using the “Catch Up” feature. However, that was not available for the Olympic events because Vue streamed them all live. The regular NBC channel had this feature, but no live events.
A small point of confusion: All local channels are listed at the beginning of the guide and everything else is alphabetical. At first, I cruised right past NBC because when I opened the guide, it started with alphabetical listings.
For cord cutters, Vue is a good option for watching the Olympics.
SLING TV
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Plans start at $20 a month, but users can try the service free for 7 days.
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
Through the Sling TV app available on Android, iOS, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Windows and Xbox One. There's also an app for PCs and Macs.
WHY IS IT GOOD?
Sling TV provides a crystal clear stream of live television broadcasts. The feed stays consistently well connected, and when switching between channels, there is no lag in quality.
In the desktop app, Sling allows users to switch back and forth between channels so they can skip through commercials. While it would be nice to have a back button to easily toggle between NBC and NBC Sports, the app provides descriptions of each programming block’s coverage so there is no mystery about what sports are being broadcast. Using the desktop app also allows users to multi-task. The player can be shrunk down into a small corner of the screen without losing its full picture or quality.
The mobile app provides a great HD stream with no quality hiccups, too. Users can even stream on both the app and the desktop at the same time if they don’t want to miss two events happening at the same time.
A drawback of Sling is that users are stuck with NBC programming. Regular commercial breaks are expected, and there is no way to find other, more obscure sports taking place during primetime coverage. Sling also lags behind the live action noticeably, meaning you may get a push notification from another app that Michael Phelps won gold again in the middle of your stream of his race.
The streaming service costs $25 for its Sling Blue package that includes NBC in 10 markets (Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Hartford, Conn.; Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego and Washington) as well as NBC Sports, Bravo and other channels providing Olympic coverage.
Overall, Sling is a high quality way to stream live TV and easily navigate between channels in order to catch some of the best action in Rio.