Manage updates with the Download AppPlayOn User Reviews
Very good
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"Bad product, bad company"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.11
Pros
Maybe better than cable, maybe not
Cons
Doesn't work
Too slow
Too complicated
Bad customer service
Bad corporate policiesSummary
I tried to get this to work for months. We bought a Western Digital HDTV Live Plus (which is pretty good, by the way) and I needed more content. PlayOn looked like a good way to get more content at a relatively low price. Not so.
I setup a dedicated computer for PlayOn, that met their minimum specs. Our internet connection isn't the fastest in the world, but it worked just fine with Netflix (and later with Hulu Plus when it became available on the WD HDTV Live+). PlayOn just couldn't deal with it. We tried time and time again to watch videos, they would buffer forever and then play a few seconds and go back to buffering.
The menus were unwieldy, you had to browse through seemingly a dozen levels of menus to get to any content. I found it annoying, but my wife found it unusable. There is really no point in having something if everyone in the house can't use it.
I contacted tech support, they suggested making a few changes. I wound up wiping the computer completely and installing Windows 7. I figured this might fix the problem, since there was a lot of junk on the computer. Not so. If anything, it was worse, completely unusable now.
So I uninstalled it and wrote it off as a not-too-expensive experiment that resulted in failure. Eventually Western Digital added Hulu Plus to their devices and we signed up for that. Between that and Hulu we have all the content we need.
Finally, to add insult to injury, here comes that $19.99 charge a year later. I'm pretty sure I cancelled it, but they say I didn't. I am pretty sure their system tracks whether my computer is licensed or not. Can't they tell that I haven't run it since last year sometime? Yes, they could if they had cared to. But they don't, they just want their money. There's a legal term for that, it's called "Acting in bad faith". I hope somebody throws lawyers at them someday, because they surely deserve it. -
"More like freeware"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.10
Pros
Seems to work pretty well most of the time.
Cons
Ugly UI, Impossible to browse for programs, no HD, too expensive
Summary
This would be OK if it were free or maybe $5. But it is way overpriced in my mind.
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"Lame group of sloppy business practices"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.10
Pros
When it works, it worked nicely but only in SD not in any HDTV at all.
Cons
Shady business practices. First they sell you on an unlimited license and then talk about something called a premium license. Then there are no guarantees that any of the content you're paying for will still be available if you pay $40 or $60. Then the Roku bundles they put up aren't accurate.
Summary
Sloppy business practices. They throw stuff up on their website and when you buy something and it contradicts what they think it says, they only offer you the least they can offer. They don't honor their word. Look up others who had the same problems with this group and you don't really know what you're getting. PlayLater is another joke service. This company will be out of business eventually so any long term investment is a bad decision. I learned my lesson but at least got some value out of them when they were the first to provide these services. If you look you'll find lots of other free alternatives to playon like plex and any roku has most of what playon has without having to keep your computer occupied with playon all the time.
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"Pretty Decent"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.3
Pros
For a lifetime subscription for 50 bucks it's pretty good.
I like that it pulls some of it's shows from Hulu so you don't have to pay for a Hulu plus, this is the same thing.
You really can watch alot of shows.
It's kind of like your own personal DVR
Quality on some shows are nice
You can use it on the PS3Cons
I really don't like that you have to leave your computer running to use it. If they somehow can fix this that would be a big deal to me personally.
Quality on some shows is nice BUT some show have terrible quality, i have a High def tv and these shows look like they should be on a tube tv.
Loading sometimes takes a bit but this just might be my wiring in my complex.
I don't like how they have some channels and all you can see is the clips of shows, it's completely pointless.
Fast forwarding really never works which is awful, sometimes i just want to get farther in because i've seen half of it already.Summary
I Didn't really know if i should give this a 3 star or a 4 star rating so i went right down the middle for now. It does have some great pros to it. I watch a lot of the shows on there myself so for me, it's like my own personal DVR. I can just hop on find the show and let it boot up and watch the show that was on the previous day. I received this as a gift which came with the ROKU, which is a great little machine, so it was nice to have Play on as an addition to this. I reccomend the ROKU highly because you can stream very well on it and watch alot of channels and shows but back to the Play on. Would i get Play on if it wasn't a gift? I'm really not to sure. I think once they get the kinks out and get the streaming and quality down better it will be hard to beat getting Play on and not having cable. If you don't watch a ton of tv then i would say YES it is the way to go to cut cable costs.
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"FRUSTRATING!"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.2
Pros
I can still watch my shows without cable. I actually have used playon for a year now and have learned to deal with the the negatives, but I wish they would try to fix them!
Cons
I am constantly kicked out in the middle of a show! If I could pick up where I left off it would be no big deal, but it starts from the beginning. I hate that I have to make sure my computer is on when I watch and hate that I cannot fast forward and rewind without fear of my show turning off. I'm not even mentioning when I do fast forward, it usually only will fast forward one minute at a time.
Summary
I think this product is a good idea, I just wish they would come into 2012.
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"Low resolution, choppy streaming...overall poor product"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.1
Pros
Allows streaming of ESPN3 to my big screen.
Cons
Horrible resolution, start/stop video, nearly a total lack of interesting content, menus impossible to navigate. Customer service is terrible.
Summary
The service is second rate at best. I use the software only to stream ESPN3 to my big screen. Worst of all, after the trial subscription, I decided to buy the lifetime subscription since it was basically nothing. I assumed it would cancel out my trial subscription. No dice. They went ahead and charged my account for a yearly renewal fee in spite of the fact that I bought the lifetime subscription. When confronted with their mistake, they decided that they'd rather keep my money than correct the obvious mistake saying that I needed to cancel the yearly plan separately from the lifetime subscription (no idea why anyone would want two subscriptions). STAY AWAY. FAR AWAY. TOTAL SCAMMERS.
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"Very GOOD - Used since Holiday Bundle of 12/2010"
Version: PlayOn 3.5.1
Pros
Easy to set up; Cheaper than cable; Stream hulu versus paying for hulu plus; before I installed an antenna I was watching all of my TV via PlayOn -worked at night so caught favorite TV programs after shift from previous day; if you are patient they will work with you with ALL issue; issues not always PlayOn ie: internet provider/ computer/ I have had modum replaced by internet provider(defective) / restored computer to out of the box (corrupt) / all trouble shooting was a result of PlayOn techs working with me
I use a Sony BluRay to stream - Remember PATIENCE is a VirtueCons
Sometime files are corrupt but if you back out and go back in they will play - some CBS shows have been removed but that is WB doing NOT PlayOn
Summary
Sometimes frustrating but HECK for less than $3. a month PATIENCE is a Virtue - I will stick with PLAYON and regret I never bought the lifetime offer back when it was really inexpensive
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"Poor Customer Service"
Version: PlayOn 3.4.38
Pros
Lots of programing in one place.
Cons
No satisfaction policy, horrible customer service, no phone number to contact anybody even if requested by email. Their response is "we don't have phone support". That tells me they don't want to talk to customers and hear the problems they have to deal with.
They offered free roku box with lifetime membership, but can't provide them cause they don't have them in stock. I purchased the service, but could not use it with out that box as I don't have any other device to steam to my tv. They refused any sort of refund cause I got the license already. Of course I could not use it with out the Roku box. They don't care since they already got my money. -
"terrible quality"
Version: PlayOn 3.4.37
Pros
lot of content.
Cons
trying to fast-forward or rewind anything that is streaming usually results in crash.
never completed a single 30 minute show without a crash.
they set you up for a recurring payment plan on paypal and hope you forget about it, then refuse to refund it.
answer from support is : "it's difficult".Summary
Paid software should be of usable quality. Especially when they bill you annually. This is not.
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"Content is Good, Picture Quality Terrible"
Version: PlayOn 3.4.37
Pros
Easy setup
Content
PriceCons
Awful picture
Terrible viewing experience
Made my eyes water pictureSummary
I just cut the cable cord and wanted to try Playon because it had content that I didn't have and would have made it easily available at a great price, so I tried Playon through my Roku box. To say the picture was bad would have been an improvement. At best, it looked like 480p on my HD set. I tried several channels and different shows, but they all had the same poor quality. If the picture were to markedly improve I would consider trying Playon again. But for now, using Playon through Roku is a great idea that was poorly executed.
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