US SPORTS PERFECTION #7 - 1/20/2020

This is the seventh installment in my "US Sports Perfection" series of reviews. To remind everyone, my goal is NOT to have the cheapest set up. Rather, it is to be able to watch any and every US Sports or Premium event in 60fps FHD/HD when I choose to watch it. This could be NCAA/NBA Basketball, NFL Football, or Boxing... but I want perfect feeds every time. I need a collection of providers that between them ponies up a perfect feed every time without having to go through "heroic measures". Additionally, I want all of my US cable channels and premiums (for the wife mostly). And I would like a little catchup, particularly for MSNBC.

The events that occurred in September continue to make this endeavor more problematic than ever. Many providers became roadkill in the recent IPTV implosion and those that remain are, in general, less consistent and reliable than they ever were. But the great news is that this event seems to have shaken a lot of the poorer providers loose enabling the strong streamers to really shine!

Another side effect of the incident is that many (most) of the strong IPTV providers have sought to "fly under the radar". This means that in most cases obtaining a sub from them will require an invite from someone already in good standing. Because of this development, I am changing the format of this review to remove any contact information for providers... you will need to find an invite on your own (don't ask me). Because one cannot simply go out and purchase a prescribed mix of providers, I am also adding other solid providers to the list and trying to highlight their strengths... this will allow you to create a good mix on your own by obtaining service from several of the providers below.

---- POTENTIAL PROVIDER MIX CANDIDATES ----

In my last review, I had presented six providers that, to some degree, provided me with the coverage to achieve my stated goal. This time around, I have four stellar providers and two reasonable supplemental services detailed below. Here I present this month's provider pool, grouped in order of importance to the mix:

PRIMARY PROVIDERS

1. Smoothstreams (INVITATION ONLY) - this is the service that hasn't skipped a beat, during or since the disaster. SS provides HD/FHD 60fps streams of virtually every televised sports event. There epg is incredible, breaking down sports into their respective categories and providing a clear and concise view of the days matches. I only have two complaints about Smoothstreams... 1) they use a little too much compression sometimes which results in video artifacting that I don't find on the best provider streams, and 2) their necessity of the use of SmoothProxy in order to get an m3u stream causes problems in using 4 way multiscreen, though it's better with TiviMate than with iMPlayer or OTT Navigator. Also, be aware that they are not a general purpose IPTV provider... the offerings are pretty much kept to sports. But even with these shortcomings, Smoothstreams has been a super consistent performer in my stable. An absolute necessity if you can come by an invite (and I don't have any to offer).

2. Jarvis [PrimeStreams] (INVITATION ONLY) - Jarvis is a reseller of Primestreams. Great 60fps FHD/HD feeds of pretty much every US Sports network, regional and premium feed. These guys continue to impress me with some of the best pictures coupled with outstanding stability. They, along with Smoothstreams, just keep on working to provide rock solid streams of outstanding US Sports action. **Recently, they have been rebuilding some of their infrastructure, and that has caused some periods of downtime. They assure me that they are close to being complete (and I believe them). Other than this, I've had near 100% uptime and virtually no buffering. **I've gotten a few notes from readers complaining that the Soccer broadcasts aren't up to snuff... but remember, this is a US Sports write up. Also, please note that they have no VOD, catchup, or any other extras, but I just can't praise them enough! Note that while Jarvis is invite only, there are other resellers of PrimeStreams that are not... but I can't speak to their customer service.

3. GameMasters [TPK] (may still be open) - A new addition this time around, this is the old "The Players Klub", and wow have they ever cleaned up their act. I've had very little buffering on this service. Couple that with some low artifact clean streams in 60fps HD/FHD and this service is of great interest to the sports afficianado. Their EPG leaves a bit to be desired, but truth be told I'm quite impressed by this service. No catchup is available, but there is extensive VOD.

4. Absolute (INVITATION ONLY?) - This is another new addition to the provider pool and they are solid. Low buffering and bright, clear streams in 60fps and HD/FHD. The EPG isn't perfect, but it's not bad. No catchup or VOD on this service, but for sports streams they are doing the trick for me. Well worth the price of a sub and it comes with 4 streams standard... great for multiscreen.

SUPPLEMENTAL PROVIDERS

5. XstreamZ [Crystal Clear] (INVITATION ONLY) - I have been tracking Crystal Clear and it's resellers for quite a while now. This service is a resell of Crystal Clear and has been quite reliable as of late. They have most of the games that I am looking for in HD 60fps streams with little to no buffering. Unfortunately, like Smoothstreams, they employ a little too much video compression and it can result in some minor artifact problems. However, if you are just looking for a reliable provider with very good sports coverage and better than average video streams, this is a good addition to the mix and one that you should definitely consider. Also, this resold "XstreamZ" version comes at a better price than buying directly from CC.

6. Hydrogen (may still be open) - Every time I think that they have straightened everything out, Hydro manages to find a way to mess up again. Too frequent buffering and channel/service outages have caused them to move down the charts, but when they are working they can be quite enjoyable. There is no doubt that Hydrogen can have a beautiful picture... problem is that recently, even when they are working the picture is not always consistent. While their offering isn't nearly as large (number of channels) as some of the competition, most of it is in blazing 60fps FHD/HD with minimal compression artifacts. Their channel mix contains all of the major US sports channels that I need. Their catchup channels have been spotty like the rest of the service.

---- HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR MIX ----

I am not suggesting that anyone needs all 6 of these providers, and while the best four have really been amazing, I do not believe that anyone could rely upon only one. I would approach it this way:

For those who have access to a Smoothstreams invite, SS plus one of the other primary providers is probably all that you would ever need to effectively cover US Sports. This should give you solid access to most everything at a fairly reasonable price (~$25).

For everyone else, I would suggest choosing three services from the primary provider list. If you can't find enough primary providers to fill out your pool, then adding from the supplemental list would be prudent. I highly suggest at least one of your providers be Jarvis/PrimeStreams, but be prepared for a few bumps as they finish their build out. Current pricing is approximately $45 for 3 providers from the list.

Personally, I find myself watching Absolute and GM the most often, Jarvis when it isn't having hiccups, and Smoothstreams when everyone else is failing (looking at you UFC!)

---- PRICING ----

The current monthly price for these providers, depending upon term length and which of the above strategies you employ, is anywhere from $25-45USD. For those who have followed this series, you know which providers have been here long term... if you feel comfortable saving a few dollars by going longer than month-to-month, I don't think that you'll have a problem. But as always, YMMV!

I run my providers through TiViMate ($5USD/year or $29USD one time), iMPlayer ($10USD one time) and OTT Navigator ($10USD one time). These are apps that I feel are easily the best IPTV players available anywhere. All feature catchup functionality. All three feature multiscreen. OTT features beautiful VOD. You certainly don't need all three, but I like to keep up with everything IPTV. Every time that I think one of these players has won the race, the others do something cool to surpass it. Currently, I'm finding myself using TiviMate the most due to its outstanding multiscreen implementation (note that TiviMate and iMPlayer use a less reliable third party for Discord support... I would avoid and ask your questions via the Reddit sub).

Your pricing will certainly vary depending upon term lengths, promotions, etc. For this outlay, I get everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) that I could possibly want out of "Live TV". This is certainly overkill for some of you, but it suits me very well.

I am not currently using XEEV (Xtream-Editor), since most of the ability to properly configure your EPG has now been baked into all 3 of the apps above. I do subscribe to XML-TV for their enhanced EPG. I plug it into the apps above and use it to supplement the providers' native EPG offerings. Yes, it takes a fair amount of work to get things just right in the apps, but once it is done you can just sit back and profit!

---- NOTES ----

1. People ask me why I use 2-3 providers instead of subscribing to mainstream services. The answer is simple, I cannot attain my objective of being able to watch any US Sports event by using nothing but mainstream providers. The need for ALL of the US Sports regional channels means that I need to use IPTV to provide the necessary exposure. After the XC event, I actually tried to find a way to watch using nothing but conventional streaming services... I was completely unsuccessful. The closest thing to a legit provider that filled the bill was PSVue... now being shelved.

2. I often see posts in this sub along the lines of "are resellers as reliable as providers?". The answer is that it entirely depends upon the reseller. I far prefer using an honest, reputable and dedicated reseller... but believe me... that's far from a given thing. As recent events have reinforced, many resellers are only in it for a quick cash hit, and they have absolutely no intention of doing any more work than they absolutely have to! All of the resellers that I've listed above have gone out of their way to "work with me" in ensuring that their product suits my needs. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!

3. YOU CAN HELP ME. Look at my desirements above. Look at what I have. Look at who I've liked (and why). Look at the "Not For Me" list below. Have I missed someone who provides a unique or wildly solid service? Have I completely missed the mark with my synopsis reviews? Is there just someone else that I really, really need to check out? Please help me figure out who belongs in my provider mix above! I would really love some ideas. BUT... if you are going to suggest a provider, please be certain to tell me WHY THEY WOULD IMPROVE MY IPTV WATCHING EXPERIENCE as it relates to my stated objective above.

4. A word about "trials". I really don't believe that a 24-48 hour trial does much of anything to help you evaluate their suitability or stability. Most of these trials aren't available for weekends or PPV events, making it very difficult to glean much useful data from the experience. In my opinion, you should do your research first (read reviews, gather channel lists, ask questions on Reddit), and then you should bite the bullet and subscribe for a full month. Take the time to integrate them into your watching environment (TiviMate groups, iMPlayer multiscreen, etc). Live with them... and then (and only then), make your decision as to their suitability. If they are close, but not quite there... perhaps contact with the reseller or provider can get it sorted.

---- NOT FOR ME ----

Providers that have not worked out for me along with reasons why...

Premium / Helix - Premium is a rebranding of Helix... a service that I've used for a very long time. Recently, they have just become too unstable for my liking. When they work, the availability of multiple feeds for virtually every channel pretty much ensures that Premium has a HD/FHD stream of everything I'm looking for. They have catchup on over 900 channels, though without a reliable EPG, several of my apps have been unable to take advantage of it. By utilizing the rebranded "Premium" service I recieve many "extras" (all channels, adult, etc) for far less money than Helix charges directly. I will continue to monitor them going forward.

Beams / BBTV - While they are an extremely solid and reliable service, many of the channels are at 30fps. You have been warned, you will see flickering channels that drive me up a wall. However, there is some joy in knowing that when you turn this puppy on, you will get a solid buffer free service. Additionally, they have a good EPG and catchup service. Also, and don't quote me on this because I really don't care, I've heard that they do a nice job of Euro sports.

Hive - I want to like Hive... I really do. And when it works, it's really good and enjoyable. But, unfortunately, every time that I try to count on it, I find that the streams are down. Hive is the old Vader Streams platform.

Eternal, Area51, TNT, GE - all cheap services that work, and in some cases offer reasonable stability... but the picture isn't good (terrible frame rates) to the point that they give me a headache.

Twisted - I had a bad experience with these guys. Your mileage may vary.

Nitro, Beast, Inferno, Dark Media - Expensive providers with great lineups that just lack in the stability department. I can't watch a solid hour without some sort of glitch.

Gears, CoolAsIce, Epicstreams - they now appear to be completely offline... roadkill and good riddance.

FAB, Flawless, ACE, Vader - R.I.P. we'll miss you!

---- RESELLER NOTICE ----

A note to resellers/providers - I would absolutely love to evaluate your service... but please take the time to really read my post and then explain what makes your product a great fit for "US Sports Perfection". Please PM me with your details.