DirecTV Stream Box instead of Gemini - Crazy Costs

Thanks.  The sports fee is not optional, unfortunately.  It's not a separate sports package.  If you take the box, you pay the fee.

I did call up and see if I could subscribe without taking the box.  Yes, you can, but the monthly cost is $100.  Since I won't be getting the box, I may as well consider other providers.

AT&T lost what differentiated itself from other providers.  From just a streaming cost point of view, they are now the least appealing.  I'll probably end up with YoutubeTV.

Good going, AT&T.  You struck out again.

@coleman19, some suggestions:

- Start with the basic entertainment package and build from there

- You can do a 5-day trial (it would be good for you to experience it on a Roku, FireTV, or AppleTV)

- If you get the box, do you pay the sports fee? - I don't think so - you can get an entertainment package with a Gemini

- Lots of people indeed, get boxes from other places, and yes, you can avoid the fees, however, those boxes sometimes are bricks as they have been sitting idle and cannot receive updates anymore

- Many users get refurbished boxes; however, I don't know if that is still available from DIRECTV. These refurbished boxes have a warranty. 

I hope this helps.

The confusion is that they are now offering 2 different streaming plans.  STREAM (which was the original streaming plan) is still available, but is not shown on the directv.com homepage - you can find a link down at the bottom of the page in the link farm (under More options). "DIRECTV via Internet" is the new plan, and is DirecTV's attempt to make a satellite and streaming plan seem equivalent.  Hint: they still aren't.  'via Internet" (at least right now) offers exactly the same service and features as Stream, but with a different business arrangement (fees - basically a higher cost - but a 2 year price lock in), and access to the Gemini (nee Osprey) device, which are (apparently) not offered to new Stream subscribers.

On the directv.com page's "details" pop-up they linked to the wrong fee schedule for "via Internet" subscribers - the correct one is here.  "via Internet" subscribers are charged a $15/month "advanced subscriber fee" (it's not clear what that actual is for other than a cash grab) but that's per account, not per device.  There's no per TV charge.  There is also an "up to" $8/month sports fee (to get local RSNs) that applies to Choice and above - I wouldn't count on it being lower than $8, but I guess that could happen.  There is a separate sports package available which could be added to any package, but it includes different things.  And you can buy additional Gemini devices if you want (1 is normally included for "free"), but you don't need to unless you want them - they have some advantages over the other supported streaming devices for the service, but certainly aren't required.

Stream subscribers don't pay any "fees" -no receiver fee, no sports fee (or you could say they do, but it is just bundled in rather than being a separate line item), and don't get a Gemini (and apparently can't buy them from DTV), so are expected to use other streaming devices.  However, Stream subscribers can buy the devices (Gemini and Osprey are the same thing) off eBay (at some risk) and they should work fine.  (There are 2 possible problems with the used/refurb devices from eBay.  For somewhat bogus reasons they might not be updatable - I think at this point that should be fairly unlikely but can happen.  Probably more likely is that DTV locks them to an account, and if the original owner doesn't disconnect them from the account before selling them, they apparently aren't usable - also fairly bogus, but it is what it is.  Buying from a volume seller should reduce the risk, but I'd only buy from a seller willing to take returns, just in case.)

For unclear reasons, they penalize existing U-Verse and DTV (satellite) customers who want to switch to Stream (and maybe "via Internet") - they don't provide access to some promos, and they don't give the "unlimited" DVR for free (though the details on the web page no longer actually say that).  The limited DVR is 20 hours, not 20MB (20MB would last about 30 seconds.)  But I'm a grandfathered Stream subscriber and I don't get it either - they still offer it to me (and I assume everyone else with the "small" DVR), but it costs $10/month.

Not sure why current users on another platform are penalized.  I can have my wife sign up and we can get unlimited storage that way, but then we lose the $5/mo discount for the bundle.  That may work out better.  I’d save 10 per month and then after a year, I can sign up as a new customer and get the discount.

What I’d really like to know is if the old Stream boxes will still work if I get those off eBay and  if I sign up for the Stream product or if they are tied to the account in some way and won’t activate.  I’m trying to find a single place to go to for TV for those in the house who are resistant to change.

The Stream box was great because it had channel numbers and, as I understand it, booted right into the app so it was very cable-like.

Known issues with the eBay boxes. Proceed at your own risk. Personally, I would not ever go that way based on history.

@coleman19 You can sign up for the old Directv stream prices and bring your own box/device at https://streamtv.directv.com/  here is an example of what you get with choice---RSN's included

Thanks for that link. 
I don’t see anywhere on that page or info links that they are limiting U-verse conversion customers to 20 hours of programming.  I wonder if they got rid of that limitation.  

@coleman19 If you sign up--do it with a new email ---with an incognito window on chrome (or private window with firefox)

As usual DirecTV has screwed this up royally.  I signed up in May 2023 with DirecTV stream, have the gemini boxes and it is amazing.  Now that I want to sign up family the plan is completely different only offers Gemini Air (which I don't want) and requires a contract even if you buy the equipment outright.  I've had DirecTV traditional and then U-Verse in the past, this nonsense is why I left.  Looks like I'm grandfathered in, if they change that -- I'm leaving again

The contract for DirecTV via Internet appears new - it earlier offered a price lock but there was no contract.  Now, if I read the webpage correctly, there is. Let’s see how well that works for them - I predict disastrously, since none of the competitors have contracts. 

But if you had read my (long) post a bit upthread, you would have seen that traditional DirecTV Stream is still available.   It is a “no contract” offering but is otherwise almost the same as “via Internet” except there are no Gemini devices included (or available from DirecTV).  But if you want those, as also noted upthread, they are available (used) from eBay and possibly other sources.  There is a small risk (for a variety of reasons) getting them that way, but dealing with a reputable seller who has a return policy obviates that risk.  These are the Gemini “box” (also called Osprey) rather than the Gemini Air dongle (which I haven’t seen on eBay yet).  Given the games they’ve been playing with the “via Internet” offering, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.  Instead I would go with Stream and buy the used Gemini if those were wanted. 

I think I asked this before, but I can’t recall.  Will an older Stream box, not a Gemini box, purchased from a third party work with a new Stream service or are they coded to the customer in some way?

I called Customer Service about the issue about current U-verse subscribers who change over to Stream not being eligible for unlimited storage. I was told that they were instructed that if a customer calls with this request, they (Customer Sergvice) can cancel their Uverse service effective immediately and then sign up the customer as a new user on Stream with the unlimited storage - but you have to call them to do this.