Frndly Tv

[BabaLouie]

New streaming service with 12 channels:

Hallmark
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
Hallmark Drama
Pixl
Light TV
Game Show TV
The Weather Channel
Baby First
QVC
Outdoor
Sportsman
World Fishing Network

SD + viewing on 1 TV + no DVR = $5.99/month
HD + viewing on 2 TVs + unlimited DVR w30-day retention = $7.99/month
HD + viewing on 4 devices + unlimited DVR w90-day retention = $9.99/month

Free 7-day trial

Watch Family-Friendly TV Live and On Demand | FRNDLY TV

 

[comfortably_numb]

Looks like Dish's "Heartland Pack"

 

[BabaLouie]

Yeah. But if those 12 channels do it for you, a lot cheaper than buying the required bundle from Dish.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I'm surprised it doesn't include RFD-TV.

 

[buckeyebrian]

Well, it does give cord cutters another option and if you are a fan of Hallmark Channel(s) its probably a better option then Hallmark Movies now.

 

[Jhon69]

Well, it does give cord cutters another option and if you are a fan of Hallmark Channel(s) its probably a better option then Hallmark Movies now.

Not unless this offering is "commercial free",because Hallmark Movies Now is "commercial free",when you subscribe annually it's $59.99 annually or $4.99 a month,or billed monthly for$5.99 a month.

 

[harshness]

Well, it does give cord cutters another option and if you are a fan of Hallmark Channel(s) its probably a better option then Hallmark Movies now.

If it doesn't cover all of one's needs, one comprehensive service may be cheaper (and a whole lot less hassle) than multiple cheap ones.

 

[buckeyebrian]

Not unless this offering is "commercial free",because Hallmark Movies Now is "commercial free",when you subscribe annually it's $59.99 annually or $4.99 a month,or billed monthly for$5.99 a month.

The problem with "Hallmark Movies Now" is that there is no "Live Stream" of Hallmark channels and the movies and programs available with "No commercials" don't include current movies and current episodes of their original programming(Good Witch, When calls the heart, etc). If you are a fan of their weekly premiers of new movies(Especially during the Christmas season)you will not have access to these new movies on "Hallmark movies now".

 

[Zookster]

When this was first announced, I thought it might not be a legit service with legit contracts. But I know someone has contacted some of the key providers who confirmed that they are legitimately available on FRNDLY.

Beyond Hallmark, this is also a good way for cord cutters to get the Weather Channel, which isn't available on many of the OTT live TV streaming services.

 

[harshness]

It is hard to know if the service is legitimate. The website does not say what the ownership is and that's a bad sign. There's no address and no phone numbers. The domain registration is obscured using a privacy service. The domain was created in February.

The service is 720p and stereo so my guess is that they're running some cheap encoders. This is a huge beef that I have with many of the OTT "options". They claim to offer a channel but they restrict the audio and video quality such that the experience is often diminished. Defenders will say it doesn't matter but transcoding is always a compromise. Dumbing down the audio isn't cool either.

 

[Zookster]

According to this article on Tech Hive, FRNDLY is legit.

Bassil El-Khatib, Frndly TV’s CEO, said in an interview that the service is in a soft launch as the company gathers feedback and makes sure everything is running smoothly. But this is a legitimate and legal service that has agreements with Crown Media (which owns the Hallmark Channel), The Weather Channel, and others. El-Khatib was previously a vice president at Dish Network and Sling TV, and after leaving the company a few years ago, he realized there was a need for a family-friendly streaming service that cost less than other live TV packages.
​

Many major broadcast and cable nets are still 720p, so I don't see how that's a black mark on any streaming service. And almost all of the major streaming live TV services are still only stereo. So really on par with what's out there. Unless someone actually signs up to evaluate it first hand and can critique the quality from actual experience, I really don't get the point of making pissy comments about a new service just because.

This service isn't for me, but it definitely fills a niche for people who can't, or don't want to, pay $150+/mo. for a traditional pay TV service just to get many of these channels (In my experience, channels like Hallmark Movies and Outdoor Channel require a much higher service tier or multiple add-on tiers).

 

[harshness]

Many major broadcast and cable nets are still 720p, so I don't see how that's a black mark on any streaming service.

I challenge you to name five off the top of your head that aren't Disney or Fox properties (or somewhere in between). Of the around 200 HD channels available, 80% of them deliver 1080i.

And almost all of the major streaming live TV services are still only stereo. So really on par with what's out there.

That's a sad state of affairs from those coming from the satellite services where most the programming is 1080i or 720p as appropriate with 5.1 sound. If the programmers didn't think it added value, they wouldn't have bothered using the quality that they offer.

Unless someone actually signs up to evaluate it first hand and can critique the quality from actual experience, I really don't get the point of making pissy comments about a new service just because.

It may be important to some that the service they choose doesn't summarily downgrade the video or audio quality that they receive. Emptor informetur (let the buyer be informed).

 

[jegrant]

I think this reminds me somewhat of Sky Angel - Dish has always been aware of this niche, hence why they were one of the original providers to cater to it, not only by integrating SA* but later the Heartland Pack as well.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I think this reminds me somewhat of Sky Angel - Dish has always been aware of this niche, hence why they were one of the original providers to cater to it, not only by integrating SA* but later the Heartland Pack as well.

Dish was also the first to carry EWTN (the Catholic channel) and they made an appearance on that channel to announce it. I believe that was 1998? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Funny bit of trivia; during that segment, the EWTN person held up a DBS dish and said "This is a Directv!" and the Dish guys did a facepalm.

 

[mixedday]

FrndlyTV added INSP a couple of months ago. That channel airs a lot of classic westerns programming such as Bonanza lost episodes. I signed up for a month, as I was keen on receiving this channel. FuboTV has it but requires an over $60/month combination. The channel is also available on Dish, DirecTV and Xfinity. On FIOS, it's on the higher Preferred package.

Anyways, my issue with FrndlyTV was the cloud DVR. For INSP and Hallmark or any channel that airs seasons of show, it can be hard to make out the episode, after it is recorded and ready for view. The metadata lacks the episode name, season #, ep #. I reached out to Frndly and I got a response that they are working on it.

I think it would also be compelling if it worked with Amazon for the Recast integration like Philo, Sling and Pluto which target "cord-cutters". I think Frndly's nearest competitor is Philo with the Hallmark (3 channels), GSN and UPTV overlap, somewhat like a Philo-lite, but the channels differ some from there. It also might have boxed itself a little with the Frndly moniker. Steve Harvey's Family Feud on GSN is raunchy, and a lot of Golden Girls on Hallmark has the ladies sex life talked in there. And the westerns on INSP have a lot of violence. But, who am I to call out what's friendly or not? That being said, it might make deals with more content providers, similar to the channels on Philo, perhaps minus the CBSViacom channels in particular. I did reach out to the CEO via LinkedIn and he responded, which was kind of cool.

 

[Marcingak]

For $7.99 per month that's a really good deal. They also have an annual plan that saves 15%.

 

[solarvic]

Friendly tv. I have had it for a few months and because I wanted the weather channel. Got it before I got orby tv. No problems so far!