There are a lot of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu that allow you to stream movies, TV shows, documentaries, and much more. But to use this platform you have to opt-in for a premium subscription plan and usually, these live streaming services are not free of cost.
Pluto TV is an over-the-top (OTT) service which means, unlike your cable TV you receive content from the internet. It is also an advertiser-supported video on demand service which means you don’t have to pay anything to watch movies or TV shows here but you will have to sit through the ads in between. To access Pluto TV you can stream it through the Pluto website or download the app through any of your mobile devices.
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The platform was launched as a beta version in 2014 besides being a free platform it offers over 250 channels of content that runs live 24/7. It is similar to your day-to-day cable TV and you can serve two different types of channels in different categories. Unlike Prime Video and Netflix, you don’t need to enter any credit card information to use the service. You just fire up pluto’s website or the app and you can start watching your favourite shows and movies immediately.
Also, It is possible for you to register an account with Pluto TV which will provide you with special features like the ability to designate favourite channels and resume watching TV shows or movies on a different device. All this has been possible because Pluto shows commercials during the shows. Similar to cable TV during a half-hour of so you get to see about four commercial breaks and each break consists of several 20 to 30-second ads.
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Interface and features of Pluto TV
As we mentioned before, the platform is like a virtual cable TV with over 250 channels to choose from. All the channels are broken down into different categories and you can switch between them to find your interest. There are some channels that are only available for a limited time period and they are considered “Popup” channels. There is also an option for you to switch from live TV to the on-demand section that gives you the freedom to pick which movie or TV show you want to stream immediately.
Channels and TV shows available on Pluto TV
Pluto TV has channels divided into sections such as Entertainment, Featured, Movies Sports, Kids, Comedy, Latino, and tech + geek. You may find some versions of top cable networks like MTV but Pluto TV channels are not the ones that you will find on the standard cable or your satellite package. There are some news channels that you may have heard about such as CNN News, NBC News, etc but mostly they play pre-recorded clips instead of live streams.
Similar to news channels there are also sports channels such as the NFL channel, PGA Tour, Major League Soccer, and Fox Sports. However, these are not like live channels so you can’t see the current game playing on it; it will only show you past games highlights or analysis.
Recently the platform has also added a new collection which is “Pluto TV 007”. This channel streams only James Bond movies 24 hours a day all week. Specifically, there are 19 Bond movies starring Connery, Lazenby, Delton, and Brosnan but you don’t expect to see Daniel Craig in this mix.
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How to watch Pluto TV?
There are multiple ways to watch Pluto TV. The easiest way to your browser you can head over to the website and tune in there. It is currently available on the following devices and platforms. For most of these devices, all you need to do is download the Pluto TV app which is available on the Google Play Store Apple App store Amazon app store, and the Roku Channel Store. Once installed you don’t need to enter your e-mail or sign up; it is free to stream however you please.
Pluto TV Internet speed requirements
Pluto TV doesn’t have any specific guidelines that they recommend about internet speed for their service. In their help section, the company says “Having a fast connection that is faster than 5Mbps is certainly important but more important is having a ‘stable’ connection so even if the superfast Wi-Fi connection drops out for half a second it will cause playback issues.”
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Is Pluto TV worth it?
In short, yes. Since the service is free you should have no problem trying this out. Also unlike many of the free streaming services which provide poor video quality, Pluto TV provides high-quality content and that too for free. While there are still many of the old movies, the company has added some recent and classic movies, shows on both on-demand and live channels.
Some of the channels on the platform support streaming in 4K resolution and this includes the 4K TV channels as well. Pluto TV has mentioned that they will likely add more 4K streaming channels in the future.
You may also think about replacing your cable TV with Pluto TV and it is sort of possible. Pluto TV does provide some good content that you may enjoy if you are interested in older movies and TV shows. But if you truly want to replace your cable TV you will need to opt-in to some other streaming service in addition to Pluto TV.
Where is Pluto TV it available?
Pluto TV has more than 28 million monthly active users in the US alone. It is available in 25 countries which mostly include countries in Europe, Canada and plans to roll out in Latin America soon. You can download Pluto TV from Google Play Store from here or from Apple App Store.
Also, Pluto TV is currently not available in India, but still in case you want to experience it you can use it with a VPN service and it will be good to go.
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