PBS: Watch TV & Documentaries Reviews – Page 8
5/5 rating based on 201 reviews. Read all reviews for PBS: Watch TV & Documentaries for iPhone.
PBS: Watch TV & Documentaries is free iOS app published by Public Broadcasting Service
Buggy app a disservice to quality programming
wittwoman
Ever since PBS launched the current iteration of this app, we’ve had nonstop streaming issues (using Google Fiber and Chromecast), which was never a problem with that previous iteration. The audio and video constantly get wildly out of sync, which is aggravating. You cannot reliably watch any program from start to finish. Most of the time, we just give up. Very disappointing, especially given that we are sustaining members of our local public TV station.
PBS Newshour Weekend
Coruscatus
App rarely lists PBS Newshour Weekend even when it is broadcast by my local PBS station. The weekday show is almost always available. Surely someone working from home could manage to get it posted.
A disappointment
StarLightPops
The player has updated so that one must have Apple TV connected to internet in order to cast from iPhone to TV. For those of us solely dependent on cellphones, this makes the app worthless.
advertisement bug with this app
Mr. Maa
When using this app, it offers better browsing experience on my ipad than the webpage itself. However there are always 30 seconds advertisement before any episode. Whereas on the PBS webpage there is none. I made sure I signed in on both platforms. The 30 seconds ad on this app should be removed if there’s no ad on the webpage.
Membership status bug
Pwags66
I've used this app over the years and had to contend with various bugs and glitches, but most of the time the app worked okay. I don't find the ads to be intrusive, either. However recently I had all kinds of problems getting certain shows to play. I was wondering if my subscription had expired, but the app settings showed my subscription to be "active". Turns out it was in fact expired, even though nowhere in the app or on the PBS website was I able to find that out. I ended up going through my checking account records and found that my last payment had been 18 months previously. Once I renewed my $60 subscription, everything played just fine. What really puzzled me was why some shows still played even though my membership had lapsed. I still don't get that one.
Advertisements ruin the app
annoyed phillies fan
The app itself needs some work. Mostly with the formatting and search function. But the issue I really have is with the advertisements. Even after donating the $60 to access the Passport, you are still forced to watch advertisements at the beginning of every single show. And of course, these are political ads. Give it a rest will you?
I Expect Better from PBS
KingJunkie
I love PBS, I grew up on it and it is still one of my favorite channels to watch. That is why I was excited to use the app so that I can catch up anytime with current shows and revisit favorites from the past. There are a few things that I find irritating, however. 1) No auto play option. So, for each episode of a series, you need to pull up the episode and go through the steps to get it to play. 2) No recollection of what had already been watched. If you have to stop in the middle of something, when you go back to watch it, it will play from the start. 3) There have been issues with casting from the app to a device that basically render you unable to watch on your tv; these issues have been slow to be fixed. 4) I understand that content needs to leave at times. However, when one says that something is available to 8/16, it should be available throughout 8/16. I’m now left with only one episode of a series left that is no longer available. Had the app not had as many issues as it has lately, I probably would have finished.
Difficult to Navigate and Crashes Often
ashgebs
For years I have loved the PBS programming content and dreaded trying to use the app to find and watch shows. PBS must have employed a bargain basement app designer because the app content organization is inexplicable and difficult to navigate. Masterpiece content, one of the largest draws to PBS, should be prominently featured and easy to find. Masterpiece shows should be grouped together. Instead, they are for some reason listed individually. Further, the app often freezes and crashes. I implore you, PBS—invest some of my donation money in better app design.