Frndly is a new streaming service that essentially takes some of the channels that people would not necessarily be looking for in a streaming service. The good thing with that is that the price is pretty good for today’s streaming society we live in now.
One of the perks of the streaming service is that it does work on the iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac when it comes to Apple devices.
I do like the channel selection of the service, especially since it does have Hallmark Channel and the other Hallmark networks too (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and their Drama channel). That’s a big selling point since the fall is right around the corner and after that, we will be in the holiday season. Both of those seasons will have original movies from Hallmark, which a lot of streamers across the country love.
Channel selection outside of Hallmark Channel is pretty decent. It’s not designed to be a streaming service for sports fans, but more so for family-friendly television.
The channels you can find on Frndly TV are Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Game Show Network, World Fishing Network, Light TV, PiXL, Baby First, QVC and The Weather Channel.
In my experience with the service, I do like that the on-demand content is pretty stellar. It has almost every single movie and TV show that is aired on the networks. This is perfect for those who are cord cutters and do not want to live their life to a traditional TV schedule. Yes, the live TV feature is great, but also, the on-demand content is where it is at!
The streaming quality is also nice, but I did come into an issue when it came to using AirPlay from my iPad to my Apple TV third generation. When using AirPlay, I could get the video from Frndly on my iPad to the Apple TV third generation, but there was no sound. It does disappoint me, but since it is a third generation Apple TV, I guess I can give them a break. After all, it has been discontinued for a few years now.
I was able to get both the video and the sound to work on my Apple TV HD (fourth generation), so it at least has that going for it.
Another thing that I do not like is the fact that even though Frndly is available on other streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV and Roku, as well as the Chromecast, there is currently no Apple TV tvOS app.
I get that only 13.2 percent of people have and use a current Apple TV, which does not sound like a lot, therefore, there is not much focus or attention on it. I’d still argue that it is just as valuable for people like me and likely a lot of you who are in Apple ecosystem and have an Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K.
Lastly, Frndly TV’s pricing is quite admirable. Pricing for the streaming service starts at $5.99 a month, with two other plans costing $7.99 and $9.99 a month.
Overall, I’m going to give Frndly TV 3/4 stars. It has honestly gotten off to a good start but does lose a star to not having an Apple TV tvOS app currently. However, for the price of the service, this is going to be great for those who simply want to watch the Game Show Network, outdoor and hunting channels, as well as the popular Hallmark networks.
Frndly is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Mac. It is also available on non-Apple television devices such as the Amazon fire TV, Roku and Chromecast.
Rating: 3/4 stars
UPDATE (12/15/2019): The Apple TV app for Frndly TV is now available. As a result, the rating for the review gets 3.5/4 stars. If you want to find the reasons for the loss of half a star, read our first impressions article of the new Apple TV app.
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
It’s a compelling package for sure, but I found the picture quality on both iOS app and on TV played through Roku Ultra to be very poor. Picture never gained an acceptable focus and looked worse than standard def. I did the five-day trial. Once that major bug is fixed, I’ll join in a heartbeat.
I read somewhere that the frame rate was only 30 frames/second. That could be a major downside for a lot of people.
Basic not even HD? I’ll pass