Sunday Evening Chat: SlingTV Review

[pc747]

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Since last week I have been using Sling TV to see if it would be stable enough to cut cable. For those who do not know, Sling TV is a program offered by Dish Network (as a separate company) to allow users to stream content such as ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT, CNN, TBS, and Travel Channel for $20 a month. It can be streamed via android phone and table, iPhone, iPad, Fire TV, and Roku 3 and in the future Xbox and Nexus Player.
Whether I was on my phone, Roku, or tablet picture and sound played very well, in fact ESPN played better through Sling TV than the Watch ESPN app. Early on there were some authentication issues but that problem was resolved quickly by the techs. The other thing that impressed me was the customer service. The CSRs have been very helpful and friendly whether I was looking to add content, remove content, or ask about an issue.
The question have to be is it worth it?
For me it is and because of it I felt comfortable cutting the cord and ditching cable for good. Now is this for everyone, nope. The people who will benefit the most from Sling TV are those who do not watch a lot of tv and looking to cut the cord but hesitated because they would not be able to catch the occasional sports. Between programs like Hulu, Netflix, USTVNOW, and Sling TV a person looking to cut the cord can feel comfortable doing so especially if they are not a big tv watcher.
Unfortunately this would not be the ideal program for those in a multiple tv home as you can only watch the content on one device at a time. Hopefully in the future they will allow for use on multiple devices. The other cons are the lack of channels as well as following the cable model by selling packages versus allowing users to fully customize and choose which channels they want to buy.
Overall I have to say I have been impressed with Sling TV, yeah they still have some things to work on such as allow for use on multiple devices, expand their options (i.e NFL Network), and allow for more customization of channels, but Sling TV is moving the industry in the right direction toward cord cutters and away from cable packages and forced content.

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1800 toll free and long distance calls are becoming a thing of the past thanks to where we are at with wireless. There was a time when the choice of telephone service was based on long distance rates. As a result many businesses purchased toll free lines (1800) but in this wireless era where calls in the US are the same regardless whether you call the guy next door or across states. So question is will companies continue to invest in the toll free number system?

Google's Zero rate mobile, do you think that is a slippery slope heading in the direction against net
neutrality?

 

[akhenax]

Thanks for doing this review. Can you do one on USTVNOW as well?
I currently pay $53/month for Internet through my cable company. I have Netflix, and Hulu, combined being about $16/month, bringing the total to $69. With all the different ala Carte options available (like Netflix, Hulu, SlingTV, etc), I'm beginning to wonder is it worth it to go ala Carte, or to just get a cable package.

 

[cr6]

It's finally compatible with my FireStick. I likely won't purchase it, but I have it downloaded and plan to check it out with their 14 day free trial offer.

S5 tap'n

 

[Vulcan1600]

Sorry about the following two silly questions.... HD Quality? and any way to record a program or say rewind to see something you just missed?

 

[pc747]

Thanks for doing this review. Can you do one on USTVNOW as well?
I currently pay $53/month for Internet through my cable company. I have Netflix, and Hulu, combined being about $16/month, bringing the total to $69. With all the different ala Carte options available (like Netflix, Hulu, SlingTV, etc), I'm beginning to wonder is it worth it to go ala Carte, or to just get a cable package.

Will do one for USTVNOW for next weeks SEC.

 

[pc747]

Sorry about the following two silly questions.... HD Quality? and any way to record a program or say rewind to see something you just missed?

Good questions and meant to touch on that in the op. The quality can be changed in the settings and it range from auto, best, to the lowest quality ever for those with slower internet speeds. As far as HD channels, no as of now the channels are regular though they come through quite well. If you are use to HD channels then you will probably notice.

You can not record tv but you can go back up to 3 days to watch a previous program. So in itself it will not compete with a dvr but with Hulu I am able to catch what ever I want to watch minus premium channel content (ie HBO or Showtime).

Also something I high recommend is that you guys try the 7 day trial and put it through the full paces watching in the way you watch tv now. For how little I watched tv this made it easier to continue on my journey of cutting the cord as I was already serious about doing that but hesitated because of espn. I also hesitated because of NFL Network but as much as I love the NFL Network I watched it all of 3 times in the past year. So I am not missing anything.

 

[cr6]

There are a number of tv/movie apps on both my FireStick and the apps through my bluray player that allow viewing in standard definition, 720 & 1080. It depends on the programming of course, but I would assume Sling offers similar options depending on the programming?
As for recording you would need one of those newfangled DVRs that allow regular tv recording.

S5 tap'n

 

[pc747]

There are a number of tv/movie apps on both my FireStick and the apps through my bluray player that allow viewing in standard definition, 720 & 1080. It depends on the programming of course, but I would assume Sling offers similar options depending on the programming?
As for recording you would need one of those newfangled DVRs that allow regular tv recording.

S5 tap'n

https://www.sling.com/devices/amazon

^ those interested in getting an Amazon TV or Fire stick and also want Sling TV should check out that deal.

 

[Nathaniel Haller]

can't include Internet in your $, you'd be paying that anyways, unless you upped the speed, then include the difference
$70 internet + $90 for directv (w/ HBO) + $8 netflix + $8 Amazon Prime
vs
$70 internet + $20 SlingTV + ~$20 HBOgo + $8 netflix + $8 Amazon Prime + Hulu

For me it's what do we watch, FX, History, HBO, LMN, AMC, some local. These are not available on Sling or any other cable cutting option.

 

[supermandroid]

I honestly don't feel like PlayOn TV gets enough attention: PlayOn Watch Online Shows Movies on Your TV Smartphone and More PlayOn PlayOn

 

[furbearingmammal]

PlayOn sounds a lot like Plex -- and seems to be a plugin for XBMC -- in both setup and function, though I'll admit I didn't dig into it too much. PlayOn offers more out the door than Plex, though.

Sling sounds like one of the better options out there for those interested in cord-cutting who can't fall back to using an antenna for local stations. Hopefully more options come forward to encourage growth and competition.

 

[supermandroid]

PlayOn is actually a little bit different than Plex or XBMC (btw, XBMC has been updated with a name change to Kodi; also Plex started off as a fork of XBMC). PlayOn is actually a server that is installed on a Windows machine and is compatible with all DLNA devices including but not limited to Kodi.

PlayOn - Android Apps on Google Play
Here is the UI for the Android app that supports Chromecast casting. Also, this has been the best way to combine Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu all under a Linux based HTPC. Everything is very simple and straightforward. The difference between this and Plex or Kodi is that the shows are not downloaded but are proxied through your Windows machine and then whatever medium you decide to use. There is also a PlayLater option for those of you who just can't go without your DVR, but I haven't felt the need for it as the shows that appear under their respective networks are not live; but normally there are about 5 episodes in the backlog if you miss one.

I have this integrated with my Kodi HTPC and couldn't be happier.

Edit: I apologize to @pc747 if I'm derailing the thread; while this is a review on SlingTV I feel like other "Cut the Cord" alternatives were relevant enough to post about!

 

[pc747]

@supermandroid, looked into the site and it is legit. Unfortunately for me I do not use a PC but mac and a chromebook. But you are right the main point is for those looking to cut the cord we want to find them legal and legit ways to watch their favorite channels. Yes there are ways out there that are free that uses torrents and peer networks that we will not post here. For myself I do not mind in fact I welcome other options as long as they are legit. @supermandroid if you get a chance write a tutorial and explanation on Play On and I will include it as a rebuttal/alternate option for those looking to cut the cord.

 

[supermandroid]

@supermandroid, looked into the site and it is legit. Unfortunately for me I do not use a PC but mac and a chromebook. But you are right the main point is for those looking to cut the cord we want to find them legal and legit ways to watch their favorite channels. Yes there are ways out there that are free that uses torrents and peer networks that we will not post here. For myself I do not mind in fact I welcome other options as long as they are legit. @supermandroid if you get a chance write a tutorial and explanation on Play On and I will include it as a rebuttal/alternate option for those looking to cut the cord.

I've been using it for the past year, and I'd be more than happy to write up a tutorial and personal review/recommendation. Also, it's non-tech wife-approved, too!

 

[akhenax]

PlayOn is actually a little bit different than Plex or XBMC (btw, XBMC has been updated with a name change to Kodi; also Plex started off as a fork of XBMC). PlayOn is actually a server that is installed on a Windows machine and is compatible with all DLNA devices including but not limited to Kodi.

PlayOn - Android Apps on Google Play
Here is the UI for the Android app that supports Chromecast casting. Also, this has been the best way to combine Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu all under a Linux based HTPC. Everything is very simple and straightforward. The difference between this and Plex or Kodi is that the shows are not downloaded but are proxied through your Windows machine and then whatever medium you decide to use. There is also a PlayLater option for those of you who just can't go without your DVR, but I haven't felt the need for it as the shows that appear under their respective networks are not live; but normally there are about 5 episodes in the backlog if you miss one.

I have this integrated with my Kodi HTPC and couldn't be happier.

Edit: I apologize to @pc747 if I'm derailing the thread; while this is a review on SlingTV I feel like other "Cut the Cord" alternatives were relevant enough to post about!

How does it list the stations like that, like for instance OWN, or Lifetime? Are you using a cable box or cable connection and PlayON gets the meta data this way?