Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Streaming Talk
Reload this Page >

Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Streaming Talk The Place to talk about streaming video and audio

Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Old 01-05-15, 02:01 PM
  #1  
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
 
fumanstan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 55,349
Received 26 Likes on 14 Posts
Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I assume this should go in Streaming Talk

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/5/749...unced-ces-2015

But what is Sling TV? For $20 a month — yes, twenty dollars — you get access to a lineup of cable networks that includes TNT, TBS, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, the Disney Channel, ESPN, and ESPN2. ESPN is obviously a huge get for Dish and could earn Sling TV plenty of customers all on its own. ESPN just ended another year as TV's leading cable network, and now you won't need a traditional cable package to watch it. For sports fanatics, that could prove enticing. But Dish has hinted that there may be limits on watching ESPN on mobile thanks to red tape from existing deals between the network and Verizon. We'll need to wait for the specifics on that.

There are no contracts involved with Sling TV. No commitments. You can buy it for a month and cancel the next if you're not sold on the idea. And since it's a true, over-the-top internet TV service, you can watch and take it anywhere. This really is TV everywhere; watch it on a Roku box in your living room, and then carry live TV with you outside the house on Android and iOS devices. You can also stream it on your PC or Mac with a web browser. Here's the initial list of exactly where you can tune into Sling TV:

Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Google Nexus Player
LG Smart TVs
Mac / OS X
Roku set-top boxes
Roku Streaming Stick
Roku TV
Windows PC
Xbox One

All of that newfound freedom gives you an idea of why Dish has rounded up a fairly small list of supporters right now. This is new territory that both it and Sony are entering, and popular networks are perfectly cozy with the current system that calls for a cable subscription if you want to watch full episodes and complete seasons of their shows. (Beyond what's on Hulu.com, of course.) There's no AMC here, nor FX and Comedy Central. And none of the big four networks want anything to do with Sling TV at this stage. But instead of negotiating for months and years on end, Dish is choosing to make a go of it now. Give them points for determination, if nothing else. "Our strategy was never to replicate traditional pay TV over the internet," said Roger Lynch, the newly named CEO of Sling TV. Doing so would've resulted in $60 or $70 bundles, according to Lynch. "We don't think that's the right approach.
There's a lot we still don't know about the specifics of Sling TV. You'll be able to pause and rewind live shows, and some will be available to replay for up to three days after they originally air. But others won't, and Dish isn't yet getting specific about names. Exactly where and when will you be able to watch ESPN? Also, Dish says it's got a huge catalog of video-on-demand programming to complement live TV. That includes some internet content producers like Maker Studios. Dish says Sling TV will launch later this month, so it won't be long before you get to try out its take on internet TV. The big question is whether it'll prove worth paying for in addition to Netflix and, eventually, HBO. Just don't count on sharing it with anyone: there's a single-stream limit at all times.
Pretty interesting, although if there really are limitations on ESPN it might be a huge negative against it. And there's way too many other local sports channels that I care about to make this a viable way for me to drop my cable subscription as a fan of live sports.

Still, it might cover enough in combination with another streaming service to help those trying to cut the cord.
Old 01-05-15, 03:17 PM
  #2  
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: USA
Posts: 10,424
Received 328 Likes on 247 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

If I have to pay and still watch commercials, I'm not interested. This is about what basic cable cost back in the 80s (and I didn't accept paying for commercials then either!) Wondering if this will at least deliver the channels in the proper frame rate though.
Old 01-05-15, 03:21 PM
  #3  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Cardsfan111's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 18,479
Likes: 0
Received 366 Likes on 231 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I was just reading about this. I might be interested, but will probably wait til some reviews come in.
Old 01-05-15, 03:35 PM
  #4  
DVD Talk God
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,673
Received 3,546 Likes on 2,541 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I know many people including several friends and colleagues of mine would rather pay for the actual content they want. But, costs add up with more services that keep coming up.

I mean take this "example" for potential monthly costs:

Sling TV - $20

Tivo/DVR monthly costs - $12 to 15 per month

Amazon Prime - $100 per year

Netflix - $8

Hulu Plus - $8

HBO streaming - $10-20 per month?

A potential Showtime streaming service (been talked about by CBS) - $10-15 per month?

Various basic cable shows bought a la carte - $35 to 40 per show for 1 season

High Speed Internet for streaming - $60 to 100 per month

You can't go cheap on Internet either, especially if you have multiple people in the house using the line to stream. And then what happens if there is an Internet outage?


The days of getting entertainment for "cheap" are long gone. And if more networks like CBS, which added their own streaming service, keep coming up, there will just be more costs to add to get all the entertainment you want if you prefer the "a la carte" route.

Sure, you can probably go a more shadier route, but is it really worth the headache to try to surf the net to a decent site that plays your favorite show without buffering issues, spam, pop-ups and potential viruses?

Last edited by DJariya; 01-05-15 at 03:46 PM.
Old 01-05-15, 04:12 PM
  #5  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 7,942
Received 306 Likes on 209 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

If this included the local Fox SportsNet, I would seriously consider it. Without that, it's not really viable for me.
Old 01-05-15, 04:38 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk God
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Directionally Challenged (for DirecTV)
Posts: 130,191
Received 602 Likes on 486 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Originally Posted by kefrank
If this included the local Fox SportsNet, I would seriously consider it. Without that, it's not really viable for me.
Without that, I have a hard time seeing much interest in this. If you're inclined to watch ESPN, you're probably a fan of at least one of the local baseball/basketball/hockey teams.

I also read that only 1 user can stream at a time per account, so this will only work if you are single and have only 1 TV going at a time.
Old 01-05-15, 06:00 PM
  #7  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 45,294
Received 1,011 Likes on 803 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

It's free for a month for Xbox Live Gold users when it's released later this month, so it'll be a nice preview. Honestly, Food Network/HGTV and ESPN are the only reasons I still have cable, the fact I'll be able to watch live Rick and Morty as it airs is a perk. Considering how absurdly expensive Comcast has gotten in the past year, what with their new 2 year contract deals and such, I'm definitely interested in $20, contract-free cable.
Old 01-05-15, 06:07 PM
  #8  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
davidh777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Home of 2013 NFL champion Seahawks
Posts: 52,458
Received 987 Likes on 818 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I was scratching my head over the similar name to Slingbox, but apparently Dish (or some corporate relative) purchased Sling.
Old 01-05-15, 08:22 PM
  #9  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 20,767
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes on 7 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

What about network tv: ABC, FOX, CBS, etc?

I wonder if they'll offer closed captioning.

It's an interesting idea. I hope it succeeds.
Old 01-05-15, 11:06 PM
  #10  
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: USA
Posts: 10,424
Received 328 Likes on 247 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

A lot of stuff on the Roku has closed captioning now, in fact I think the FCC even requires it which is odd since I didn't think they could regulate something like that. If they offer a free trial I'll definitely check it out but not expecting much from it. If this thing succeeds I can see the prices going back up to cable levels.
Old 01-05-15, 11:33 PM
  #11  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 7,942
Received 306 Likes on 209 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Originally Posted by Ranger
What about network tv: ABC, FOX, CBS, etc
Sounds like you'll have to rely on OTA for that, but that shouldn't be foreign to the serious cord-cutters this is targeting.
Old 01-05-15, 11:36 PM
  #12  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 7,942
Received 306 Likes on 209 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Originally Posted by Red Dog
I also read that only 1 user can stream at a time per account, so this will only work if you are single and have only 1 TV going at a time.
I saw that too. I know I'm an exception to the rule, but 1 stream at a time would be fine for my household. My wife doesn't really care about TV (except for watching the news now and then) and we don't have kids. As it is, we only have a Dish receiver on one TV in the house anyway, though we do have three others getting OTA channels.

Unfortunately, the lack of local sports still kills it for me.
Old 01-06-15, 10:56 AM
  #13  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 20,767
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes on 7 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

What's the full list of channels?
Old 01-06-15, 11:28 AM
  #14  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SnogBox
Posts: 8,462
Received 128 Likes on 94 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

This is interesting, but the language makes it difficult to tell if this is access to shows, or an internet simulcast. Looking forward to more info.
Old 01-06-15, 11:49 AM
  #15  
DVD Talk God
 
DJariya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: La Palma, CA
Posts: 78,673
Received 3,546 Likes on 2,541 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Originally Posted by Ranger
What's the full list of channels?

The $20 Sling TV base package includes ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and the "best of Internet video" with Maker Studios. Add-on packs with additional kids and news programming will be available for $5 each.

Lynch said the launch channel lineup was set, but the lineup would evolve over time and other channels would be added. No DVR capabilities or local channels would be available to Sling TV subscribers, but they'd be able to access plenty of on-demand content, he added.
Old 01-06-15, 01:23 PM
  #16  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,190
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I could see my sister being interested in this. She dropped Comcast, a few years ago due to the cost and dealing with other bills. She subscribes to Netflix, but says that she misses cable because of ESPN and she has a 10 year old son who still misses a lot of kids shows and cartoons that are on cable. Anytime they stay with relatives with cable or satellite, my nephew jumps on the chance to watch Disney and Nick shows. I noticed this in the article

And Dish insist it would wind up a bigger hassle than consumers expect. Instead, beyond the $20 base offering, you can pay extra for "genre packages" that add more content. "You can construct a package that meets your needs rather than the traditional pay TV bundle of big, bigger, biggest," Lynch said. Today, Dish is announcing two of those premium packs: Kids and News. Each will tack $5 more onto the monthly $20 price — and did we mention you'll still be dealing with commercials? Apparently that's one aspect of traditional pay TV that Dish isn't comfortable ditching yet.
I think my sister would be fine with paying $20-25 per month for this service. But the 1 stream at a time per account thing would be likely be an issue for her and her son. I do think there is probably niche audience for this kind of service. Some people would be ok with having access to the channels offered in the lineup. I know others probably wouldn't be interested in this service because of the lack of AMC, FX, and other popular basic cable channels. In the past few years, several basic cable channels have stepped quite a bit when it comes to original programming and I know some people that are pretty content without having premium cable channels, because they get their fill from basic cable.

Last edited by writer106; 01-06-15 at 01:30 PM.
Old 01-06-15, 01:44 PM
  #17  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 7,942
Received 306 Likes on 209 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

I would pay an additional $20 for a premium local sports pack. $40 would still be substantially less than my current monthly Dish bill.
Old 01-06-15, 01:48 PM
  #18  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,190
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Originally Posted by DJariya
I know many people including several friends and colleagues of mine would rather pay for the actual content they want. But, costs add up with more services that keep coming up.

I mean take this "example" for potential monthly costs:

Sling TV - $20

Tivo/DVR monthly costs - $12 to 15 per month

Amazon Prime - $100 per year

Netflix - $8

Hulu Plus - $8

HBO streaming - $10-20 per month?

A potential Showtime streaming service (been talked about by CBS) - $10-15 per month?

Various basic cable shows bought a la carte - $35 to 40 per show for 1 season

High Speed Internet for streaming - $60 to 100 per month

You can't go cheap on Internet either, especially if you have multiple people in the house using the line to stream. And then what happens if there is an Internet outage?


The days of getting entertainment for "cheap" are long gone. And if more networks like CBS, which added their own streaming service, keep coming up, there will just be more costs to add to get all the entertainment you want if you prefer the "a la carte" route.

Sure, you can probably go a more shadier route, but is it really worth the headache to try to surf the net to a decent site that plays your favorite show without buffering issues, spam, pop-ups and potential viruses?
You made a lot of good points in this post. There are some people who are ok with only doing streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus. But like you said there is the cost of high speed Internet and the issue of Internet outages. Some Internet providers are starting to go after people with high bandwidth usage. That is another huge issue going on.

I'm friends with a couple who started buying basic cable show seasons through Amazon Instant and they mentioned how everything eventually adds up. But they are ok going that route.
Old 01-06-15, 03:14 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

No Syfy?
Old 01-06-15, 03:32 PM
  #20  
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: USA
Posts: 10,424
Received 328 Likes on 247 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

No home shopping channels?
Old 01-07-15, 08:39 PM
  #21  
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
 
fumanstan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 55,349
Received 26 Likes on 14 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Some impressions - http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/7/751...et-tv-ces-2015

No matter where or what device you're using it with, the Sling TV app looks pretty much the same. That turns out to be a surprisingly good thing. The menu system is fast, intuitive, and laid out tastefully. Channels take just a couple seconds to buffer and start playing, and adaptive streaming means you can watch it almost anywhere. Shows will appear in HD on your cushy home internet connection, but will adjust on the fly for slower connections, too. We're just getting out of the gate, but Dish is off to an impressive start.

There's no traditional DVR-style recording here, but you can pause and rewind live TV (with some exceptions). A few networks (not ESPN) even allow you jump back and watch shows that've aired over the last three days. Sling TV offers a healthy amount of video-on-demand content from channels that provide it, and you can rent recent movies like Guardians of the Galaxy just as you would with a typical cable provider. That should help out when the channel list starts feeling a bit thin. There are restrictions, though. You can't pause ESPN at all, so clearly Dish had to make some concessions to nail down that contract. There's another annoying hangup with ESPN, too: you won't be watching NFL games on your smartphone. Don't blame Dish for that one; its hands are tied thanks to an existing rights deal between Verizon and the NFL, but it's still a bummer for fans. Company reps said the restriction won't stop subscribers from watching on a set-top box like Roku or Xbox One.
Old 01-07-15, 09:50 PM
  #22  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 45,294
Received 1,011 Likes on 803 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Fuck it, I'll give this a shot with internet + limited basic from Comcast.
Old 02-07-15, 02:13 AM
  #23  
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
 
Alan Smithee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: USA
Posts: 10,424
Received 328 Likes on 247 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Got my free 7-day trial tonight, with all channel 'packages' included which normally cost a total of $35 per month. Already have my calendar marked to cancel before I get charged for it, but here's my initial technical thoughts:

The ESPN channels are the ONLY ones that seem to be delivered at the proper live-TV frame rate, and even then you only get that at the absolute highest bitrate. Like Netflix, the quality jumps all over the place especially in the first minute or so when you tune in a channel. Watching a live news report on CNN right now and that does not seem to be able to go into the proper frame rate even though I've had it on for several minutes. General picture quality is about as good as Vudu HDX, so take that as you will. (All appear to be from HD feeds, with the exception of Boomerang which is standard def and force-stretched to 16x9. El Rey Network on the other hand looks like a 4x3 letterboxed feed from an HD channel. They were showing "Dolemite" in 4x3 windowboxed on all sides, and interrupted with commercials for Extenze and Burger King. This channel seems a bit stuttery as well.)

NO channels have 5.1 sound, even though they had stated they would.
Old 02-07-15, 06:00 AM
  #24  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 45,294
Received 1,011 Likes on 803 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

Cool. Hope to have my trial soon.

I plan on giving this a shot since I don't really watch my cable anymore outside of some HGTV/Food and ESPN as background noise. Comcast has gone up from $109 to $182 for me in the last few months, the 64/12 mbps internet with limited basic is $50/month here, add in Hulu which I have for cheap ($2.50/mo), Netflix, Amazon which I have for cheap ($4.17/mo) and Sling TV and my total cost goes down to $85. So I should be good, especially since I already have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon on top of that $182 bill.
Old 02-09-15, 08:09 AM
  #25  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 45,294
Received 1,011 Likes on 803 Posts
Re: Dish's Sling TV - Streaming TV

This is now public for everybody, 7 day trial, etc;

They are adding AMC to the core channel package list as well.

The Roku 3 app works very quickly and smoothly, overall interface is pretty good as well. The current channel line-up by default is: ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, El Rey, Maker, CNN, Cartoon Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel and Galavision. AMC is being added to that tier, and BBC America is expected soon.

Last edited by RichC2; 02-09-15 at 08:17 AM.

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.