Cord Cutters Rejoice [Sling TV]

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Dish Network announced Sling TV. The service will provide access to 10 cable networks online for 20 bucks/month. Here is the list of networks: ESPN and ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. This sounds like it could be pretty awesome. The one major caveat is that only one device can stream at a time.

No release date yet, but I imagine it will be soon.

Cartoons have been the main thing that I missed after cutting the cord. So I'll likely pick it up for this.

AMC needs to be on that thing and I'm sold

So, have they let the cat out of the bag regarding commercials? I'm not paying $20 / mo to stream them too.

koshnika wrote:

So, have they let the cat out of the bag regarding commercials? I'm not paying $20 / mo to stream them too.

Bloomberg Businessweek[/url]]Aside from the subscription fees, Dish hopes to bring in significant revenue from advertising. One of the last things holding up the service’s launch was technology that allows it to insert advertisements into the live stream based on data the company has on viewers. This could allow Dish to charge more for ads. At some point, says Lynch, the company is likely to offer a free version of the service, minus the most attractive content like ESPN, supported entirely by ad revenue.

My wife works from home so we get our entire cable bill paid for (Free internet + cable = WIN!). That may be changing soon and she will go back to working in an office. If that does happen I figure I can just pick up the OTA channels and be fine with that. I would definitely pay $20 for that list of stations. Network, HGTV, and the Travel Channel are 3 of my favorites. I would definitely pay extra for History + Discovery if it were available.

This sounds like a pretty great deal, nowhere else can you get ESPN+TNT+HGTV that cheap. Add an HD antenna for locals and you are set. I just need to hear more details about connectivity options, like how can I record shows ala Tivo.

VVV. Thanks for the information. This is a total non starter for me. I don't like Hulu Plus due to the adds. I'll watch shows when they show up on Netflix or I can grab a season pass for a reasonable price.

Also, how soon will ISPs try to shake down Dish like they did Netflix.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I just need to hear more details about connectivity options, like how can I record shows ala Tivo.

You won't be able to record things from Sling TV from what I've read. It doesn't have any DVR functionality. It will provide a limited "catch up" on-demand option where you can watch shows that aired within the past three to seven days.

I imagine that that's a purposeful gimping of the product to make the content providers happy. Someone might MacGuyver a way to record streamed content, but I'd also imagine there's a clause buried in the service's T&Cs that forbids doing just that.

Cobble wrote:

AMC needs to be on that thing and I'm sold

Yup! This is definitely on my radar with an 8 and a 13 year old in the house, with the Cartoon network, Disney, as well as Adult Swim for me. If they can add one of those $5 bundles that includes AMC, I will be all over it, especially since I already have an HD OTA setup to get the major networks and about 25 other channels.

Even without ACM, I think this is an awesome step forward. I'm really excited that there's going to be more options aside from traditional cable.

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim

Isn't Adult Swim programming aired on Cartoon Network? In other words, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are the same network, yes? I dumped cable years ago, so maybe Adult Swim branched off to its own network?

I think this sounds great as it basically packages all the stuff either my wife misses from TV (I don't really miss it at all) and what my friends who are big into football want, and it is a step in the right direction, even if it is not perfect or right for everyone.

So... why is it people are so crazy over AMC? Other than The Walking Dead, I know nothing of what they have. Then again, I don't pay attention either.

They're technically two separate entities, but they share the same broadcasting channel. I wouldn't be shocked to see Adult Swim transition to their own network if these online areas produce high numbers.

This seems really cool, and exactly what I would want from this kind of service. Food Network, HGTV, and Travel are the channels my wife really likes to watch and there are several times a year I wish I had ESPN.

If there isn't a contract required and we could just due month to month I could see getting this for awhile.

We have been dropping Hulu during the times of the years when my wife's shows aren't on, maybe we drop Netflix as well during that time and sub in this.

Hey, I just signed up for an invite to Sling. Has anyone started using this yet?

Our cable bill is about to do the "You've been a great customer for a year, and have been satisfied with our service so - HERE'S THE MIDDLE FINGER PAY MORE MONEY!" jump. Yea, F that! We are planning to be proactive and scale back to just internet (losing the phone, too) - and trying Sling and our good ol' broadcast antenna.

Now, if they offer me our same features at current price, we just might stay another year. My wife and I do love the DVR.

I have been using the Sling Tv service since Saturday, and I have to say that I am enjoying having some channels that I will actually use, supplementing my OTA HD antenna channels.

They give you a week free, you do have to use a debit/cc in order to get the free week, and after that, pay the $20+ tax per month after that.

The quality is right between SD and HD, at least on my computer screen. They will be adding XBone and Chromecast (yay!) functionality to it in the near future, so I won't be stuck to just my pc and android phone.

So far, so good.

Hot damn! Looks like AMC is coming to the core channels, included in the base price. If they could add Comedy Central, then they would have me for life.

They include all the AMC lineup: Terms cover all channels in the AMC Networks portfolio including AMC, BBC AMERICA, BBC World News, IFC, Sundance TV, and WE tv

http://blog.sling.com/announcements/...

I look forward to the inevitable throttling that Verizon and Comcast/TWC will impose on SlingTV if it ever gains any reasonable traction.

Oh hey, Sling TV is open for anyone to sign up now.

TheGameguru wrote:

I look forward to the inevitable throttling that Verizon and Comcast/TWC will impose on SlingTV if it ever gains any reasonable traction.

Will they be able to throttle in ten years when utility classification is finally implemented?

Anyone outside the US trying this out? Any idea how vpn-friendly the are?

Sling TV is now available to anyone with an Xbone.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/sling-tv-arrives-on-xbox-one/

Thinking about it...Wonder what the difference between my cable/internet bill with cable and without (plus this) would be. Local sports would be the big thing I'd be missing, though.

carrotpanic wrote:

Thinking about it...Wonder what the difference between my cable/internet bill with cable and without (plus this) would be. Local sports would be the big thing I'd be missing, though.

Depending on where you live you may get a solid number of over the air channels. I know we get the Big 4 major networks in stunning high definition where I live.

All the local sports here are on Fox Sports Detroit, so unfortunately there's no other way to get them other than cable/dish/go to bar.

Looks like Sling is picking up ESPN3.

http://blog.sling.com/announcements/...

February 2015 byline

Yes, but it's finally being added: http://blog.sling.com/announcements/...

Ah. Just been using the Watch ESPN app for that stuff.

carrotpanic wrote:

February 2015 byline

garion333 wrote:

Yes, but it's finally being added: http://blog.sling.com/announcements/...

Yep!

Sorry about the confusion, I was looking at a few different sections there and posted the link to the non-updated info.

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