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Sling TV accidentally reveals its set-top box for cord cutters
The Sling TV team has inadvertently spilled the beans on its previously leaked media hub for cord cutters. Zatz Not Funny discovered a briefly available landing website for the AirTV Player, and it's clearer than ever that Sling (read: Dish) is catering to those determined to leave cable and satellite behind. The set-top box will revolve around a home screen that merges over-the-air TV tuning with not only Sling TV, but Netflix -- you won't have to jump between apps or devices to watch both your local news and the latest season of Black Mirror. And since this is an Android device (notice the "G" button on the remote), there's a good chance that other online services will be available as well.
Apple's TV single sign-on feature goes live in the US
Apple just made your TV watching much easier... if you subscribe to the right services, that is. After dropping some hints in November, Apple has activated its promised single sign-on feature for Apple TV and iOS users in the US, but only for a handful of offerings. DirecTV, Dish and cord-cutter service Sling TV are the highlights among providers. Only some channel-specific apps can use SSO as well: A&E, Bravo, NBC, Syfy and USA are among the choices, and the option isn't always available on both Apple TV and iOS gear.
Sling TV just added even more kids programming
It seems like every other month, at least, Sling TV brings new content to its video-streaming service. That's great for those of you who pay $20 (or more) for the monthly subscription. The latest update, announced today, focuses on adding even more programming to the Kids Extra bundle. You'll now find over 200 on-demand TV shows and movies from Kabillion, Kaboom and Splash, in addition to what's been available from Disney Junior, TeenNick, NickToons and other similar channels.
Dish helps you follow out-of-town NBA teams
It's tough being a San Antonio Spurs fan living in New York City, since I can only watch games shown on national TV. With NBA Team Pass, though, that's not a problem. And starting today, Dish is making it available to its subscribers for $119 per season, becoming the first pay-TV provider to do so. Up until now, Team Pass was only available as an online streaming service, but you should note that out-of-market blackout restrictions still apply with Dish's offering.
Watch the Olympics in 4K Ultra HD on Comcast, DirecTV or Dish
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are almost here, and despite the issues present in Rio, watching from home should be better than ever. If you're in need of something else to display on your brand new Ultra HD television then we have good news -- NBC will have 4K, HDR footage with Atmos surround sound available that's actually downsampled from 8K (which you can see for yourself, if you live in Japan). The only problem? Not every TV provider will be pushing it to viewers, and it will be on 24-hour tape delay.
Dish's new TV remote listens to your voice commands
Nowadays, you can save energy by talking to your gadgets and letting them do the work for you. So it's no surprise that Dish wants to help you with that, too. The satellite provider has introduced its aptly named Voice Remote, which lets Hopper 3 and 4K Joey customers search for content with spoken commands. Results populate based on movie or TV titles, genre as well as actor names. Additionally, the new remote features a clickable touchpad for easier navigation, backlit keys and support for two IR devices. If you're a Dish subscriber with one of the aforementioned boxes, you can get the Voice Remote starting today for $30.
Dish drops NFL channels after deal expires
Tribune stations went dark on Dish Network earlier this week, making it difficult for some customers to watch the NBA and NHL championship matchups. The TV provider is dealing with another sports-related dispute too, and this time it's with the NFL. Dish subscribers won't be privy to the league-owned NFL Network and NFL RedZone for the time being as contract negotiations stalled before the previous deal expired last night. The NFL pointed out that this is the first time a television provider has blacked out its channels and set up a website to let eager football fans in on other options for watching its content.
Some Dish subscribers will miss NBA and NHL playoff games
There's bad news for some folks hoping to catch the NBA or NHL finals today. The Tribune network, which owns WGN and affiliates for FOX, CBS and other networks, is no longer available on Dish. As usual with such disputes (which often involve Dish), the reason for the blackout is money. Tribune says that Dish "refuses to reach an agreement based on fair-market value" for its stations, while Dish says "Tribune is demanding an unreasonable rate increase for channels that are available for free over the air."
Dish's HopperGo portable DVR is available today
Nearly five months after its introduction at CES 2016, the HopperGo is finally available to Dish customers. This portable DVR features 64GB of built-in storage, which you can fill with movies and TV shows you've recorded on your Hopper 2, Hopper with Sling or Hopper 3 set-top box. The magic of the HopperGo is that it creates its own private network, no internet needed, and allows up to five iOS or Android devices to connect to it using the Dish Anywhere app.
Dish gets into... the iPhone repair business?
Now this is interesting. Today, satellite TV provider Dish introduced a new service for iPhone repairs in the US. It's an intriguing business decision, considering the company hasn't done anything similar in the past -- unless you take into account fixing its own antennas and set-top boxes. Still, Dish's Executive VP of Operations, John Swieringa, says his team of technicians is "uniquely positioned with the technical know-how" to fix people's broken screens and batteries.
Comedy Central, BET, MTV, more Viacom networks will hit Sling TV
Viacom networks Comedy Central, BET, MTV, Spike, Nick Jr. and others will land on Dish's streaming service, Sling TV, in the coming months. These channels will be available in single-stream and multi-stream packages, though there's no word on specific bundles just yet. It's all part of a deal Viacom and Dish hashed out last night, just before their previous contract expired, and it ensures Viacom's current lineup of 18 channels will remain on Dish satellite TV.
Sling TV tests a multi-stream service with catches
As helpful as Sling TV might be for cutting the cord, its one-stream-at-a-time model has its limits. It rules out your family watching across multiple TVs, for instance, or (gasp) sharing with friends. Thankfully, the Dish-owned service isn't deaf to your requests: it's beta testing a $20 per month multi-stream option that lets up to three people watch at once. Besides giving you more freedom, the move also brings Fox channels that aren't available with a single stream, such as Fox Locals, Fox Sports and FX. You'll also get a few other channels that were either previously unavailable or limited to add-on packages, like Univision (normally an extra).
Dish customers can stream Netflix in 4K with the Hopper 3
Dish took a major leap forward at CES 2016, introducing its first 4K receiver and DVR. But, as great as it is for customers to have that option, Hopper 3 needs compatible content in order to show true value. With this in mind, Dish has announced support for Netflix's 4K repertoire, which will let users watch some movies and series in Ultra HD. That includes most of the streaming service's latest original shows, including the acclaimed Daredevil and House of Cards, among others.
Add Cinemax to your Sling TV lineup for $10 a month
Sling TV customers could already add HBO to their streaming lineups, and now the service for cord cutters is adding another premium network. Cinemax is now available on Sling TV, bringing its library of movies and original series to the service for $10 a month. As part of that fee, you'll be privy to both live and on-demand content, the latter being the same stuff you'd find on Max Go. And there's all that After Dark entertainment, too. The main subscription costs $20 per month on its own, so if you want both HBO and Cinemax, you're looking at a $45 monthly fee.
Dish's 4K-ready Hopper 3 DVR is now available
Although the Hopper 3 was supposed to arrive at the end of January, Dish isn't too late on its promise. The company's third-generation DVR, which supports 4K and up to six Joey receivers simultaneously, is now available to subscribers. According to Dish, "qualified" new and existing account holders can get one box at no cost, but that's with a $15 monthly fee.
Sling TV CEO on the competition and internet TV's future
Sling TV was the big winner at CES 2015. The internet TV service, which is owned by Dish, took home multiple awards from the show, along with dominating the news cycle throughout the first few weeks of January. And that shouldn't come as a surprise: For the first time, people in the US had a decent and economical alternative to traditional pay television. It was a cord-cutter's dream. Unfortunately for Sling TV, gaining popularity at such a fast pace turned out to be a double-edged sword. In the first real stress test for its servers, Sling TV didn't cope well during the stream of the NCAA's Final Four basketball tournament, leading the company to apologize to subscribers. A month later, the Game of Thrones season five premiere created another problem for the service, with many users missing out on it due to issues with Sling TV's Roku app. But that was then, says Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch, who I had the chance to interview at CES 2016. As part of our discussion, he also talked about other challenges faced since launch; the competition from Comcast and Time Warner cable; and what's going on with the long-awaited Sling TV app for PlayStation 4. (Hint: Lynch says the ball is in Sony's court.)
Dish's Hopper 3 DVR uses 4K to watch four HD games at once
Dish has been pushing its placeshifting and ad-skipping Hopper DVR for a few years now, and now it's ready to unleash the biggest upgrade yet. The Hopper 3 is ready for 4K -- there's already a Joey 4K, introduced last year -- and it has 16 tuners, which should be enough to end channel conflicts forever. Its 4K support is not just there for watching video on-demand downloads, as it also has a "Sports Bar Mode" that lets owners watch four regular HD channels at once on their Ultra HD TV. That way they don't have to reduce resolution at all, and on game day it could come in handy.
Sling TV redesign makes it easy to find your favorite content
Since launching at last year's CES, Sling TV has focused on supporting more devices and expanding its content portfolio. Now, the cord-cutter-friendly service is revealing a major redesign, one that's all about putting your favorite movies and TV shows front and center, rather than fixating on specific network channels. The new myTV tab, for example, lets you easily access your most recently watched programming and other favorited items, which blends nicely with that newly improved guide. Sling TV says the fresh UI boasts is more contextually aware too, as it can adapt to your behavior based on time of day, location and platform you're using.
Dish's HopperGo is a portable DVR for its subscribers
Along with announcing a shiny new 4K receiver, Dish has revealed a portable device for the streaming generation: HopperGo. Pictured above, this tiny gadget will let Dish subscribers take up to 100 hours of DVR recordings with them anywhere they, well, go. Dish explains the HopperGo turns into its own WiFi hotspot and creates a private cloud, which then allows you to stream shows or movies on an iPad or Android device. The Hopper Go features 64GB of built-in storage, about four hours of battery life and supports up to five devices simultaneously -- the company claims video quality is "optimized for smartphones and tablets."
Sling TV adds local content to its Latino streaming service
Sling TV recently began catering some services to Spanish-speaking subscribers. In June, the company introduced Sling Latino, a standalone package for people who only wanted access to video content in Español. Today, as part of these plans to reach a broader audience, Sling TV announced it's adding local broadcast feeds from Univision and UniMas to its Latino streaming service. This will give viewers the ability to watch programming that's restricted to certain areas, such as local news shows.
