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Sling TV shows off its improved guide for the Xbox One
As great as Sling TV is, the user interface isn't the best. One of the biggest problems is that it isn't easy to find the content you're looking for, but the company's well aware of this and has been working on a fix. Today, Sling TV announced the first of "several" planned updates to its UI, starting with the app for Xbox One. Aside from bug fixes and under-the-hood improvements to the streaming quality, Sling TV is refreshing the guide on Microsoft's entertainment console -- which should make it less tedious for you to quickly come across the live and on-demand shows you want to watch. For example, when you're browsing the guide and set on a channel, hitting up on the Xbox One controller's d-pad or joystick now brings up all the content available for each network. You'll also find better imagery throughout the app, with a focus on cast, crew and episode artwork.
Lawsuit claims Sling tricked viewers by introducing ads
Don't like that your Slingbox setup is dishing out ads when it wasn't before? You're not alone. Two viewers have sued Sling Media for allegedly pulling a "bait and switch" on existing customers, serving them ads that they hadn't actually agreed to see. It's tantamount to fraud, according to the lawsuit, and it's particularly egregious when many viewers paid $300 or more for their set-top boxes.
Buying a Slingbox finally gets you free TV streaming apps
As handy as a Slingbox can be for watching TV away from home, it's not as good a deal as it sounds. You usually have to shell out another $15 or more just to get the Slingplayer streaming app for your phone or tablet. Sling is starting to see the light, however. It's shipping a $200 Slingbox M2 bundle that lets you download the Slingplayer Android and iOS apps for free, not just the desktop versions. While this kit costs $50 more than what you'd pay for the M1, it's potentially less expensive if you want apps for multiple mobile devices -- especially if you're not the only one that wants to watch. You'll have to endure "seamlessly integrated" ads for the privilege, but that could be a small price to pay for viewing your favorite shows on every possible screen.
Virgin's new in-flight WiFi is strong enough to stream video
Virgin America has announced that it's teaming up with satellite internet company ViaSat to provide the fastest in-flight WiFi of any commercial carrier. The new system uses a hybrid Ku-/Ka-band receiver to deliver an internet pipeline eight to 10 times faster than anything else on the market. The Ka-band alone offers a whopping 140 gigabits-per-second throughput. It's being installed on the company's new fleet of A320 airliners and will be put into service on Hawaii-bound routes starting next year. That alone is a big accomplishment as the rest of the airline's fleet have to rely on ground-based WiFi connections, which don't work over the ocean's expanse. Virgin touts that this in-flight connection will be equivalent to an average home broadband link and users are expected to use it as such, streaming videos, watching the carrier's 18 channels of DishNetwork and surfing the internet with abandon -- just at 35,000 feet.
Sling TV launches a standalone service for Latinos
Last month, Sling TV introduced a couple of channel packs for the Spanish-speaking audience in the US. But now the company's taking that one step further with Sling Latino, a standalone service for people who are only interested in having access to channels en Español. The main package, called Paquete Total, is $12 per month and features 22 of the most popular networks in Spanish, including Azteca America, Galavisión, beIN Sports en Español, Univision, UniMás, Univision Deportes Network, Univision tlnovelas and many more. That said, there is a cheaper option for just $7: Paquete Esencial, which comes with Azteca America, Cinelatino, beIN Sports en Español, Univision tlnovelas and 12 other channels, although it's missing most of Univision's properties.
WSJ: Dish Network and T-Mobile are talking merger
Add one more (potential) communications company deal to the pile: T-Mobile and Dish Network. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two are in "close agreement" about the structure of a combined company, with Dish CEO Charlie Ergen taking over as Chairman and T-Mobile leader John Legere serving as CEO for the two companies. Dish tried and failed to acquire Sprint a couple of years ago, while T-Mobile has made its own passes at joining with AT&T and Sprint. There's nothing final about the talks so maybe nothing will happen, but Verizon/AOL and AT&T/DirecTV could have company very soon. [Image credit: Steve Sands via Getty Images]
Sling TV brings its cord-cutter app to Android TV devices
So far, Dish has done an exceptional job of launching its internet television service, Sling TV, on most major mobile and stationary platforms. And now Android TV is the latest to offer support for the cord-cutter app, joining others like iOS, Roku, Xbox One and, of course, Android in doing so. At the moment, Sling TV on Android TV really just means being available for the Nexus Player, although there are many devices launching soon with Google's newly minted ecosystem on board. Sling TV also announced ESPN Deportes (the Spanish version of ESPN) has been added to its channel lineup, which it will be including as part of the Latino-tailored, $5-per-month Deportes Extra pack.
Sling TV targets Latino viewers with latest channel bundles
The content programming spree for Sling TV continues today. Now, the company has announced two $5 bundles intended for the Spanish-speaking community in the US. Deportes Extra is one of them, featuring beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports (English), Univision, Univision Deportes and UniMas. The other, Peliculas & Novelas Extra, comes with channels like Az Corazon, Cinelatino, De Pelicula, Pasiones and a pair that carry over from the sports-focused bundle: Univision and UniMas. Both packages are perfect for people who like watching football (soccer) and Latin American soap operas, better known as novelas.
Dish makes it easy to watch Netflix in every room
Netflix became available on Dish set-top boxes back in December of last year. Now, as a way to make the experience better for subscribers, the satellite provider is improving the integration between its platform and the video-streaming service. As of today, Dish customers who have a Hopper with Sling and Joey receiver in their home can start watching Netflix content across different rooms. So, say you start an episode of the award-winning House of Cards in your living room, you can pause it and continue enjoying it in your bedroom, seamlessly -- so long as there's a Joey device in there. In addition to that, Dish added Vevo, which lets people check out on-demand music videos, to the growing list of Hopper apps.
Sling TV is sorry for messing up your Final Four basketball stream
Dish's Sling TV streaming service got its first big stress test during the NCAA's Final Four games this weekend... and, well, it didn't cope gracefully. The company has apologized after Sling TV buckled during the college basketball semifinals, producing errors and otherwise keeping many people from following the action. Reportedly, a combo of "extreme sign-ups and streaming" triggered the meltdown -- Dish wasn't prepared for the flood of new customers, and had to juggle the load across its networking partners to get things back to normal. That's an auspicious sign for Sling TV's future (there's clearly a lot of demand for live sports online), but let's hope that it's better prepared for the next big wave of cord cutters. [Image credit: Chris Steppig/Getty Images]
Dish Anywhere adds profiles for personalized recommendations
Even though Sling TV has kept Dish extremely busy over the past few months, the company hasn't forgotten about its core user base: the satellite service customers. As such, Dish let it be known today that it is bringing some new features to Anywhere, the companion app subscribers use to stream live or on-demand content, control DVR settings and more. The main highlight is a new feature that lets each user in a household set up their own profile, complete with a name and icon, among other things. Most importantly, though, this makes personalized content recommendations possible, since they are based on personal viewing habits -- rather than what everyone in your family watches.
Sling TV getting more on-demand content thanks to Epix (update)
Dish's Sling TV is great for cord-cutters, but sometimes TNT and TBS won't cut it. The service is about to fill the gaps by tying up with Epix, a premium content channel co-owned by Viacom, Paramount and other studios. It'll carry all four of Epix's channels for scheduled viewing along with its streaming service, letting cable-haters watch recent cinema, classics and Epix original programming. Dish hasn't revealed the Epix price yet, but the basic Sling TV service runs $20 and sports, news and kids add-in packs are $5 a pop. Epix is also a $5 add-on from providers like Time Warner Cable. Update: This post originally reported that Sling TV didn't yet have on-demand content. The streaming service already offers movie rentals and the ability to start currently airing programs once they've started. The Epix partnership expands the existing catalog, and the text has been edited to correct the error.
Sling TV opens its doors to all cord-cutters
If Sling TV piqued your interest after bagging our Best of CES award, you no doubt paid close attention to our recent preview, too. Well, now you can dive right in yourself without jonesing for an invite. Sign-ups for the $20-a-month internet TV service are now open to everyone. If you're still a little shy, then Dish is hoping that a 7 day free trial might help lubricate your decision-making process -- even then, don't forget you can cancel any time. Of course, while we reported that the service seemed fluid and robust during our trial, we're about to find out if that stays true once the service is used en masse. Have at it.
'Tron'-like headphones, virtual reality at Sundance and other stories you might've missed this week!
We get it. It's been a busy week. Luckily, we're here to catch you up on the release date of the Apple Watch, VR headsets in Hollywood and all the other cool stuff you may have accidentally glossed over during five days on the daily grind.
AT&T and Dish were the big spenders in the FCC's wireless auction
There's no doubt that companies spent a ton of money in the FCC's latest wireless auction -- $44.9 billion of it, to be precise. But who was it that was so eager to part with their cash? You don't have to wonder for much longer. The FCC has revealed the winning bidders, and there's little doubt as to who the frontrunners are. AT&T was by far the biggest spender. It shelled out almost $18.2 billion for 251 licenses to use that coveted AWS-3 spectrum, or nearly three times what it spent on 700MHz frequencies back in 2008. Dish, meanwhile, made its broadband ambitions pretty clear by snapping up a sizable $13.3 billion in airwaves.
Best of CES 2015 Awards, Home Theater: Sling TV
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-117497").style.display="none";}catch(e){} It's not exactly a gadget or anything physical, but Sling TV still came away from this year's CES with a host of accolades. That's because the service from Dish is essentially a cord-cutter's dream, with a slew of channel offerings from the likes of ESPN, CNN and Cartoon Network for only $20 a month -- no cable or satellite subscription required. It was a shoo-in for this year's Best Home Theater award.
A closer look at Dish's Sling TV service
If you've been looking to give cable the boot, Dish's announcement of a $20-a-month service that brings you TV channels over the internet may be the most exciting news of CES. Sling TV doesn't quite have the robust network lineup as Comcast, Time Warner and others, but big names like ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, Food Network have signed on. What's more, the subscription includes a movie rental feature, and it'll be available on a handful of smart TVs, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV (and Fire Stick), Xbox One, Nexus Player, Android TV and both Android and iOS mobile platforms when it arrives later this year. That means that if you're already itching to opt in, it won't be too difficult to find a compatible device. Read on for a quick walkthrough of the interface, and for all the details, consult more of our Sling TV coverage.
Dish Network will have 4K this summer for every UHD TV
Dish Network is ready to tread new ground with its internet-only Sling TV service, but what about folks who want the highest quality video and are willing to pay for it? It will join the 4K party this summer with an upgraded Joey extender that not only tosses Ultra HD video around, but is also so slim it can be wall-mounted behind compatible TVs. The dual-core ARM processor inside is even powerful enough that it can toss up two HD streams side by side. Sure, Dish is coming in later than competitors Comcast and DirecTV, but so far those two are only working with a limited set of TVs, like Samsung and LG. The 4K Joey works with any UHD TV with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2.
Dish goes after cord-cutters with Sling TV, a $20-per-month service
According to a Bloomberg report earlier this year, Dish was said to be preparing to launch an online television service last summer. But, as we now know, nothing ever came from that -- at least not until today. The satellite company has taken to CES 2015 to reveal Sling TV, its long-rumored internet TV service, and it wants all current and would-be cord-cutters to know that this is designed specifically for them. Dish says that Sling TV has been years in the making, pointing out that it was born out of learning from Dish Anywhere and DishWorld, a US-only, internet-based TV package that offers access to about 200 international channels.
Dish Network's latest squabble turns off Fox News, Business channels
Stop us if you've heard this one before: Dish Network is without a couple of channels tonight because it couldn't reach a deal with major media company. After Turner and CBS, this time it's Fox. The dispute between the two is only affecting the Fox News and Fox Business channels, although Dish Network says the problem is that Fox wanted to bring some of its other channels into renewal negotiations, and blames the broadcaster for the blackout. Specifically called out are sports and entertainment channels (Fox Sports, FX, FXX?) Dish claims Fox wanted to triple its rates on. Of course, Fox has its own version of the events, claiming Dish is the one doing the blocking, and lauding the news channel's "nearly two decades without a blackout. For now, we'll just call this one a weekend break from the drone of cable news (the truly concerned can check out each side's propaganda websites -- Fox, Dish) and will let you know if anything changes.
