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Sling TV debuts cloud DVR to combat PlayStation Vue
While Dish's Sling TV impressed us as a streaming television alternative for cord cutters (and it's gotten even better over time), rival service PlayStation Vue has had one major advantage from the start: cloud DVR. But that won't last for long. Sling TV announced today that it'll begin beta testing its own cloud DVR service next month with Roku users. And, notably, it won't have a 28-day limit on your recordings like PS Vue.
Sling TV is joining Comcast's X1 cable platform
Sling TV's over the top internet service is about to arrive in an unusual landing spot: Comcast's cable boxes. The two companies just announced a partnership that will put the IPTV service on the X1 platform in the future, with 425+ channels including a number of multicultural offerings. According to the release, all Sling TV packages will be available on X1, with pricing consistent with other platforms. There's no word yet on exactly when the two will come together, but Netflix went from beta to fully available in just a couple of months, so that could bode well for the pairing.
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.
Sling TV adds NHL Network to its add-on Sports Extra package
Not long after Sling TV cut a deal with parent network Dish back in August to offer NFL Network to its customers, they're expanding sports offerings again. Just a few games into the season, they've added the NHL Network to their "Sports Extra" add-on package, the first time the service has been available for an over-the-top product.
Sling TV launches a native Windows 10 app with Cortana support
For the last year and a half, Sling TV has been gradually improving its cord-cutting TV service. Chromcast support, more channels and an updated interface have all made the streaming television solution better -- but viewers on Windows have been stuck on the service's original UI for months. Not anymore: Today the company launched a new, native Windows 10 app to save desktop users from obsolescence.
The best tech for college athletes
Look, there's clearly more to college life than studying and partying. There's also sports! Before you hit the field, gym, rink or court it's probably worth taking stock of how you can improve your game with a little help from modern technology. An Apple Watch or Vivosmart can count steps and track your gym sessions, while Polo makes a smart shirt that offers seriously in depth data about your body's performance. There's also sensors that can help you do things like improve your swing in golf or baseball. And, of course, after a long day of training, there's nothing better than unwinding by watching your hometown team make a run at the World Series on MLB.tv. Oh, and don't forget to check out the rest of Engadget's back-to-school guide here.
NFL Network and NFL Redzone are now live on Sling TV
After striking a content deal with the NFL last week, Sling TV is now making the NFL Network and NFL Redzone channels available on its streaming service. The company announced that, starting today, Sling Blue subscribers will have NFL Network on their guide -- that bundle is $25 per month, in case you're not familiar with Sling TV's offering. Meanwhile, NFL Redzone requires the Sports Extra add-on for Sling Blue, which costs an extra $5 monthly. Thankfully for cord-cutters who love watching football, the timing couldn't be better, as the NFL preseason kicks off tomorrow with a game between the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.
Dish and Sling TV cut a deal for NFL Network streams
That didn't last long. On the heels of Dish Network deal with the NFL expiring, the company has announced that Sling TV (owned by Dish, of course) will have the NFL Network and NFL RedZone available for the 2016 season. Neither the streaming service or the NFL have said anything about pricing yet, but those details will shore up soon. It's part of a bigger deal with Dish, as well, with the aforementioned channels coming back to Dish's satellite customers as well.
How to watch the 2016 Rio Olympics
The summer Olympics are just a few days away, and whether or not you're a sports fan, chances are you'll want to keep up with everything that happens in Rio de Janeiro. Thankfully, you'll have many options to watch this year's games. But before we tell you how to tune in, you should know the event officially kicks off on August 5th, but certain competitions begin earlier. For instance, soccer (aka football) has games on August 3rd, starting with the women's match between Sweden and South Africa. There's also going to be gymnastics training that day. Whatever your favorite sport may be, NBCUniversal is going to have those of you in the U.S. covered -- even in virtual reality.
Sling TV debuts its new look on Apple TV
Apple's TV box is getting more internet TV friendly with the addition of Sling TV, but that's not the end of the announcements today. Apple TV will be the first platform with Sling's new "content-centric" UI. A big addition is the "My TV" section, which lets users pick favorite channels or easily resume watching a particular show, as well as other overall improvements. Sling's deal with Apple also means it will let subscribers buy a 32GB Apple TV for $89 -- if they prepay for three months of Sling's $20/month service. It's an odd way to build in what amounts to three free months of Sling, but that's what it will be when it goes live here.
Apple TV gets better for cord-cutters and cable TV subscribers
Today at its big WWDC keynote, Apple announced a few updates for the Apple TV platform. New apps arriving include Sling TV (finally), Fox Sports, the French streaming service Molotov and the Minecraft: Story Mode game. Apple is also upgrading the remote application on your iPhone. The app is a lot more like the hardware remote, with touch-based navigation, Siri voice search, plus the ability to use the keyboard for input and game control using the accelerometer. As for the hardware itself, a new feature called "Live Tune in" will let you switch instantly between livestreaming channels like Disney, ESPN and more. There's also a dark theme now, while Automatic App downloads mean that when you install a universal app on your iPhone or iPad, it will be there on your Apple TV too.
Sling adds Spanish TV to its multi-stream beta
Sling TV's service is great for cord-cutters, but not ideal for families who like to watch different stuff at the same time. It recently launched a multi-stream option (in beta) that allows viewing on up to three Sling-TV supported devices at once, but so far content has been limited to Fox and a few other channels. However, Spanish viewers now have a bunch of new options thanks to the company's Best of Spanish TV-Beta that brings multi-stream viewing of channels like Azteca, beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, Cinelatino, CineSony, De Pelicula, Pasiones, Teleromántica, UniMás and Univision.
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 is making a box to stream free local TV channels
More than any technical challenge, the big problem for streaming services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue today is licensing local broadcast networks. Because of that, Sling TV only offers ABC as part of a special package and Fox with its new multi-stream plan, while PS Vue only has broadcast channels in certain cities. But there is one simple solution to those baffling licensing issues: free, over-the-air broadcasts of local channels, which anyone can view with an antenna. That seems to be the entire point behind Sling's upcoming AirTV box, which will capture your local OTA TV streams and let you watch it via Sling TV apps, reports Zatz Not Funny.
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).
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.
ESPN exec: Sling TV 'significant' but Apple is 'frustrated'
ESPN has come of age in the cable era, but as internet TV grows and cord-cutting continues, its future is suddenly fuzzy. President John Skipper talked to the Wall Street Journal and commented a bit about the state of streaming and how it's affecting his business. He says the stats show Dish Network's Sling TV (which carries ESPN as part of its bundle of channels) is bringing "significant" numbers of new TV customers in, without pulling viewers away from cable or satellite.
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.)
Channel Master's DVRs add Sling TV to entice cord cutters
One of the few major drawbacks of Sling TV is that it doesn't license the big broadcast channels, but there's an easy fix for that now. Channel Master announced at CES that its DVR+ products -- which are built to catch your local broadcast channels via antenna -- are adding Sling TV to the mix. That puts an impressive slate of channels on one box, right next to the likes of Netflix, YouTube and a few others. The two DVR+ setups don't have any service fee or subscription by themselves, and are available for $249 (16GB storage if you'd like to BYO hard drive) or $399 (1TB HDD built-in). Owners should see Sling TV appear in an update on the 6th and then they'll be ready to go.
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.