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Sling TV Box: How Does Sling TV Work And Everything You Should Know
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| Sling TV Box: How Does Sling TV Work And Everything You Should Know |
Cable TV is coming out. Gone are the days when having a decent TV channel and a selection of shows meant spending a lot on a cable subscription from one of the top companies. You can currently watch movies and TV shows with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or any other streaming service.
But what about live TV? Live TV is great for watching your favorite network shows as they become available, watching live sports, or simply channeling browsing if you are unsure what to watch.
Fortunately, cutting the cable company does not necessarily mean having to abandon live TV altogether. In fact, there are excellent services available for live TV streaming to your Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, or another streaming device, such as Slingbox TV Packages.
Sling TV offers a wide variety of live channels and allows you to keep the live component you may have enjoyed on TV without keeping your cable subscription costly. Interested? Here is everything you need to know about Slingbox TV.
What Exactly is a TV Sling Box?
Sling TV is essentially a way of watching your favorite live channels without a cable subscription. Essentially, instead of channels reaching your TV over cable from a cable company, video is streamed to your TV or streaming box over the Internet – just like other streaming services like Netflix.
There are some advantages to this system. For starters, you are not limited to watching content on your TV. You can watch it on your TV, laptop, phone or tablet just as easily with the Sling TV app.
It also makes the content of the recording a little easier. DVR features cost an extra $ 5 each month, but the trade-off is that you will have 100 hours of recording time and can watch your favorite TV shows and movies when it’s convenient for you.
Slingbox TV packages were the first live TV streaming service – which appeared in February 2015 – and although it has spawned several competitors, it is still among the cheapest ways to cut cable from the cable.
Sling TV allows subscribers to watch a collection of live and on-demand TV channels on their TVs, computers, tablets, or phones. This is live TV as well as a cable or satellite TV service except it is broadcast over the internet.
Sling offers two levels, Blue and Orange, and if you’re a sports fan, Sling Orange remains the cheapest way to watch ESPN live shows like SportsCenter. You can pay more for additional channels or add a cloud DVR, and if you care more about Fox Sports and NBC than ESPN, you can subscribe to Blue. Here is all you need to know.
How is Sling TV different from my cable or satellite provider?
Sling TV is a live TV streaming service that is operated by Dish Network but is a totally separate entity. You do not need a Dish subscription (or a satellite dish) to get Sling TV. It is available on many different platforms, including iOS, Android, Apple TV, and Roku. What’s more, what’s more:
Sling TV is available everywhere in the United States.
It is probably cheaper and has fewer channels. Plans start at $ 25 and include over 30 live TV channels. Has limited local channels or none depending on the plan.
It requires a home broadband internet connection of at least 5.0 megabits per second (25 Mbps or higher recommended).
Instead of a cable box, you will watch on a device connected to the TV, such as a streaming device or box, a Smart TV, or a game console that runs the free Sling TV app. Also available on mobile
There are no contracts, and you can cancel or resume service at any time without penalty.
You can only watch one stream at a time with the Sling Orange package or three streams with the Sling Blue.
And The Competition?
When it comes to live TV services, there are two types – budget and premium. As a budget service, Sling has two main competitors: Philo ($ 20 per month) and AT&T Watch TV ($ 15 per month). Like Sling, these competitors do not have local channels, but neither do sports networks like ESPN and Fox Sports.
Premium services include YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, and Fubo TV, which start at $ 45 to $ 55 per month. They cost more than Sling, mainly because they also carry many of their local broadcast channels – ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
Why Is It So Cheap?
One of the biggest pitfalls with the Sling TV Box and one of the reasons it is cheaper than cable is the unique flow restriction on the Sling Orange package (which includes ESPN). Meanwhile, Fox and NBC, including Sling Blue, offer up to three simultaneous broadcasts.
If you are an Orange subscriber, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device – TV or mobile – at the same time. This restriction can be a real annoyance for families who want to watch different shows in different rooms, for example.
How does it work? If you are watching Sling TV on one device and someone else starts watching Slingbox TV on another device, the service will let you choose which single device will continue to broadcast. The other device is prevented from broadcasting the Sling TV until the first device stops.
Slingbox Tv Packages – How Are Sling TV Orange And Blue Different?
Despite Sling TV advertising itself as “a la carte TV”, you cannot choose individual channels. As with cable, there is a flat fee for a particular Slingbox TV package.
Sling calls its packages Orange and Blue and differentiates them by channel selection and concurrent flow limit.
- Sling Orange: $ 25 per month. 33 channels, including ESPN and Disney (but not Fox or NBC channels). Limited to one simultaneous stream at a time.
- Sling Blue: $ 25 per month. 48 channels, including Fox and NBC channels (but not ESPN or Disney channels). Up to three simultaneous streams.
- Orange + Blue Sling: $ 40 per month. Includes all channels of both (51 total). Up to four simultaneous streams, but only one at a time from Orange channels.
What Other Channels Are Available on Sling TV Box?
In addition to the channels listed above as part of the basic Orange or Blue packages, Sling TV also sells additional mini-packages it calls Sling Extras.
To get one, you will have to sign up for the basic orange or blue package and then pay an additional monthly fee. Many extra channels are restricted to Orange or Blue subscribers. Here are some current extra packages and the top channels they include, all priced at an extra $ 5 per month.
- Sports Extra: NBA TV, NHL Network, plus ESPN channels (Orange only), NFL RedZone and Golf Channel (blue only), more
- Extra Comedy: MTV, Logo, TV Land, CMT, more
- Kids Extra: Boomerang, Nicktoons, Nick Teen, Disney Junior and Disney XD (Orange Only), plus
- Extra News: BBC World News, HLN, The Blaze, MSNBC, and CNBC (Blue Only), more
- Extra Lifestyle: VH1, Cooking Channel, Hallmark, DIY, FYI, Lifetime Movies, more
- Sling also offers extra packages for Heartland, Hollywood, and Broadcast as well as a wide variety of foreign language channel packages. Premium channels available on Sling include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Stars, EPIX, and CuriosityStream. The price ranges from $ 5 to $ 15 extra per month.
Finally, customers can add the Total TV Deal, which includes eight extras for $ 20.
What about local broadcasts (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC)?
The biggest reason why Sling TV Box costs less than many competing services is that it has very few local channels.
Orange customers do not receive local channels from major broadcast networks such as CBS, ABC, Fox, and NBC. (And let’s note, for the record, that CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a division of CBS.)
As mentioned in the chart above, Blue customers can watch Fox and NBC live local broadcast networks (and regional sports channels) only in select markets – and again, the number of markets is relatively small (about a dozen or so). in each). Blue customers outside these markets have access to Fox, and NBC shows on demand.
Sling encourages users who want local channels to use an over-the-air antenna. He runs promotions that include free antennas and sells AirTV Player and AirTV to integrate antenna broadcasts with the Sling interface.
AirTV connects to an antenna to distribute live TV to your TVs and devices through the Sling TV app.
Channels That Are Not Available On Sling Tv Box?
In addition to local channels, a handful of popular channels are not available on Sling TV. They include:
- Animal Planet
- Fox News
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- CBS Sports
Sling TV Box also doesn’t have many regional sports networks (RSNs) that are likely to be found on your local cable service. These vary by location but typically include channels that feature professional baseball, basketball, and hockey games in the regular season; for example, NESN in New England and MSG in New York.
How can I watch Sling TV Box?
You will need to sign up for Sling.com and set up an account and then install the app on a compatible device.
Once you’ve installed your device and app, you’ll be able to sign in and start watching anywhere in the U.S. that has a stable internet connection, whether it’s wired, Wi-Fi, or mobile.
TV Sling is currently available (or not) on the following devices.
SLING TV DEVICES
TV creates Roku (TVs, boxes and streaming sticks), Apple TV (2015 and newer), Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, Android TV, Channel Master, LG TV (Web OS 3.0+), Samsung Smart tv
Mobile devises Android phones and tablets, iOS phones, and tablets (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), PC and Mac computers
Not available PlayStation (3 or 4), Xbox 360, Apple TV (pre-2015 versions)
Does Sling TV have commercials?
Yes. It has the same commercial breaks and national advertisements as standard TV channels delivered via cable or satellite TV service. There are also non-skippable and non-pause ads on some on-demand content.
Can I pause live TV or skip commercials?
No, unless you pay extra for the cloud DVR service (below). Even so, pause on live TV only works on certain channels.
Without cloud DVR, pause, rewind, and fast-forward commands don’t work when watching many of ESPN’s channels (including SEC Network), as well as AMC, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network / Adult Swim, either from Disney, ABC Family, Boomerang, HLN, IFC, or Sundance TV.
On some other channels, the pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons work as expected. You can pause a current show and rewind it to the beginning. You can also advance, even through commercials, to catch up on watch time. But the only way to schedule and maintain program recordings is to use the cloud DVR.
What is the problem with the cloud DVR?
On most devices, you can pay an extra $ 5 per month to subscribe to the Sling cloud DVR. It is designed to mimic the physical-digital video recorder box functionality available in many cable and satellite services, allowing you to record and playback recorded programs and skip commercials on certain channels. The DVR has 50 hours of storage.
Unlike traditional DVRs, Sling TV Cloud DVR does not work on these channels: Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney JR, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN, ESPN Sports, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, ACC Network and Network SEC.
Can I watch shows on demand?
Almost every channel has shows that you can watch on-demand instantly. Most channels feature “Three Day Replay,” allowing you to watch any show aired within the last three days. You can’t easily skip commercials at these past shows, however. Some channels even will enable you to watch any show or movie that aired in the last seven days.
Can I use my Sling TV account to sign in to other TV apps like Watch ESPN and FX Now?
Yes, but not on all applications and platforms.
Apps like FX Now and Bravo allow full access if you authenticate with Sling TV credentials as long as the app is part of the Sling TV package. Here is the complete list of channels, apps, and devices with which you can use the Sling TV login.
Note that Watch ESPN is still subject to single-stream restriction, so you cannot watch live TV in the Watch ESPN app on one device while watching live TV using the Sling TV app on a second device. And of course, Sling Blue customers cannot authenticate Watch ESPN.
Does the image look as good as a cable?
Not quite, but still very good. In our tests, the Sling TV Box came close to Verizon Wires HD channel quality but got a little smoother. It dropped briefly in quality when switching to a new channel, and there were other occasional drops in picture quality, but in our high-speed connection, it was delivered mostly in the highest quality with excellent stability. The image quality on smaller screen devices was also very good.
What about the Sling TV Box sound?
Although Sling originally said that TV channels would be available in 5.1 surround sound, when available, it now says 5.1 is restricted to video on demand (VOD) content. The live TV is in stereo only.
Is it easy to find things to watch?
Much easier than cable in our book. The Sling TV app has a user interface more similar to Netflix than the traditional cable guide (although it also has one of these features). The interface features thumbnail show footage and access to on-demand content – it focuses on individual channels and genres in an easy-to-use way.
The “My TV” main page lets you choose your favorite channels and shows, as well as keep watching on-demand content where you left off. The Currently List section currently shows programs in categories such as Sports, Kids, and Lifestyle. There is a complete guide, which offers two different views: one is the traditional grid, and the other includes the channels you subscribe to, subdivided into categories. You will also have an easy-to-use search function to find specific programs.
What happens if I cancel?
With other live TV services, the cancellation means you will lose access to all their programming. To watch anything, you will have to pay (once the free trial period ends).
In 2018, Sling began offering a small selection of programs and movies to former subscribers and newcomers, even if they are not paying for the service. This includes people who cancel without paying after the free trial period ends.
The new Watch line now has a selection of free programs with ads.
Sling TV Box App
A new “Watch Now” line in the Sling TV app gives these users access to some free TV shows and movies. It currently includes about 100 hours of programming, with shows like Wrecked, The Detour, Good Behavior, Flip or Flop, and more. The shows have ads, which vary in length per show; some ad breaks will be two minutes, and some will be shorter.
In addition, former subscribers can watch pay-per-view fights on Sling as well as certain premium channels for a separate monthly fee, without paying for a full Sling subscription. These include Showtime ($ 10), CuriosityStream ($ 6), Karaoke Stingray ($ 7), Dove Channel ($ 5), Outside TV Features ($ 5), Up Faith & Family ($ 5), Pantaya ($ 6) and NBA League Pass ($ 29).
As of January 2019, only the Roku app for Sling supports these extras, but the company has promised more devices will come.
Also, users who cancel will still have access to their DVR recordings for 30 days after their service ends.
What more do I need to know?
That is a lot for now. If you want more information, I recommend trying it for yourself. Sling TV offers a free trial for a week and sometimes more. If you have read this far, it is probably worth a try.
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Conclusions
Sling TV Box is a great way to enjoy live TV without being connected to a cable company and without having to pay an arm and a leg for a cable package. It also allows you to enjoy the TV anywhere as long as you have an internet connection, so if you are bored with public transportation a lot, then it may be worth buying for you. You can subscribe to Sling TV directly from the Sling TV website.
