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Sling TV

azgreg

azgreg

Chicks dig the long ball
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Me and the misses are considering cutting the cord and using Sling TV. Anybody here use Sling TV?

https://www.sling.com/
 
I used to and its great, but after yesterday's announcement of Youtube TV with unlimited DVR, I wouldn't recommend Sling anymore.
 
azgreg said:
Me and the misses are considering cutting the cord and using Sling TV. Anybody here use Sling TV?

https://www.sling.com/
Click to expand...
I use Playstation Vue, which is basically the same concept. And I love Playstation Vue. I think Sling is a little cheaper, but from what I remember, it is a little less reliable and has a few less channels. I also am not sure if Sling has a DVR function or how good it is.

You might do a comparison between Vue and Sling and see which works better for you. Also, I believe YouTube just announced a similar service, but not sure when it's supposed to launch.
 
azgreg said:
Me and the misses are considering cutting the cord and using Sling TV. Anybody here use Sling TV?

https://www.sling.com/
Click to expand...



I'm using Dish Network w/Hopper-Sling and Netflix and Amazon Prime ...

The problem is, the Dish ... one stinking storm and out goes the Dish. But then you still have the internet connection and a 2TB Hard-drive
 
azgreg said:
Me and the misses are considering cutting the cord and using Sling TV. Anybody here use Sling TV?

https://www.sling.com/
Click to expand...

I'd go with Amazon Prime. For a $100 per year, it gives you more programming/variety [including a sling TV option]

Plus you get free shipping, books, etc. all over the Internet.
 
WCH said:
I'd go with Amazon Prime. For a $100 per year, it gives you more programming/variety [including a sling TV option]

Plus you get free shipping, books, etc. all over the Internet.
Click to expand...

Proof I'm not as smart as I think I am: I swear I spend at least $400 a year on shipping but I keep refusing to sign up for Prime.
 
Spartacus FPV said:
Proof I'm not as smart as I think I am: I swear I spend at least $400 a year on shipping but I keep refusing to sign up for Prime.
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My Wife had to convince herself it was a good idea. ;)
 
Spartacus FPV said:
Proof I'm not as smart as I think I am: I swear I spend at least $400 a year on shipping but I keep refusing to sign up for Prime.
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OMG, Love the honesty.

Dont we all do this though, have these little tics?

I will spend $10 to make something to save me from needing to throw away $2 worth of food that is going bad, but I dont even want want I am making, the last example was cream of celery soup , because I as going to lose the celery (pretty much already had).
 
WCH said:
I'd go with Amazon Prime. For a $100 per year, it gives you more programming/variety [including a sling TV option]

Plus you get free shipping, books, etc. all over the Internet.
Click to expand...

I have Amazon Prime as well. No live sports.
 
azgreg said:
Me and the misses are considering cutting the cord and using Sling TV. Anybody here use Sling TV?

https://www.sling.com/
Click to expand...

Not yet. I'm considering trying it out because of several channels it has. But as a cord cutter, it seems a little like cable to me in that you have to buy a basket of channels that the provider chooses (not me) for a package price.

I prefer a la carte. A big beef I have with cable besides the high cost and the annual cost increases, is the package deal. I often only watched about 5 of the many channels the satellite or cable company gave me.

Pluto TV is free. It doesn't have regular channels, but there's an NBC channel that plays repeats of MSNBC shows like Morning Joe and Hardball, plus a couple of B-movie channels. It doesn't work great, but it's okay for a change.

I also have digital antennas, so get about 10 to 12 HDTV channels for free...all the main networks, COZI, MeTV, and a few others.

I hear the sports channels on Sling TV are good, but I don't watch sports.
 
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Spartacus FPV said:
Proof I'm not as smart as I think I am: I swear I spend at least $400 a year on shipping but I keep refusing to sign up for Prime.
Click to expand...

The deal on the shipping is this:

If you notice, Amazon sells things through Amazon (that's where you get the "prime" free shipping), plus through third party sellers. The prices from the sellers plus shipping will equal the Prime amount. So you don't get free shipping with Prime. The price of the item is increased to include the shipping cost.

Without Prime, I could buy the item from a third party seller and pay shipping, and end up costing me the same as buying it through Prime from Amazon.

There may be some items with Prime that don't have third party sellers, though. I don't know. And it is convenient to order directly from Amazon.

The Prime video is sub-par, IMO. It's built on the business plan of trying to sell you Amazon stuff....if you want Season 2, you have to pay per episode or buy the DVD. I don't like its original programming as much as Netflix's. Still, occasionally I watch something for free on Amazon Prime Video that I can't find elsewhere, like the tv series "That Girl" or "Dead Like Me."

Amazon Prime and Netflix are not live tv like Sling, Pluto, and other services. The Amazon & Netflix services are videos. The others have channels and are like tv.

There is a comparison online of the various live tv experience services available. Sling, Playstation Vue, etc.

I have a Roku. I get thousands of free stations (video stations like Crackle, TubiTV), and a few live tv channels (which don't work great, but are okay). It has a station for Playstation Vue now, I think. It has a station for SlingTV, once you subscribe. Roku is awesome and the #1 streaming device. Youtube is on it, too.

I just looked up Youtube TV. It's $35/month. Yikes! Uber expensive! Not for me.
Slingtv -base plan is $20/month. Higher plan is $25/month. Add-ons @ $5 each.
PlutoTV (not very good but has some unique stuff) - free
Playstation Vue - not sure of the cost (you don't need a Playstation to use it)
 
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azgreg said:
I have Amazon Prime as well. No live sports.
Click to expand...
I'm not trying to dissuade you from Sling at all, I'm just familiar with Vue, so that's why I'm saying this:

On Playstation Vue, $30 gets you a decent amount of sports coverage (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, NBCSN etc.). If you upgrade to the $35 package, you also get access to ESPNU, SEC Network and a few others, which means you can also use the WatchESPN app for almost any game you want. You also get the Golf channel, Fox Sports, B10 Network, NFL Network and NBA TV.
 
Slyfox696 said:
I'm not trying to dissuade you from Sling at all, I'm just familiar with Vue, so that's why I'm saying this:

On Playstation Vue, $30 gets you a decent amount of sports coverage (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, NBCSN etc.). If you upgrade to the $35 package, you also get access to ESPNU, SEC Network and a few others, which means you can also use the WatchESPN app for almost any game you want. You also get the Golf channel, Fox Sports, B10 Network, NFL Network and NBA TV.
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I'm looking at Vue as well. One thing I don't like is they don't have the Pac-12 Network and Sling TV does.
 
azgreg said:
I'm looking at Vue as well. One thing I don't like is they don't have the Pac-12 Network and Sling TV does.
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Ahh...so you like inferior sports. Gotcha. ;)

Nah, I'm teasing, I actually do enjoy watching Pac 12 games in both football and basketball. Given the time difference, I just don't get to watch as many as I'd like. But, for example, the couple times I've seen UCLA basketball this year have been great fun. And, as a Notre Dame football fan, anytime USC loses, it makes me happy.


How much do you currently pay for cable TV (and if you've already said, just reference a post if you'd like)? I was paying over $80 for Charter TV when I switched to Vue. That roughly $50 a month is fantastic.
 
Slyfox696 said:
Ahh...so you like inferior sports. Gotcha. ;)

Nah, I'm teasing, I actually do enjoy watching Pac 12 games in both football and basketball. Given the time difference, I just don't get to watch as many as I'd like. But, for example, the couple times I've seen UCLA basketball this year have been great fun. And, as a Notre Dame football fan, anytime USC loses, it makes me happy.


How much do you currently pay for cable TV (and if you've already said, just reference a post if you'd like)? I was paying over $80 for Charter TV when I switched to Vue. That roughly $50 a month is fantastic.
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Pac-12 = Conference Of Champions. Bill Walton says so himself. :mrgreen:

Currently I'm paying about $200 for cable and internet through COX communications.
 
azgreg said:
Pac-12 = Conference Of Champions. Bill Walton says so himself. :mrgreen:
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And whose point were you trying to prove there? :)

Currently I'm paying about $200 for cable and internet through COX communications.
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Ouch...I understand the desire to move to something cheaper.

I like the Internet streaming TV. With Vue, there was no difference in video quality at all. I'm not sure about sound quality (as the Roku app only comes through with 2 audio channels, but a different device like PS4 or Amazon Fire might be better) and the TV guide on the Vue Roku app is serviceable, at best. I know the Fire TV Vue guide menu is much better.

There are some things to keep in mind. Make sure you don't have Internet data caps (or make sure you come under them). Obviously if your Internet goes out, you lose both TV and Internet in the home (though mobile phones help mitigate this risk). Again using Vue app on Roku as my source, sometimes your video will pause (to buffer I assume) and it'll resume in the same spot as it cut out, which means your video might be a little behind.

But, all in all, I've essentially had no more issues with the Vue than I have with any other TV provider in my life (Charter cable and Dish Network). And with it costing much less, any of the issues I have experienced have been more than worth it.

The other nice thing is there is no contract. With Vue (and I believe Sling as well) it is a monthly pay as you go plan. So if you try Vue or Sling for a month and don't like it, you can always cancel and try the competitor's service (or if you do like it, easily upgrade to the next tier). And both come with a 7 day free trial as well, so you can keep your current system for a week or two and try the others and see how you like it (which is what I did before I switched).
 
Well, I've gone ahead and cut the cord.
 
azgreg said:
Well, I've gone ahead and cut the cord.
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And just a shade over a year...all right... ;)

What did you replace it with? Streaming option? Or nothing?
 
Slyfox696 said:
And just a shade over a year...all right... ;)

What did you replace it with? Streaming option? Or nothing?
Click to expand...

Some decisions take longer than others. :mrgreen: We went with Sling.
 
azgreg said:
Some decisions take longer than others. :mrgreen: We went with Sling.
Click to expand...
Let me know how that goes for you. I know Sling's service has historically not been quite as strong as some others, I'd be curious if it has gotten better and more reliable.
 
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