ANICK JESDANUN, AP Technology Writer
Satellite
TV provider Dish Network made a splash this month when it unveiled an
online alternative with fewer channels and a lower price tag than its
regular service. The Sling TV option is aimed at people who have dropped
their cable or satellite packages or never had either.
Based
on a few days of viewing, Sling TV comes across as a good stopgap for
those who don’t already pay for cable or satellite but it’s not
compelling enough for most people to cut the cord. And that’s the point:
Dish wants to win over the pay-TV holdouts without cutting into its
existing customer base.
On
Tuesday, Sling TV will start opening the service to those who had
requested invites. A full launch is expected in about two weeks.
THE OFFERING
The
package is cheap compared with cable and satellite packages that
typically cost $50 to $100 per month (Dish’s average is $85). Sling TV’s
base package costs $20 a month and comes with 11 channels from Disney,
Turner and Scripps. Two add-on packages — for news and kids — cost $5
each and offer another nine channels between them. A sports add-on is
coming. These costs add up, but you pay only for what you want, unlike
traditional pay-TV bundles.
The
gem of Sling TV is ESPN, which all subscribers get. It’s a rare
opportunity to get live sports, including many baseball and college
football games, without a cable or satellite subscription — though NFL
games will be blocked on mobile devices because Verizon has those
rights.
ESPN
alone won’t satisfy many sports fans, though. For instance, baseball
games are often on Fox or regional sports networks unavailable on Sling
TV. Sling TV will have March Madness basketball on TNT and TBS, but not
TruTV and CBS.
Sling
TV lacks all over-the-air networks, including Disney-owned ABC. Also
missing: NBCUniversal channels such as CNBC and Bravo, along with AMC,
the channel behind “Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead.” There’s no 24-hour
weather channel to monitor this week’s blizzard.
But I was able to watch Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. That was on both TNT and TBS.
Here’s
the full lineup to help you decide whether there’s enough to watch: The
basic channels are ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel
Channel, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Disney Channel, ABC Family and CNN.
The kids add-on channels are Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Baby
TV and Duck TV, while the news add-ons are HLN, Cooking Channel, DIY and
Bloomberg TV. Expect more as Dish makes additional deals.
One
big plus: There’s no equipment, so it’s easy to sign up just for a
month at a time when there’s a particular show you want to watch.
LIVE TV
The
service is initially available on Apple and Android mobile devices and
the Roku 3 streaming device, though Sling TV plans to expand that to
other streaming players, Internet-connected TVs and Mac and Windows
computers.
Browse
through what’s on by scrolling through the channel list and program
guide at the bottom of the screen. Click on a show or “Watch” to switch
channels. You can watch on only one device at a time. Sling TV is
designed for individuals, not households whose members watch different
shows at once. You can watch while traveling, but only in the U.S.
You can see what shows are coming over the next several days, but you can’t set up reminder notifications.
RECORDING
Here’s the weakest part of Sling TV: There’s no ability to record shows for later viewing.
For
Scripps channels, you can watch what was on over the past three days.
For Bloomberg TV, Baby TV and Duck TV, you can go back eight days. You
get DVR-like controls to pause, rewind or forward — including a
30-second skip button for commercials.
But
there’s no archive if you prefer to record entire seasons for binge
viewing. And for Turner and Disney, including ABC Family and ESPN, you
have to watch everything live. You can’t even pause. These restrictions
are based on deals that Dish was able to negotiate with the channels.
Sling
TV is aiming to offer older content on demand through the channels’
apps, but for now, only WatchESPN is set to be available when Sling TV
launches.
THE BARGAIN:
I
like Sling TV’s search tools to find content across channels, but it
excludes upcoming shows. You can rent movies, too, though not directly
from the iPhone or iPad app, as Apple would take a cut of sales. Sling
TV also still needs true recordings and reminders.
I’m sure the service will get better, but the apps feel primitive for now.
Yes,
$20 a month is a bargain. It gets cord-cutters like me some live sports
and news, along with shows I’d normally have to wait several months to
appear on Netflix. But if Sling TV wants to attract the younger
“cord-nevers” who are used to watching everything online, it needs to
offer capabilities they are accustomed to having online.
Posted by : Gizmeon
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