Former Cable Lovers-Have you given up cable for Sling TV?

[Nayan]

Sling is awesome but for sports-lovers it's not really a viable option, especially if you have certain teams or sports you root for or enjoy, as those require a cable/sat subscription. If you're a casual viewer then it's good, but not for die-hards.

 

[wenrob]

Ok then it's not what I thought it was. I guess we're keeping cable for now...

Whoever comes up with the solution to watch live sports without cable will be a millionaire.

What this poster is pointing out is that a SlingBOX is something that casts your TV content to other devices. SlingTV is a subscription service where you get some channels for $20 and then can add others. ESPN is a channel that can be subscribed to. https://www.sling.com

 

[erin1715]

What this poster is pointing out is that a SlingBOX is something that casts your TV content to other devices. SlingTV is a subscription service where you get some channels for $20 and then can add others. ESPN is a channel that can be subscribed to. https://www.sling.com

Thank you! This helps a ton. Now I'm intrigued again by SlingTV!

 

[MrsDuck]

We tried SlingTV when it started and there were lots of problems with it technically (wouldn't load, sound was awful, would cut out).

We don't have cable so we'd only be gaining something if we added one of these programs. We do have Netflix and love it but I'm going to look into Slingbox now...

 

[erin1715]

So I did a little reading about SlingTV and I'm still a little confused. Do I need a device such as Amazon Fire stick, or a Roku to be able to watch this on my TV? I have Apple TV but it doesn't look like thats supported. I do have an iphone and ipad - can I get the app on those devices and then use the Apple Air function to watch it on my TV?

 

[Nayan]

http://www.groovypost.com/howto/watch-sling-tv-apple-tv/

It's doable but very buggy. I would recommend a Roku 3, which is what I use.

 

[wenrob]

We tried SlingTV when it started and there were lots of problems with it technically (wouldn't load, sound was awful, would cut out).

We don't have cable so we'd only be gaining something if we added one of these programs. We do have Netflix and love it but I'm going to look into Slingbox now...

If you don't have a cable/DVR combo, Slingbox would be pointless. It's not a streaming service, it just provides a way to stream content that you already pay for to another place. So say if I'm in Disneyland and I want to watch Days of Our Lives it will "sling" my recordings to my device. Or if it's on at that moment I can "sling" the live content. Not sure if it's still like this but back when it first came out it would take over the tuner it was connected to so if someone was watching that TV and I decided to "sling" it would put them on whatever I was watching. With today's DVRs they have more than one tuner so it may have solved that problem but again if you don't have one or cable it's not worth getting IMO.

http://www.slingbox.com/DiscoverSling.aspx

 

[Team Bunch]

I've had Netflix for years, got Amazon Prime for the free shipping but also use the streaming as a bonus. Added Hulu several years back, I love all 3 of these services, especially after I upgraded to a Roku 3 from my previous Roku (I think the original version) as it didn't seem to stream Hulu very well, it would hick-up and glitch often.
Anyways I added Sling maybe 2-3 months ago and so far I'm not sold on it, it glitches more than any of my other streaming services, although admittedly I live out in the country with sub-par internet service (supposedly 10mbps) but it goes out often. Anyways this is to say Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon stream fine and work almost flawless now, but Sling glitches more often causing me to have to turn it off and restart it.
I'm not sure if I'll keep it yet, my wife would have already turned it off but I like the idea of the Disney channel for our kids.
Paul

We also live out in the country. How did you find out how many mbps you have? I can't find any wi-fi that we can get at our house for a decent price. We have to pay for Verizon data that cost a lot and have to watch our usage.

I would love to save money over the dish network that we have but get so overwhelmed whenever I start looking into things. I wish there was a facilitator that you could go to with exactly what your dealing with/want and they would just tell you the cheapest/easiest option for you, lol.

 

[lilclerk]

I haven't had cable since I was a kid (early 90s) so I am maybe not the best source for those that are used to having it.

We have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, plus the Rokus have tooons of free content. I used Sling for a few months when it first started earlier this year, and I liked it. The biggest bummer is you can only stream to one device at a time. Also, OMG I forgot how loud and long commercial breaks are! Yeesh. And people complain about commercials on Hulu!

I did end up canceling in April because I am just not watching TV as much now that the weather is nicer. Our winter was pretty rough, so it was nice to have the live TV options since we were home so much. A great perk is that you can start and stop it whenever you want, no contracts!

I might restart it in the fall, but I am not sure yet. I have been missing that nightly Seinfeld fix on TBS, but that will be on Hulu in a few days. I wish there was more of a build-your-own-channel package option. We don't care about sports, so we don't need the ESPN channels plus a few other others, and I would rather get some of the ones that are in the extra packages, but not that all of the ones from that package... y'know?

If you ARE into sports, a Sling TV subscription also allows you to log into the WatchESPN apps which have more content than the live channels. I have no idea what, but hey, it's there.

You'll also need to check your internet service to see if you have any monthly data caps, I'm assuming this will eat a big chunk of it. We have FiOS, so no cap and I can't even find a way to check what we use monthly. It's definitely a lot, though, even without Sling!

 

[Nennie]

What are your thoughts on those? I am also looking into Hulu Plus.

We love Amazon Prime! I did the free trial of Netflix and liked it also. Had the Hulu Plus free trial and found it was a bunch of cheesy movies from the 80s and soft porn. We have an antenna mounted in the attic for watching network shows, but most of our TV time is Amazon Prime. Currently on Season 3 of the Good Wife! It's fun to binge watch shows an entire season at a time!

 

[pryncess527]

I did a free trial of SlingTV, and enjoyed it. I will absolutely start it back up again when college football kicks off in the Fall. Since the sports package includes the SEC network along with ESPN, I should have access to every game I want all season without cable. Very excited about it!

 

[pryncess527]

I am also looking into Hulu Plus.

FWIW, you can get Hulu for free using Bing Rewards. I do a few searches on Bing daily and easily earn enough credits to cover free Hulu ever month.

I enjoy Hulu, primarily for Comedy Central content with fewer commercials than ComedyCentral.com offers. It's also making it easy to catch up on some network shows I missed this past season. I doubt I'd pay for it, but for $4.20 a month in Bing Rewards, it's a bargain.

 

[aristocatz]

A SlingBox is totally different from Sling TV.

http://www.slingbox.com

https://www.sling.com/package

Sorry, I meant to say Sling TV.

 

[dotfurio]

We haven't had cable for over a year now. We watch Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Just recently we started watching HBO Now so we can catch up on Game of Thrones, but will probably cancel at the end of the free trial. I'm considering Sling because they offer Disney channel and a few others we've been missing since giving up cable.

 

[aristocatz]

Just wanted to post an update on my search.....

For someone who never thought I would be ok with cutting the cord with cable, I actually think I'm ready to do it!! We bought a NVIDIA Shield device & we love it!!! Did the free trial of Sling TV & also Hulu Plus & I think those are just perfect for our family. We will still need to buy a digital antenna, because I can't live without access to the local news.

I never thought I would be able to live without cable, but the cost is just getting ridiculous. & in my small town, we are stuck with only one cable company to choose from, so they have no problem with jacking up the prices. $38/month for Hulu Plus & Sling seems much more reasonable!

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I use Hulu and my torrent site for all the tv and movies we need. Haven't paid for cable in years.