- How can I install google chrome on my Hisense 43K300UW smart TV? I have a Hisense 43K300UW smart TV but I cannot watch videos on the internet like live football streams as I was watching on my old LG smart TV. I guess the reason is because the browser on the Hisense is Opera rather than Chrome on the LG.
- Sling TV is Live TV, Only Better. The #1 Live TV Streaming Service that lets you personalize your channel lineup and save. Start with the service best for you, then pick Extras in your favorite genres: Sports, Comedy, Kids, News, Movies, Lifestyle, Spanish, & more.
Sling TV, the cord-cutting service affiliated with Dish Network, revealed last week that the app to receive its live over-the-top streaming video service is now available on the Android TV platform, including select 2015 Sony and Sharp smart TVs, and the Google Nexus player.
Fully updated Saturday June 30, 2018.
When it launched in February 2015, Sling TV was the first multichannel live TV service that streamed over the internet. Today it has a lot more competition, but it's still among the cheapest ways to cut the cable TV cord.
Just like your cable bill however, live TV streaming is creeping up in price. In late June 2018, Sling finally increased its base price from $20 to $25 per month. The reason? Programming costs, or the money Sling has to pay content providers like Disney, which owns ESPN.
Even after the price hike Sling TV remains the cheapest way to watch SportsCenter and other ESPN shows live, along with a bunch of other live channels like CNN, AMC, History Channel and Disney Channel. You can pay more to get additional channels or add a cloud DVR, and if you care more about Fox Sports and NBC than ESPN you can subscribe to a different Sling package entirely.
A bunch of services similar to Sling TV also stream live TV channels, including YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now and Fubo TV, all of which start at $35 to $45 per month. They cost more than Sling, mainly because they also carry many of your local broadcast channels -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC -- while Sling does not. There are also a couple of cheaper services available now, namely Philo ($16 per month) and AT&T's Watch TV ($15 per month), but they lack both local channels and sports networks like ESPN and Fox Sports.
You're here to learn about Sling TV, however, so I won't dwell on those other services too much. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Sling TV?
Sling TV is service that allows subscribers to watch a collection of live and on-demand TV channels on their TVs, computers, tablets or phones. This is live TV, just like a cable or satellite TV service, except it's streamed over the internet.
Although Sling TV is a subsidiary of Dish Network, the satellite provider, it's operated as an entirely separate service. You do not need a Dish subscription (or a satellite dish) to get Sling TV.
Sling TV is available everywhere in the United States. For the foreseeable future, it will not be available in other countries.
How is it different from my cable or satellite provider?
- It's probably cheaper and has fewer channels.
- It requires a broadband home internet connection of at least 5.0 megabits per second (25 Mbps or higher is recommended).
- Instead of a cable box, you'll watch on a TV-connected device, like a streaming stick or box, Smart TV or game console that runs the free Sling TV app.
- You can also watch on your phone, tablet or computer, either at home or away.
- There are no contracts, and you can cancel or resume service anytime, with no penalties.
- You can only watch one stream at a time with the Sling Orange package.
Wait. One stream at a time?
Yep. One of the biggest 'gotchas' with Sling TV, and one of the reasons it's cheaper than cable, is the single-stream restriction on the Sling Orange package (the one that includes ESPN).
If you're 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 hassle for families who want to watch different shows in different rooms, for example.
How does it work? If you're watching Sling TV on one device and then someone else begins watching Sling TV on another device, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming. The other device is blocked from streaming Sling TV until the first device stops.
If you subscribe to Sling Blue, the package with Fox and NBC channels, you can watch Sling TV on up to three devices at the same time.
How are Orange and Blue different?
Despite Sling TV's advertising 'a la carte TV,' you can't pick and choose individual channels. As with cable, there's a set fee for a certain package.
Sling calls its packages Orange and Blue, and differentiates them by channel selection and simultaneous stream limit.
- Sling Orange: $25 per month. 22 channels, including ESPN and Disney (but not Fox or NBC channels). Limited to one simultaneous stream at a time.
- Sling Blue: $25 per month. 35 channels, including Fox and NBC channels (but not ESPN or Disney channels). Up to three simultaneous streams.
- Sling Orange + Blue: $40 per month. Includes all channels from both. Up to four simultaneous streams, but only one at a time of Orange channels.
Here's all of the channels offered by Sling TV's base packages as of June 30, 2018.
*On Sling Blue, Fox and NBC's local broadcast channels and sports networks available in select markets only.
What other channels are available?
Beyond the channels listed above as part of the Orange or Blue base packages, Sling TV also sells add-on mini-packages it calls Sling Extras.
To get one, you'll have to subscribe to either the base Orange or Blue package, then pay an additional monthly fee. Many Extra channels are restricted to either Orange or Blue subscribers. Here's a few current Extra packages and the major channels they include, all priced at $5 extra per month.
- Sports Extra: NBA TV, NHL Network, more ESPN channels (Orange only), NFL RedZone and Golf Channel (Blue only), more
- Comedy Extra: MTV, Paramount, Logo, TV Land, CMT, more
- Kids Extra: Boomerang, Nicktoons, Teen Nick, Disney Junior and Disney XD (Orange only), more
- News Extra: BBC World News, HLN, The Blaze, MSNBC and CNBC (Blue only), more
- Lifestyle Extra: VH1, Cooking Channel, Hallmark, DIY, FYI, Lifetime Movies, more
Sling also offers Heartland, Hollywood and Broadcast extra packages, as well as a wide array of foreign-language channel packages. Premium channels available on Sling include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Stars, EPIX and CuriosityStream. Pricing varies from $5 to $15 extra per month.
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What about local broadcasts (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC)?
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The biggest reason Sling costs less than many competing services is because it has very few local channels.
Orange customers don't get the major broadcast networks' local channels, namely CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC. (And let us note, for the record, that CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a division of CBS.) The exception is ABC, which is available to subscribers in a small number of select cities for $5 extra per month.
As mentioned on the chart above, Blue customers can watch local live Fox and NBC broadcast networks (and regional sports channels) in select markets only -- and again the number of markets is relatively small. Blue customers outside those markets have access to Fox and NBC shows on-demand.
Sling encourages users who want local channels to use an over-the-air antenna. It runs promotions that include free antennas and sells the AirTV Player and AirTV to integrate antenna broadcasts with Sling's interface.
What other channels are not available on Sling TV?
Beyond local channels, a handful of popular channels aren't available at all on Sling TV. They include:
- Animal Planet
- Discovery channels
- Fox News
- MLB Network
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- TLC
Sling TV also lacks many regional sports networks (RSNs) which are probably found on your local cable service. These vary by locality, but typically include channels that show 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?
You'll need to subscribe at Sling.com and set up an account, then install the app on a supported device.
Sling TV is currently available (or not) on the following devices.
Once you have the device and app installed, you'll be able to sign in and start watching anywhere in the US that has stable internet connection, whether wired, Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Does Sling TV have commercials?
Yes. It has the same commercial breaks and national ads as the standard TV channels delivered via cable or satellite TV service.
Can I pause live TV or skip commercials?
Not unless you pay extra for the cloud DVR service (below). Even then, live TV pause only works on certain channels.
Without cloud DVR, the pause, rewind and fast-forward commands don't work at all when watching many of the ESPN channels (including the SEC Network), as well as AMC, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, any of the Disney channels, 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 all the way to the beginning. You can also fast-forward, even through commercials, to catch back up to live time. But the only way to schedule and keep recordings of shows is to use the cloud DVR.
What's the deal with the cloud DVR?
On most devices you can pay an extra $5 per month to subscribe to Sling's cloud DVR. It's designed to mimic the functionality of the physical digital video recorder box available from many cable and satellite services, allowing you to record and play back recorded shows and skip commercials on certain channels. The DVR has 50 hours of storage.
Unlike traditional DVRs, however, Sling TV's cloud DVR won't work on all channels. Channels excluded from cloud DVR are ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney JR, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN 3, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Bases Loaded and the SEC Network.
Here's a bit more on how it works.
Can I watch shows on-demand?
Nearly every channel has shows you can watch on-demand, instantly. Most of channels feature '3 Day Replay,' allowing you to watch any show aired within the past three days. You can't easily skip commercials on those past shows, however. Some even allow you to watch any show or movie that aired in the past 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 with every app and platform.
Apps like FX Now and Bravo allow you full access if you authenticate with Sling TV credentials, as long as the app is part of your Sling package. Here's the full list of channels, apps and devices they work with.
Note that Watch ESPN is still subject to the single-stream restriction, so you can't watch live TV via the Watch ESPN app on one device at the same time as you watch any live TV via the Sling TV app on a second device. And of course Sling Blue customers can't authenticate Watch ESPN at all.
Does the picture look as good as cable?
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Not quite, but it's still very good. In our testing Sling TV came close to Verizon Fios' HD channel quality at its best, but did look slightly softer. It did briefly drop in quality when moving to a new channel, and there were other occasional picture quality drops, but on our high-speed connection it was mostly delivered at the highest quality with excellent stability. Picture quality on smaller screen devices was also quite good.
What about sound?
Although Sling originally said the TV channels would be available in 5.1 surround sound where available, it now says 5.1 is restricted to video-on-demand (VOD) content. Live TV is stereo-only.
Is it easy to find stuff to watch?
Much easier than cable, in our book. Sling TV's app has a user interface that's more like Netflix than the traditional cable TV grid guide. It features thumbnail images of shows and easy access to on-demand content, and the interface focuses on individual channels and genres in an easy-to use way.
The main My TV page lets you choose your favorite channels and shows, as well as continue watching on-demand content where you left off. The On Now section lists currently airing shows in categories like Sports, Kids and Lifestyle. There's a full guide too, but without a grid, just all of the channels you subscribe to, subdivided again into categories. You also get an easy-to-use search function to find specific shows.
What happens if I cancel?
With other live TV services, cancelling means you lose access to all of their programming. To watch anything, you'll have to pay (after the free trial period ends).
After its June 2018 price hike, however, Sling started offering a small selection of shows and movies to former subscribers too, even if they're not currently paying for the service. That includes people who cancel without paying after the free trial period ended.
A new 'Watch Now' row on the Sling TV app gives former subscribers access to a few free TV shows and movies. It currently includes around 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. They include Showtime ($10), CuriosityStream ($6), Stingray Karaoke ($7), Dove Channel ($5), Outside TV Features ($5), Up Faith & Family ($5), Pantaya ($6) and NBA League Pass ($29).
As of late June 2018 only the Roku app for Sling supports these extras for former subscribers, but more devices will soon.
What else do I need to know?
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That's plenty for now. If you want more info I recommend trying it for yourself. Sling TV offers a free trial, for a week and sometimes longer. If you've read this far, it's probably worth a shot.
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Sling TV, the new streaming service from Dish Network that includes ESPN, will stream directly to LG's Smart TVs, LG announced on Friday.
LG said owners of its webOS Smart TVs would have access to Sling TV's roughly 20 channels via a built-in app. Both webOS 1.0 and 2.0 TVs, which LG just launched at CES 2015, will be compatible with the app.
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See also: Hands on with Sling TV, Dish's streaming service with ESPN
The announcement of the partnership comes a few days after Dish revealed its new over-the-top TV service, which streams channels, such as TNT, CNN, ABC Family, and — most notably — ESPN and ESPN 2 for $20 a month. The service will be a Netflix-style app compatible with all kinds of hardware, including iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, Roku boxes, Xbox and others.
The partnership was likely in the works prior to this week, and deals that bring Sling TV to other TV brands will probably follow in the coming weeks and months.
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Sling TV is a potential game changer in the rapidly changing field of Internet TV streaming. As one of the first services to offer live cable channels over the Internet without a cable subscription, it has a lot of appeal to cord cutters, especially with ESPN on board. The service is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2015.