Sling TV

>With the dispute between Roku and YouTube TV in the news recently, live streaming services are getting more attention. Not a while lot more, because they have probably been one of the major reasons for the large increase in the number of streamers and cord-cutters over the last few years.

I'm not going to focus on YouTube TV nor Roku specifically right now. There is a lot that people are saying, and I talked about that briefly the other day.

Today, I want to talk about the granddaddy of live streaming, cable alternative services: Sling TV. 

I subscribed to Sling TV when the service was launched in February 2015. The service was, and remains, essentially a small cable TV-type package of channels. Over the years, the number of channels offered has increased, as has the price. Still, at $35 (as of this writing) Sling TV remains one of the cheaper options for cable alternative streaming services.

Sling TV offers two packages. The Orange package is the successor of the original package and today includes ESPN, AMC, CNN, HGTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network / Adult Swim, Disney, History, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, Food Network, TBS, BBC America, Freeform, IFC, A&E, Viceland, Fuse, Lifetime, Travel Channel, AXS TV, Newsy, Cheddar, Bloomberg Television, Local Now, and Tribeca Shortlist. Users are allowed one stream. Regular price (as I write this) is $35.

The Blue package is similar but adds FOX News, MSNBC, HLN, Fox (select markets), NBC (select markets), Fox Sports, NFL Network, FX, USA, Bravo, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBC RSN, FXX, SyFY, Nick Jr., Tru TV, BET, National Geographic, and Nat Geo Wild while taking away ESPN, Disney, ESPN2, ESPN3, and Freeform. Users are allowed three streams. The Blue package is the same price as the Orange package.

The packages are the same price, but you can get a combo package that includes both Orange and Blue for a discounted price of $50 (at this writing).

Many of the more expensive services offer local channels, which drive the price higher. Sling TV does not offer local channels, except Fox and NBC in select markets. That's why Sling TV is around $30/month cheaper than, and nearly half the price of, some other services. If you require local channels to be part of a streaming package, Sling TV will not be the choice for you. However, if you don't need local channels, or if you can pick up local stations via an antenna, then Sling TV is one of the most affordable options for cable alternative streaming.

As I've mentioned before, I don't use a live streaming service year-round. I do subscribe to such a service during college football season, strictly for watching games live, usually on ESPN. Unless one of the other services offers a great deal, or some bonus equipment or content, I will subscribe to Sling TV, canceling after the season.

There is one other aspect of Sling TV that I need to mention. Sling TV offers a free live streaming service. You won't find the big cable channels, but you will still find a lot of content. You can try it out. It's free. Seriously. Not a free trial, but free. https://www.sling.com/deals/sling-free

The final thing about Sling TV that I want to mention is that it works with Air TV. I mentioned that Sling TV doesn't include local channels. That's true, but if you have an antenna, you can add an Air TV device and make the local channels available on your network through the Sling TV app. You don't need a Sling TV subscription for that. It works with the free portion of Sling TV.

I like and recommend Sling TV, as it has many things that many users want. It certainly has what I want, when I want it.

Live streaming services are vastly different

There are several services that can be considered live streaming services, and they aren't all the same. The phrase "live streaming" can mean a variety of things.

If you consider live streaming to be actual live, real time, as it happens, then there aren't that many services available. But, if you consider a service that performs similar to traditional TV, then there are many. Let me offer a couple of examples of that varied difference.

Services that are intended to be and act like cable replacements fall under the category of live streaming. They are, as mentioned, replacements for cable TV and act pretty much like cable TV services. They also usually have a larger cost involved, although at this writing, the prices range from less than $20/month to around $80/month, with most in the $65/month range. Some of these include Sling TV, YouTube TV, Philo, Frndly TV, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, AT&T TV, Univision Now, and more.

There is also another group of live streaming services that aren't generally thought of as cable replacements, but still are much like the other ones mentioned. These include Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Xumo, Stirr, and others.

The primary difference between these services are the selection of channels, but not necessarily the type of content. For example, Pluto TV -- I'm choosing this because it's the biggest of the similar services -- has a wide variety of movies and TV shows playing all day, much like the "superstations" of days past. You go to a particular channel and watch a movie. If the movie is already underway, you can watch it to conclusion, then watch whatever comes on next. This is similar to watching cable channels such as TCM in how it operates, and even with some of the content.

For Sling TV -- I'm choosing this service as it's the oldest of the major services -- you can go to TNT, History, AMC and the like, and watch it.

A main difference is that you won't find first-run content on Pluto TV like you will on Sling TV. But, if you enjoy reality TV, movies, classic TV shows or cartoons, news, and other content, you can find similar, but not the same, content on each service. One may be better, or newer, but the overall type of content is the same. 

The other difference is price. Sling TV and the other services cost a monthly fee. Pluto TV and other similar services are free, ad-supported services. And, you will still see commercials on Sling TV just like you do on cable.

Which do you need? That's easy: which do you want?

You have options, plenty of options, to help you enjoy your Streaming Life.

Roku vs Google

As I write this, Roku and Google are in a pissing contest with each other. The result is that for now at least, YouTube TV (a Google product) isn't available on the Roku platform.

Well, it is, but it isn't. If you already have the app, you can keep it and use it. Roku warns that if you remove it, you can't get it back.

If you already have YouTube TV installed on your Roku device, you will continue to have access to the channel unless Google requires us to remove it. Note that you should not remove the channel if you plan to use it. New installations and reinstallations will not be possible at this time.

So, what's it all about, Alfie? That depends on who you believe.

If you believe Roku, Google wants changes to force certain Roku searches to limit to Google's apps. If you believe Google, they want things to remain the same and it's Roku that wants to change things.

Who's lying? Neither. Or both. I don't know. I suspect it's one of those "depends on what the definition of 'is' is" type of things. No outright lies, just partial truths on both sides.

Google has emailed people asking them to pressure Roku. Roku has emailed people asking them to pressure Google. I've done neither. Why? Let them fight it out.

Now, why would I take such a stance? Easy. I'm not dependent on YouTube TV, and I'm not dependent on Roku. 

I don't use a live streaming service throughout the year because I can watch what I want without one. Sure, during certain times of the year, I do subscribe to one -- I love college football -- but the rest of the year, it's not important enough to spend the money for something I barely, and rarely, watch. But even if I did, there are other options.

Yes, YouTube TV is one of the best live streaming services. The interface it top notch, the selection of channels is superb, and it's very reliable. But it's not the only one there is. If I want to keep using Roku, and if I want a live streaming service, I can easily do just that. There are plenty of other options than YouTube TV. 

Likewise, if I decide I want to watch YouTube TV, I can do that. I have more than just Roku devices. I can use Apple TV, I can use Amazon Fire TV (once I get it out of that drawer I put it in), and I can use Google's own Chromecast With Google TV. I don't need Roku.

Neither of the parties in this fight own me, or my loyalty. My preference for a streaming device is Roku. But if that was suddenly untenable, I'd be just fine with another device. And I agree that YouTube TV is the best live streaming service, but I certainly don't need it.

I expect they'll eventually work it all out. Maybe today. Maybe next week. Maybe next month. Maybe next year. 

And maybe never, but if that's the case, I'm good no matter what. 

The moral to this is don't lock yourself in to any company. Keep your options open, and keep control of your Streaming Life.

Mother's Day

My sisters and I lost our mother last year. This is the first Mothers Day without her. I won't spend a lot of time talking about things, but I will mention this. During the last few years of her life, she enjoyed much of the benefits of cord cutting. 

She was a fan of technology up to a point. She loved her iPhone but never used it to its fullest extent. However, she used it to do things she had never done before: texting, video chats, Web surfing, and the like. She was fascinated by that, and enjoyed being able to stay in touch with family with greater ease.

She enjoyed her M*A*S*H videos, her Murder She Wrote videos, and the like. I ripped out all of her DVDs, both movies and TV shows, to place on a Plex server for her to watch. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain it like I did to her. Launch this app called Plex, and there are all your movies and TV shows you can watch on any of your TVs, any time you want. She loved that.

Watching her excitement about the things she could do with technology made me understand that I may have inherited that fascination and interest from her. In more ways than the obvious, she made me who I am today.

It's Mothers Day. Enjoy it with your mother if you're able. If not, we can all miss our respective mothers together.

My device of choice

I've said time and again that I think anyone would do well choosing either Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Chromecast With Google TV as a streaming device of choice.

My personal choice is Roku, but I am not exclusive to Roku. I have Apple TV devices connected to TVs, and I have Chromecast With Google TV on multiple TVs, but I have Roku on every TV.

Why do I have multiple devices? Well, as streaming gains in popularity, more and more of the problems with mainstream TV come to streaming. As I write this, Roku and Google are having a pissing contest about YouTube TV, and probably about YouTube also. At the moment, YouTube TV isn't available on Roku, unless you already have it installed. 

This is much like the arguments with cable carriers and certain stations that happens from time to time. You know the deal, "Call your cable company and tell them to keep WPXLY-TV available" kind of thing. Now it's Roku and Google sending emails asking you to bombard the other one with emails and support posts threatening to take your ball and go home.

I'll rant more about that whole thing later. Right now, the point is just because a service or app you want is available on a device, there's no guarantee it will always be available. Amazon Fire TV has lost apps from time to time. Apple TV has too. And now Roku. All devices will be subject to this.

So, what's a person to do? Well, I have more than one device. I have two: Roku and Apple TV. 

No, wait, I have three: Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast. 

Okay, I have four: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV. Yes, the Fire TV device is not connected, but it's available if I need it.

My device of choice? Pick any two.

Sure, start with a single device, if you're just starting your Streaming Life. But do pick up a secondary device some time. They're relatively cheap, and different family members may prefer different interfaces.

Whatever you pick, have a backup. Just in case.

The perfect streaming device is ...

Image: NBC/Universal

I've spent over a decade streaming, using a variety of devices over the years. I've tried a variety of devices over that time, and I've spent a lot of money trying to get it right.

I've not tried every device on the market, but I have tried the major players: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, TiVo, and others.

So, what's the perfect streaming device? Well, that's not an easy question to answer. You have to consider several things. 

• Does the device carry the apps you want?
• Is the device easy to use?
• Is the device reliable?

So, with those things in mind, what's the answer? That's easy. The perfect streaming device is ... non-existent.

Oh, sure, some devices come close, but no device carries all the apps. There are some that aren't available on Roku, but are available on Apple TV, for instance. There are some that are only on Roku. Some are on Fire TV, but have a different, inferior version on another platform. 

Sure, there is a difference between a device carrying all the apps and a device carrying the apps you want. For example, if all you want is Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video, then any of the Big Four -- Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast -- will do that. 

But what about apps you don't know about? There may be some perfect app, a niche app, that has something that is just up your alley. But that app may only be available on Roku. If that's the case, Roku is your perfect device. But what if another device has a different app that is another service that is for you? Then it's that device. And what if these other two perfect apps are on two different devices? 

What if all the Big Four carry all the apps you truly do want? Well, is it easy to use? One thing I live about Roku and Apple TV is that the menu layout is consistent. Amazon Fire TV devices move things around on the menu, though. If you use an app, it moves it to the front of the menu so you can easily use it again. That's fine, if you like that, but if you prefer everything in its place all the time, that will drive you crazy.

And what abut reliability? The Big Four are reliable devices. Well, sort of. Apple TV is certainly a great device. And the upper tier Roku devices are fantastic, but I'm not that big of a fan of the lower, entry-level devices. And I've previously mentioned that I consider Amazon Fire TV to be underpowered devices, almost to the point of planned obsolescence. Chromecast has been good, but as they are the latest entry into the mix (of the Big Four) they're still working out the bugs. But I do like them.

If you had asked me five years ago, I would have said Apple TV was the closest to perfect device. More recently, I would have said Roku. Next year, who knows?

I have multiple devices hooked up to my TVs. I have Chromecast on some, Apple TV on some, but I have Roku on them all. So, no matter what I say, my actions say that I'm in Camp Roku.

I'm okay with that. But if Apple TV, or Fire TV, or Chromecast is your device of choice, you've made a good choice.

Replacing TiVo

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for TiVo. It was the first streaming device I had, even if I didn't know it.

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, now that I think about it. I'm trying to recall just when I upgraded my first TiVo. It may have been after I bought the first Apple TV and Roku. It was around that time, though. And, that first TiVo may have had streaming capabilities, even if I didn't use them.

Regardless, I mentioned before that using TiVo helped me make the switch to streaming. I really liked TiVo, but after I stopped using it, TiVo faded from my thoughts, even though the devices were still connected.

I went without local channels often, because I didn't have cable and I didn't have an antenna. However, I eventually did put up an antenna and used it with TiVo. But, as I said, I rarely used TiVo.

Still, I wanted to have the capability of watching local channels, even if I didn't watch them. When my mother had a problem getting warranty replacement for a defective TiVo device, she decided she was done with them and canceled her service. I had lifetime service, but decided the old TiVo company I had known and loved was officially no more. I took my devices down.

So, what did I replace it with? I narrowed down the list to two separate devices and services: AirTV and Tablo TV.

They both have their good points and bad points. They both cost around the same for their top end devices. and the pricing for the services are comparable, though not identical.

AirTV is from Dish. They own Sling TV. I'll talk more about Sling TV in the future. For now, it's important to know that the Sling TV app is how you watch AirTV. You hook the antenna lead up to the AirTV and the content will show up in the Sling TV app. And, you don't have to have a Sling TV subscription. You can watch the free content, and the over the air (OTA) programming will appear in the menu and on the program guide.

Oh, and AirTV offers a free two-week program guide. So that's great. The only cost is the antenna and installation, plus the AirTV device. I went with the $200 one that has a large storage drive for DVR.

Tablo TV is similar in that you buy the equipment -- I got the one that's around $200 -- and hook the antenna to it. You add the Tablo TV app and use that to watch TV. The program guide is one day for the free one, or you can pay $5/month for a two-week guide. That's more than AirTV, but less than TiVo.

I like the Tablo TV interface better than AirTV's, but that simply means I'm not that big of a fan of Sling TV's interface, because, as I said, that's what it uses.

So, which do I use? That's easy. I use both.

At one house -- the one I co-own with two sisters -- I put up AirTV. It works great.

At the other house, I put up Tablo TV, and paid for a lifetime subscription.

They're both great. They work a lot alike, but have some small differences.

Which one would I recommend? Well, I'd say check for special deals on service bundles. If you already use Sling TV, go with AirTV. If you don't, go with whichever you can get a better deal on. You'll be happy whichever way you go.