We've cut the cable (5 Viewers)

[mquinnjr]

Just replaced my Apple TV with one of these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEEXJQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $120, the Android TV box comes pre-loaded with the Kodi environment (formerly XBMC) and enough apps to get you started. I am working on a ~ 90/10 Comcast internet connection with wireline adapters around my apartment, so no wi-fi for streaming. I am currently using the Genesis and SportsDevil apps for my test run, along with running the PS3 Media Server app on my iMac for media that I have downloaded myself.

Genesis App - Think Netflix clone interface, but with a $0.00 subscription fee per month, and every movie and TV show you can think of available with a few clicks or a run of the search. Even obscure shows, I've yet to stump this thing, truly remarkable. Little to 0 buffering, crystal clear HD content. Updated with TV shows almost immediately after they air.

SportsDevil - This app is for live sports content. Whereas Genesis is amazing for anything non-live, SportsDevil is its counterpart for all live sports streaming. Due to the live nature of sports content, the streams are uploaded by users on the various streaming sites you might already be familiar with (e.g., Firstrowsports, vipbox, etc.). SportsDevil aggregates them into an easy to locate interface, by streaming site within the app. The quality can be a little grainy at times, but for the price of $0.00, I tested some MLB games this weekend and live sports channels (ESPN and NFL Network), and it's passable. If you like true HD it won't work for you, but if you're indifferent, you are all set.

I haven't tested the many other apps, which I plan to do, but I tested these from the onset as they are considered best of breed for non-sports and sports content, respectively. It's truly amazing, and I was just considering this for my bedroom TV as a way to save on renting extra cable boxes. I think we might be cutting the cord in my household.

 

[tonydead]

Just replaced my Apple TV with one of these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEEXJQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $120, the Android TV box comes pre-loaded with the Kodi environment (formerly XBMC) and enough apps to get you started. I am working on a ~ 90/10 Comcast internet connection with wireline adapters around my apartment, so no wi-fi for streaming. I am currently using the Genesis and SportsDevil apps for my test run, along with running the PS3 Media Server app on my iMac for media that I have downloaded myself.

Genesis App - Think Netflix clone interface, but with a $0.00 subscription fee per month, and every movie and TV show you can think of available with a few clicks or a run of the search. Even obscure shows, I've yet to stump this thing, truly remarkable. Little to 0 buffering, crystal clear HD content. Updated with TV shows almost immediately after they air.

SportsDevil - This app is for live sports content. Whereas Genesis is amazing for anything non-live, SportsDevil is its counterpart for all live sports streaming. Due to the live nature of sports content, the streams are uploaded by users on the various streaming sites you might already be familiar with (e.g., Firstrowsports, vipbox, etc.). SportsDevil aggregates them into an easy to locate interface, by streaming site within the app. The quality can be a little grainy at times, but for the price of $0.00, I tested some MLB games this weekend and live sports channels (ESPN and NFL Network), and it's passable. If you like true HD it won't work for you, but if you're indifferent, you are all set.

I haven't tested the many other apps, which I plan to do, but I tested these from the onset as they are considered best of breed for non-sports and sports content, respectively. It's truly amazing, and I was just considering this for my bedroom TV as a way to save on renting extra cable boxes. I think we might be cutting the cord in my household.

Thanks man, keep us updated on any other apps you test out. I haven't found the time yet.

 

[Brady Marino]

Was going to warn those that were interested in HBO of possibility beforehand, but appears also some blocked content there as well (boxing).

And again Sling made no mention of this beforehand. I understand if they cant get rights.....they just need to mention it.

I got Sling with the Roku/Fire TV deal and I doubt I renew. I am so out of the "live TV" rhythm that I never use it (except for live HBO for Game of Thrones).

I know what you mean, the only thing I really watch live now is baseball (MLB.tv app) and the local news. Everything else may as well be on demand somehow.

I like Sling but if the Watch Disney apps start working with TWC (and our in law's login) we might bail on it. It's a good service though for the most part.

I'm the same way about local news and sports, but my HD antenna takes care of a lot of that.For the rest, there's Kodi.

 

[Brady Marino]

Just replaced my Apple TV with one of these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEEXJQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $120, the Android TV box comes pre-loaded with the Kodi environment (formerly XBMC) and enough apps to get you started. I am working on a ~ 90/10 Comcast internet connection with wireline adapters around my apartment, so no wi-fi for streaming. I am currently using the Genesis and SportsDevil apps for my test run, along with running the PS3 Media Server app on my iMac for media that I have downloaded myself.

Genesis App - Think Netflix clone interface, but with a $0.00 subscription fee per month, and every movie and TV show you can think of available with a few clicks or a run of the search. Even obscure shows, I've yet to stump this thing, truly remarkable. Little to 0 buffering, crystal clear HD content. Updated with TV shows almost immediately after they air.

SportsDevil - This app is for live sports content. Whereas Genesis is amazing for anything non-live, SportsDevil is its counterpart for all live sports streaming. Due to the live nature of sports content, the streams are uploaded by users on the various streaming sites you might already be familiar with (e.g., Firstrowsports, vipbox, etc.). SportsDevil aggregates them into an easy to locate interface, by streaming site within the app. The quality can be a little grainy at times, but for the price of $0.00, I tested some MLB games this weekend and live sports channels (ESPN and NFL Network), and it's passable. If you like true HD it won't work for you, but if you're indifferent, you are all set.

I haven't tested the many other apps, which I plan to do, but I tested these from the onset as they are considered best of breed for non-sports and sports content, respectively. It's truly amazing, and I was just considering this for my bedroom TV as a way to save on renting extra cable boxes. I think we might be cutting the cord in my household.

I had to find a "fixed" version of Sportsdevil recently because the FirstRow link didn't work.

 

[mquinnjr]

Just replaced my Apple TV with one of these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEEXJQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $120, the Android TV box comes pre-loaded with the Kodi environment (formerly XBMC) and enough apps to get you started. I am working on a ~ 90/10 Comcast internet connection with wireline adapters around my apartment, so no wi-fi for streaming. I am currently using the Genesis and SportsDevil apps for my test run, along with running the PS3 Media Server app on my iMac for media that I have downloaded myself.

Genesis App - Think Netflix clone interface, but with a $0.00 subscription fee per month, and every movie and TV show you can think of available with a few clicks or a run of the search. Even obscure shows, I've yet to stump this thing, truly remarkable. Little to 0 buffering, crystal clear HD content. Updated with TV shows almost immediately after they air.

SportsDevil - This app is for live sports content. Whereas Genesis is amazing for anything non-live, SportsDevil is its counterpart for all live sports streaming. Due to the live nature of sports content, the streams are uploaded by users on the various streaming sites you might already be familiar with (e.g., Firstrowsports, vipbox, etc.). SportsDevil aggregates them into an easy to locate interface, by streaming site within the app. The quality can be a little grainy at times, but for the price of $0.00, I tested some MLB games this weekend and live sports channels (ESPN and NFL Network), and it's passable. If you like true HD it won't work for you, but if you're indifferent, you are all set.

I haven't tested the many other apps, which I plan to do, but I tested these from the onset as they are considered best of breed for non-sports and sports content, respectively. It's truly amazing, and I was just considering this for my bedroom TV as a way to save on renting extra cable boxes. I think we might be cutting the cord in my household.

Thanks man, keep us updated on any other apps you test out. I haven't found the time yet.

I'm going to try out the p2p streams app this week. Just watched a YouTube how-to on it during lunch, so going to configure/test at home tonight. It claims to be higher quality/reliability than the SportsDevil streams since they operate over BitTorrent and not streaming sites per se, just requires a little more tinkering. If this turns out to be true, bye bye cable TV.

 

[Brady Marino]

Just replaced my Apple TV with one of these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TEEXJQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For $120, the Android TV box comes pre-loaded with the Kodi environment (formerly XBMC) and enough apps to get you started. I am working on a ~ 90/10 Comcast internet connection with wireline adapters around my apartment, so no wi-fi for streaming. I am currently using the Genesis and SportsDevil apps for my test run, along with running the PS3 Media Server app on my iMac for media that I have downloaded myself.

Genesis App - Think Netflix clone interface, but with a $0.00 subscription fee per month, and every movie and TV show you can think of available with a few clicks or a run of the search. Even obscure shows, I've yet to stump this thing, truly remarkable. Little to 0 buffering, crystal clear HD content. Updated with TV shows almost immediately after they air.

SportsDevil - This app is for live sports content. Whereas Genesis is amazing for anything non-live, SportsDevil is its counterpart for all live sports streaming. Due to the live nature of sports content, the streams are uploaded by users on the various streaming sites you might already be familiar with (e.g., Firstrowsports, vipbox, etc.). SportsDevil aggregates them into an easy to locate interface, by streaming site within the app. The quality can be a little grainy at times, but for the price of $0.00, I tested some MLB games this weekend and live sports channels (ESPN and NFL Network), and it's passable. If you like true HD it won't work for you, but if you're indifferent, you are all set.

I haven't tested the many other apps, which I plan to do, but I tested these from the onset as they are considered best of breed for non-sports and sports content, respectively. It's truly amazing, and I was just considering this for my bedroom TV as a way to save on renting extra cable boxes. I think we might be cutting the cord in my household.

Thanks man, keep us updated on any other apps you test out. I haven't found the time yet.

I'm going to try out the p2p streams app this week. Just watched a YouTube how-to on it during lunch, so going to configure/test at home tonight. It claims to be higher quality/reliability than the SportsDevil streams since they operate over BitTorrent and not streaming sites per se, just requires a little more tinkering. If this turns out to be true, bye bye cable TV.

Really interested in how this works.

I will also look into that box you bought. I run Kodi off my Fire TV Stick and I often run into buffering/cache issues that appear to be unique to the fire stick.

I was thinking of doing an HTPC, but this would be cheaper.

 

[tonydead]

Wish I had more time to tinker...have been busy trying to restore/upgrade an old Windows 2003 Home Server. Even with just 700GB of existing data it takes way too much time. Doesn't help that one hard drive went bad and another got accidentally quick formatted. Off topic: Does any know of a quick way to see what files are mirrored and/or missing between to raid drives?

ETA: When I said files I really meant folders.

 

[Gator Shawn]

Wow, thanks to this thread and this article we've cut the cord saving over $90/month and couldn't be more pleased. Everyone in the house has access to request new shows and movies and with 4 plex connected devices in the house, we can all watch whatever we want. Best part is, we find ourselves watching less TV overall by a huge amount, but the quality of what we watch is so so far ahead. No more just turning the TV on for the sake of it, we do other stuff instead.

 

[mquinnjr]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

 

[Brady Marino]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

If there is a way to deal with ads, you can always stream via Chrome I guess.

 

[NutterButter]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

What you really need is a paid sports streaming service with a kodi plug in. I have one that costs 10 bucks per month which has 720p quality and is reliable, but it's not accepting new users. I'd have to imagine there's more out there, just have no idea how to find them.

 

[Ned]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

 

[mquinnjr]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

How I read into it, too.

 

[mquinnjr]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

What you really need is a paid sports streaming service with a kodi plug in. I have one that costs 10 bucks per month which has 720p quality and is reliable, but it's not accepting new users. I'd have to imagine there's more out there, just have no idea how to find them.

They are very hard to find, and I'd be willing to pay for a good one. Forums like the Kodi and tvaddons don't allow people to post about those services, so how can you ever find one? PPVBay is a paid app I stumbled upon, but they're very Europe-centric, meaning they're not really covering daily MLB or NFL, and that's what i want. All soccer on that service. If there's a P2P torrent service for American sports like MLB, NFL, college Football and BBall, I'd be all in for it. Could never see myself relying on SportsDevil alone.

 

[matttyl]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

Depends on what you're paying, and what channels you're getting I guess. Me personally, I'd pay 10 or so a month just to have ESPN. My wife would easily pay the same for her HGTV shows and AMC (Walking Dead). So right there we're at the 20 a month for the basic package - which sure includes a few channels that we'd never watch. If I didn't have another year of a cable package with my provider, I'd seriously consider this.

 

[tonydead]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

Depends on what you're paying, and what channels you're getting I guess. Me personally, I'd pay 10 or so a month just to have ESPN. My wife would easily pay the same for her HGTV shows and AMC (Walking Dead). So right there we're at the 20 a month for the basic package - which sure includes a few channels that we'd never watch. If I didn't have another year of a cable package with my provider, I'd seriously consider this.

If they keep adding channels to their basic package like they have been without raising the cost then I guess I'll have a bunch of channels I don't watch. It's at a price point for me as I'm saving over $100 a month, it's really that simple, right now they are a lot cheaper They've done some a la carte with their extra packages by channel type and I'd expect that to continue to evolve.

 

[culdeus]

So I have a TV in the garage I use in my home gym. Thought of this thread when the masters was on. I just jammed a coathanger into the coax socket and got the signal I needed.

 

[Zasada]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

What you really need is a paid sports streaming service with a kodi plug in. I have one that costs 10 bucks per month which has 720p quality and is reliable, but it's not accepting new users. I'd have to imagine there's more out there, just have no idea how to find them.

They are very hard to find, and I'd be willing to pay for a good one. Forums like the Kodi and tvaddons don't allow people to post about those services, so how can you ever find one? PPVBay is a paid app I stumbled upon, but they're very Europe-centric, meaning they're not really covering daily MLB or NFL, and that's what i want. All soccer on that service. If there's a P2P torrent service for American sports like MLB, NFL, college Football and BBall, I'd be all in for it. Could never see myself relying on SportsDevil alone.

Obviously just for NFL, but nfl2go.com worked great for me last year.

 

[Balco]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

Depends on what you're paying, and what channels you're getting I guess. Me personally, I'd pay 10 or so a month just to have ESPN. My wife would easily pay the same for her HGTV shows and AMC (Walking Dead). So right there we're at the 20 a month for the basic package - which sure includes a few channels that we'd never watch. If I didn't have another year of a cable package with my provider, I'd seriously consider this.

I think 20 bucks is perfect. Having two espns is huge and the other offerings like amc, tbs, hgtv, ifc, and travel are great. I am a huge fan.

 

[Drifter]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

 

[matttyl]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

What format do they stream in?!

 

[mquinnjr]

OK, so I did some work on the Sports end of XBMC tonight. Long story short, there's been some issues with SportsDevil recently. I found a thread on tvaddons.org where this is discussed, and someone posted an update from April 13th. Here's the link to the post and the hosted file you'll need to install within XBMC: http://forums.tvaddons.ag/threads/27329-The-Future-of-SportsDevil-(post-GitHub-DMCA-issue)?p=265066&viewfull=1#post265066

It's firing a whole lot better in terms of consistency, picture still is what it is. Good, but not too great. I think I'd have to run this in parallel with NFL/college in the fall before I pull the trigger on cutting the cord, as I'd be devastated if I relied on this app and it was broken link fest. Basically, the developers need to stay in sync with the sites they "scrape" for content that you just plug into your web browser on a Mac or PC. It's a huge deal when a .to website gets changed to .tv that SportsDevil collects from operating within an app within XBMC. The developer has to get an update coded and out, and you're just waiting with broken links in the meantime. With the pace these sites need to move at to stay alive, it will be a perpetual thorn in the side of the reliability of something like SportsDevil as a main source for sports content. Starting to view it more as a backup than a reliable primary source.

What you really need is a paid sports streaming service with a kodi plug in. I have one that costs 10 bucks per month which has 720p quality and is reliable, but it's not accepting new users. I'd have to imagine there's more out there, just have no idea how to find them.

They are very hard to find, and I'd be willing to pay for a good one. Forums like the Kodi and tvaddons don't allow people to post about those services, so how can you ever find one? PPVBay is a paid app I stumbled upon, but they're very Europe-centric, meaning they're not really covering daily MLB or NFL, and that's what i want. All soccer on that service. If there's a P2P torrent service for American sports like MLB, NFL, college Football and BBall, I'd be all in for it. Could never see myself relying on SportsDevil alone.

Obviously just for NFL, but nfl2go.com worked great for me last year.

Awesome to see that they have XBMC on the list for 2015, if they get that repo up before the 2015 season I'm absolutely buying this.

 

[tonydead]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

What format do they stream in?!

The streams are 720p or 1080p depending on the source. Sling TV will attempt to optimize the video depending on your network and what you are viewing the video on. If you aren't getting the resolution you want you can go into Sling TV's settings and change them. If you are only getting 720p it's likely the channel (source) doesn't broadcast in 1080p.

 

[Drifter]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

What format do they stream in?!

The streams are 720p or 1080p depending on the source. Sling TV will attempt to optimize the video depending on your network and what you are viewing the video on. If you aren't getting the resolution you want you can go into Sling TV's settings and change them. If you are only getting 720p it's likely the channel (source) doesn't broadcast in 1080p.

Not according to this guy:

http://www.cuttingcords.com/home/2015/2/9/sling-tv-technical-details

ESPN 1 & 2

• Resolution: 1216 x 684
• Framerate: 59.94fps
• Target Bitrate: 4.5Mbps
• Profile: Level 4.0 High
• Reference frames: 4
• B frames: 3
• CABAC: yes
• x264 Preset: Medium
• x264 Tune: Film
• Audio: 192kbps 48KHz stereo AAC

TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food, Travel, CNN, CN/AS, ABC Family, Galavision

• Resolution: 1280 x 720
• Framerate: 29.97fps
• Target Bitrate: 3.5Mbps
• Profile: Level 4.0 High
• Reference frames: 4
• B frames: 3
• CABAC: yes
• x264 Preset: Slow
• x264 Tune: Film
• Audio: 192kbps 48KHz stereo AAC

 

[tonydead]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

What format do they stream in?!

The streams are 720p or 1080p depending on the source. Sling TV will attempt to optimize the video depending on your network and what you are viewing the video on. If you aren't getting the resolution you want you can go into Sling TV's settings and change them. If you are only getting 720p it's likely the channel (source) doesn't broadcast in 1080p.

Not according to this guy:

http://www.cuttingcords.com/home/2015/2/9/sling-tv-technical-details

ESPN 1 & 2

• Resolution: 1216 x 684
• Framerate: 59.94fps
• Target Bitrate: 4.5Mbps
• Profile: Level 4.0 High
• Reference frames: 4
• B frames: 3
• CABAC: yes
• x264 Preset: Medium
• x264 Tune: Film
• Audio: 192kbps 48KHz stereo AAC

TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food, Travel, CNN, CN/AS, ABC Family, Galavision

• Resolution: 1280 x 720
• Framerate: 29.97fps
• Target Bitrate: 3.5Mbps
• Profile: Level 4.0 High
• Reference frames: 4
• B frames: 3
• CABAC: yes
• x264 Preset: Slow
• x264 Tune: Film
• Audio: 192kbps 48KHz stereo AAC

ESPN. The fact that he expected something different, at least from ESPN, ABC or any of their sister Disney channels tells me he doesn't know what he's talking about. Again, this is a channel problem not directly a Sling TV problem.

 

[culdeus]

Sling needs to start to stream in at least 1080i and preferably 1080p on select programming (Game of Thrones). With 4k TV becoming a bigger thing, they can't be selling a standard that was sub-par 7 years ago.

Thrones doesn't get 1080p anywhere.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

Sure it'd be nice but right now the price is so low you won't see many complaints. If/when that changes, I'm sure you will.

$20 for (at least) 20 channels that includes ESPNs is a good deal. I know the cheapest TV deal in my area carrying ESPN is $55+. This alone makes them stand out from everyone else (low cost package with ESPN). Sling's created an early product that (smartly) caters to sports fans. Live sports is what is what was missing with cord cutters....Bloated Sports programming costs is a big reason cable prices are so high in the first place.....

Their certainly have been hiccups with Sling, but I'd unquestionably state it's well worth $20/mo. Even Dish doesn't want Sling to become a giant (believe they're limiting it to 2 million total customers) -- even though it inevitably will IMO

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playstation Vue on the other hand.......you're saving little to no money at all. And don't get ESPN. This product won't survive w/o an overhaul. Cable prices with large bundles -- just with even few channels. The silence on the product speaks for itself (even if it's limited to 3-4 major markets). Go look around to see how many recent reviews/articles their are of Vue -- there aren't many.

 

[cstu]

Am I missing something? At what point does Sling just become another cable type option where you pay money for a bunch of channels you don't watch? They need to make this a la cart.

Sure it'd be nice but right now the price is so low you won't see many complaints. If/when that changes, I'm sure you will.

$20 for (at least) 20 channels that includes ESPNs is a good deal. I know the cheapest TV deal in my area carrying ESPN is $55+. This alone makes them stand out from everyone else (low cost package with ESPN). Sling's created an early product that (smartly) caters to sports fans. Live sports is what is what was missing with cord cutters....Bloated Sports programming costs is a big reason cable prices are so high in the first place.....

Their certainly have been hiccups with Sling, but I'd unquestionably state it's well worth $20/mo. Even Dish doesn't want Sling to become a giant (believe they're limiting it to 2 million total customers) -- even though it inevitably will IMO

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playstation Vue on the other hand.......you're saving little to no money at all. And don't get ESPN. This product won't survive w/o an overhaul. Cable prices with large bundles -- just with even few channels. The silence on the product speaks for itself (even if it's limited to 3-4 major markets). Go look around to see how many recent reviews/articles their are of Vue -- there aren't many.

A la carte would be ideal but they'd probably charge $5 per channel. At $20 for that many channels I'm happy with the value.

 

[TakiToki]

So I have a TV in the garage I use in my home gym. Thought of this thread when the masters was on. I just jammed a coathanger into the coax socket and got the signal I needed.

Sometimes when you're in a bind, the quickest and easiest solution can be to just start jamming a coat hanger. Like if you're locked out of your car or something.

 

[mquinnjr]

Just ordered this guy for my Element Ti4 box. The remote "works," but is brutal in execution if you need to search for anything or click anything out of a sequence: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Built-In-Multi-Touch/dp/B005DKZTMG

Will report back, but I'm excited.

 

[matttyl]

Are there any simple and cheap options for local channels for those of us just a little bit too far from the TV towers?

 

[MattFancy]

ESPN is suing Verizon over new skinny cable package

“ESPN is at the forefront of embracing innovative ways to deliver high-quality content and value to consumers on multiple platforms, but that must be done in compliance with our agreements. We simply ask that Verizon abide by the terms of our contracts.”

Sounds like ESPN isn't very happy with Verizon.

Ballsy move by Verizon on this though. Think they knew this would happen, but they're doing this to say to their customers, "We know you want packages like this, but it's the networks that are against it, not the cable companies". Interesting tactic.

 

[culdeus]

Are there any simple and cheap options for local channels for those of us just a little bit too far from the TV towers?

Not really. I mean some of the locals do offer streaming content but it's not great.

 

[Drifter]

I'm really unhappy with the picture quality of Game of Thrones on my 4k TV running off Sling on a Amazon Fire Stick. Dark scenes (which the TV does very well with quality input) look like muddy digitally compressed ####.

 

[mquinnjr]

ESPN is suing Verizon over new skinny cable package

“ESPN is at the forefront of embracing innovative ways to deliver high-quality content and value to consumers on multiple platforms, but that must be done in compliance with our agreements. We simply ask that Verizon abide by the terms of our contracts.”

Sounds like ESPN isn't very happy with Verizon.

Ballsy move by Verizon on this though. Think they knew this would happen, but they're doing this to say to their customers, "We know you want packages like this, but it's the networks that are against it, not the cable companies". Interesting tactic.

This would be my graceland. Rooting for VZ here

 

[matttyl]

Are there any simple and cheap options for local channels for those of us just a little bit too far from the TV towers?

Not really. I mean some of the locals do offer streaming content but it's not great.

It's the only thing keeping me from fully cutting the cable - locals, and the ease of getting them. I'd love to go to Sling TV, but at $20 a month and on top of that needing to do something to get my locals - the cable company has me for the time being.

 

[culdeus]

so I paid for hbogo on uverse to get game of thrones

hbogo was down hard for me last night so I just torrented it.

 

[tonydead]

Trying to watch Game of Thrones on HBO Go on Roku. Can't get through 5 minutes without it pausing (freezing?) to load. Same thing happened last monday when I tried to watch it. I've been able to stream plenty of other movies on my Roku so is it a problem with HBO?

so I paid for hbogo on uverse to get game of thrones

hbogo was down hard for me last night so I just torrented it.

I got HBO through Sling TV and it's been working fine during GOT and any other time. Both on xbox1 and roku. No idea about the hgo.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Are there any simple and cheap options for local channels for those of us just a little bit too far from the TV towers?

I know Roku just added a bunch of local channels from around the country. (I think they're limited to watching the local news)

There's also private Roku channel 'Nowhere TV'. Roku channel code = H9DWC . I think contains most/many of the individual Roku local TV channels on it.

---------------------------------------

I was also checking around a bit online for private Roku channels & found one I enjoy listening to at home while I work. May be an old one, but its Itunes podcast channel. Roku Channel Code = ITPC. You can add/play any all podcasts to your TV (just add them as favorites). Can also add Video podcasts (such as MMA hour).

 

[matuski]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

 

[culdeus]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

A coat hanger and a xbox1

 

[tonydead]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

I can try. I just converted a couple months ago. How tech/pc savy are you? What channels are you looking to have?

Here is a short list of what's possible :

-OTA ATSC channels with an antenna

-streaming options with simple devices like Roku, Firestick,xbox

-intermediate devices like Android tv boxes

-HTPC

The last two options have unlimited ability to get all the pirated content from the various reaches. I'm personally paying for some of the cheaper options because I want to support cheap-streaming. Plus I'm savings a bunch of dough not paying the cable company

 

[Gator Shawn]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

I followed this to the tee and it worked flawlessly.

You just need a computer that ideally stays on all the time and has a decent 1TB drive in it.

I pay for Hulu and Netflix and have Amazon Prime for other uses.

 

[matuski]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

I followed this to the tee and it worked flawlessly.

You just need a computer that ideally stays on all the time and has a decent 1TB drive in it.

I pay for Hulu and Netflix and have Amazon Prime for other uses.

Followed what to the tee.

 

[tonydead]

Mat, here is my setup:

The home I purchased just happened to have the best HDTV antenna on the roof money could buy for OTA.

Living room(Hard wired):

HTPC I built with Hauppauge antenna card and does DVR. Currenlty just running Window's Media Center, when I have time I'll play around with Kodi and look at the stuff availabe for free* streaming. HTPC goes through the XBOX via HDMI so everthing is available to me with xbox controller and Hauppage remote.

Bedroom(Wireless):

Roku 3 and OTA to the TV. Here I have to "switch inputs" between the TV and Roku, but it's still just two remotes. That's my only complaint about the Roku is it doens't have a co-ax input. I have a soundbar from the TV so I don't have to worry about a reciever like I do downstairs.

Services:

I pay for Sling TV with HBO ($20+$15/mo)

I pay for Netflix ($8/mo)

I bought the Plex App for Roku ($5 one time fee, free for HTPC). I use Plex to stream movies and music from my PC and server in my office to both the livingroom and bedroom.

Anything else I miss I just get elsewhere.

 

[rascal]

How does HBO work thru sling?

 

[KiddLattimer]

Anyone else getting "device in use at another location" errors on Sling? We suddenly started getting them the other day but we only use the one TV 99% of the time.

I talked to Sling, they suggested that I change my password but here's the thing... when you change your password it the box (Roku/Amazon) doesn't ask you for the password and it just keeps playing as normal until you log out. If someone was using my account somewhere it would just keep going for them until they logged out which would probably be never.

I asked Sling if they could force a logout for everything associated with my account and they said they don't have the ability to do that. I suppose it's possible one of my Roku sticks is flaking out and logging in so I unplugged all of them except the main one so we'll see if that's the culprit but if someone does get ahold of your sling password you're basically screwed.

 

[tonydead]

How does HBO work thru sling?

Been working just fine for me on xbox1 and Roku.

 

[matttyl]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

And a followup question - what's needed on the internet side of things? I have comcast high speed with a 30 down / 6 up, but I seem to be getting all types of various network issues popping up. Some of my devices can't see my wifi network, whenever netflix is streaming wifi drops on phones and such, constant stops and reboots required for chromecast when streaming and phone always loses connection with it.

I have an older dlink 615 (n only) router, and most things are connected wirelessly. I have a second router 2 floors away that connects to the first via wifi and then repeats it to devices in that part of the house and connects a few devices via hard wire. What's the current "go to" router, and what settings should one look into adjusting? Thanks!

 

[tonydead]

Could somebody give me the summer-2015-super-up-to-date concise list of what I need to purchase to do this right?

And a followup question - what's needed on the internet side of things? I have comcast high speed with a 30 down / 6 up, but I seem to be getting all types of various network issues popping up. Some of my devices can't see my wifi network, whenever netflix is streaming wifi drops on phones and such, constant stops and reboots required for chromecast when streaming and phone always loses connection with it. I have an older dlink 615 (n only) router, and most things are connected wirelessly. I have a second router 2 floors away that connects to the first via wifi and then repeats it to devices in that part of the house and connects a few devices via hard wire. What's the current "go to" router, and what settings should one look into adjusting? Thanks!

The 30Mbps from comcast is plenty so it is issues with your network.. Too difficult for me to trouble shoot with all your variables. I got a TP Link Archer C7 (ac) router and it was works great. I also installed gigabit switches. It was cheap money for me to avoid any network bottle necks.