Dish Network announces Virtual Cable

[dirk digler]

Sounds promising and will be interesting to see if other companies follow suit.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/05/medi...ble/index.html
Is the future of cable a "personal subscription service" with a small bundle of television and online video channels delivered to phones, tablets and Internet-connected TV sets?

Well, it's one potential future, as portrayed by the Dish Network in a first-of-its-kind "virtual cable" announcement on Monday.

Dish, a pioneer in satellite TV, is preparing to launch Sling TV, a bundle of channels -- including ESPN and CNN -- that will be delivered via the Internet to subscribers. Sling's "core package" will cost just $20 per month, far less than most cable packages, mainly because it includes a small number of channels.

For the small but growing number of cord-cutters in the United States, Sling TV might be a reason to reconnect -- particularly because it's a low-cost way to receive ESPN. It may also pave the way for changes to the cable bundles that about 100 million households currently pay for.
But for the time being, the service is experimental; Dish CEO Joseph Clayton calls it "a viable alternative for live television to the millennial audience."

Dish announced the new offering during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company declined to say when exactly it'll launch, other than "first quarter of 2015."

Sling TV is groundbreaking for a couple of reasons. One, it's entirely in the cloud; it requires no set-top-box or satellite dish (and annoying wait for the cable guy). It is bring-your-own-broadband.

Two, it is a per-person subscription, like Spotify, not a per-household subscription like traditional cable, satellite and broadband.

Three, it defies the television industry norm of bundling all of a company's channels together. For example, and probably most importantly for potential subscribers, Sling TV will include ESPN and ESPN2, but not ESPN's ancillary channels.

ESPN's parent, The Walt Disney Company, struck an Internet distribution deal with Dish (DISH) last spring.

Sling TV -- which has no relation to another product owned by Dish, the Slingbox -- will also carry ten other channels at launch: Disney's ABC Family and Disney Channel; Scripps Networks' Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel; and Time Warner's TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, and CNN.
(Time Warner is the parent of this web site.)

The typical channel bundle sold by Dish and its competitors includes hundreds of channels. Through Sling TV, additional channels will be available via $5 per month "add-on packs." One of the packs will include CNN's sibling HLN, Bloomberg TV, Cooking Channel, and DIY.

Absent from Monday's announcement are any channels owned by Viacom, like MTV; 21st Century Fox, like FX; Comcast, like Bravo; and any broadcast networks, like CBS and NBC.

But the bundle will include a selection of web series from Maker Studios, the online video maker that Disney acquired last year.

Sling TV said it expected to "expand its core package, video-on-demand content, online video and add-on packs throughout 2015."

Dish's introduction of Sling will be closely watched within the media industry, since several forms of "virtual cable" are being explored by various companies.

Making the cable bundle more convenient and appealing to young people -- one of Dish's main aims -- may help the mature industry win new subscribers, but it may also hurt smaller cable channels that currently survive on the backs of bigger siblings.

In a press release, Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch depicted the service as a natural step in the Netflixification of television.

"Live television, including ESPN, for $20 per month with no commitment or contract, is a game changer," he asserted.

"The arrival of Sling TV lets consumers, who've embraced services like Netflix and Hulu, take more control of their video entertainment experience."

[Fish]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

This option is looking better and better all the time. The only thing left for me is the ability to watch ABC\CBS\NBC live because of sports.

Have you tried an OTA antenna?

There are sites that you can put your address into and check to see if you can receive OTA HD channels.

http://www.antennaweb.org/

https://www.tablotv.com/channels/

I use a $8 pair of rabbit ears, and get like 25 channels here in KC. Picture is more clear than cable was when I had it...

[ragedogg69]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

This option is looking better and better all the time. The only thing left for me is the ability to watch ABC\CBS\NBC live because of sports.

ustvnow.com

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Fish

Have you tried an OTA antenna?

There are sites that you can put your address into and check to see if you can receive OTA HD channels.

http://www.antennaweb.org/

https://www.tablotv.com/channels/

I use a $8 pair of rabbit ears, and get like 25 channels here in KC. Picture is more clear than cable was when I had it...

Any of you guys using a Tablo? I'm planning to cut the cord in a month or so and am planning on giving it a try, but I'd love to hear opinions if anyone has personal experience.

[ragedogg69]

I was interested until I saw the price tag. A FireTV with Genesis acting as a DVR would be more than half the cost, and more versatile if you are okay with the delay.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by ragedogg69

I was interested until I saw the price tag. A FireTV with Genesis acting as a DVR would be more than half the cost, and more versatile if you are okay with the delay.

I'm much less concerned about the cost (given that I'll be saving about $100/month from not paying for DirecTV) as I am with ease of use and reliability. The wife and I are pretty Chromecast-centered these days, so the idea of being able to scroll through a guide on our phones and tap to tune is pretty appealing.

[ragedogg69]

are you a same night it airs, you watch your show kind of viewer? That is the main benefit I see from this. Looks like it is a DVR that pushes episodes to your devices through DLNA. Certainly cheaper options out there for that, but maybe not as streamlined.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Any of you guys using a Tablo? I'm planning to cut the cord in a month or so and am planning on giving it a try, but I'd love to hear opinions if anyone has personal experience.

Never seen one of these in action. But it looks almost identical to the HDHomerun device.

I've strongly considered that many times. But honestly with my XBMC setup, I really have no need for it. I can simply scroll through my media Library in XBMC and find the same thing in one centralized location. I can scroll through my list of shows, and it will place badges on a show if there's a new unwatched episode. And there's even another section where I can view a list of the most recent episodes.

It doesn't download those episodes. It simply checks the web to see when a new episode has been released, and then tells me it's available and adds it to my library. So when I click on the item in my library, it gives me a list of dozens/hundreds of different streams of that episode to choose from. I'm not sure if that sounds confusing, but seeing it in action it's very intuitive.

Once you break yourself of that TV guide list/DVR mindset, it's really simple to use. You have all the same capabilities with XBMC, it just presents it slightly differently. Better if you asked me.

[Jerm]

HBO is coming to this starting next week. It's an extra $15.

Makes me even happier to have this.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Jerm

HBO is coming to this starting next week. It's an extra $15.

Makes me even happier to have this.

Now I just need to be able to watch live sports on the main channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) on our Roku to make the switch.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Now I just need to be able to watch live sports on the main channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) on our Roku to make the switch.

Are you able to get a decent OTA signal? That's the role I'm hoping Tablo will fill, though I haven't gotten it all set up yet.

[Hootie]

It's ok. I'll definitely cancel this free trial, though. I only use it for TNT/TBS

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are you able to get a decent OTA signal? That's the role I'm hoping Tablo will fill, though I haven't gotten it all set up yet.

I live to far away from KC to get any signal unless I have someone install a roof antenna.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Fish

Never seen one of these in action. But it looks almost identical to the HDHomerun device.

I've strongly considered that many times. But honestly with my XBMC setup, I really have no need for it. I can simply scroll through my media Library in XBMC and find the same thing in one centralized location. I can scroll through my list of shows, and it will place badges on a show if there's a new unwatched episode. And there's even another section where I can view a list of the most recent episodes.

It doesn't download those episodes. It simply checks the web to see when a new episode has been released, and then tells me it's available and adds it to my library. So when I click on the item in my library, it gives me a list of dozens/hundreds of different streams of that episode to choose from. I'm not sure if that sounds confusing, but seeing it in action it's very intuitive.

Once you break yourself of that TV guide list/DVR mindset, it's really simple to use. You have all the same capabilities with XBMC, it just presents it slightly differently. Better if you asked me.

As Dirk alluded to, it's an issue with live sports and local news rather than TV shows. I want to be able to record football games (or pause them when live), so I need some sort of OTA DVR setup, and Tablo claims at least to have a pretty good option for that. We'll see - I'll probably make the switch in the next month or so.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by DaFace

As Dirk alluded to, it's an issue with live sports and local news rather than TV shows. I want to be able to record football games (or pause them when live), so I need some sort of OTA DVR setup, and Tablo claims at least to have a pretty good option for that. We'll see - I'll probably make the switch in the next month or so.

Yep. I looked at Tablo since you mentioned it and still too far away. I can barely get PBS lol

[KC2004]

SlingTV adds HBO. Can stream HBO on up to 3 Devices.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/9/837...-now-available