Starting sometime in December, Dish-owned Sling TV will begin beta-testing cloud DVR functions, closing an important gap with its main competitor in internet TV, Sony's PlayStation Vue.
During the beta, the technology will initially be available only to subscribers using Roku devices -- including TVs with Roku built in, Sling said. People who meet this criteria can apply for a beta invite.
Test accounts will support to 100 hours of recording with no expiration date. Instead, Sling servers will automatically delete the oldest recordings as needed. Multiple shows and movies will be recordable simultaneously, and saved material will automatically appear in the Roku interface's "My TV" screen.
Sling said that it's working on more DVR options, including storage upgrades, but cautioned that for now recording won't be available on all channels. There's no indication of when the technology might come to other platforms like the Apple TV.
PlayStation Vue watchers have long enjoyed DVR functions, but with a 28-day limit on all recordings.