Roger Fingas
Dish's internet-only TV service, Sling TV, has announced the availability of Cloud DVR support for the Apple TV, letting users record some (but not all) shows for later viewing.
The option is currently in a rough "first look" state and costs $5 per month, Sling said on Monday. Previously, the technology only worked with Roku and Android devices, including Amazon streamers.
With the feature active, subscribers can theoretically keep recordings as long as they want. Sling noted, however, that after the 50-hour mark, it will automatically make room for new recordings by deleting the oldest data. DVR functions are also blocked on some channels, presumably because of rights agreements.
Apple TV owners must go to Sling.com to pay for the DVR package. The company didn't say when the option might expand to other platforms, like iOS, except to promise broader device support in the future.
DVR functions are quickly becoming a dividing point among internet TV providers. While they're available on Sling, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue, all of those services have different implementations, and the option is still missing entirely from DirecTV Now.
Hulu may launch its own live TV platform as soon as next month, but like Sling ask subscribers to pay extra for full DVR support.
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
20 Comments
Once the leaders in the DVR space, it's sad to see TiVo lagging by miles in this regard. They just got a big cash infusion after being bought out by Rovi, but they're still relying on spinning magnetics disks. Sad. Bigly sad!
TV streaming space is getting interesting. With more competition, consumers will benefit with better contents, more features at lower price. For cord cutters, SLING certainly worth a try.
Sling TV is great. I just cut the cord a few months back and went with Apple TVs. Sling TV is the best for the money by far, especially if you watch sports. They really have the best packages for the money in my opinion. I've tried Sling TV, DirectTV NOW, and PSVue for live TV. DirectTV NOW has the most channels and nicest app, but it's very expensive. PSVue is OK too but pricey again. Hulu is adding live TV next rumored at $40.00 a month which still costs more than Sling TV.
Now if Apple would only get in the mix...they too are getting far behind with this. They're letting everyone else get away. I know Apple wants to go in a different direction, but maybe they need to take baby steps, just like they did with music. It wasn't great at first, but eventually they were able to get it to where it is today.