Sling TV first came out in 2023. It was only six years ago but it seems like a long time ago in the fast-moving world that is streaming television. Live streaming services for TV have changed significantly from the day Sling TV debuted — and Sling TV has changed along with it. A lot of the changes are related to features that are now available, as well. Sling TV has more than ever before. The channel selection of Sling TV has changed, too. There have been some adjustments to pricing, however the cost of an Sling TV subscription hasn’t gone up nearly as much as cost of other services. In actual fact, Sling TV pricing remains quite affordable. However, it’s appropriate to ask “Is Sling TV worth it?” We’re here to provide you with the answer. Let’s review of the most recent version of the Live TV service, in the Sling TV review.
Is Sling TV Worth It?
Sling TV has added a number of features, including the latest version of the Roku TV app and the possibility of getting local channels in certain markets. Although there are some adjustments in the margins however, the essence features of Sling TV remains: It’s good value for money and has an excellent channel lineup that is simple to personalize.
Sling TV is a high-end, customizable cable option.
Pros
- Customized bundles
- Streamlined Roku app
- Today, there are local TV networks available.
Cons
- Local networks only in selected markets
- Frame rate issues continue to plague
Sling TV Video Review
What Is Sling TV? What Does Sling TV Do?
Sling TV is focused on streaming live TV. This means live channels from networks that are the same channels you’ve seen on satellite or cable. This includes networks such as AMC, HGTV, ESPN and many more. The purpose to Sling TV is to get channels of this kind without paying per-minute for cable.
This is the primary reason to use Sling TV However, as with any other quality streaming live TV streaming platform, it comes with the ability to record your shows using a DVR. This allows users to record their favorite shows to watch later. It also has on-demand programming worth watching too.
What to Watch on Sling TV: What Channels Are on Sling TV?
Sling TV has plenty of channels. I was especially impressed by the sports channel that is comparable to fuboTV’s sports-focused lineup. I was able to access all the major sporting networks in the country (including ESPN, FS1, and NBCSN) along with certain local sports channels (RSNs) as well as a variety of smaller channels that offer coverage of international athletics, NCAA sports and much more. The Sling TV RSN selection isn’t the most comprehensive however it’s the only thing I’ve found to be unhappy with in the department of sports.
Sling TV used to be without major networks, however, it has been changed in the wake of the present review. If you live in one of the areas, you can receive local coverage from FOX as well as NBC. If you are in a city such as New York or Chicago, you’ll have access to both NBC as well as FOX. The important thing difference is NBC or FOX is only available in those areas where the respective networks operate and own their affiliates.
Other major channelstwo other major networks – ABC and CBS are the two biggest networks that are missing from the Sling TV channel lineup. I’d certainly like to have them added but Sling TV’s Sling TV channel lineup is extremely strong.
Sling TV Features and Specs: Streaming Quality, Sling TV Devices, and More
The quality of streaming on Sling TV is on par with the quality of other live streaming services for TV. There are a few frame rate issues (which we’ll address in the next section) However, the app’s support is extensive and amazing. The features offered by Sling TV are solid, as well, even though its cloud-based DVR isn’t infinite.
Sling TV DVR: Recording on Sling TV
With Sling TV You get an up-to 50 hour of cloud storage when you use the Sling TV DVR. If you don’t think that’s sufficient, then you could get an upgrade to 200 hours of storage for $5 per month.
To write this review I recorded and viewed some shows of “House Hunters.” Those recordings also had commercials. Even even if I watched the episodes at any time, I needed to catch commercials. While some services such as Hulu come with a small timer that tells you how long the commercials will run for, there’s no feature similar to that in Sling TV. This made it difficult to know whether, for example, I could get to the kitchen to prepare some quick snacks. I was quite impressed with the cloud DVR on a practical level however the commercial interruptions caused me to be frustrated.
Sling TV App: What Devices Can You Use With Sling TV?
Sling TV was the first skinny bundle to make its way onto the market in the year 2015, and has spent a lot of time to develop excellent apps for all our top devices and platforms. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a shock to discover that support for platforms remains an important feature of Sling TV: It has amazing apps that work with Roku, Fire TV, Android TV (including Sling TV’s own AirTV device), Apple TV, iOS, Android TV, as well as a range of web browsers.
In the purpose of this test, I ran Sling TV through its paces across a range of devices: Roku, Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Chromecast and two other different browsers (Chrome as well as Firefox).
Sling TV Streaming Quality
Sling TV streams in HD however, it’s not 1080p HD The livestreaming video on this site typically reaches at 720p or less. This is typical for most live streaming services for TV (though some exceptions exist, such as YouTube TV).
Another problem concerns the frame speed. Sling TV tops out at 60 FPS, which is okay with me, however it’s not always at the maximum which isn’t as great. For live sports, for instance 60 FPS is pretty crucial.
However, to an untrained eye, I feel Sling TV’s streaming is quite solid. It’s not going to be awe-inspiring 4K, but I believe you’ll be content in the event that you’re not someone who is always looking for new and the best in terms of picture quality.
I observed that loading speeds were fairly fast and streaming to be extremely fluid. It’s important to note that the time between loading and streaming is substantialminimum, it’s 30 seconds, in the majority of cases however that’s part of the appeal with these live streaming services for TV. Be careful when watching sports, as accessing Twitter can ruin the next big event!
Using Sling TV: What We Learned From Our Sling TV Review Testing
Sling TV recently updated its Roku app. The changes are noticeable most at the top of the display which isn’t as old-fashioned any more. The grid remains however the channel that is highlighted is now more prominent. The screen appears to pop off more often, as the if Sling TV really wants you to be sure regarding the channel you’ve chosen.
The Sling TV home page is much more organized and less repetitive. There’s less information available on the homepage which can be beneficial in certain ways. In our previous review, we discussed that it’s not difficult for your favourite channels to rule each row on the homepage. The “Trending” category is the first thing you’ll find on the home page and it could be related to any connection to the channels you love. Below there are “Recommended for You” and “My Channels,” so there’s some repetition however, there’s a new option called “Continue Watching” option is lower down, so it’s not as if the channels you watch most often are as tightly packed like they were in the earlier Sling TV version. Sling TV.
The tab that separates live sports has been removed in this update. You can access it by scrolling down to “Browse Categories” and selecting “Sports,” but if you’re a fan of sports it won’t be a snap to find it on the main screen. For fans of sports, that’s undoubtedly a disappointment, considering this tab’s accessibility was among the most popular reasons to sign up for Sling TV. It’s still fairly accessible to find live sporting events, but not so easy as prior to the time. However, this is only applicable to the Roku application only. You can still access”Live Sports” under the “Live Sports” tab when watching Sling TV through a web browser.
Sling TV Plans, Pricing, and Value: Is Sling TV Worth It?
Sling TV’s pricing provides an incredible value. The base bundles for Sling TV are $35 per month for a total of $50 monthly when they are combined. It’s an increase of 5 dollars from when we last looked at the service, but they’re still affordable among live streaming TV services that are available, only Philo can compete with those prices, and it’s because it deliberately omits costly channels such as ESPN (which Sling TV has).
That’s right that, the Sling TV subscription still gets you lots of benefits even if you pay a little more for it. Sometimes , you can get Sling TV for even cheaper than $35, but the availability of the deal is different. The Sling TV deals page has more details.
Verdict: Should You Subscribe to Sling TV?
Sling TV has changed its appearance on Roku TV, but it’s still one of the most affordable Live TV plans. Actually, Sling TV remains your best option for an online TV service that includes news and sports channels (if you don’t, Philo is the best option).
The absence of major networks was a major disadvantage on the Sling TV scoring system, however, the inclusion of major networks NBC as well as FOX in certain markets certainly can help. Sling TV also encourages you to buy an antenna and turn on local channels at no cost. This could or might not be the best option for you, however Sling TV’s prices and features makes it an excellent option regardless.
