Just achieved simple yesterday. Added a Harmony Home Control. I have Tablo, a Roku 3, Tv, receiver, and bluray player. I have an activity set up for Tablo. It sets the inputs on the TV and receiver and selects the Tablo channel on the Roku. Same for Netflix. For live TV (better picture, faster channel flipping), it sets input to antenna and tunes to the local PBS channel. One button simple. My wife was afraid of this brave, new world until now.
Those Logitech Harmony remotes (any one of them) are essential to any household that has anything more than a simple TV setup. We’ve worn out a couple of them now over the years, and once setup are totally geriatric parent friendly.
Love our Harmony remote we watch 100% of everything on the Roku 3 so I have the “Watch TV” button programmed to turn on the TV, sound, and go to Roku 3 "Home"
I do have the “Watch Movie” button programmed for the Bluray Player but we never use it.
Just achieved simple yesterday. Added a Harmony Home Control. I have Tablo, a Roku 3, Tv, receiver, and bluray player. I have an activity set up for Tablo. It sets the inputs on the TV and receiver and selects the Tablo channel on the Roku. Same for Netflix. For live TV (better picture, faster channel flipping), it sets input to antenna and tunes to the local PBS channel. One button simple. My wife was afraid of this brave, new world until now.
I’ve had a Harmony One for going on 6 years now. I honestly consider it the best dollar-for-dollar A/V purchase I’ve ever made. How difficult is it to have the Harmony Home Control select the Tablo channel? I would really like to have separate Harmony activities for Tablo/Netflix/Sling/etc…but despite some research, I haven’t been able to find any definitive confirmation that that would be possible. I know you can go directly between Roku channels by using their phone app…but really prefer a physical remote.
The harmony app detects the channels that are installed on the Roku and you simply choose one when setting up the activity.
I didn't read all of the comments so forgive me if someone already mentioned this, but subscribing to Sling TV isn't cord cutting any more than moving from cable TV to satellite is cord cutting. Instead of paying your cable company $20 a month for a most basic TV package you're paying Dish, and you're getting less for your money.
I'm sure you care a lot more about the $50+ dollars you are saving each month than you do about semantics, but pay TV is pay TV regardless who you pay or how it is delivered.
SlingTv is a service designed directly for cord cutters. It will likely lead to more cord cutting since it helps sports fans out quite a bit.
Sure I could get some cable/satellite service for $20 a month, but would be limited to non-HD and only for one TV. Sling gives you TV anywhere (like the Tablo) with no contract. I consider it equivalent to paid services like Netflix and Amazon Prime moreso than cable/satellite.
SlingTv is a service designed directly for cord cutters. It will likely lead to more cord cutting since it helps sports fans out quite a bit.
You know, it is a service that’s aimed at cord cutters - as a means to get them to pay for TV again.
I can get an HD package from DirecTV, Dish or TWC that includes HD ESPN for about $20 a month too, and the limit to one TV with them would be a choice… Streaming it from Sling TV is just a new method of delivery, and the one stream at a time limit isn’t a choice for the user.
Like I said, this is semantics, but I don’t believe that cord cutters won anything with Sling TV, just got a new way to buy an existing product.
I can get an HD package from DirecTV, Dish or TWC that includes HD ESPN for about $20 a month too, and the limit to one TV with them would be a choice.. Streaming it from Sling TV is just a new method of delivery, and the one stream at a time limit isn't a choice for the user.
I looked up DirecTv. The cheapest package that gets me ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and the SEC Network is the Choice package, which is $30 a month for 12 months, and goes up to $71 a month after that. Even with the $30 package, I have to add on a receiver, which is a minimum $6.50 a month (add $15 if you want a DVR). I am also locked in to a 24-month deal.
With SlingTv, I pay $26.50 a month (includes sport package), and I can just cancel it in the summer when there isn’t any college sports on and the other stations are mostly reruns.
This is a huge deal for sports fans. To go from getting about 1% of SEC sports games to getting about 95% is quite a jump.
This is a huge deal for sports fans. To go from getting about 1% of SEC sports games to getting about 95% is quite a jump.
It can be a big deal, yes, but you’ve been converted from a cord cutter to a pay TV subscriber again.
I mainly became a cord cutter because the current business model wasn’t working, not because I hated cable tv. Now that a new business model has been introduced, I am giving it a try.
Some people like only what’s on network tv. Some don’t like TV at all. But I think there are a lot of people out there that want what SlingTV has to offer at that price point.
This is a huge deal for sports fans. To go from getting about 1% of SEC sports games to getting about 95% is quite a jump.
It can be a big deal, yes, but you’ve been converted from a cord cutter to a pay TV subscriber again.
I think you are confusing the terms. By your definition a cord cutter is someone that does not have live TV other than over the air. See to me the entire point of cord cutting is to get what you want to watch and not pay for what you don’t care about. Sorta like ala-cart shopping! The point of Sling is to give you a small baseline and you pick what to add on top of it. So you pay for what you want. Sure on a per channel basis you are paying more HOWEVER you pay less because most people don’t used 95% of the channels they are paying for.
The only thing that was stopping me from returning my cable boxes was CNN (which I love) and my daughter as she wanted Cartoon Network. For me Sling was perfect in every sense! I picked what I wanted and returned those dam boxes that I pay $9 a month for.
I think you are confusing the terms. By your definition a cord cutter is someone that does not have live TV other than over the air. See to me the entire point of cord cutting is to get what you want to watch and not pay for what you don't care about. Sorta like ala-cart shopping!
Alright, fair enough. I agree that my idea of a cord cutter (and what many others consider to be the definition of a cord cutter) is someone that isn’t paying anyone for TV channels.
If we use your idea of what a cord cutter is, someone that is only paying for what they want and not subsidizing channels that they aren’t interested in, the Sling TV package is still “pay TV” for me.
I haven’t seen the channel lineup since my trial ended, but a few weeks ago there were 5 channels on Sling TV that none of the people in my family would ever watch.
Again, this is just semantics. I say potato and you say potahto, I don’t want to keep going round and round about this because in the end you have what you want.
Holy cow this thread is a train wreck!
Thanks to the OP for sharing the original post. 1st someone hijacks it over xbmc dvr’ing and now it’s hijacked because someone does not like Sling TV?
Dang!
Me? I’m using a Minix Neo X8-H Plus box with xbmc, I have Sling TV (can’t wait for AMC to be added) and I have the 2 tuner Tablo.
For me my setup is pure greatness! I get about 47 OTA channels and have access to ESPN,TNT, TBS, Food Network, Travel Channel and CNN. Soon AMC will be added and that is the icing on the measly $20 a month for Sling.
Since I cut the cord I am saving about $85 a month and I get to watch what I want and when I want.
Rock on Tablo!
I think you are confusing the terms. By your definition a cord cutter is someone that does not have live TV other than over the air. See to me the entire point of cord cutting is to get what you want to watch and not pay for what you don't care about. Sorta like ala-cart shopping!Alright, fair enough. I agree that my idea of a cord cutter (and what many others consider to be the definition of a cord cutter) is someone that isn’t paying anyone for TV channels.
If we use your idea of what a cord cutter is, someone that is only paying for what they want and not subsidizing channels that they aren’t interested in, the Sling TV package is still “pay TV” for me.I haven’t seen the channel lineup since my trial ended, but a few weeks ago there were 5 channels on Sling TV that none of the people in my family would ever watch.Again, this is just semantics. I say potato and you say potahto, I don’t want to keep going round and round about this because in the end you have what you want.
I agree with you about still paying for channels you do not use. However it is more limited with Sling TV than any other option out there which is what I like the most. The base-line plus add on packs is a good approach. I am completely happy so far!
Since this thread is weighing in on Sling TV, is it possible for Tablo to record Sling TV programming with Roku3? I have a dual tuner Tablo.
No, it is not possible for the Tablo to record anything but OTA programming.
Why? If not currently possible, is this something a new firmware update could remedy, or is it much more complex or more of a hardware issue?
The Tablo isn’t running SlingTv or any other streaming service on its device. The only input is the TV antenna. So it has no way of knowing that Netflix, SlingTV, etc is running or not.
Only Roku could add a DVR ability in and I doubt they would do that as some of the companies providing free channels may not want them to do that. Besides 99% of the stuff out there is streaming on demand so a DVR is not needed. Sling TV is the only reason that I can think of where you want a DVR (other than Tablo) but that's up to Sling to provide a solution. Their main solution was to have most of the channels auto record up to 3 days back but not everything works that way.
Now for ESPN, keep in mind you don't really need a DVR for that. If you install the Watch ESPN channel you can view previous sporting events on demand with ought the need of a DVR. This is part of your Sling TV package.