Sling TV becomes first to charge for Cloud DVR, service not compatible with AirTV
Roku and Android users can now tap into Sling TV’s Cloud DVR, offering 50 hours of storage for $5 per month.
Sling TV announced the latest expansion of its Cloud DVR service in a blog post on Monday.
“Until now, Cloud DVR “First Look” was exclusively available to customers with an Amazon device,” Ben Weinberger, Sling TV’s chief product officer, said in a blog post. “We heard more customers wanted our DVR, so we are eager to now offer Roku and Android users the same ability to purchase 50 hours of storage for $5 per month with any Sling TV subscription.”
Sling TV is the first live streaming TV service to charge customers additional money for Cloud DVR.
Sling TV DVR vs PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV
PlayStation Vue has an unlimited Cloud-DVR feature included in all of its channel subscriptions at no additional cost. Sony allows PS Vue users to save their shows and movies for 28 days before being automatically erased.
YouTube TV rolled out its live TV streaming service for $35 per month in five cities last week.
Their over-the-Internet TV service includes “unlimited” Cloud DVR and allows you to save shows up to 9 months. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area are the first to be offered YouTube TV.
Hulu is also expected to have DVR capabilities when it launches its live streaming TV service later this year. DirecTV Now plans on launching a DVR service in the near future.
Sling TV’s has been gradually rolling out its Cloud DVR feature, calling it the “First Look” program. Aside from the added cost, Sling TV’s DVR feature is still not as fully functional when stacked up against competitors.
It doesn’t yet work on all channels. Perhaps even more surprising, the Cloud DVR is not compatible with AirTV, the new 4K streaming device that combines Sling TV and OTA channels into a single menu.
How to sign up for Cloud DVR on Sling TV
Weinberger said that eligible customers may add Cloud DVR to their Sling TV subscription by signing in to their account at sling.com and selecting “Add Cloud DVR.”
Once you sign up for Cloud DVR, you’ll get access to all your recorded content on any of the Cloud DVR-supported devices you use.
Supported devices for Sling TV’s Cloud DVR now include the following.
If you don’t have a Roku, Android or Amazon device, Weinberger says not to worry. “We’re expanding Cloud DVR support to include Apple TV in the coming weeks, and stay tuned for even more devices to get Cloud DVR,” he said.
Here are some features currently available on Cloud DVR
Watch anytime, anywhere. Record your favorites and watch whenever you want. Recorded content can be viewed on all Amazon Fire TVs and Fire tablets, Android mobile devices, Android TVs, Roku streaming players and Roku TVs.
Conflict-free recording. Record multiple programs simultaneously, and forget about recording conflicts.
Keep recordings as long as you want. With Sling TV, your recordings won’t expire as long as you remain a Sling subscriber with Cloud DVR.
Auto-managed recordings. Sling TV will make room for new recordings by deleting your old recordings as you reach capacity, starting with your oldest ‘watched’ recording, so you can binge on your new favorite show.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
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