With more live TV streaming services entering the fray, simply offering a cable-like service over the internet is no longer enough — features matter just as much. One of the advantages services like PlayStation Vue and the upcoming DirecTV Now offer that Sling TV doesn’t is cloud DVR functionality. Soon, however, that will change, and Sling TV’s cloud DVR does away with one major pitfall that mars its competitors’ offerings: the 28-day shelf life on recordings.
“Unlike other OTT services, we’re delivering a true cloud DVR with no 28-day restriction on your recordings, marking another win for Sling TV and our customers,” Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch said in a statement. “Two years ago we became the first live OTT provider, and we continue to innovate and bring the best experience to our customers.”
Cloud DVR functionality is available to subscribers of either Sling Orange or Sling Blue. Instead of limiting how long recordings can be kept, Sling TV takes a different approach, limiting recordings to a total of 100 hours. As capacity reaches the maximum, the service automatically makes room for more new recordings by automatically deleting the oldest recordings that have been marked as watched.
While traditional DVRs are limited by the number of tuners, cloud DVRs have no such limitations, so the upcoming cloud DVR can record multiple programs simultaneously, meaning users don’t need to worry about conflicts. On the other hand, there is one major issue: Sling TV says DVR functionality isn’t available on every channel. There is currently no word on what channels won’t offer DVR functionality, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as even now certain Sling TV channels don’t allow fast-forwarding or rewinding live TV.
The cloud DVR service will be limited at first, available only to Roku users who sign up for the beta. The service will launch in December, and Sling TV says it will roll out to additional platforms over the next few months, though it hasn’t specified which platforms will come first. The company also plans to add new features in the future, which could include the ability to upgrade storage space or protect recordings from deletion.
If you’re interested in trying out the cloud DVR beta and own a Roku device, you can sign up at the Sling TV website. If you don’t have a Roku but are interested in Sling TV, the company just launched an offer giving a free Roku Streaming Stick to customers who sign up for a month of its Best of Live TV service.
