Friday, March 29, 2024

Sling TV is getting better integration with Google’s Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max

Share

sling-tv-google-nest-hub-1-g7zf.jpg

You’ll soon be able to just tell your Nest Hub to fire up Sling.

Sling TV today announced that it’s getting a deeper integration on the Google Nest Hub displays, including the new Nest Hub Max.

Here’s the gist:

Now you can control Sling with your voice to watch shows on Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, or use your voice to cast Sling to a Chromecast-connected TV. You can say “Hey Google, watch HGTV on Sling” (or any available channel you want to see!), as well as command controls like “play,” “pause,” “skip forward 10 seconds” or “stop” (but why would you ever want to stop Slinging?). On the Nest Hub Max, you can also pau-se and resume content on Sling with Quick Gestures by holding your hand up and looking at the device.

One caveat here: While Chromecast has (and continues to) work just fine, the deeper Nest Hub integration is waiting on a little server-side action from Google, so that you can directly connect your Sling account just like any other supported third-party account. If you use, say, Spotify, with your Nest Hub, that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Same thing. (And then there’s the matter of actually onboarding folks — Google already has instructions for that, though.) Sling tells us that should happen over the next few days, so hang in there.

After that? You’ll be able to say things like “Hey, Google — watch CNN on Sling TV” to your Nest Hub, and it’ll plop it up on the screen, just like it can currently do with YouTube TV. Very cool.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9FD3KYGw78?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]

The big boy

Nest Hub Max

nest-hub-max-render.png

$229 at B&H Photo

A great big little screen

The Nest Hub Max is a great addition to a any room that could use a display — but maybe not something as large as an actual TV. Plus it doubles for video calling and audio playback.

The service

Sling TV

sling-logo-2019.jpg?itok=QbaXkOp1

From $25 a month

Pay for (mostly) what you want

Sling TV isn’t quite true a la carte TV, but it’s closer than anyone else, which lets you watch more and spend less.

Read more

More News