sling

FCC leaks new Slingbox model

Looks as if a third-generation Slingbox model is on the way. Already making the rounds on AOL's Engadget and enthusiast site Sling Community, the images look to have been originally culled from the FCC's Web site, courtesy of TG Daily. No digital fakery here, either: the FCC site is definitely the original source, and a Sling spokesman we contacted simply replied, "We're not prepared to comment at this time." That's hardly a denial, and it's as close to a confirmation as you can expect prior to an official announcement. … Read more

LocationFree LF-V30: Sony's latest stab at a Slingbox killer

Gadget aficionados are well acquainted with the Slingbox, which lets you stream home TV signals to a wide variety of computers and smart phones. Less well-known is Sony's line of LocationFree products, which actually pioneered the "place-shifting" market a full year before the debut of the first Slingbox. The LF-V30 is the latest LocationFree product that Sony is hoping will steal some of Sling's thunder. The big upgrade on the $250 video streamer--slated to hit stores in September--is its component video inputs and outputs. They allow for HD-video compatibility, though the quality is ratcheted down to … Read more

Deal of the day: Slingbox Pro for $160, free shipping

Summertime means vacations. Time away from home base can also mean missing your favorite shows and/or home team slogging its way through the summer baseball schedule.

Just in time for all of this, Buy.com is having a 4th of July summer sale on the Slingbox Pro. If you've got a laptop or a smart phone, this trapezoid-shaped set-top box will allow you to catch all your own home TV channels from wherever you happen to be.

The Pro model is the most feature-packed of all the Slingbox family, and usually retails for $250. A $90 discount isn'… Read more

Sling Media Unleashes the SlingLink TURBO

In an effort to expand its footprint in your home, Sling Media has unveiled the SlingLink TURBO.

Do you have areas in your home that make it impractical to run an Ethernet cord and wireless connectivity is impossible? If so, the SlingLink TURBO may be perfect for you. The premise is simple: connect one SlingLink TURBO to the wall outlet by your router. Once connected, plug an Ethernet cord from your router into your SlingLink. Once this is connected, bring another SlingLink TURBO to the desired area next to your devices and plug that into the wall outlet. Next, plug … Read more

NHL nets deal with Sling Media

Major League Baseball might not be a fan of Sling Media, but the National Hockey League on Wednesday announced its support of a forthcoming Sling feature called "Clip + Sling."

The NHL is the first pro sports league to make a deal with Sling. Clip + Sling is a feature that will allow Slingbox users to select clips of live or recorded television and share them with others. Though the content can only be clipped by Slingbox users, anyone can access the Web portal that will host the clips. The 2-year-old company also has a Clip + Sling licensing deal with … Read more

Sling called out by Major League Baseball

Is watching an out-of-market baseball game illegal? Potentially yes, according to Major League Baseball.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. a lawyer for the league's Advanced Media division said Slingbox's capability to placeshift MLB content--that is, allow owners to watch their subscription channels from a remote location--is illegal, and MLB is mulling a lawsuit.

"Of course, what they are doing is not legal," MLB general counsel Michael Mellis told the publication. "We and other leagues have formed a group to study the issue and plan our response. A lot depends on ongoing discussions. … Read more

San Francisco TV station Slings the news

The Slingbox is known best for its ability to let consumers watch their home TV channels remotely using a laptop or smart phone. But a local San Francisco news station has found a way to utilize the trapezoid-shaped set-top box to cheaply and easily deliver live news, traffic and weather updates wirelessly back to its studio.

The news operations director at CBS 5, Don Sharp, devised a way to replace more than 20 of its cameras affixed to the tops of local bridges, freeways and buildings that use microwave technology to relay video back to the station with smaller cameras … Read more

SlingPlayer for Mac gets an Aqua makeover

After many months of promises, Sling Media finally delivered a Mac version of the SlingPlayer software in October 2006. There was just one problem: the public beta disappointed many Mac owners because--and I'm not making this up--it looked too much like Windows software. For instance, MacWorld's review noted:

Although the Brushed Steel interface skin approximates the QuickTime Player interface, it's betrayed by the series of Windows-style buttons in the top left corner. (It could be worse--they could be in the top right instead!) It's a little thing, but it's still ugly, and I hope that … Read more

Slingbox makes it easier to upgrade channels, connection speed

Talking to the cable or phone company isn't anyone's idea of a good time. A new partnership between Sling Media and GetConnected Inc. (GCi) will help Slingbox users bypass both while upgrading cable or satellite services and connection speeds.

GCi is a behind-the-scenes service whose business is managing transactions between service providers--like Verizon, Comcast, AT&T--and other companies' end users. Dell customers can, for instance, use GCi, probably unbeknownst to them, to set up broadband services on a new PC.

Customers can use the SlingPlayer interface, and GCi's software will be able to tell in real … Read more