It's bad enough that Sling Media charges $29.99 for its SlingPlayer Mobile app (which you can see demonstrated in the video at right), but limiting it to Wi-Fi connections? That's downright criminal.
Fortunately, the gadget gurus over at Gizmodo have documented a way to stream SlingPlayer video across 3G connections, thereby overcoming one of the app's major annoyances. (Now if they could just talk Sling Media into a reasonable price tag. Like, say, $5.99.)
As you might expect, there's a catch: You have to jailbreak your iPhone. It's not hard to do, particularly if you follow Gizmodo's iPhone jailbreaking guide, but it's definitely a do-at-your-own-risk procedure. (Fortunately, you can undo it if the need ever arises, like for support or warranty service from Apple.)
Once you've completed that step, all that's left is to install an app called Tricker Three3G. After that, SlingPlayer will always think it's running on Wi-Fi, even when it's running on 3G. (Bonus: Tricker pulls the same trick on Skype and Fring--great if you're looking for a way around their own connectivity restrictions.)
I haven't put this to the test myself, as I'm slightly chicken when it comes to jailbreaking my iPhone. Plus, I don't own a SlingPlayer. But based on anecdotal tests I've read elsewhere, it works as advertised.
What do you think? Does this improve SlingPlayer Mobile's functionality enough to justify the $30 price tag? Are you willing to jailbreak your phone just for this app? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Correction at 7:20 a.m. PDT: Mark Siegel is a spokesman for AT&T mobility.
Just under a year since first announced, the SlingPlayer Mobile application is finally available for the iPhone. But compared with the capabilities of the same application available on other smartphone platforms, the iPhone version of SlingPlayer is curiously handicapped.
The version set to arrive Wednesday costs $30, and can stream a TV signal from a set connected to a Slingbox to the iPhone. But this version is available using Wi-Fi only. It's notable because the beta version of the application was demonstrated at CES using the iPhone's 3G connection. So why is it turned off in the official release? Recent changes in the terms of service that comes with AT&T's iPhone wireless service may offer some clues.
Apple rejected the original version of the application Sling submitted to the App Store that required use of the phone's 3G service, according to Sling. It was subsequently approved when it was modified so that it will just use local Wi-Fi hot spots. Apple's exact reason for rejecting it isn't clear. There are plenty of video- and audio-streaming applications available today in Apple's App Store, from smaller streaming services like Orb and Last.fm (owned by CNET News publisher CBS Interactive), and heavyweights like MLB.com's At Bat, CBS' TV.com, and YouTube.
While Apple has certainly not been shy about exercising its veto power over App Store applications--just ask Trent Reznor, for example--it's unclear why Sling's streaming video service is being treated differently from, say, the YouTube app (owned by Apple-friendly Google), which has been available on the iPhone since the device's launch.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment about why only the Wi-Fi version of SlingPlayer was approved. But it appears the rejection also could have been at AT&T's behest. Early in April, AT&T changed its terms of service for wireless customers, saying that redirecting TV video or audio signals--as the SlingPlayer does--was no longer allowed on its network. After a public outcry, AT&T quickly reversed its decision, citing "a mistake." But then last week the company reinstated the ban in its TOS.... Read more
After some hiccups in the development process, Sling has finally released SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone. The software works with your Slingbox at home, and lets you control and watch your satellite or cable box and DVR from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
All of the functionality found in previous SlingPlayer Mobile platforms is still intact. You'll have access to a menu bar that'll let you use a remote-like interface on-screen to control your box as well as switch sling devices and manage your favorite channels. What's new are a few gestures that'll allow you to scroll through your favorite channels as well as let you scroll up and down through channels.
SlingPlayer Mobile will work with new Slingbox and legacy devices, but Sling officially won't support the Sling Classic, AV, and Tuner models--that means that if you've got a problem with one of those devices, Sling won't be able to help you troubleshoot your issue.
Now here's the real bad news: SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone only works with a Wi-Fi connection, meaning you cannot use the 3G network to stream video. Also, we should note that SlingPlayer Mobile will probably perform better on your home network rather than a public Wi-Fi spot.
Performance wise, the software worked well. ... Read more
The long-delayed SlingPlayer for iPhone will be hitting the iTunes App Store in the next 24 hours--but the software will only stream video over Wi-Fi, not AT&T's 3G data network. The restriction is a big blow to the usability of the software, which allows owners of Slingbox set-top boxes to stream their home TV in real-time to anywhere in the world.
The SlingPlayer app will cost $29.99--expensive for iPhone apps, but the exact same price as previous iterations of the SlingPlayer Mobile apps available for Windows Mobile, Palm OS, BlackBerry, and Symbian handhelds. SlingPlayer Mobile should work on all existing iPhones and iPod Touch models. Also, while Sling had indicated that the iPhone player would only work with the Slingbox Solo, Slingbox Pro, and Slingbox Pro-HD models, the company has now indicated that it will work with legacy models as well--though tech support will only be available for the aforementioned trio of models.
We'll have a more in-depth look at the software and an updated video soon. But so far as we can tell, the software hasn't changed very much since the beta version was unveiled earlier this year. Thus, Tom Merritt's hands-on video (embedded above) gives you a very good idea of what you'll be getting with SlingPlayer Mobile. (Update: See Jeff Bakalar's hands-on review and video.)
So, what do you think? Is the dearth of 3G access a deal-killer? Or will you be picking up a Slingbox just so you can stream video to your iPhone or iPod Touch via Wi-Fi? Sound off below.
Update (5/13/2009, 8:40am): The SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone app is now available.
The Slingbox Tuner (left) and Slingbox AV (right) won't work with the new Sling iPhone app.
(Credit: Sling Media)Sling Media has announced that the first few models of the Slingbox won't work with new Sling software, including the much-anticipated SlingPlayer for iPhone.
The company, which is now owned by EchoStar, informed Slingbox owners on the Sling Media Web site Wednesday, saying that owners of the original Slingbox, Slingbox AV, and Slingbox Tuner were encouraged to upgrade to either a Slingbox Pro, Slingbox Pro-HD, or Slingbox Solo and that the company would offer those owning discontinued boxes a $50 discount to upgrade. (The Solo is the entry-level product and costs $180).
The reason? Because "software like SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone and future services yet to be announced" will only be supported on Solo, Pro and Pro-HD, and EchoStar SlingLoaded products.
The notoriously vocal and tight-knit Sling community wasn't pleased, with more than 120 comments on the topic in the SlingCommunity.com forum as of this posting, most of which expressed disappointment and anger. Since the upgrade offer was actually posted Wednesday, many Sling owners mistook it for a prank.
"I just hope this is one sick April Fool's joke - if it is it's not very funny," wrote one member of SlingCommunity.com. Others chimed in with similar hope, until it became clear this was all rather serious.
While a Sling representative didn't immediately return a request for comment Thursday, the company did note in the same blog post that the older versions (Slingbox, AV, and Tuner) will still function normally on their own, but won't be able to take advantage of new services.
EchoStar has officially announced a cable-ready version of its SlingLoaded DVR. Except for the fact that it's designed to work on any Tru2way-compatible cable system, the EchoStar T2200S will not be that different from the Dish Network ViP922, which snagged the Best of CES Home Video award at January's 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.
Like the ViP922, the EchoStar T2200S offers a laundry list of features we'd expect from a high-def DVR, including a 1TB hard drive and dual-tuner support. But EchoStar is also boasting of a built-in DOCSIS cable modem, MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) compatibility, and integrated SlingGuide programming search engine--all of that in addition to the built-in Slingbox functionality, which would allow users to access live and recorded programming via a wide range of Windows and Mac computers and smartphones (including many Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry models, with an iPhone client said to be coming soon).
EchoStar's release says that the T2200S will be "available for testing" by June 2009, with a fourth quarter rollout projected. That means it'll probably be 2010 before this product sees the light of day. While a consumer CableCard version--one you could buy off-the-shelf at Best Buy or Amazon--would likely be prohibitively expensive, it's possible that customers could lease a unit from their local cable provider (an "MSO," in industry parlance) with significantly less up-front cost. As always, the devil's in the details--but we love the idea that a SlingLoaded DVR would be available to cable viewers, not just Dish Network subscribers.
EchoStar SlingLoaded HD DVR 922 combines Slingbox and DVR into one super set-top box
(Credit:
Dish Network/EchoStar)
We're huge fans of the Slingbox, which lets you access your home TV from any broadband-connected PC and many models of 3G smartphones. But the boxes have always had a fundamental problem of monopolizing the host video source (cable/satellite box or DVR); if you access your Slingbox remotely and somebody happens to be watching the home TV, both of you are forced to watch ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Updated at 10:00 AM Pacific.
Six months after announcing its intention to bring SlingPlayer to the iPhone 3G, Sling Media has another announcement to make--just not the one you're wishing for.
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone isn't ready yet, Sling said on Tuesday, but it is on its way.
Like SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, UIQ, and BlackBerry (beta) platforms, this iPhone version will let you access one or more Slingboxes from your mobile device, and watch your TV stations on-the-go. It will also be compatible with the iPod Touch.
You'll also be able to manage your DVR from the iPhone, and can synchronously add and remove favorite channels directly from the phone's interface--a first for the SlingPlayer Mobile line.
In our demo, the client streamed live, high-quality video of stations like MTV and TBS on both Wi-Fi and the iPhone's 3G network. Swiping the screen horizontally advances you through favorite stations, and flicking up and down rotates through all your home channels.
Sling Media says it will submit the file to the iTunes AppStore by the end of the first fiscal quarter. While Sling Media shared no firm price tag, it could mirror the $29.99 lifetime fee of SlingPlayer Mobile on other platforms.
Before getting too excited, just remember that Apple has been known to kill promising apps, ostensibly for the crime of a large data transfers. SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone could suffer the same fate. Assuming it doesn't, the client still faces competition from Orb, whose full version, OrbLive, delivers live TV and media stored on your PC for $10.
Making good on a promise made at CES 2008, Sling Media has announced that a beta version of the company's SlingPlayer Mobile software will be available on select BlackBerry smartphones starting December 30.
BlackBerry users who own the Bold, Curve 8900 & 8320, 8820, Pearl Flip 8220, and Pearl 8120 will be able to stream video to their smartphone using a Slingbox device.
The download requires BlackBerry device software 4.5 or higher and will be free for a limited time. We'd imagine once the beta lifts, all users will be required to pay the one-time fee of $30.
Sling Media is recommending a Wi-Fi connection for optimal viewing performance on some of the BlackBerry models (that support it); otherwise, a high-speed data connection will be needed.
Not sure if your device is compatible? Point your BlackBerry browser to http://mobile.slingmedia.com/go/bbcheck and let Sling Media tell you if it is.
The player and page for Arrested Development on Sling.com.
(Credit: CNET)Last week, we reported that Sling.com, the streaming site of Slingbox maker Sling Media, was moving from the private beta phase and launching to the public. Well, that move is now official, as Sling has sent the site live to the world--though the "beta" moniker remains.
Much has been written about the impending launch of Sling.com. A partial list of partners has been circulating the last few weeks, but Sling's PR reps wanted to use today's announcement to showcase the full list, which naturally is "growing each and every week."
I'd list all the partners, but it would make for one ugly blog post and it's easier to just give you these links if you're interested.
Full list of shows available on Sling.com
Full list of channels available on Sling.com
Those of you waiting for a review of the recently released SlingCatcher--we're working on it now. Unfortunately, that product was pushed onto the market a little early (we assume to hit some sort of self-imposed deadline) and was basically still in a beta state. We'd been waiting for a couple of key software updates/fixes to arrive before passing final judgment.
Comments anyone? Does Sling.com live up to the hype? How could it be better?
