(Credit:
Sling Media)
When Sling Media released a trio of second-generation models in the fall of 2006, the Slingbox Pro was at the top of the line. Unlike the entry-level Slingbox AV, the Pro had pass-through outputs, an analog tuner, multisource capability, and the ability to accept high-def video sources. Unfortunately, it also came with a handful of caveats: While it could accept HD video, it downcoverted that to 640x480 for streaming--and you needed to invest in a $50 dongle if you wanted to use a component video (HD) source. It was also an ugly maroon color, ensuring that it contrasted with everything else in your home-theater equipment rack. The third-generation Slingbox Solo appeared the following year, co-opted nearly all of the Pro's key features, making the need for an upgrade to the Pro even more apparent.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $263.84 - $299.99
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See the SlingPlayer 2.0 beta in action.
(Credit: CNET)The beta version of the SlingPlayer 2.0 software is now available for Windows users as a free download from Sling Media's Web site. The software, which allows owners of the company's Slingbox products to access their TV programming via any broadband-connected PC, includes several notable upgrades from the previous version:
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The SlingModem: cable modem plus Slingbox
(Credit: Sling Media)EchoStar will be officially unveiling the SlingModem at next week's Cable Show trade event in New Orleans. As the name suggests, the product combines a standard DOCSIS cable modem and a Slingbox media placeshifter--which transmits live TV broadcasts to Windows PCs, Macs, and a variety of smartphones--in one compact housing. If it sounds familiar, it's because the product was soft-launched at January's Consumer Electronics Show (following several online appearances at various enthusiast sites). The SlingModem will be sold directly to cable providers, who will then sell or lease the product to their customers. Exact price and availability weren't disclosed.
Having the SlingModem in the AV rack would be potentially helpful for the increasing number of consumers using network-capable devices for home entertainment (TiVo, Apple TV, and all three game consoles, for instance). ... Read more
The latest software pledges to fix the dodgy video quality on the Sprint Mogul.
(Credit: CNET)Sling Media is offering upgraded versions of three of its mobile software clients: SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile PocketPC (now version 1.6), Windows Mobile Smartphone (also 1.6), and Symbian S60 (1.1). According to Sling's press release, the updated software adds support for additional hardware--including the Nokia N95 8GB, the Treo 500v, and the Samsung i760--and improves the streaming experience on "select handsets," including the the Sprint Mogul. The upgrades are free for registered users of the previous versions. Download prices for new users remain at $30 per handset, and with the free 30-day trial period, you can try before you buy.
Still available (but not updated today) is Sling's Palm OS mobile client. The company is pledging Symbian UIQ (for Sony Ericsson phones, as opposed to the Nokia/S60 version mentioned above), and BlackBerry support by the end of 2008. Of course, in order to stream live TV (or any other home AV source) with the SlingPlayer Mobile software, you'll need a Slingbox up and running in your home.
What do you think: do the new Slingbox Mobile software clients make a good product even better? Or do you prefer rival offerings from the likes of Sony, Hava/Monsoon Multimedia, and--soon--Archos? Or is the whole "TV on your phone" movement overrated?
SlingPlayer Mobile downloads (US): Slingmedia.com
Streaming Web video is just one of several upgrades coming to the Archos line of video products.
(Credit: Archos)The GPS accessory for the 605 WiFi was just the first of several product upgrades announced by Archos today. Also on deck are streaming Web video and audio and upgraded media support for the 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi; Slingbox-style placeshifting functionality for the Archos TV+ DVR; and a content deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment. Details are as follows:
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The Slingbox PRO-HD: True high-def video streaming--at least on a home network
(Credit: Sling Media)Sling Media has unveiled the Slingbox PRO-HD, the first version of its video place-shifting boxes designed to stream true high-definition video. The catch? Due to the massive bandwidth requirements, HD video can't be streamed over the Internet--just to other locations on a home network. Still, that means that PCs running the SlingPlayer software--or TVs attached to Sling's soon-to-be-reannounced SlingCatcher--should be able to view a high-def stream at up to 1080i resolution with 5.1 surround audio. (To date, some Slingbox models have been able to accept HD video, but the output stream was limited to DVD-level standard-definition resolution.)
Watch the Slingbox PRO-HD video on CNET TV.
The Slingbox PRO-HD will be loaded with a full range of inputs and passthrough outputs. Although it will lack HDMI (thanks to copy-protection restrictions), the PRO-HD will include NTSC, ATSC, and clear QAM tuners. The newest Slingbox is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2008 for $400.
On Sale Now: $263.84 - $299.99
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Say hello to the next Slingbox
(Credit: FCC via TG Daily)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.
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Sony LocationFree LF-V30
(Credit: Sony)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 QVGA resolution when transmitted. As with the previous LF-B20, the new LocationFree model includes Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g) connectivity. Sony is further claiming that the LF-V30 can stream video using 20 percent less bandwidth, that it utilizes on-screen remote "skins" that match major DVRs, and that it's easier to set up than past models.
The LF-V30 will be the fourth iteration of the LocationFree line, and--for those interested in the palace intrigue of Sony's interdepartmental politics--it's now being shepherded by the company's VAIO PC division. The VAIO folks have been boosting their new baby by pre-installing the LocationFree viewing software on all notebooks that have shipped over the past few months. On paper, certainly, the LF-V30 is a viable competitor to the Slingbox Pro: it's got built-in Wi-Fi that is not available on the Slingbox, and it can go nearly toe-to-toe on compatibility, with the ability to stream to Windows PCs, Macs, Windows Mobile devices, as well as the PSP. (It also works with a single Sony Ericsson smart phone, the P990i, with software available on Sony Ericsson's support site.)
The updated specs show, at least, that Sony's been noting the criticisms of past models. I'm hoping the promised interface and setup improvements on the LF-V30 pan out, as the LF-B20 wasn't nearly as easy to set up and use as the Slingbox. It's also still a mystery to me why Sony doesn't expand compatibility to additional Sony Ericsson models--or add LocationFree viewing software to the PlayStation 3. Having the PS3 double as an extra cable or satellite box certainly couldn't hurt the game console's sales, nor that of the LocationFree base stations. Synergy, anyone?
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 CBS, which it first announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. The service is currently in private beta, and will be open for public beta later this summer, Sling said.
In a statement, the hockey league called Sling's technology "a natural fit" for its fans. It's also arguably a wise move for the NHL, which doesn't have a lucrative TV contract like those of pro baseball, football and basketball, and has been relegated to an obscure cable channel known as Versus. While the NHL does give fans the option to watch games online via its Center Ice Online feature, it doesn't seem to be as fiercely protective of its content as, say, MLB.com.
The newest SlingPlayer for Mac looks and feels more like a native Mac application
(Credit: CNET)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 the final version of the software replaces those buttons with ones of a more Mac-friendly variety.
Five months on, Sling has moved the Mac version of its viewing software from beta to version 1.0--and this time, the Apple faithful will find it more to their liking. This one has a native "Aqua" interface, so it looks more at home on the OS X desktop. Further cementing the Mac street cred: the development effort for this latest version of the player is being led by former Apple employees, according to a Sling Media spokesman. Sling also reports that the new build includes "numerous under-the-hood bug fixes" and supports additional source devices, including Apple TV.
The "ugliness" of the previous Mac version was, in my opinion, something of a non-issue. That said, I was able to preview the updated version last week (the screenshot above is from the CNET Labs' resident iMac), and there's no denying that the look and feel of the application--the translucent remote background, for instance--is more Mac-friendly. The new version should be available for download at Sling Media's Web site by the end of the day, and--like the Windows version--the Mac one will be completely free. Windows purists, meanwhile, can look forward to a Vista-optimized version of the SlingPlayer (first shown at January's CES) to appear later this year.
Related: Slingbox models compared
