SlingPlayer On iPhone

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for the SlingPlayer Mobile app to come to the iPhone. It’s been available for BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Smartphone and Pocket PC, and Palm OS amongst others for some time but due to Apple’s vice-like grip over what makes it onto the iTunes App Store, the wait has been long and painful.

At the end of March, Sling Media announced that it had submitted SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to the iTunes App Store. It made it on there on Wednesday (May 13) but was lumbered with a disability which makes it an altogether less attractive option.

AT&T Did What?

AT&T, the phone company which has total control of the iPhone market in the United States, decided it couldn’t allow the SlingPlayer Mobile app access to its 3G network. Instead, iPhone owners who also own a SlingBox and want to combine the two for fully-fledged mobile video will have to find a Wi-Fi hotspot before the app works.

AT&T responded to the immediate flow of criticism heading its way by releasing an official statement. It not only claims that Sling’s app “could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network,” but also that applications such as these are “prohibited under our terms of service.”

So, two excuses, one of which suggests that AT&T has very little confidence in its 3G network and the other which means AT&T considers the iPhone the same as a PC and therefore cannot allow it to redirect a television signal. Both bunkum if you ask me.

Conclusions

Interestingly, Gizmodo suggests that the real reason behind this move to cripple SlingPlayer For Mobile may be much simpler. It claims AT&T is working on its own application, currently codenamed i-Verse. This will perform a similar action to the SlingPlayer but for AT&T’s U-Verse instead of a SlingBox. If true, net neutrality clearly doesn’t exist at AT&T headquarters.

If you’re still interested in SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone then it’s available to download now from the iTunes App Store for £29.99. Throw in the price of a SlingBox, the cost of an iPhone, and that monthly contract from AT&T and you have a very expensive mobile television solution. Which will only work over Wi-Fi. Is it worth it?

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SlingPlayer

For those unaware of Sling Media, the Slingbox, or SlingPlayer Mobile, a quick explanation. The Slingbox is a device which once hooked up to your other equipment and your Broadband router allows you to watch TV anywhere in the world on your computer.

Not only this, but you can also control your TV, cable box, DVR, or whatever from afar. It’s an essential piece of equipment for those people who spend long stretches of time away from home but don’t want to get back to their house with a plethora of television content to catch up on.

Smartphone Mobile App

The Slingbox seems made for interaction with the new breed of smartphones. Combining the two pieces of technology would be a dream for people who want to be able to watch television on the move. Sling Media agrees, and has spent the last few months developing and releasing SlingPlayer Mobile for as many platforms as possible.

The SlingPlayer Mobile App is now available for BlackBerry, Windows Smartphone and Pocket PC, and Palm amongst others, The mobile app means Slingbox owners can now do everything they previously needed a laptop to do using just their compatible smartphone.

Blackberry and iPhone

The Blackberry version has now come out of beta after finally being released in December after a long wait. Sling Media is offering a free 30-day trial of SlingPlayer Mobile for Blackberry which you can get your hands on by visiting http://mobile.slingmedia.com on your Blackberry. The full version costs $29.99, which may seem hefty but is quite a bargain when you consider the amount you get for your money.

Even more exciting is the news that SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone looks like finally being on its way. The app has been rumored and anticipated ever since Apple released the iPhone. It was first seen in public at Macworld 2009, and CNET takes a first look at how it works in the video below.

Finally On Way

Sling Media has now announced that it has submitted SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to the iTunes App Store. The last stage before it finally appears is for Apple to approve it. This is highly likely but Apple has a history of wanting to over-control its business and could still put a spanner in the works.

Update: Slingplayer iPhone App is Here

Apple did approve the app and it is available to download here.

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SlingMedia

SlingMedia is the company responsible for the popular Slingbox device which allows you to broadcast a TV signal around your house via the Internet. It’s also recently launched the SlingCatcher, a set-top box to compete with the likes of AppleTV and Roku.

Not content with managing market battles on two fronts, SlingMedia has recently opened its Sling.com video portal up to the public, allowing users to stream movies and TV programs for free in Flash video format.

Sling.com Portal

The selection of content on offer is impressive, with major networks and studios such as CBS, NBC, Fox, Sony, Warner, and MGM offering their wares on the site. Sling is also a Hulu partner so will stream some of its content.

As well as the big sources, Sling offers content from PBS, BBC America, as well as syndicating Web video sites such as College Humor and Break.com. It makes for a site with a nice mix between short clips and longer, professionally made videos.

Slingbox Compatible

The big advantage Sling.com has over its competitors is the Slingbox itself. You can stream content directly from any Slingbox you own to your browser, and watch it directly. When signed into your user account, the site automatically detects any box linked.

However, not everything is peachy. For starters, live streaming is only available on computers running Windows, although a Mac version is promised soon. But much worse than that is the fact that once again, international viewers are once again being treated as second-class citizens.

Territorial Rights Licensing… Again

It feels like I’ve mentioned this on numerous different occasions, probably because I have. But it just makes no sense to ban the rest of the world from watching online video content. America may run the world these days, but the Internet is meant to be a global phenomenon supposed to make the world a smaller place.

What it means is that for me, Joost beats any of the other multi-source, multi-platform video sites on the Internet right now. Not because the content is brilliant, or the technology and usability is way ahead of its competitors, but purely because I, as a British person, can watch it. That’s of the utmost importance.

Conclusions

Sling.com is a nice looking portal that does add to the range and breadth of video sites on the Internet. But Hulu beats it for content, and Joost beats it for offering anyone outside of the U.S. a chance to actually take part.

[Via TechCrunch]

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Slingbox

Sling Media has long been a player in the world of Internet TV, but until now, that has been only via the Slingbox, a placeshifting device that allows you to stream cable TV to a PC or mobile device.

The Slingbox, originally introduced in 2005, was a simple yet brilliant product allowing you to broadcast your traditional television signal around your house via the Internet. Any Internet-enabled device could receive the signal, allowing you to watch TV on a number of devices.

SlingCatcher

With TVs not generally being Internet-enabled, the big-screen television in your bedroom or whatever wasn’t part of the deal. Until now.

Now, Sling Media has entered the already crowded set-top box market, with its SlingCatcher product competing with Apple TV, the Roku box, and Vudu, amongst others.

Features

The new SlingCatcher fills this void, doing three things:

• Watch video from your Slingbox.
• Watch video from the Internet.
• Watch video from your PC.

The capability to watch video from the Internet is what Apple TV and Roku already enable you to do, but SlingCatcher isn’t limited to content partners. Instead, anything you can watch on your PC can now be watched on your TV. This includes Hulu, YouTube, and Joost.

Conclusions

Apple TV does have one advantage: a hard drive making it possible to store content, which SlingCatcher doesn’t have. Roku may be much more limited, but it’s a lot cheaper (at $100), with the SlingCatcher retailing for $300.

As Web video grows, the range and need for these types of devices will grow with it. SlingCatcher may not be a must buy right now, but it could become as essential as an Apple iPod or PC in the years to come.

SlingCatcher Marketplace – Prices, Deals & Discounts

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On Amazon
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The timing is surely not coincidental, but unfortunately the new SlingPlayer Mobile that was announced and demonstrated for the iPhone is only pre-alpha proof-of-concept software.

Not Available Yet

Until Apple officially accepts the company in to the developer program then that is how this piece of software will remain, in limbo, and not available to anyone but the geeks over at Engadget.

Video Demonstration Of iPhone SlingPlayer

If it ever does become official, then it would allow iPhone users to watch streaming TV on their devices. Something which OrbLive already manages.

How this works is by the software communicating via a Wi-fi network to a Sling Player box attached to a cable box in your front room.

Taking Mobile Video To The Mainstream

This could mean you being able to watch your Tivo or Sky Plus via your newly cheaper and more feature packed iPhone on the toilet, if that is your thing of course.

We already know how popular mobile video is becoming, and an easy to use piece of kit such as this, coupled with a universally bought device such as the Apple iPhone, could take it to the next level of mainstream acceptance.

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Watch Your TV Anywhere: Get a SlingBox Pro at Amazon

Dave Zatz is reporting that Echostar Communications Company, the people known for its Dish Network Satellite TV will be shelling out that amount for the company.

Sling Media is the maker of the Slingbox and Slingplayer which allow you to placeshift your TV programming from your home across the internet to allow you to view that content anywhere there is an internet connection.

Any time an innovative company like Sling Media is purchased by a larger media/distribution company there are concerns about the future path of that innovative company and this will be no exception.  

Blake Krikorian Quotes

Still Blake Krikorian, the CEO of Sling Media said this in an interview with the Paid Content weblog:

“We expect very little change to our business except that we have even deeper pockets, and access to other core technologies.”

Here’s what he said regarding why they are selling to Echostar:

“With EchoStar, we’d gotten to know them, to know Charlie. Charlie is one of the real pioneers. He’s a guy who helped build an entire industry, he’s a founder, he’s an entrepreneur. Clearly, there’s a lot I can learn from him.

He understands us … He knows what it’s like to be this passionate about what you do. I’m very confident that the position we’re being put in here, the opportunity being provided us is one that will only accelerate what we’re building.”

Conclusions

This should be interesting to watch.  Its interesting that Echostar is interested in Sling Media and will be even more interesting to see what they plan to do with Sling Media.

Echostar also announced that they were considering a spin-off of their technology and infrastructure assets from the Dish Network U.S. consumer business.  

This would leave the pay-TV Dish Network in the existing company and the remainder of the assets, presumably including Sling Media’s in a separate spin-off.

This article was written by Brent Evans, a tech & gadget enthusiast. It is licensed under the Creative Commons.

NFL Football is right around the corner. DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket has always been a popular item with football fans in the U.S. Now subscribers to Sunday Ticket will be able to watch football games over the Internet.

So what do you need to watch streaming football games at your computer? First of all, you need to buy Sunday Ticket satellite package for $269. Then, you need to pay an additional $99 for the right to stream that video. Total price is $368. Ouch!

I can honestly say that I am not going to purchase non-HD streaming video for almost $400. I think a Slingbox is a much better solution if you have to watch football games over the web.

The NFL should take a page from MLB.TV, the great baseball streaming service from Major League Baseball. MLB.TV costs $99 for the entire season. That is 162 games for every team. On the other hand, sixteen football games for almost $400 seems like a bargain, right?

The SlingBox is a device that can rebroadcast anything on your TV, DVR etc., across your own private internet channel.

This basically means you can take your living room TV on the move whenever you have access to a PC, Mac, or Windows Mobile-based device where you can get a standard internet connection (3G Cellular, WiFi, USB, ethernet).

Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Compatibility

The SlingPlayer software is the “remote control” program that you use on your PC, Mac or cell phone to connect to your home television. The SlingPlayer Mobile software client is now compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 6 operating system

In addition the new software release brings:

• New remote control skin with refreshed look and feel.
• Remote control functions for additional A/V devices incorporated.
• Inclusion of a localized UK client utilizing Queen’s English and appropriate channel logos.
• Automatic installer support broadened to include Windows Vista.

Useful Links

• Download SlingPlayer Software
• Buy a SlingBox from Amazon
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Press Release

Sling Media Releases SlingPlayer Mobile Software Compatible with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6

New version of SlingPlayer Mobile supports all versions of Windows Mobile 6 allowing customers to watch and control their home TV via a Windows Mobile handheld computer or mobile phone

Foster City, CA — June 21, 2007 — Sling Media, a digital lifestyle products company, today announced that its award-winning SlingPlayer™ Mobile software client is now compatible with Microsoft’s new Windows Mobile 6 operating system. SlingPlayer Mobile gives Slingbox owners the ability to watch and control their home TV from a network-enabled Windows Mobile powered device. With today’s announcement SlingPlayer Mobile is now compatible with devices that run Windows Mobile 6 Standard and Professional editions, Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. SlingPlayer Mobile is available for download from Sling Media’s U.S., Canadian, and UK web sites, which can all be accessed from www.slingmedia.com.

“Windows Mobile 6 is powering a whole slew of new, feature-rich multimedia smartphones, and Sling Media is happy to announce SlingPlayer Mobile support for this next generation mobile platform,” We look forward to continuing our support for Windows Mobile-based products, providing customers with the best possible mobile TV experience available.”

SlingPlayer Mobile is available for U.S. customers from Sling Media’s web siteat http://us.slingmedia.com/page/downloads.html. The retail price of the application is $29.99. SlingPlayer Mobile is available for Canadian customers at http://ca.slingmedia.com/page/downloads.html. The retail price is $34.99 CAD. SlingPlayer Mobile is available for UK customers at http://uk.slingmedia.com/page/downloads.html and can be purchased for £19.99 GBP, including VAT. A localized Japanese version will be available in the weeks to come from Sling Media’s web site. All versions of SlingPlayer Mobile include a 30 day free trial.

Customers who have already purchased SlingPlayer Mobile and are upgrading to Windows Mobile 6 need to request a new registration key from Sling Media after upgrading from Windows Mobile 5 to Windows Mobile 6. They can do so by contacting Sling Media customer care at http://support.slingmedia.com or by calling (877) 467-5464.

“Windows Mobile helps people stay connected to the information they care about whether they are traveling or staying close to home,” said John O’Rourke, general manager at Microsoft Corp. “New features in Windows Mobile 6 like support for wide screen viewing will offer SlingPlayer Mobile customers an enhanced mobile TV experience for viewing their favorite TV programs.”

Complete TV Experience
SlingPlayer Mobile gives consumers their entire home TV experience, including local channels, local sports teams, video on demand, pay per view, etc. Any program that you can watch on your sofa back home, you can now watch via a PC, Mac, or Windows Mobile-based device anywhere you can get a standard network connection (3G Cellular, WiFi, USB). In addition, SlingPlayer Mobile users can also control their home digital video recorder (DVR) to watch recorded shows, pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, or even queue new recordings while on the road.

About Sling Media
Sling Media, Inc. is the world’s leading digital lifestyle company offering consumer services and products that are a natural extension of today’s digital way of life. Sling Media’s product family includes the internationally acclaimed, Emmy award-winning Slingbox™ that allows consumers to watch and control their living room television shows at any time, from any location, using PCs, Macs, PDAs, and smartphones. For more information on Sling Media or the Slingbox, visit www.slingmedia.com.

Media contact:
Brian Jaquet
Sling Media, Inc.
jaquet@slingmedia.com
(650) 293-8022 office
(415) 235-4844 mobile

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

We are always excited about new products from Sling Media, especially ones which help us avoid having to rip holes in our walls. SlingLink also keeps you from having to buy a wireless network adapter for each of your devices. Just plug them all into the SlingLink.

Each new SlingLink is packaged as a pair. Plug in one SlingLink TURBO into the wall near your router, and plug in the other SlingLink TURBO wherever you have your Slingbox installed.

The difference between the two products is the SlingLink TURBO 1 Port connects to one device, like a Slingbox, while the SlingLink TURBO 4 Port connects up to four devices such as a DVR, gaming console or any Ethernet-based consumer electronic product.

These new products are available today from Sling Media’s web site, www.slingmedia.com, for an MSRP of $99.99 and $149.99 respectively.

Mike Volpi, the new CEO of Joost arriving from Cisco. told The New York Times that:

Joost is a piece of software and it can reside on a variety of platforms… It could be on a television set-top box. Or potentially it could be imbedded in a TV set with an Ethernet connection, or on a mobile phone, or in some alternative device that might come out in the future. The flexibility is really high.”

Possible Set Top Box Partners

But who will this STB partner be? Joost could theoretically just go out there and strike a deal with any STB manufacturer to create a Joost IPTV box that will bring Joost to the TV set.

However, I’ll put my money on the fact that they are also waiting for a deal with a popular brand with a large consumer base.

Let's look at the options: