The fledgling startup Spawn Labs has launched a new device that allows users to play their gaming console from remote locations. The service works in a similar way to Slingbox, but with two-way communication for playing games in real-time. The remote capabilities also expand options for multi-player games, enabling friends to compete on the same device but from miles away.
AT&T's decision to disallow 3G for the iPhone edition of SlingPlayer may have been motivated as much by desires to quash a competitor as it is to avoid congestion, a claim suggests. Although AT&T's official explanation is that streaming TV consumes too much bandwidth, a tip from Gizmodo purports that the carrier has the ulterior motive of crippling SlingPlayer to protect a future U-verse app. Supposedly called i-Verse, it would let subscribers to AT&T's IPTV service either stream live TV over the 3G network or else play shows already recorded on the DVR.
Apple will publish the SlingPlayer iPhone app within the next 24 hours, but without any form of 3G support, developer Sling Media is said to have confirmed. The software is designed as extension of the company's Slingbox hardware, which broadcasts TV from a person's home to a remote Internet destination. Using SlingPlayer, people should be able to view streams, change channels and control DVR units.
AT&T on Wednesday quietly updated its cellphone terms of service to again potentially ban devices like the Slingbox on its network. Having initially pulled earlier changes in what was described as "an error," the carrier has again modified the terms to specifically prevent "redirecting television signals for viewing on Personal Computers." It's not evident whether the phrasing refers to any PC-like device, which could include smartphones, or if it only involves using 3G for the outgoing connection.
Sling Media’s SlingPlayer app for the iPhone has been denied approval into Apple’s App Store, according to an unconfirmed tip from a source close to Apple’s approval processes. Although the program was described as an "impressive" application, the tip said that the media application was not approved due to pressure from AT&T executives concerned about effect of the app on the already-strained AT&T cellular network. According to the tip, which could not be confirmed Wednesday night, Apple executives went around the normal approval process to deny approval for the SlingPlayer app to appease AT&T.
D-Link this morning started shipping its PowerLine HD Ethernet Adapter Starter Kit. The bundle creates the equivalent to an Ethernet connection between a router and a device and stands out for its bandwidth: at 200Mbps in peak conditions, the kit has twice as much room as basic Ethernet and should reliably stream HD video over a local network. D-Link sees the adapters as ideal for game console and Slingbox owners who might need a fast connection but for whom Wi-Fi either isn't reliable or quick.
EchoStar has introduced the T2200S, a cable version of its SlingLoaded DVR that was designed to work with Dish Network. The new device is compatible with any Tru2way cable system and provides standard DVR features in addition to integrated Slingbox functionality. The box features a 1TB hard drive, dual-tuner and Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) support, a built-in DOCSIS cable modem and a SlingGuide search engine.
BlackBerry users in the US can now download the full build of the SlingPlayer Mobile application for their handsets, Sling Media announced recently. The full version follows on the heels of the beta build, which was first released back in December. As expected, there are some new features in the full build, including the ability to add or edit paired Slingboxes and Channel Favorites via the program instead of just SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows.
Several founders and top executives at Sling Media are parting ways with the company, following plans originally established in 2007 when the company was acquired by EchoStar for $380 million, according to paidContent.org. Brothers Blake and Jason Krikorian will depart, leaving their positions as CEO and SVP of business development, respectively. Jason Hirschhorn and Ben White will leave vacancies for president and chief creative officer of the Sling Media Entertainment Group, while the VP of sales, Greg Wilkes, will also seek other opportunities.
EchoStar's Sling Media on Tuesday announced it will demo a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone at the Expo and will deliver a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to Apple for certification in Q1. Sling Media also unveiled a prototype of a new SlingPlayer for Mac HD which allows Slingbox PRO-HD users to stream HD to their Mac desktop or laptop computer. The new SlingPlayer for Mac HD is a web-based version of the SlingPlayer software that will be accessible from Sling.com, Sling Media's recently launched video entertainment web site.
Sling on Thursday revealed the imminent launch of a public beta for SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry. The app lets BlackBerries with 3G or Wi-Fi stream the video from a Slingbox at home and lets the user remote control any source that supports input from the streaming hub. The feature is meant to help commuters catch TV shows they might miss but also lets users access on-demand content from devices like the Apple TV or TiVos.
Sling Media today officially kicked off the public beta of Sling.com, its new video portal. The website is aimed at competing with sites hosting commercially produced content like Hulu or Joost and primarily syndicates content from about 90 major TV and online producers, including channels Hulu omits such as CBS as well as the very same Fox and NBC content. It also offers a similar range of full-length movies.
Sling this morning began shipping its long-promised Slingbox Pro-HD, the company's first true HD streaming device. The device carries its own ATSC and ClearQAM hybrid tuner and will pick up either 720p or 1080i TV from cable, satellite and over-the-air broadcasts that can be shared either at home or online; on the local network, computers can watch and control the TV feed at its native resolution. Dual component video connections also help the Slingbox receive HD without disrupting other devices that might need the signal.
Amazon.com has posted pre-orders for two upcoming pieces of hardware, the SlingCatcher and the Slingbox PRO-HD. The former, priced at $300, is designed to bring media to a TV without a computer or extended cable, and sources from a USB drive, a monitor, or a Slingbox feed. No release date has been set, but the timing of the pre-order suggests a release later this fall.
Sling Media today made official that it has been developing a version of its SlingPlayer Mobile software for the Apple iPhone. The software is described as a "proof of concept" developed using jailbroken iPhones but offers much of the same functionality as the released applications for Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, and other cellphone platforms. Users can navigate a Slingbox network streaming hub connected to a home TV feed and choose channels through a visual guide as well as stop or skip through playback.
Sling Media on Thursday said it would expand SlingPlayer Mobile to add support for phones running the UIQ operating system. The new version will allow some Sony-Ericsson and Motorola phones to stream and remotely control Slingbox devices at home whenever the device is connected to either a 3G or Wi-Fi network. The initial lineup will include the P1i (pictured) and P990i smartphones, the M600i, as well as the W950i and W960i Walkman phones. Motorola's RIZR Z8 is also included, Sling said. The updated version of the software will be available in the summer and will sell for $30 to first-time users but will also be downloadable for free for existing owners.
Sling Media today revealed its contribution to CES announcements with the Slingbox PRO-HD, a new version of its highest-end media hub. Upgrades to the device now bring a native ATSC/QAM tuner that lets it pick up over-the-air HD broadcasts and other unprotected sources without a separate set-top box; it also becomes one of the first network media hubs to stream 1080i HD video around the home to Macs or PCs running SlingPlayer software. Sling is also removing the cap on image quality for video streams on the wider Internet: a PRO-HD model on a connection with a very high upload speed (such as Verizon's FIOS fiber optic service) can stream out at near-identical quality, the company says.
EchoStar has formally split up in a way that could impact the future of Sling Media's Slingbox devices, based on details of an SEC filing. The company has formally changed its name to DISH Network. The change reflects the former EchoStar's core businesses of satellite TV service and producing its own set-top boxes, according to the update. Part of the company, now called Echostar Holdings, will break away from DISH and carries Sling Media with it. The Slingbox maker was bought by EchoStar in September and was originally believed to be used for adding Internet-based remote viewing for DISH subscribers.
