TVSquad

Sling Media offers SlingPlayer clients for PC, Mac, and a variety of cellphone models. But so far there's been no support for one of the most obvious mobile devices: the iPhone. It looks like that could all change soon. Sling Media will be showing off a proof of concept version of SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone at WWDC.

There are no plans to make this version of SlingPlayer Mobile available to customers... yet. You need a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch to use the player at the moment. But the company does plan to use the iPhone SDK to release a commercial version in the future.

If you want to check out the proof of concept version, and if you happen to be in San Francisco tomorrow, stop by the Starbucks at 120 4th St between 10am and 4pm and look for product manager Vicky Shum who will be demonstrating the application.

Sling Media has launched an update to its SlingPlayer Mobile software for Windows Mobile and Symbain S60 phones and PDAs. The software lets Slingbox owners use their mobile devices to tune into live or recorded television streaming from a slingbox connected to their TV, TiVo, cable box, or other video device at home.

Today's update featured improved video streaming quality and support for additional telephone handsets including the Nokia N95 8GB, the Samsung i760, and the Palm Treo 500v. There's also support for additional set top boxes, which means that the software is more likely to bring up a virtual remote control that will work properly with your cable box or PVR.

The update is free for existing users, while new customers will have to pay $30 for the software. There is a 30 day free trial available.

Current SlingPlayer Mobile customers are entitled to a free upgrade. New customers are offered a free 30 day trial, then SlingPlayer Mobile is a one-time $30 (USD) fee. In addition to these mobile OSes, we also offer SlingPlayer Mobile for Palm OS - plus Symbian UIQ and Blackberry support will be available later this year.

Chris Carey has released a MythTV FrontEnd for the iPhone. What that means is you can use an iPhone to watch live and recorded television programs recorded on your Linux computer running the MythTV BackEnd software. In other words, this just might be the coolest third party application for the iPhone. Ever.

Users can browse recorded shows, check out program information, and stream videos to your iPhone. I'm guessing you'll need to have a WiFi connection, as the iPhone's cellular connection probably won't be fast enough to stream high quality video.

While Sling Media is considering developing a version of its SlingPlayer software for the iPhone that will let Slingbox owners stream content from their home TV or PVR to a handset, Carey's MythTV FrontEnd application is the first tool I'm aware of that actually lets you stream live and recorded TV to an iPhone.

Update: Dave Zatz reminds me that Elgato's EyeTV software also supports streaming recorded programs from a Mac to the iPhone.

[via Automated Home]

Sling Media first launched a Symbian version of its SlingPlayer software which lets you stream live TV from your home to your cellphone last fall. But now the company is improving its Symbian software, with support for UIQ on Symbian devices. Support is also coming soon for the Nokia N95 phone, which has 8GB of internal memory and a nice big screen, making it an ideal device for multimedia.

Support for UIQ handsets should roll out this summer, with support for the following models initially:

• Sony Ericsson P1i, P990i, W960i, W950i, M600i
• Motorola MOTORIZR Z8

In order to watch live or recorded TV on your mobile device using the SlingPlayer software you'll need to purchase a Slingbox, which is a set top box that you plug into your home TV or other video source and connect to your home network. SlingPlayer Mobile clients are also available for Windows Mobile and PalmOS devices, and Sling Media plans to roll out a BlackBerry client later this year.

If you thought all Sling Media had up its sleeve for CES was a new HD Slingbox and SlingPlayer software for BlackBerry, boy were you wrong. Today we've got word that Sling is updating its PC software, adding a cable modem to its lineup, and preparing to launch the much anticipated SlingCatcher during the second quarter of 2008.

SlingModem

Last August, we found some photos of a new Sling product on the FCC's site. At first it looked like a standard low-end Slingbox without support for HD video. But astute observers noticed that the new device had a built-in cable modem. As it turns out, Sling Media is calling the new device the SlingModem, and the goal is to partner with cable operators to provide SlingModems. There are no plans at the moment to sell SlingModems directly to consumers. Nobody's ready to announce any deals yet, but considering Sling was recently acquired by Echostar, it's interesting to see the company releasing a cable modem.

There's two major announcements out of the Sling Media camp today (can't you just imagine them sitting around the campfire shouting out news about new products?) Sling Media offers two types of products: A slingbox which you can plug into your TV, TiVo, cable box, or other video source to stream video across the internet. And the SlingPlayer client for watching that streaming video.

The first announcement was kind of predictable: SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry. Sling already has mobile clients for Windows Mobile, Palm, and Symbian phones, so I would have been surprised if we didn't see a BlackBerry client soon. SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry will be available later this year and will set you back the usual $29.99.

The bigger news is that Sling Media is launching a hi-def version of the Slingbox. The Slingbox PRO-HD sports a digital ATSC/QAM tuner, and multiple HD inputs and outputs. It can also stream 1080i video and 5.1 audio over the internet. You're going to need a high speed internet connection in order to get the most out of the PRO-HD. And if you plan to do most of your TV viewing on the go using SlingPlayer Mobile on a device with a low resolution screen, the PRO-HD is probably useless. But if you want the clearest picture on your computer, or if you plan on picking up a SlingCatcher which will let you stream video from one TV to another, the Slingbox PRO-HD's $400 price tag might seem reasonable.

Maximum PC reports that Sony plans to kill its $30 license fee for LocationFree client software. Much like the popular Slingbox, Sony's LocationFree TV platform consists of a hardware base station that you plug into your TV or other A/V device, and software that runs on your Mac, PC, or Windows Mobile device.

When you buy a base station, Sony currently throws in one client license. But if you want to stream your TV signal over the internet to multiple devices, you'll have to shell out $30 for a license.

That's about the same price Sling Media charges for SlingPlayer Mobile. But SlingPlayer for Mac or PC is free, so if Sony plans to stay in the market, it only makes sense for the company to offer up similar service for about the same price (or cheaper).

It looks like the folks at Sling Media have a few interesting things up their sleeves.

The folks over at the Sling Community have spotted a patent application that seems to indicate Sling Media has plans to enable advertising over your Sling connection. There are a couple of different ways the company could insert ads. For example, your Slingbox or SlingPlayer software could determine which batter is at plate during a baseball game and then choose a fitting ad to display on your playback window. Sling Media could also insert preroll advertisements or insert an ad at the end of a video.

Sling Media is working on a SlingPlayer client for BlackBerry devices. No, we're not particularly surprised either. The company already as a Palm Client, a Windows Mobile client, and this morning officially launched the US version of their Symbian client. So it was really just a matter of time, right?

SlingPlayer Mobile lets anyone with a Slingbox hooked up to their cable/satellite/TiVo/other set-top box stream TV from their home over the internet to a mobile device. We're going to go out on a limb and say that SlingPlayer for BlackBerry is going to run you $30, which is the going rate for Sling Media's other mobile clients.

A Sling spokesperson confirmed that a BlackBerry version is in the works. But he says it can take a long time to port the software to a new platform. It took nearly a year to develop Palm and Symbian versions. In other words, don't expect to Sling anything to your BlackBerry before 2008.

[via Engadget]

Sling Media officially launched SlingPlayer for Symbian phones today. That means Slingbox users who have Palm, Windows Mobile, or Symbian phones can stream live TV over the internet from their home to their phones.

The Symbian version of the SlingPlayer software has been available to beta testers for the past few months. The application is designed to work with Nokia N75, N95, and E65 phones, but may also run on other phones using the Symbian operating system. You'll need a Wi-Fi or 3G internet connection in order to stream video at a decent rate.

SlingPlayer Mobile software usually costs $30, but Sling Media is also announcing a partnership with Nokia to offer the application free to all N95 users. Of course, the software is useless if you don't shell out the $130+ to get a Slingbox, so the move makes good marketing sense from Sling Media's perspective. In fact, we wouldn't be too surprised to see the company negotiate similar deals with other companies to build a market for Slingboxes.

On the other hand, once EchoStar completes its acquisition of Sling Media, the company might not have to work so hard to build brand recognition.

Almost a year after Sling Media announced a SlingPlayer client would be available for European phones running the Symbian operating system, the company is working on an American version.

Sling is currently accepting testers, but the beta is currently live. SlingPlayer for Symbian will officially work on Nokia N75, N95, and E65 phones, although your results may vary with other devices. You'll need a 3G or Wi-Fi capable device to apply for the beta, seeing as how streaming video is going to look pretty bad on any phone without a high speed internet connection.

You'll also want to be on AT&T or T-Mobile to sign up, since the client supports GSM networks.

No word as to when an official US Symbian client will be released. But it's probably fair to say you'll have to wait at least a month or two since the beta is just getting underway.

[via Engadget]

There's a whole slew of updates coming out of the Sling Media camp this week.

• The SlingCatcher launch has been pushed back to this fall.
• Sling Media released a firmware update for all Slingbox models with some minor networking fixes.
• HP is shipping selected laptops with SlingPlayer preinstalled.

Of course, having SlingPlayer preinstalled does no good unless you also shell out the money for a Slingbox. But with PC makers constantly dangling incentives like free printers or flash drives in order to convince you to buy their model, perhaps we'll see a notebook/Slingbox bundle some time down the road?

The nice thing about HP's SlingPlayer integration is that the application has been added to HP's QuickPlay software, meaning you can load up the SlingPlayer to watch streaming television without fully booting up your PC.
[via TiVo Lovers and Dave Zatz]

Sling Media has released the final version of SlingPlayer for Windows Mobile 6. The full version will set you back $30, but it's a free upgrade for Windows Mobile 5.0 users. You'll need to contact Sling Media to get anew registration key.

While the main new feature is Windows Mobile 6 compatibility, there are a few other goodies in the latest release:

• Support for wide screen viewing
• New remote control functions for additional audio/video devices
• Localised UK client with channel logos and written in "Queen's English," (as opposed to Queens, New Yawk)
• Automatic installer support broadened to support Windows Vista

After spending several weeks in beta, SlingPlayer for Mac OS X turns 1.0 today, with hundreds of bug fixes and a redesigned GUI based on user input..

Probably the biggest updates include support for remote control of several new Apple products, including Front Row, AppleTV, and the iPod in a Universal Dock or an iPod Hi-Fi.

SlingPlayer for Mac supports PowerPC and Intel processors running Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later.

If you visit Sling Media's download page for this free download (Slingbox not included), you're still directed to download link for the beta version of SlingPlayer for Mac OS X. But version 1.0 should be available for download later today.

This is both a pretty low tech, and a pretty high tech hack. Sling Media is beta testing a new feature called Clip+Sling, which will let you record on your PC or mobile device a short video clip of whatever you're using your Slingbox to watch. Then you can share that clip with your friends, YouTube style.

That's all great, but what if you've got a friend in Germany who missed seeing a friend win an Oscar, you've got the ceremony recorded on your TiVo, and you've got no way to get the video to him? Sure, this sounds like a crazy hypothetical, but it's exactly the position Matt Haughey of PVRblog found himself in last night.