Back in July, we reported that Sling Media was planning to put its SlingPlayer app on the Boxee Box and Google TV devices. In November, they came through for Boxee Box users. Now, it seems they are closing out the year by delivering on the rest of that promise.
Today, the company announced that SlingPlayer for Logitech Revue is now available. Just hook a compatible Slingbox up to your home TV, and you can experience that channel lineup and connected DVR on any TV anywhere in the world -- as long as iyou bring along a Logitech Revue, of course.
Why does this matter? If you've got a vacation home in one part of the world, and your cable or satellite service somewhere else, you can plug in the inexpensive Logitech Revue box to the TV in your second home and tune into your local listings -- even DVR recordings -- that reside on your main cable box or satellite DVR at home. Of course, you do need an internet connection in both locations as well as a compatible Sling Box connected to your DVR or TV tuner back home. But you don't need to hook up a dedicated computer to your TV just to run the SlingPlayer app, and that's the important part.
Once the setup is installed, the SlingPlayer app allows users to change local channels, view and navigate through the program guide, or watch and schedule DVR recordings. Because the Logitech Revue is so small, it's easy to stuff into a bag for a holiday visit, a vacation, or even just Christmas dinner at a family member's house. Hook it up to any TV and internet connection, and you can tap into your full channel lineup at home.
Last year, we took a peek at the Logitech Revue. If you read our Logitech Revue with Google TV Review, you'll see that the box definitely had some promise. And this app makes the Revue a more compelling value proprosition. Over the summer, Logitech came forward to say that in hindsight, they wish they had handled the product launch differently. As a result, they dropped the device's MSRP to $99. So now would be the perfect time to buy -- especially if you already have a Slingbox!
Currently, the SlingPlayer app is available free of charge and can be found on the Logitech Revue under the Google TV Spotlight menu. For now, the app works in conjunction with the Slingbox PRO-HD (MSRP: $299.99) or Slingbox SOLO ($179.99). Sling says that says that they are working on adding the feature to Sony's Internet TV product line, which packs Google TV right into the hardware without the need for an additional set-top box.
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