Big Picture Big Sound

Sling High, Sling Low

Sling High, Sling Low

With their recent acquisition by Echostar Communications, you might have thought that the folks at Sling Media would be quiet for a while, figuring out the best go-to-market strategy with their new partner DISH Network. But that doesn't appear to be the case as Sling is kicking off the new year with some big product news.

For those unfamiliar with all things Sling (where have you been hiding?), the Slingbox is a device that allows you to watch your TV, including live local channels, DVR recordings and DVDs, from virtually anywhere in the world that has internet access. The Slingbox itself sits in your audio/video system, quietly spying on the audio and video outputs of your cable box, satellite receiver, OTA tuner and/or DVD player and translating these feeds to a media stream to be broadcast within a home network or externally to the Internet. On the front end is the SlingPlayer software, running on a PC or mobile device which allows you to "tune in" to your private streaming broadcast from another room, or from halfway around the world.

The SlingPlayer software includes a virtual remote for your specific devices back home, allowing you to change channels, select recordings from your DVR, even fast forward and rewind through whatever DVDs you have loaded into your DVD player or changer, all from the comfort of your hotel room or the discomfort of an airport waiting area. Did you leave the house forgetting to schedule a recording of one of your favorite shows? No problem. The virtual remote allows you to operate the full functions of your device back home, including scheduling recordings or deleting old shows to make room for the new stuff. In the past, only one thing has been missing from the Slingbox: high definition. But that is about to change.


Coming in Q3 of this year the new Slingbox PRO-HD ($399) will support streaming of high definition content all the way up to 1080i resolution with 5.1-channel sound. The new Slingbox PRO-HD will include multiple inputs for your cable box, Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD players. It even includes its own built-in digital tuner (ATSC/QAM) so you can watch over-the-air or cable HD broadcasts without a separate set-top box.

Because of the bandwidth requirements, it's likely that most implementations of this will be within a home network, e.g., for watching high definition shows in another room of your house either on a PC or on an HDTV using the upcoming "SlingCatcher" box. One could imagine combining this box with one of DISH Network's own satellite DVRs to go high def anywhere in your home without the need for an additional receiver. But if you're blessed with a super high bandwidth internet connection on both the sending and receiving ends (Fios anyone?) then you can actually broadcast streaming media in HD to remote locations.

But Wait! There's More!

On the opposite end of the resolution spectrum, Slingbox also supports mobile playback of your content via the aptly named SlingPlayer Mobile. For just a small one-time software fee (currently $30), owners of Palm OS, Symbian or Windows Mobile-based devices can tune into their home entertainment content from anywhere they can get a 3G or Wifi internet connection. But poor Blackberry owners haven't been able to play. This too will soon be changing.

At CES in Las Vegas next week, Sling Media will be showing off their upcoming Sling Player for Blackberry ($29.99, available later this year), playing back live streaming media on a Blackberry Pearl 8210 smartphone. Stuck in a boring meeting? Well soon, instead of thumbing through e-mail or engaging in an intense game of solitaire, you'll be able to tune into your DVR at home and catch up on old episodes of "Lost" or even "The Office" (how apropos?). Just try not to laugh out loud. Members of the board of trustees tend to frown on that (don't ask me how I know...).

More details on current and upcoming Sling products are available at: SlingMedia.com.