Then there are companies like and that both allow homesick Americans living overseas to watch U.S. That allows a Knicks fan in Iowa, for example, to watch live Knicks games that may not be broadcast outside of New York. Sharing is especially popular among sports fans who use sites like that provide a forum for owners to trade their IDs with users in other states.
For a monthly charge of about $100, subscribers get the original owner's Slingbox ID, download the free Sling software, and voil à-a New Yorker could be watching the local news in Los Angeles or London. With a practice known as Slingbox hosting, owners of the boxes are charging others in different cities and countries access to their Slingbox video feeds. Originally designed for personal viewing, the Slingbox has been transformed into a global online broadcast platform by individual users and a handful of crafty companies. But like many disruptive technologies, the device is being used in creative ways that its manufacturer, Sling Media, never imagined. More than 500,000 Slingboxes have been sold since they were introduced in 2005. Then along came the Slingbox, a device that lets you watch your home DVR or cable box from anywhere in the world using your laptop and an Internet connection.
to watch a favorite TV show? Devices like TiVo and your cable company's digital video recorder changed all that. (In lieu of the programming guide, Canadians are offered a grid of channel favorite buttons.Remember when you had to be home at 8 p.m. US and Canadian customers can find the SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows download here. In addition to storing to storing Slingbox IDs online, the Sling Account will also recall box location (think EPG) and guide favorites. In the short term this is only being used within SlingPlayer 2.0, but I can imagine it becoming an efficient service to utilize via mobile clients and the upcoming SlingCatcher.
Instead of tracking an arcane and unique Slingbox Finder ID, your Slingbox is now associated with your email address (and a password). Though I wonder if some existing SlingPlayer 1.x users will find it a bit too minimalist – channel favorites buttons have been removed from the bezel and you can no longer click into the frameless video window mode.Ī less obvious, but valuable service is the implementation of Sling Accounts. SlingPlayer 2.0 also sports a modern, refreshed UI that I find visually appealing. And the EPG is exactly what it sounds like – an electronic program guide of your local television lineup. OR a major bonus for those without a DVR. The video buffer allows you to pause or scrub through playback, without the lag associated with remotely controlling a DVR. So what does SP 2.0 offer? In terms of new features, the biggies are a 60 minute video buffer and EPG. I’m not personally troubled by the continued delay and implied recording limitations, as I’m more interested in sharing my video game shenanigans rather than TV highlights… Something already available on for those who can’t wait. Hence, the neutered SlingPlayer 2.0 release. However, Sling didn’t want to hold up delivery of the (other) new 2.0 functionality and interface while they continue to negotiate studio/network partnerships – such as the announced CBS and NHL deals.
Clip+Sling, plus the associated video portal, was intended to allow Slingbox owners to capture and share memorable television segments online. Unfortunately, SP 2.0’s launch is most notable for what it lacks: Clip+Sling.