WD on Tuesday has updated its TV Live and TV Live Hub media players with new, country-specific and worldwide services and features. Existing owners of either product will get access to the features thanks to a downloadable software update. The new services include Red Bull TV, ABC iview, Acetrax, Maxdome, the BILD TV-App, and the AOL On Network.
Sling Media is reportedly set to launch its SlingPlayer app for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet. Although the device is powered by Google's mobile OS, the new app is said to omit the remote control interface and SlingBox guide that can be found on its standard Android Market counterpart for Honeycomb-based tablets.
Sling Media has finally released a web app that allows Logitech Revue Google TV users to access its Slingbox service. We sampled the feature nearly one year ago at CES, and a beta showed up late in May that allowed users to watch Slingbox content in other rooms via streaming. Users can access the SlingPlayer app from Google Spotlight and use it to change channels, browse the program guide, and watch or schedule recordings on a connected DVR.
The Boxee Box got an unusual feature addition Tuesday after the Boxee team added a SlingPlayer app. Its media hub can now stream and remotely control devices hooked up to a Slingbox Pro-HD or Solo, such as a cable DVR or even another networked media hub. It carries Sling's latest program guide but should otherwise be familiar to those who've used one of the larger-screened SlingPlayer apps.
Sling Media has quietly shown off the first web-based version of SlingPlayer. Its upcoming Facebook app will let viewers tune into one or more Slingboxes to watch and control a TV set-top box, media player, or other devices that the Slingbox can control. As in the native mobile and desktop apps, viewers can bring up a virtual remote or take the video full screen.
Sling Media has released a new version of its SlingPlayer Mobile for Android. When connected by 3G or Wi-Fi to a Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD, the app enables the device to function as a remote and to stream content from the Slingbox. Streaming in High Quality mode from a Slingbox PRO-HD requires at least 600 kbps of bandwidth. The Slingbox SOLO requires 800 kbps to stream HQ video. Separate versions are required for Android tablets ($30, Market) and phones ($30, Market).
Sling Media has previewed a new SlingPlayer utility designed specifically for the Boxee Box, the latest connected device to take advantage of the television streaming system. The Boxee Box offering appears to work in the same way as SlingPlayer for Google TV, smartphones, tablets and other devices, providing yet another method for users to watch video streamed from the Singbox set-top box.
Sling Media has previewed an upcoming beta program that will enable SlingPlayer functionality on Google TV devices. Like the SlingPlayer utilities for computers, smartphones and tablets, the Google TV offering will enable users to stream live television from a Slingbox set-top box. The company has maintained a UI similar to the mobile offerings, with full controls for channel browsing and DVR playback.
The existing SlingPlayer iPad and iPhone app has now been updated to allow outputting video to an external screen through component cables. The move effectively turns Apple's devices into Slingbox adapters for TVs away from home. Both the SlingPlayer Mobile 2.1 for iPhone (App Store) and SlingPlayer Mobile 1.1 for iPad (App Store) are now available, with either priced at $30.
Sling today updated the SlingPlayer Mobile app for the iPhone and iPod touch to version 2.0 ($30, App Store). The revamp brings with it many improvements, some carried over from the recently launched iPad version, such as the new programming guide, but most notably include the ability to stream high quality video from their Slingbox Solo or Slingbox Pro-HD devices. The option to stream high-quality audio requires a fast (800Kbps) Wi-Fi connection or 500Kbps when on 3G.
The promised iPad-native version of SlingPlayer Mobile is now available at the App Store. The title lets people stream and control video from a remote SlingBox-equipped TV. Cable, satellite, IPTV and digital OTA (over the air) broadcasts are supported, as well as media from Apple TVs, home security cameras and DVRs including TiVos.
Sling has hinted that its long promised SlingPlayer for iPad was about to launch and provided a demo video (below) of the app. The streamer has higher quality video than any of Sling's other apps and makes use of the extra display real estate to provide a large channel guide and an on-screen number pad that still shows most of the picture underneath when up. Much of the interface can avoid intruding into the view.
Sling Media has announced that its SlingPlayer Mobile app has been launched for Windows Phone 7 devices. The utility allows users to view content from their home television via a Slingbox SOLO or Slingbox PRO-HD set-top box. The interface also provides controls for DVRs and channel switching, while video can be accessed using Wi-Fi or 3G connections.
Sling has posted video demo (included below) of its SlingPlayer app for Windows Phone 7. The quality of the demo suggests that the app is not far from official release as the streaming live TV is displayed in a high quality format with no lag. According to the Sling Product Manager narrating the clip, the improvements in the Windows Phone 7 core OS have enabled the SlingPlayer to deliver video performance at four times the resolution of previous iterations of Windows Mobile.
Sling provided a treat to Android phone owners waiting for SlingPlayer for Android through a demo clip of the remote video streaming app on an Evo 4G. The new version is improved on those for other phones and starts much faster than others; the live stream from a home Slingbox starts in just a few seconds. While the interface is familiar, a new number pad makes it quicker to reach a particular channel when steering a set-top TV box.
Sling Media's promised app for Android handsets seems to be on track for a summer release, according to an anonymous tipster speaking with Phandroid. The company has reportedly put the app into private beta, with certain users getting it for testing. Sling Media seems to be interested in keeping this closed beta build secret "due to the overwhelming demand for this program," though hasn't been successful.
Certain iPad apps are dramatically scaling back or even blocking their video when on the 3G-ready iPad, new owners have been discovering today. The YouTube app significantly degrades the quality of video; ABC's TV viewer doesn't allow video at all unless it's on Wi-Fi. Only a few apps, such as Netflix, appear to work normally.
SlingPlayer marketing manager Dave Eyler today confirmed that his company is working on a version of SlingPlayer for the iPad. The app should be a visible upgrade from the iPhone version as it will carry higher-resolution streaming from a TV-attached Slingbox. Any other changes weren't mentioned, but Eyler told ZNF that the finished version wouldn't be ready for the Saturday iPad launch.
A job posting from last October that pointed to a SlingPlayer app for Android has had its results confirmed, as Sling Media has demonstrated the app. The new version is due this summer and will, like other versions, allow users to stream video content from a Slingbox over either 3G data networks or a handset's Wi-Fi. Its interface will mimic that of the iPhone version, letting users select the live or recorded content they want to watch.
Sling Media has released the latest version of its SlingPlayer Mobile iPhone app, complete with 3G streaming capabilities ($30, App Store). The app, which allows users to watch and control their home TV and DVR, has been available for several months now, but was restricted to WiFi use. The restriction was reportedly enforced because of network congestion concerns on AT&T's side, however, with the announcement of major updates to the companies 3G network this may be less of a concern.
Sling Media on Friday corrected AT&T's position on the clearance to ship a 3G-capable SlingPlayer for iPhone. While AT&T characterized the remote TV streaming app as "optimized," the Slingbox creator company's John Santoro told Ars Technica that Sling "didn't change anything" in its 3G code, or enter discussions, to satisfy AT&T's demands. The app has always had dynamic bitrate changes to match available bandwidth.
Sling Media is set to launch an update to its iPhone app, Sling Mobile, which is currently pending approval from Apple. Version 1.1 still lacks 3G streaming, although it adds several new features such as DISH Remote Access integration and improvements to the control interface. The DISH functions bring a content guide directly onto the iPhone, instead of importing a picture, while search and filter options have been expanded.
Following the announcement that Sling Media's SlingPlayer iPhone app will only be available without support for 3G data, AT&T has released a statement explaining the restriction. The company blames the decision on network strain, as the large volume of data could potentially cause congestion and create access problems for other customers.
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.
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 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.
