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DISH's SlingLoaded ViP 922 / 822 DVR hits the FCC
Up for an investigation? We've got a curious case going on with a recent FCC filing, which sees the user manual of the recently unveiled DuoDVR ViP 922 (yeah, the SlingLoaded one) alongside images of a heretofore unseen ViP 822 DVR. Curiously, the actual FCC label corresponds with the "922," through the logo on the pictured Sling DVR definitely shows "822." So, is this just the typical step a device takes before it hits shelves in America, or is this a DVR we've never seen before? Something tells us it's far less exciting than our imaginations are leading us to believe.
Man charged $28,000 for using data card, Slingbox to watch football game
While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, and while the bill was eventually dropped to $290.65 after a considerable number of calls to customer service, let that be a warning to mobile users traveling on the fringe of international roaming areas -- and in case you were wondering, the Bears ended up winning 27 to 23.[Via The Register]
Reminder: Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD giveaway ends tomorrow!
Nope, the holiday season ain't over yet (at least in our minds), so we're giving you one final shot to enter your name in the hat for a Slingbox PRO-HD. The contest ends tomorrow night (January 2nd) at 11:59PM ET, so head on over and drop a comment in order to consider yourself registered.
Engadget HD's Holiday Giveaway: win a Slingbox PRO-HD!
You know we couldn't let the holidays pass us by without doing a little giving, and the snow shoveling crew over at Engadget HD have put down the Egg Nog just long enough to host up a lovely giveaway (one of two, in fact). Rumor has it that a Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD fell right out of Santa's sleigh and into an open window at the EHD headquarters, but don't worry, Mr. Claus has a stout insurance policy. Head on over and register to win!
Engadget HD Holiday Giveaway (part I): Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD
Why so down? Old Man Winter putting a freeze on your heart? Fret not, downtrodden ones -- Engadget HD is here with a fistful of holiday cheer. Just in case you didn't get that placeshifting box you'd been asking for under the tree this morning, we coaxed St. Nick into coughing up a Slingbox PRO-HD from Sling Media to give to one lucky reader. You know the deal with this one: HD streaming, a wide array of inputs, integrated digital tuner and a sexy chassis that you won't mind showing off. So, what's it going to take to get this in your stocking after all? Merely a glee-filled comment below. Oh, and you might want to stick around -- we've got one more unclaimed gift to give away later today!%Gallery-40028%The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, though we'd prefer one on the strangest, most remote locale you plan on placeshifting the HD Yule Log to. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD unit. Approximate value is $299.99. Entries can be submitted until Friday, January 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Sling Media's Slingbox Pro HD: how would you change it?
Sling Media's Slingbox Pro HD arrived with lofty expectations, and while the box handled its core tasks reasonably well, we found it to have some issues on the software side. But as always, YMMV, so why not have a look over on Engadget Classic and let us know how you'd tweak it?
How would you change the Slingbox Pro HD?
Sling Media's Slingbox Pro HD arrived with lofty expectations, and while the box handled its core tasks reasonably well, we found it to have some issues on the software side. The good news there is that software is modifiable, which means Sling could definitely improve matters in the near future. To that end, we're interested to see how you'd change the high-def-capable placeshifter. Any bugs you want knocked out? Any particular hardware traits you aren't fond of? Is it simply too difficult for your mother-in-law to get working? Sound off below! You never know -- someone important may be listening.
Livestation iPhone app promises live TV over wifi
We'll believe it when we see it, of course. Livestation is a service that claims to be "Slingbox without the box." Once subscribed, you can watch television streamed to your computer, via peer-to-peer, from anywhere. And now they're apparently set to announce an iPhone app that will do the same thing. Like we said, it seems like a great idea -- who wouldn't want to watch some TV while waiting for the train or sitting the doctor's office -- but investment money and promises do not a working iPhone app make.Even the Livestation rep says it's still in development right now, and he won't give a date other than "soon." I have no doubt that we'll soon see streaming TV on the iPhone -- with the growing popularity of sites like Hulu and Netflix's own streaming video service, and a similar promise of streaming shows from i.TV, it definitely seems like that's where media is headed, even portable media. But this isn't something to hold your breath for quite yet -- I'm happy with Weatherbug's already-working video weather reports.
Sling.com open to all...in the U.S.
The Sling.com portal is still sporting the beta tag, but now anyone can hit it up for a dose of streaming movies and TV shows, with Slingbox owners able to add live TV from home to the mix. Sans-Slingbox, the lineup as is mimics Hulu without the lovely HD gallery, and the truly groundbreaking Clip+Sling support is still in development. Still, give it a look or check out DownloadSquad's hands-on to see if Sling Media has a hit on its hands.
The Slingbox Pro HD review addendum
It's hard to believe that a product line as new as the Slingbox is so mature. This is part of the reason why when we first got our hands-on the new Slingbox Pro HD, there wasn't much to say except that we still like it and even more so now that it can stream HD. But once we had another month or so to toy around and get a little more acquainted with it, we discovered a few more HD related items that weren't there in previous renditions. And so here we are with the Slingbox Pro HD addendum, which among other things includes more extensive testing of the HD streaming feature over the internet, and more importantly the newly added internal HD tuner. Sure, HD component capture is way more useful, but there are still plenty of applications for an internal ATSC and QAM HD tuner. %Gallery-35364%
Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD now shipping to Canada
Sling Media told us that its minty fresh Slingbox PRO-HD would be shipping to the Great North soon, and lo and behold, the promise has been kept. Effective immediately, interested Canadians can snatch one of these high-def slingers for $329.99 at Future Shop, Canada Computers and London Drugs (just to name a few). Wondering how this thing looks / works? Check out our hands-on!
Sling Media's Clip+Sling strides into beta, release looks imminent
Sling Media has a history of not disappointing, and while we were admittedly bummed to see Clip+Sling omitted from SlingPlayer 2.0, it looks like that one gripe is about to be remedied. If you'll recall, said feature was originally announced way back at the front end of 2007, and now select users are receiving e-mails announcing the launch of a private beta program. The Sling.com portal promises to "give users access to a premier library of content from top TV networks, movie studios, sports leagues and websites," and reportedly, it'll let folks "grab snippets of television content, upload them to the Sling site and create playlists and feeds that can be viewed and subscribed to by others." Is that YouTube / Hulu / Joost / et al. quaking in their boots, or are we just happy it's Friday?Update: Sling pinged us to say that the actual Clip+Sling functionality was still in progress and wouldn't be a part of the initial Sling.com portal. It's still in the works, though -- shame it won't happen sooner, though.%Gallery-33523%
Sling Media starts shipping $300 Slingbox PRO-HD, Canada to get it soon
You already witnessed our unboxing and hands-on with Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD, and if you're anxious to know when you can grab one of your own, how's about right now? Sling has revealed that its $299.99 high-def box can be purchased this very instant from its website and other B&M retailers, and for Canadians feeling a touch left out, take heart -- you all will be able to purchase the unit "in the coming weeks" for $329.99. %Gallery-32638%
Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD unboxed and tested
There she is -- the long-awaited Slingbox PRO-HD. For high-def junkies who've been waiting ever so patiently to get their hands on this thing, we're thrilled to say that it was worth the wait. We've got a complete unboxing over at Engadget Classic along with some first impressions. Head on over and have a look.
Slingbox PRO-HD unboxing and hands-on
We were told that Sling Media was getting ready to ship the Slingbox PRO-HD, and looky here -- one just showed up, looking just slightly less imposing than in the press photos. The $300 box isn't a huge departure from previous Sling gear apart from the inclusion of component and coax digital audio inputs and outputs, but combined with the just-released Windows SlingPlayer 2.0 software, it's the first Slingbox that can stream HD video. Setup with our TiVo HD was painless, and after some quick configuration we were watching pretty nice-looking 1080i video on our desktop, complete with the new ability to pause and rewind up to 60 minutes back. We did notice that the audio and video had some sync problems -- and when we tried connecting the older Mac SlingPlayer client the video looked great for SD but the audio sync issues made it almost unwatchable. Given how rock-solid our other Slingboxes have been, we're certain Sling will sort this out eventually, but it's something to keep in mind before you drop three bills right off the bat.Apart from that, there's only so much left to say about the Sling experience that's particularly new: the integrated program guide is extremely nice and much appreciated but not earth-shattering, and the new Sling Accounts single-sign-on system is handy but probably should have been implemented from the start. We're not harshing the product, mind you, it's just that the Sling system is so solid at this point (or will be, if the audio issues are resolved soon) that there's simply not much to say -- if you're in the market and have the cash, this is the box to buy. We'll save the detailed blowout for the SlingCatcher -- we'll be honest, we're dying to get our hands on that thing. %Gallery-32638%
Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD / SlingCatcher up for pre-order
Check it, placeshifters -- two new must-have boxes have just popped up for pre-order on Sling's website and Amazon's online marketplace. Sling Media's awfully exciting SlingCatcher and the sleek Slingbox PRO-HD are now ready to be loved for $299.99 apiece, though neither site gives any indication of ship dates. Still, with the holiday season just around the bend, we'd expect to see 'em both out before too long.[Via ZatzNotFunny]Read - SlingCatcher pre-orderRead - Slingbox PRO-HD
SlingPlayer 2.0 enters public beta -- without Clip+Sling
SlingPlayer 2.0 was announced way back at CES 2007 (and, uh, re-announced this year) and it looks you'll finally be able to get a taste, public beta style -- but only a taste, since it's missing its most hyped feature, Clip+Sling. If you'll recall, C+S was supposed to let you nab up to 5 minutes of content and share it online with your friends, but it looks like only the local DVR features have made the cut, so while we're still excited about the new 60-minute buffer and EPG, it's not all we've been promised. On the bright side, the holdup isn't technical, it's legal, so once all the appropriate networked partnerships and contracts have been signed, you'll be clipping and slinging like there's no tomorrow. Other minor changes include a tweaked UI (skin support has been dropped) and (finally!) the death of Slingbox Finder IDs in favor of user accounts. Windows-only for now, with a video demo after the break -- let us know how you're doing in comments!Read - Slingcommunity announcementRead - Dave Zatz's take
DISH Network's forthcoming DVRs get detailed: hints of Sling all over
Although DISH Network's previous quarter wasn't anything to write home about, it sounds like the satcaster (EchoStar, technically) isn't going to allow its set-top line to grow stale in the process. During the recent Team Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, DISH's CEO Charlie Ergen reiterated that it would be beaming out "more than 100 national HD channels" by the end of 2008, and he also made mention that the EchoStar 11 satellite would lift off in July. Most interesting, however, was all the talk about the new STBs. The forthcoming ViP 722s will be the first HD DVR from the outfit with loads of Sling technology built in -- not too shocking considering the recent acquisition. Additionally, the box is said to feature an all new interface and the ability to browse to (select) websites, double as a SlingCatcher and even handle Clip & Sling duties. There's plenty more where this came from, so be sure and hit the read link when you've got some spare time for reading.[Via GizmoLovers]
Slingbox SOLO gets reviewed
First spotted in FCC pics back in August, the Slingbox SOLO has finally hit the review circuit. Lacking the hardware-assisted HD streaming output of the just announced Slingbox PRO HD, the SOLO brings the original Slingbox Pro's HD inputs and VGA-res output to a dongle-less existence. The people at PC Magazine hooked up up the 'box and found plenty to admire in Sling's software and easy setup, pausing only to lament the short included ethernet cable and lack of WiFi. With its $180 MSRP, this Slingbox is a good option when your HDTV is far away, at least until the PRO HD hits the streets.
Sling announces SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry
Windows Mobile: check. Palm OS: check. S60: yep. So what's the giant, gaping hole left in Sling's coverage of mobile clients? BlackBerry, of course, and the company has finally confirmed what we already sorta knew -- that a SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry is officially in the works. Sling will be demonstrating its latest client at CES on a Pearl 8120, utilizing its WiFi connection (though 3G will work just as well) to stream down an endless barrage of mind-numbing content from the Slingbox of your choice. Look for it to show up on a BlackBerry near you "later this year" for a shade under $30. Hop on over to Engadget for a quick hands-on with the goods!
