In addition to the features introduced with Beta 1.2, 1.3 adds a conflict manager (about time!) and an audio only mode (which I’ve enjoyed on my 6700). Be aware the firmware portion of this upgrade will add encryption to your Slingstream – effectively killing Applian’s At-Large Recorder. For complete release details and the public download, head on over to Sling Media.
UPDATE: Sling also released their custom UMPC skin today. I find it very attractive and it’s not limited to UltraMobiles — I use it on my laptop for example. Check it out here.
My initial thoughts on 1.3:
New skin is the best yet. Beautiful! I’d like to be able to shrink it a bit more though (it shrinks in the docked sidebar OK, but not in a floating window) and I’d still like a totally naked skin – nothing but video as large or small as I like.
The ‘More Skins’ button, ‘Technical Support,’ ‘Community’ takes me to redirect pages on the Sling web site. It’s fine for a temporary work-around, but would look sloppy with a non-beta release.
I haven’t tried it yet, but the Conflict Manager is an excellent, practical feature and I’m glad to finally see it.
Obviously some folks will be upset that the new firmware adds encryption which breaks the SlingCorder — the current workaround is to not update the firmware. I wonder if encryption is in response to the political/legal climate (remember MLB and HBO are not happy with Sling) and/or a precursor to similar functionality Sling Media plans to offer. I’d definitely appreciate a PAUSE button!
The conflict manager works well, but you need your Admin password to boot off the other player. I also got an error on the player that got booted, but a click of OK was all I needed.