While there seems to be a resurgence of Slingbox haterade, EchoStar isn’t sitting by idly. A SlingCatcher software & firmware update was pushed out a few days ago, a Palm Pre mobile client is in the works, and we recently covered that unfortunate WiFi-only iPhone Slingplayer. Now, as promised back at Macworld, Sling.com has enabled OS X Slingbox streaming… via Safari 3 and Firefox 3 web browsers using a lightweight Java plugin. (As opposed to the full-on desktop client.)
The new Sling.com functionality is described as a “beta, sneak peek.” And I’m not quite sure if true HD streaming is possible yet (from a Slingbox PRO-HD). However, we do know that the plugin is limited to Intel-based Macs and the Slingbox SOLO, PRO or PRO-HD models. Is this an(other) arbitrary delineation or does the plugin request H.264-encoded video versus WMV?
Click to enlarge:
Thanks for the tip, Jacob!
