Watch Slingbox on Google TV!

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slingplayer-googletv-3

It turns out my old friends at Sling Media do have one or two new and notable items to share from CES. And first up is a Google TV SlingPlayer client — eliminating the need for dedicated SlingCatcher hardware (that didn’t turn out so great anyway). It should go without saying that I’m very pleased to see Sling move in this direction… as I assume this is just the first of various television- and set-top-based apps.

The initial Google TV app isn’t actually an app, but rather a Flash website optimized for the platform. As you can see from the pics, they’re logically carrying the Android interface onto the Android-based Google TV. The software and experience look pretty dang complete, with streaming up to 1080i, but all Sling will tell me is that they intend to launch sometime this year. However, it’d make sense to see them ultimate move to a dedicated app if/when Google launches a television-based marketplace – something that seems like an inevitability.

As a quick refresher, Slingbox (or Vulkano) devices allow you to stream your home television content around the house or beyond to various computer and mobile platforms. But this marks the first time we’ve seen Sling placeshiting software loaded onto third-party television devices. And I like.

13 thoughts on “Watch Slingbox on Google TV!”

  1. We knew this was coming, right? I just thought it would be PS3 first, but this is good news. WHEN can I get it on MY goog tv?

  2. Sweet. Now if they developed this for the TiVo platform, we’d have the room-to-room streaming you’ve been jonesing for.

  3. 1. Nice to see them using Flash, I hope that also means a generic Flash SlingPlayer for all Flash-enabled devices.

    2. I’ve been lobbying Sling to do this since I worked there. Before the SlingCatcher launched I lobbied to just kill it and get SlingPlayer on other STBs like Roku, game consoles, Blu-ray players, TiVo, etc. I hope they go down that road. Plenty of platforms that could run it – a Blu-ray Java client is completely possible for any Blu-ray Live player.

  6. Agreed with everyone else. This is a great first step, and could be useful for those with CC byte problems for room to room viewing. Ultimately though I’d like to see somebody tackle the PC to TV transfer of content, ie. what the SlingCatcher was targetted at. So something on my PC that relays stuff to the app on my Google TV/Apple TV/Roku/whatever. And lets me watch Hulu or whatever the hell else I want whether the media companies want to let me or not.

  9. While it sounds awesome, there’s something strange about thinking of a whole class of people who wanted Google TV to replace their regular TV watching habits (and monthly bills) and then saw everything blocked, so they hook up a Sling to their TV and watch it via Google TV.

  10. I’d like to see the Slingplayer software on Roku and PS3. That’s really like to use it on those. The Google TV device is not on my list of must haves.

  12. +1 for Slingbox/Slingplayer on Roku!!! Can you hear us Roku??? A well-laid out flash-based web version of Sling’s web player would increase your new Best Buy sales exponentially. In fact, I will run to Best Buy and buy the top of the line Roku the day that a Sling channel is available. As will the rest of the Sling-Universe. Please, thanks. :)

  13. I have a sony bluray player with Google TV. This sling device do I have to buy a sling box or will the sling device be interface into Google TV with android honeycomb 3.1.

  14. Ronald Pressley,

    It’s not a device, it’s an app for your google tv. You will still need to buy a slingbox. Before you had to buy another hardware called the sling-catcher to watch it on your tv, or directly connect an hdmi cable from your notebook to lcd. With this app, you don’t need to do anything of that if you already own a google tv, and hopefully they’ll bring it to other devices like a PS3, tivo, roku, etc.

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