Looks like I missed a good time in NYC last week. Amidst the pre, pre-holiday tech events, gdgt hosted Sling Media. Who reiterated their intentions to provide a leanback interface for Slingbox viewing. Basically, a SlingCatcher… without a SlingCatcher. At CES, SlingPlayer for Connected Devices was demo-ed on Google TV. Which I discovered was merely a Flash-based webpage, versus a dedicated app. Fortunately, that opens the door for easily servicing all sorts of platforms. Enter, the Boxee experience filmed by Engadget above at gdgt’s shindig.
While it seems we’re stuck with the laborious “SlingPlayer” naming convention, the otherwise compelling service is expected to enter public beta as soon as next month. You’ll need a Slingbox SOLO or a PRO-HD, but it’s not quite clear which Connected Devices will be supported on the other end. At the very least, Google TV is a lock, with a shortcut to be found the Spotlight section, as is a listing under Boxee’s Apps. So those are the brokered deals. But, as a webpage, there may be other hardware options available. Like the PS3?
Unfortunately, it’s not clear yet if this service will be saddled with a fee. And, if so, would Sling go with a monthly subscription or follow in their mobile app footsteps with something like a one time $30 charge? Regardless, color me interested. Although, in-home and given the latency, I think I’d prefer TiVo Premiere-to-Premiere or FiOS DVR-to-DVR streaming.