After nearly a year in development, EchoStar has released the SlingPlayer for Google TV. And, as the recent Boxee and Facebook Slingbox players, what we’re really dealing with is a Flash-based webpage. As Engadget points out, this means you won’t necessarily have the same level of polished remote keymapping… yet the platform is infinitely more portable/reusable than a dedicated app for each OS. At least until Adobe kills mobile and television Flash. But, hey, at least it won’t run you $30 like Sling’s mobile apps.
Like all SlingPlayers, this version allows you to watch your home television content beyond the confines of your property line… OR within rooms, say, without a set-top box. Originally, the Slingbox streamed video to desktop software or mobile clients, but the advent of Boxee and Google TV provide for television-to-television streaming. So as bad as the Logitech Revue is, for $80 to $100 it makes a better “sling catcher” than the ill fated and discontinued SlingCatcher ($300).
To partake, you’ll need a Slingbox SOLO or PRO-HD ($150 – $300) and the SlingPlayer “app” can be found under the Google TV Spotlight.