SlingPlayer Headed To Gaming Consoles?

EchoStar’s Sling Media is out with a survey today testing the waters for console-based placeshifting. While the SlingCatcher is dead and buried, SlingPlayer for Connected Devices has been slowly bringing Slingbox feeds to various set-top devices including Google TV, WDTV Live, and Boxee. Next up, your Xbox, Wii, or PS3? From the emailed survey (pictured below):

In this section, we’re trying to gauge your interest in using SlingPlayer on your game console. Imagine if you could watch your Slingbox in full HD on your big screen TV using your game console. Essentially, you could enjoy everything on your main TV but you would use your gaming device. In other words, you could:

  • Watch all your live TV, DVR recordings & On-demand content
  • Control everything using your game console controller
  • With a picture quality comparable to your normal TV experience

A big advantage is that you would NOT PAY for another cable or satellite set top box.  A couple of situations where you can enjoy this are:

  1. A vacation home
  2. A 2nd bedroom, recreation room, or basement
  3. College student’s apt or dorm
  4. Replace any set top box

While the proposition is appealing, I’m not sure a game console is the most efficient platform for delivery… for Sling or for us. Assuming our Slingboxes will never stream content to Apple TV, Roku is an ideal platform if Sling can work out the technical challenges — it’s small and cheap, with an open SDK and much greater penetration than say the WDTV Live Sling currently supports. How much would an app like that be worth to you? Question 10 of the survey, while focused on those gaming consoles, proposes a few values ranging in cost from $0 to $40. I’d easily drop $20 on a Roku SlingPlayer app, maybe $30… But have limited interest in connecting to my Slingbox via such a bulky device, like my Xbox, located at our primary television.

slingplayer-game-conole

17 thoughts on “SlingPlayer Headed To Gaming Consoles?”

  1. I have been watching a lot of Sling on my Boxee Box and my WDTV Live unit as I rented a Sky satellite television service in London and have been watching the BBCs coverage of the Olympics in glorious HD via Sling to my home in Connecticut.

    I am actually enjoying watching TV from London more then I do from the American Satellite companies (and there is almost as much American content there as there is here!)

    Dave let me know if you want to check it out. (Their satellite receiver technology leaves a lot to be desired) :D

  2. BTW I forgot to add, that I would rather have Sling on a XBOX 360 or PS3 then a Roku.

    Don’t get me wrong I love my Roku, but not everyone has one. Being able to watch my content from home (or London) I would be able to do almost everywhere because most of my friends have one of the video game systems, while most do not have a Roku.

    Being able to watch your content everywhere is key for me. :)

  3. Sling on a 360? Yes please! I would even shell out for Live Gold if that was required. Since I use both Sling and Media Center that would make the 360 the perfect media box for me.

  4. Add me to the list, Roku, 360, and/or PS3 would be great. All those devices have much greater market penetration. How much I’d pay though, not sure probably not over $20…maybe $30. But if they’re smart when/if they launch it theys hould have a “sale” like they did on smartphone apps last week. I have boxes set up at my home, a 2nd home, and also at my office so I can stream content from different proiders and different DMAs.

  5. $30 does seem steep… yet that’s what Sling charges for mobile access. Then again, someone like Apple also takes a 30% cut. Not sure what they could work out with the gaming console manufacturers.

  6. I’d go for a PS3/Wii/Xbox Slingplayer.

    On a side note it looks like the Slingplayer for iPad & iPhone is getting updated – it is no longer available in iTunes. It seems to be taking a while.

  7. I have 4 Slingboxes and we watch them exclusively at my house. Having that on the 360 and PS3 would be awesome!

  8. I would be interested in a PS3 version, but then, would I have to pay $20 or whatever they’d charge again when I get a PS4 next year? what about if I get an Xbox 360? or an Xbox 720?
    If it’s a general ‘remote connection’ account that you pay once, I’m ok, but if I have to pay for each different device, no good.

  9. I have 4 slingboxes and use them at our weekend home and via our ipad. I’d love to see it available via the ps3 ! I’d fork out $20 for the app !

  10. I just cut the cord and got rid of DirecTv after 12 years. I was paying 148 bucks a month to watch TV….way to much when TV is free. I bought an RCA751r HDTV Antenna from Lowes for 69 bucks then mounted it to the same mask my DirecTv Dish was mounted on. It took a whole 15 minutes.

    Next I bought a HVR-950q TV tuner off ebay for 30 bucks. I have a desktop computer I converted to a Home Theater PC (HTPC) Basically, a Win-7 machine with nothing on it but Windows Media Center and a big hard drive wth lots of memory. I plugged the tv tuner into the usb port then plugged my antenna cable into the tuner.

    Next I went to my Xbox which is connected to my main flat screen fired up the Media Center which connected to my HTPC, then i went to live TV did a search for Channels through the channel guide and found 78 channels. So now I am getting 78 channels FREE.

    I would like my slingbox to be able to work with my xbox so I can still enjopy my LIve Free TV on my phone or anywhere were I am in the world. PLease make this happen

  11. I found a solution: After looking through the setup options for the slingbox i found:

    DVR> Microsoft> Media Center

    This worked and gave me full control of the XBox.

    Btw: I have a Slingbox Pro but it will work on others.

  12. While I would love to see the SlingPlayer app introduced to the Xbox or PS gaming consoles, I’d much rather see it introduced as an app on Blu-Ray device. I don’t care much for gaming, and am only interested in streaming content, plus the ability to occasionally pop in a disc.

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