Entries tagged with “Slingbox” from Global Sports Buzz

            With so many new technologies being developed in the area of consumer media, it is sometimes hard to tell which products will become successful and what ones will simply be washed out by a more successful competitor.  Examples of this could be VHS vs. Beta, or       Blu-ray vs. HD - DVD, but a relatively new company Sling Media founded in 2004 has developed a product not to compete with existing ones but to work with them to give the user the ability to get the most out of there other media products.  Sling Media has come out with a line of products that allows the user to stay connected to their home digital cable or satellite box programming from anywhere in the world via an internet connection.  Their products known as Sling Box turns any internet connected computer or smart phone into your home television.  This concept may appeal especially to sports fans, which may already pay hefty bills in order to get a specific sports league package to see their favorite team, and with sling box they will be able to see that team just about anywhere in the world.

            The Slingbox comes in three models the Slingbox SOLO, the Slingbox PRO, and the PRO-HD model.  They all perform the same basic task of transferring your imputed TV or other media signal over the internet to be viewed by you at another location on another device.  The Slingbox SOLO allows the user to connect and transmit the input from one source, where as the Pro and HD Pro models allow up to 4 sources to be connected at once so you can access media from all of your different sources from anywhere in the world.  And the HD model has all the same features of the Pro, and transmits your video signal in High definition.  The Slingbox gives you the freedom to access almost any media source you could view at home anywhere you are and it allows you to control those electronic devices.  For example you could access a program saved on your direct TV tivo and play it on your phone hundreds of miles away.  You can even have it connected to home security cameras and view what is going on when you are not around.  The opportunities to use Slingbox and this technology are almost endless.  Slingbox is a small investment to get the most out of the media you are already paying for, as it is a relatively cheap product with no monthly fees; they range from $180 to $300.

            The technology being used is simple in that it is just sending video data over an internet connection to be viewed somewhere else.  And this is an expanding market as Sling Media has now developed other products like the SlingCatcher, which is a universal media Center, and uses the same technology to allow you to watch movies from the Internet or your PC on your TV.  The direction this is going will allow everyone everywhere, to access any of their music, movies, or television that they own or subscribe to at any location at any time.  And with Sling Media continuing to improve on their products they should be able to stay as a leader in there market for some time.  The new line of Slingboxes streams media up to 400 times faster than the original. Sling Media's product line is distributed in over 5,000 retail stores in 11 countries and is growing fast in popularity.  Sling Media Products can also be purchased from their own website.

            Slingbox's innovative technology is being recognized and rewarded as one of the best new product's out.  This can be shown by their numerous amount of awards including: PC World's top 100 products of 2007 and Engadget's home entertainment device of the year for 2007.  One of the reasons why this product is so successful is the vast market they go after.  For example, you can see this product being advertised on a show such as Dr. Phil, which is viewed by a more mature audience, but you can also see it being advertised on college campuses.  This product is great for the sports fan who has moved out of a market and can't watch any of his favorite hometown teams games, the business man who can't afford to miss their local programming while away on business, or really any other person in a similar situation.

            Each different model has a variety of features that give you the opportunity to pick the right product for you.  The Slingbox SOLO can be bought for one low price of $179.99, while the more advanced version, the Slingbox PRO-HD, is sold for $299.99.  The newest product in the Sling Media product line, the SlingCatcher is also sold for $299.99.  There are also a variety of accessories that are available including the SlingPlayer Mobile, a one time download for your cell phone that lets you watch on your phone, this is priced at $29.99.  Other accessories for the Sling Media products include hard drives, cables, and ports all priced under $150.00.  These products can be bought in a variety of places.  Sling Media's own website has an easy to use shopping center where all of their products can be obtained, it can also be found in electronic stores such as Circuit City and websites like Amazon.com.

            The Slingbox enhances your viewing experience by allowing you to watch anything, anywhere in the world on something as small as a cell phone. With a relatively cheap price and no monthly fees Sling Media has created a product that is hard to turn down.

The National Hockey League has become the first major sports league to embrace the Slingbox. Sling Media and the NHL have announced a new agreement allowing Slingbox owners to use Sling Media's Clip+Sling technology to share NHL programming online.

Clip+Sling is currently in beta but will be incorporated into the SlingPlayer software once development is complete. It gives Slingbox owners the ability to easily record and share video clips. Those clips will be posted to an upcoming Sling Media "video destination site" where they can be viewed by anyone. NHL clips will be grouped together and searchable. The NHL will also make league-produced content available on Sling Media's site.

Unlike most other North American sports leagues, the NHL has been relatively quick to embrace the Internet when it comes to making video content available. After the loss of the 2004-05 season to labor problems, the league signed an agreement with Comcast to stream some of its games live on the Internet to Comcast cable subscribers.

In contrast, the NFL refuses to let any site other than NFL.com show game footage while maintaining restrictions on how other league footage can be shown online (no more than 45 seconds of practice or press conference footage a day, please). Major League Baseball is also trying to go the exclusive route with MLB.TV and continues to make threatening noises about the Slingbox's place-shifting abilities.

"Having the most tech-savvy fans of all major professional sports, who also tend to be early adopters of new technology, makes offering NHL content through Clip+Sling a natural fit," said Keith Ritter, president of NHL Interactive CyberEnterprises, in a statement. "This partnership expands the visibility of our NHL games online and we are excited and proud to be the first sports league to offer this service to our fans."

Expanding the visibility of the NHL is the key for the league. Last season's Stanley Cup finals between Anaheim and Ottawa garnered record low ratings south of Canada after games 1 and 2 were consigned to cable outlet Versus and the last three games were aired on NBC. Those final three games averaged a 1.6 rating, according to NBC. Game 3, televised last Saturday night on NBC, produced an abysmal 1.1 rating--the lowest prime-time rating in NBC history.

With the NHL struggling for attention, the deal with Sling Media makes sense. It will also help Sling's Clip+Share feature and video destination site get off the ground if it becomes a go-to destination for hockey fans in North America. But don't expect more popular leagues to follow suit: the more popular the property, the greater the desire for exclusivity.