Sling moves north

Posted March 30, 2006 at 08:37 PM by Adam Berger

Section: Computers, Home Audio, Portable Video

We typically don’t think too much about our nice friends to the north because we assume they have basically everything we have, well that is not always true. Sling Media just announced that they will launch the Slingbox in Canada. It is currently available online and will be in retail stores in April for $299 CAD.

The Slingbox, if you don’t know, is a consumer electronics device that enables consumers to watch their living room TV programming from wherever they are by turning virtually any Internet-connected Windows-based laptop or desktop and any Windows Mobile-based handheld computer or smartphone into a personal TV. The Slingbox redirects, or “placeshifts,” a single live TV stream from a basic cable connection, cable box, satellite receiver or digital video recorder (DVR) to the viewer’s PC—located anywhere in the home or anywhere in the world, via the Internet.

Last week Sling Media announced a public beta program for its SlingPlayer Mobile software. This software is available for download from Sling Media’s web site and gives Slingbox customers the ability to watch and control their home TV from any handheld computer or smartphone based on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. SlingPlayer Mobile is also available as a free download for registered Canadian Slingbox customers. Starting April 26th the software will cost $29.99 USD and includes a free 30 day trial. However, all Slingbox owners who buy and register a Slingbox prior to April 26th receive a free license for the final production version of the SlingPlayer Mobile software.

In addition to the Slingbox announcement, Sling Media is introducing into Canada the SlingLink, a powerline Ethernet adapter solution that connects a Slingbox to a home network for customers whose TV and Internet connections are located in different rooms in the house. SlingLink uses the electrical circuitry in a home to connect the Slingbox to a home Internet connection. SlingLink will be available from Canadian retailers who offer the Slingbox, and will cost $129 CAD.

[Press Release]