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August 30, 2006

Slingbox Baby, Sure Had a Real Good Time
Sling Media made a big splash last year with its debut of the Slingbox. Where the digital video recorder (DVR) allows time-shifting (the ability to watch television WHEN we want), the Slingbox allows place-shifting (the ability to watch WHERE we want).

Despite its toy-like appearance, the Slingbox is a serious piece of hardware. The idea is simple: hook up the little box to your TiVo or your cable set top box and connect it to your home internet. Then, when you're out and about, just pull up the client software on your laptop. SlingBox's software will detect the quality and throughput of your connection and shoot you a recompressed, digital stream of whatever you could be watching at home. It even works on cellphones.

As Slingbox expands its customer base, it could end up drawing some worried glances from big media players. Why? Because the device provides a simple way to deliver existing TV programming to PCs and wireless devices at a time when media giants such as Disney, Time Warner, and NBC are grappling with how to provide TV content to consumers online and GET PAID FOR IT.

Posted by Martino Mingione at 01:50 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack