There has been some confusion lately regarding whether this version would have 3G in the rest of the world which I'd like to clear up. 1.1 was always Wi-Fi only. We submitted another version of the app that works on 3G that is intended for the rest of the world. We have not heard back from Apple on that app yet, and will keep you posted.

The DISH stuff is new, and will connect directly to the DISH receiver to "draw" the guide on the iPhone instead of just streaming a picture of the guide. It also has search and filtering features "that are not possible even when sitting in front of your TV." We'll let you know when the app's live.

While it is true that AT&T's already clogged 3G pipes would burst into unusability if tons of people were watching Sling on their iPhones, that's only half the picture. The other half comes from the fact that AT&T's working on their OWN application code-named i-Verse, one that performs a similar task as SlingPlayer Mobile.

AT&T's "i-Verse" app works with their U-Verse TV solution that can either load DVR'ed shows from your U-Verse recorder into your iPhone at home, or stream shows across the net over their 3G network. The app was demoed last year behind closed doors and based on the reception then, prompted AT&T to go into full-time development on it.

We understand that AT&T doesn't want to lose man-hours sunk into development into the app (and that it's their network), but using their position to strong-arm the shut-down of another app just so it doesn't have the competition? That's some lousy, lousy sauce that's more similar than not to net neutrality issues—that is, if our tipster is right. [Thanks tipster!]

We've been testing the player for a couple weeks and it definitely works great. On Wi-Fi, it's smooth—smoother and better looking than other Slingplayers for other mobiles—which is great, since that's the only way you'll be able to use it.

It was actually fine over 3G (which I tested with, but you won't get to use), with slightly more lag and noticeably worse video quality, but that's the compromise you have to make when you want to WATCH TV ANYWHERE. Looks like that rumor about AT&T not being happy with Sling pulling down so much data over their network was true.

In any case, watching Slingplayer Mobile is fine, but controlling Slingplayer Mobile—especially if you have a TiVo or other DVR—is somewhat clumsy. There are various remote screens that work, but have to refresh whenever you hit a button. It's slow, so setting up your show will be tedious. That's the limitation Sling had to work with since the iPhone has no physical buttons. And, there's black-bar issues around the side (and sometimes top) of the phone that's occasionally impossible to get rid of (depending on the aspect ratio you're watching), which is a limitation of the player software.

If this had been 3G-capable, we'd happily pay $30 for the privilege of watching TV on the train or at the bank. As is, you're limited to Starbucks, your office, or anywhere else where you can latch onto a network.

We are glad that it's now compatible with older Slingboxes, which is something Sling did very right. You just won't get tech support for it if you use the older models.

The app should appear in the iTunes App Store at the latest by tomorrow morning.

While it's designed to work over Wi-Fi and 3G—like that rumored and delicious Hulu app—AppleInsider suggests it might need to be Wi-Fi only to appease AT&T, who fears what it would do to its network. After all, at best its retracted Skype-and-Sling-banning terms of service update was a Freudian slip. [Boy Genius, AppleInsider]

Dave says that Motorola imagines the Media Mover as a "Swiss Army knife" of USB gadgets. It'll transcode lots of different video on your DVR and broadcast it locally or remotely over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, kinda like Sling. Motorola was demoing it sending video to a Moto Q9M, iPhone (pictured) and a laptop. It's also got a low-res nanny cam built inside, so you can watch how much of the good wine they're drinking on your iPhone.

No price or date yet, but it's supposed to be "low cost." [ZatzNotFunny]

The language added on March 30 to AT&T's wireless data service Terms and Conditions was done in error. It was brought to our attention and we have since removed it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Raise your hand if this BS smells like roses to you.

Here's the dirty clause, uncovered by Public Knowledge:

This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services, customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device, web broadcasting, and/or for the operation of servers, telemetry devices and/or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition devices is prohibited.

That pretty much describes Sling in a nutshell—throwing video from your house to your phone. It remains to be seen how strict they'll be on that, but it is lame cakes in writing, at least.

Net neutrailty just doesn't apply to invisible internets, you know, since you don't want them to run out. [AT&T via Public Knowledge via NewTeeVee]

As the product team was working on the future roadmap we realized that the hardware on the older boxes would not support the kind of high quality streaming video and advanced features across all platforms we want to offer moving forward.

This is why it doesn't work with the Slingbox, Slingbox AV and the Slingbox Tuner, and only with the SOLO, the Pro or the Pro-HD. This seemed weird to us, since 640x480 of the original Slingbox was fine enough to watch on laptops even outside the local network, why wasn't it enough to watch on iPhones with even lesser resolution?

Their answer: the decision was based on the entire roadmap, not just the iPhone. So, they've got some more interesting things coming up that they decided that NOW was the time to make the cutoff on old devices. It's true, the old devices are lacking in processing power, and no matter when they do the cutoff people will be upset. Might as well be now.

If you have Dish network (are they any of you out there?), the ViP 922 will let you schedule, manage and view your recordings (and plenty of 'em on the 1TB drive) from any web-connected machine; there's also a nifty new touchpad remove for when you're at home. Could have used that for Top Chef tonight—no Bravo at the Wynn. WTF??

It's available via your friendly Dish service man come Spring 2009 for an undisclosed sum.

DISH NETWORK® INTRODUCES WORLD’S FIRST
“SLINGLOADED” HD DVR AT 2009 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

New 1 Terabyte High Definition DVR with Integrated Slingbox, Touchpad Remote Control and Tile-based User Interface

Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 8, 2009 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), the nation’s third largest pay-TV provider and the digital transition leader, today unveiled the world’s first
SlingLoaded™ HD DuoDVR™, the award-winning ViP® 922. The ViP® 922 is the first high definition digital video recorder that incorporates placeshifting technology.

The ViP® 922 was built by EchoStar Technologies L.L.C., a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), and developed for DISH Network as an entertainment centerpiece that – combined with the only 1080p Video on Demand and 100 percent, all-HD suite of programming packages available today – will revolutionize the way consumers watch and enjoy their favorite programming. DISH Network will offer the ViP® 922 to customers in Spring 2009.

“DISH Network is pleased to add another award-winning product to our suite of MPEG-4 HD DVR ViP receivers: a groundbreaking set top box that offers consumers the true experience of TV everywhere,” said DISH Network Chairman, CEO and President Charlie Ergen. “By integrating Sling Media’s Slingbox technology into our industry-leading HD DVR, DISH Network is providing even more ways for our subscribers to view their TV programming – through their television sets, their desktops at home, their laptops on the road, and their smartphones including Blackberrys, iPhones and more.”

The ViP® 922 allows TV enthusiasts to watch and control their favorite TV shows and sporting events from anywhere in the world via a broadband Internet connection on their laptop or mobile phone. With five video sources, including satellite, broadband and optional over-the-air tuners, viewers will never run out of shows to watch. The ViP® 922 also features a multi-tuner DVR with up to 1,000 hours of recording time and supports connecting external hard drives for even more storage capacity.

An innovative touchpad remote control accompanies the ViP® 922, which eliminates half the buttons of a standard remote control and provides cursor-like navigation on a TV screen. With a slide of the thumb, viewers experience scroll-over activation of the new user interface: on-screen widget-like tiles and pop-up menus. All features are selectable by an underside index finger trigger selection on the radio frequency-controlled remote, which offers two-way learning of codes from other AV equipment remote controls.

The ViP® 922 can also be controlled using SlingGuide™, a new way for consumers to control their TV viewing experience over the Internet. SlingGuide features a powerful search engine for the TV along with the ability to schedule the ViP® 922 DVR timers remotely.

Other ViP® 922 features include:
• News feeds located on the home screen, giving viewers instant access to national news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
• Ability to organize channels by channel name or number.
• 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i and 480p support.
• Internet-delivered DISH On Demand including 1080p content.
• Ability to move one day in the guide while browsing full screen EPG or partial EPG.
• Connections to home networks via Ethernet, HomePlug Turbo (the next generation of HomePlug that allows for faster in-home transfer of content using home power lines), or WiFi (with optional WiFi adapter).
• Powerful search capability across all available video sources, including IP, VOD, satellite or DVR.
• Intuitive timer creation and DVR management, allowing users to categorize programming by groups (video source, title, genres) or by content description (date, length, ratings and more).
• Ability to load photos, MP3s and selected Internet content.
• Future upgrades such as photo sharing, movie ticket purchases, family calendars, instant messaging, streaming audio, and the ability to transfer content within a home network.

EchoStar’s new user interface and remote control for the ViP® 922 were selected as CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honorees. Demonstrations of the ViP® 922 will be available at DISH Network’s Booth No. 14438, located in the Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 8-11. For more information about DISH Network, visit www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).

As opposed to a standalone desktop client, Sling has opted to introduce SlingPlayer for Mac HD as a web-based app that runs through Sling.com. The move makes sense, as Sling has been gradually moving into the webspace over the last year with Sling accounts and their web TV portal.

As for the iPhone app, it has undergone some visual changes since the last time we saw it in June, and is now optimized for iPhone 2.0 software. In addition, it has some new features, such as a new remote control interface that changes according to your cable or satellite box, Sling.com account integration and new finger gestures that let you change channels with a swipe of the finger.

SlingPlayer for Mac HD will be available for free sometime in Q1 this year, while the iPhone Sling app will be submitted to Apple for approval around the same time (keep your fingers crossed on that one).

Sling Media to Demonstrate SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone and Slingbox HD Streaming on the Mac at Macworld

San Francisco — Macworld — January 6, 2009 — Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is demonstrating a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone being developed for the iTunes store at this year’s Macworld. Sling Media will deliver a version of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone to Apple for certification in Q1.

Sling Media is also unveiling a prototype of a new SlingPlayer for Mac HD which allows Slingbox PRO-HD users to stream HD to their Mac desktop or laptop computer. The new SlingPlayer for Mac HD is a web-based version of the SlingPlayer software that will be accessible from Sling.com, Sling Media’s recently launched video entertainment web site.

“SlingPlayer Mobile is ideally suited for the iPhone’s large touch screen display and I know iPhone users are eagerly anticipating the application’s availability,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media. “Add to that HD streaming support for Slingbox PRO-HD customers and live TV support on our video entertainment site, Sling.com, and you can see Sling Media is committed to delivering great solutions for Mac users.”

SlingPlayer Mobile gives consumers their entire home TV experience, including local channels, local sports teams, video on demand, pay per view, etc. Any program that you can watch on your sofa back home, you can now watch via your iPhone using a standard network connection (3G Cellular, WiFi). In addition, SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone users can also control their home digital video recorder (DVR) to watch recorded shows, pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, or even queue new recordings while on the road.

Pricing and Availability
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone will be submitted to Apple for testing and approval in Q1. The price has not been determined at this time. SlingPlayer for Mac HD will be available for free via the web-based SlingPlayer within Sling.com later in Q1. Mac customers will be able to use either Safari or Firefox web browsers to get both HD streaming and Live TV within Sling.com.

The official list of supported phones now includes the following:

Sprint Treo 800w
Sony Ericsson X1
Palm Treo Pro
Sprint HTC Touch Diamond
Sprint HTC Touch Pro
Verizon HTC Touch Pro
Verizon Samsung Saga
Verizon Samsung Omnia
AT&T LG Incite
AT&T HTC Fuze
AT&T Samsung Epix
HP iPAQ 910
AT&T Pantech Duo
Sprint Samsung ACE
Verizon XV6900

That said, almost any phone running a compatible resolution should be fine (Touch HD, anyone?). [Sling]

The player will run on most BlackBerry phones, with the notable exception of the Storm, which it seems would be best suited for such purposes. According to the company, the app will run straight away and without caveat on the BlackBerry Bold, Curve 8900, 8820, Curve 8320, Pearl Flip 8220, and Pearl 8120, assuming they are updated to OS 4.5.

Beyond that, Sling says that the program may run fine on a variety of other OS 4.5 EDGE-only handsets, though these configurations will be unsupported. If our early hands-on is any indicator, a solid EDGE connection will generally do well enough, so for all intents and purposes this release will cover most of the operational BlackBerry line. The beta will open on 12/30. [Sling]

For those unaware, Slingplayer lets you watch streaming video over the internet from any source connected to a slingbox. Some of these features, like the online ID system, are already present in the Slingplayer 2.0 release for Windows. But the revamped mac version, which promises HD streaming, isn't quite ready, so this will have to do in the meantime. Download it over at [Sling].

Price: $300

The Verdict: Sling Pro HD is a worthy successor to previous Slingboxes for a number of reasons. Primarily, because it streams in real 1080i HD. Previously, you could connect a component source to the Sling Pro and Sling Solo, but it would down convert the HD signal, merely preserving the 16:9 ratio.

In addition, you can connect more than one HD source — not only is there a set of Component video inputs, but there is a coaxial input for over-the-air HD. This gives you two HD options, plus composite inputs for SD video. Another plus is that you no longer need to buy the special HD connect cable from Sling. You can hse any component cables (or the ones they include) and connect it to your HD source. Easy.

(Click here for full-sized comparison)

Once I properly configured the router to work with the Sling Pro HD, I had plenty of bandwidth to stream in HD. As far as picture quality, there is a noticeable difference in sharpness between the HD streaming and down-converted 640x480 video. Is the HD stream jaw-droppingly, awe-inspiring, hands down more rad than the SD stream? No. But videophiles will likely agree the HD stream does look better.

Currently, the lack of Mac support for HD streaming hurts. But (at the time of publish) it is in development, and will arrive in the near future, so its not a huge deal. Secondly, if you're using a smaller laptop or smaller external monitor, you're also not going to notice that much of a difference between HD and SD. But if you use a largish external monitor with your Sling stream, the HD stream will be more prevalent.

We streamed over LAN and over a remote broadband connection, and noticed little drop off in picture quality when connecting outside the network. But that's not so much the fault of the Slingbox as it is the ISP. When the remote connection had enough bandwidth to stream HD over a remote connection, it was pretty close to the LAN in quality. As a note, most of our testing was done over wi-fi, and the results were equal to testing done via ethernet.

If you're willing to pay a little extra for more (and easier) HD input options, and a slightly better picture, by all means, consider the Sling Pro HD. It rarely sputters when the connection is sufficient, and with the program guide and ability to rewind up to 60 minutes built into the new 2.0 software, It's easier than ever to use. [Sling on Giz]

A lot like YouTube but even more like Hulu, users can create clips from programming and share it with others through the site. Users can also subscribe to the feeds of other users, allowing for convenient, mindless sharing of media.

In addition, 60 official content partners (aka networks) will be joining in on the fun as well with somewhat vague "premium" on-demand content.

Beyond streaming one's television through their browser, none of these features sounds independently revolutionary. But together, the services look to combine internet and TV in a new way. [TechCrunch]

SlingCatcher

This place-shifting feature is the main focus of the product (hence the name), and its ability to circumvent the computer entirely is pretty great. One of the first things you notice when you enter the SlingCatcher feature and log in to your account is that any Slingbox you've ever connected are all displayed in a list. Sling's recently enabled users to link devices to their ID and this lets you hop from Sling to Sling with relative ease and not much thought.

As far as performance goes, the picture looked great at times, especially when used with an HD Slingbox. It suffered from some slowdown and artifacting, but part of that was because my own internet connection was acting up. I'll be curious to see how it looks over LAN when streaming in the same house.

My Media
My Media is the most straightforward of the features on the SlingCatcher. You plug in some form of storage, SlingCatcher brings up the file directory of content it can playback from the drive , you pick what you want, and start watching. Also, using SlingSync, you can wirelessly send your files to an attached drive, and the software will make sure they're compatible before doing so. This feature doesn't currently support NAS drives, but that functionality is planned for future software updates.

Sling Projector

This was the feature that excited me the most. While it has the ability to display your entire computer desktop to your TV with audio, its real strength is locking on to a specific area, like a video window, and upscaling it to fit your TV screen. Most of the SlingProjector experience takes place on your computer with a special desktop client.

Launching the SlingProjector program brings an icon up on the screen that has the option to start or stop "projection," as well as a toggle button to capture the whole screen, or just part. When part is selected, there's a blue rectangle that floats around your screen, auto-attaching itself to different elements. You can also tweak the size of the rectangle manually, and home in on specific dimensions. Think of the like creating webclips in Safari.

When you select your boundaries for projection, the signal is sent to the TV, followed by a brief moment where SlingCatcher recognizes the dimensions of the video, upscales, and adjusts the stream buffer accordingly. I watched LOST from ABC's online player, and about 10-15 seconds after it loaded, it looked pretty amazing on a 42-inch LCD. For now, the SlingProjector software will only work with Windows computers, but OS X-compatible software is in development.

While no specific date has been locked down for release, the SlingCatcher will definitely come out this year, and when it does, expect a full review of this versatile, powerful device. [Sling on Giz]

The Guide
•The Guide is like the electronic programming guide (EPG) in your set top box at home but built right into the SlingPlayer for Windows 2.0 software. You can easily find what’s on without having to use SlingPlayer to access your STB's EPG.
•The Guide enables quick, easy navigation, channel search and channel change functionality right from your PC, using the SlingPlayer and just a couple clicks of your mouse.
•With the Guide there’s no IR delay when sending a command through the SlingPlayer to change the channel or program a recording, and the Guide slides out of the SlingPlayer software so it doesn’t obscure what you’re watching on the screen. With a comprehensive view of your channels, easy to navigate views and search capability, the Guide allows you to get right to what’s important, watching what you want to watch now.

Live Video Buffer
•Live Video Buffer with DVR-like control, allows you to easily pause, rewind or fast-forward up to 60 minutes of video on your PC, right from the SlingPlayer.
•Whether you have a DVR at home or not, this feature makes watching your TV on your PC even easier and more enjoyable by giving you greater control without the fuss of a remote control.

Integrated Sling Accounts
•Sling Accounts stores your key Slingbox information like your program guide line up, Slingbox IDs, passwords and favorites on central Sling Media servers.
•This feature allows you to access your information on any PC or laptop running SlingPlayer for Windows 2.0 software so when you switch computers or want to install SlingPlayer for Windows 2.0 on an additional computer, you no longer have to re-enter your information on the new computer. By signing into your Sling Account after installing the software, your Slingbox information will automatically appear. This is a first of many key features enabled by Sling Accounts.

New Look & Feel
•SlingPlayer for Windows 2.0 is sporting a new look & feel. With detachable slide-out windows and a sleek new player design it presents all the new features and functionality in an easy to navigate way.

Multiple Viewing Modes & Sizes
•With different viewing modes, the SlingPlayer software allows you to work, surf the web and enjoy your TV, all at the same time.

To take part in the 2.0 beta, hit the following link to download the software. [Sling]

While Sling plans to develop and distribute the software through the iTunes App Store, the demo build we were shown runs on a jailbroken iPhone because of current testing limitations with the iPhone SDK. And since this is in the early stages of development, the demo was limited in function, but from what I saw, it looks like a totally awesome alternative to mobile TV.

Once you connect to your Slingbox, you control channels with an on-screen remote whose buttons scroll horizontally at the bottom of the screen. There's also a scrollbar full of channel icons that provide shortcuts to specific stations. Video ran pretty smooth and looked good over a wi-fi connection. And it goes without saying, but Sling also has their fingers crossed for a 3G iPhone.

While the current proof-of-concept software is using a WMV codec to stream video, Sling is hoping Apple will make its video decoding assets available on the iPhone so they can use that instead. There's no word on an official release date for the application, but for those iPhone owners with Slingboxes, dreams of mobile TV just became an afterthought. [Sling on Giz]

Free firmware upgrade later this month if you register your TV+ (or $50 if ya don't), it'll deliver QVGA video from your TV to PCs, WinMo phones, 605/705, and then Symbian soon. Not bad if you're already in the Archos ecosystem, but the res is sorta shitty. [Archos, Archosfans]

We got a hands-on with it earlier in the week and were pretty impressed. Some scenarios that we can think of are:

• Streaming HD from your DVR in your living room to your Slingcatcher in your bedroom.
• Dumping a bunch of BitTorrented DivX/XviD files onto a USB drive, taking it to the Slingcatcher, plugging it in and watching.
• Opening up ABC HD, turning on last night's Lost, and watching it on the TV instead of the computer.

Convenient! [Slingbox]

SlingPlayer for BB is only available and certified for one particular European BlackBerry Pearl version with Wi-Fi that's not even available in the US right now, but you can try loading it onto other phones and see if it clicks. Sling is adding more models soon, as they've been known to do, so it won't be long until you're hopping onto the can to sneak 5 minutes with Judge Judy in the afternoon.

It supports 16:9 widescreen video, as well as four input-output sets (ATSC, S-video, composite video and component video, along with analog or digital audio out). If you've got a fast enough Ethernet network (most should be unless you're throwing files around concurrently) or a fast enough Wi-Fi network, you can view the full 1080i video on your laptop or a spare TV.

We got to put our hands on it earlier in the week, and the unit itself looked and felt nice (the black looks a bit nicer than the earlier units' designs). We didn't get to see it in motion just yet, but we'll give it a whiz at CES. This'll be available in August '08 at $399.

The company believes that it will free up the Slingbox hardware to a broader range of customers—maybe even through cable companies and other DBS providers. For the record, Sling Media has always maintained that they would not manufacture products for use by a single company—a promise that was illustrated earlier this year with a device that appears to incorporate a built-in cable modem. [SEC via GIgaOM via Electronista]

The upgrade, due in a month, will also have the clip and post functionality that lets you share clips with friends online, which we heard about at CES. And Pogue's post confirms an iPhone client is coming, which we first heard about in an off hand remark by Om interview with CEO Blake Krikorian before an SDK was ever acknowledged by The steve. Sling rep and TiVo blogger Dave Zatz offered up these words when we sought confirmation: "We're actively researching the iphone platform, and are eagerly awaiting the SDK."

What I wonder is if Sling is WMV-based, and the iPhone streams H.264 natively, does this mean Sling'll start broadcasting in H.264? Or is Sling going to make a WM client for the iPhone? Either way, it's going to be a long stream home on that EDGE connection.

[The Tomo Report]