Early in April, Sling Media unveiled a beta client to stream content from its Slingbox device to Windows Mobile devices. Called SlingPlayer Mobile, the application is compatible with Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 5.0 and 2003 Second Edition. The beta period is now over.
Those who've bought and registered their Slingbox before April 26th won't need to pay the one-time $29.99 free for the SlingPlayer Mobile client.
Slingbox enables users to 'placeshift' cable, satellite, or digital video recorder (DVR) signals to another location via a broadband Internet connection—all for a one time fee of $250, with no monthly service charges. The idea behind placeshifting is it gives the end-user total control over their digital content; something proponents of DRM technology and fledgling - yet proprietary - mobile TV networks (movie studios, record companies, operators, etc.) aren’t too keen on.
Currently, SlingPlayer Mobile is compatible with Microsoft-based smartphones with touch screens like Palm's Treo 700w or Sprint's PPC 6700, which can now receive live broadcasts from their home televisions, for example, from the Slingbox gadget. (A full list of compatible devices is available on the company's Web site. ) A version for non-touchscreen Windows Mobile Smartphones is due later this quarter. And there will be editions for other wireless platforms in the future as well.
SlingPlayer Mobile requires sustained network speeds of 112 kbps—the faster the data connection, the better the video quality, according to SlingMedia. The company says it has tested SlingPlayer Mobile with successful frame rates up to a full 30 frames per second on many Windows Mobile devices as well.
For devices with rectangular displays (240 x 320 or 480 x 640), the software supports full-screen viewing in landscape mode. This means with devices like the Treo 700w, with increasingly popular square screens, there will be some blank space left at the top and bottom of their displays.
