Filed under: Announcements, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Last week we put a Slingbox AV out to give away, and we’ve got a winner! Randy P is taking home that AV, but today we’re giving away the new top of the line Slingbox, the Slingbox PRO. This thing pretty much does it all, including high def, so today in order to have your chance to take home a PRO we want you to leave us a comment telling us what kind of phone (or laptop) you have that you’re planning on using this thing with. You’ll have until next Wednesday (the 18th), then we’ll pick the winner at random, assuming s/he follows the rules:

• You may enter other Engadget contests, however…
• You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you’ll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though!
• You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc.)
• This contest is open to the US only, sorry!
• You will be shipped your PRO when all the contests are up, so sit tight!

Good luck, and be sure you’ve entered our other contests, as well!

• Here’s a second Xbox 360 Premium pack
• The final Nikon S7c digital camera!
• Fourth shot at a Zune
• Win a VidaBox SLIM for the best Halloween costume!
• Seriously, you can win a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Sneaky Sling, slipping one right under everyone’s noses — just yesterday we happened to be pondering to ourselves why they’d develop a Windows Mobile Slingplayer client and announce their intentions to develop a Symbian version, but not do one for Palm OS? (Yes, we really do think about this stuff in our spare time.) The side of the new Slingbox boxes, as we know, clearly show Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Mobile logos, Mac and Symbian support (which is a little unfair considering neither client is out even in beta yet) — as well as an innocuous black sticker we totally didn’t even notice. That is, until our pal Dave peeled it off and revealed the Palm logo, too. Maybe it was just too soon to pre-announce, maybe maybe they’re going to wait for ALP before they make a move on Palm, or maybe they just killed their Palm client plans — we don’t know, but for our many Treo using friends, you’ve now a bit more hope than you did yesterday for getting your place shifting on without having to finally let go of Palm.

P.S. -We pinged Sling to see what’s going on, but we’re still waiting back for the official word back. Stay tuned for more info.
P.P.S. -Did anyone else notice Sling recognized the Engadget Award they received last year? Nice! (Picture after the break.)

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Since its inception, the Slingbox has been a tough pill for some broadcasters to swallow, and while many were screaming injustice, Sling Media declared its flagship product a model of fair use. Apparently some of the accusations have prompted changes, as Sling’s latest firmware upgrade adds encryption to the Slingbox’s video streams, contrary to its previously encryption-free process. Presumably in reaction to the demands of content owners and the media industry, this encryption should at least appease those who don’t want any streamed content to end up being illegally distributed. But the alteration has caused at least one piece of add-on timeshifting software to become defunct. The At-Large Recorder (previously the Replay SlingCorder) from Applian Technologies had allowed users to record their streamed data directly onto a computer, but now cannot function due to the added layer of encryption, causing its CEO to rail against the decision, saying, “They basically added a feature that nobody asked for, for reasons that they’re not willing to discuss, and it happens to break our product too.” A spokesperson for Sling claimed that encryption had been in the works for awhile, and the timing here is “completely coincidental,” despite Sling’s previous run-in with Applian, where they obliged the software company change the name of its Replay SlingCorder product. While the upgrade was likely a defensive move to appease an ever-wary content industry, Sling has stifled some extended functionality with the update; exactly how much choice Sling was left regarding the matter when facing the mighty media regulators we may never know, but for the time being there is a number Applian customers not too stoked by Sling’s decision.

[Via Techdirt]

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Filed under: Portable Video

After alienating fans with long strikes and doped-up players, you’d think that Major League Baseball would be wise to make moves towards recapturing its lost fan base; instead, recent comments by an executive from MLB’s media division indicate that baseball may be intending to further sour relations with its customers by cracking down on the placeshifting of televised games. Speaking at this year’s Digital Media Summit in LA, MLB Advanced Media executive VP George Kliavkoff went toe-to-toe with fellow panel member and Sling Media marketing VP Rich Buchanan, arguing that Slingbox customers are “violating the scope of their [cable and satellite] user agreements” when they rebroadcast content out of their home market. The whole issue seems rather silly to us, as baseball is essentially complaining that you’re somehow screwing a local affiliate by watching an out-of-market game when you’re traveling to its city, even though the sport as a whole is still benefiting from your viewership and the vast number of placeshifters probably ensure that no net eyeballs are actually lost. Note to MLB: Cricket is starting to look more and more attractive every day…

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Normally software updates for our devices go unnoticed and unmentioned by the Engadget team, but Sling's new version (1.1.0.153) of their SlingPlayer software commands some attention for its new features, such as doubled resolution for local streaming (640 x 240), 16:9 support, favorites bars, skins and interface tweaks, and expanded European PAL and DVB-T support. Enjoy, SlingBoxers.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Windows Mobile, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS

The honeymoon is over, folks, so if you aren't already among the proud army of Slingbox owners you're gonna need to shell out $30 for the mobile client software if/when you decide to become a Sling Media customer. As of today, the company's SlingPlayer Mobile app has officially transformed from a beta into a commercial product, although this means little to customers who purchased their 'box prior to April 26th, as they are entitled to a free copy of the current Windows Mobile version, the upcoming Windows Smartphone version, and, according to Sling's website, versions for "additional mobile platforms and operating systems" when they become available. In case you're not a semi-frequent reader of this site, or another excellent destination called Engadget, SlingPlayer Mobile is a bit of software that allows Slingbox owners to watch and listen to both live and recorded content from their home theaters on any broadband-enabled, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition- or WM5-powered device.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]