Dave Horvath
30 May 2006 7:47
The European company Sling Media has launched today their Slingbox Internet TV device. Slingbox TV plugs into your cable or satellite TV set-top box and then transmits video over the Internet. This product is being dubbed "placeshifting", as opposed to the "time-shifting" features in devices like Sky+ and Tivo.
Slingbox is officially launching in Britain this week and will be available to a broader European audience later this year.
Slingbox has had some testing in the U.S. which includes many different features such as broadcasting to an enabled cellular phone, although this feature will not be available in the initial European launch. A spokeswoman for Sling Media had no further comments other than, "Conversations are clearly beginning," with European mobile phone companies.
The unit, which sells for £180 is causing a stir with broadcasters in that it may interfere with their plans to offer downloadable content over the Internet on a fee based system.
Source:
Reuters UK