Sling Media Introduces Sling Receiver 300 for Television Service Providers

[Scott Greczkowski]

Sling Media Introduces Sling Receiver 300 for Television Service Providers

Enjoy your primary SlingLoaded™ DVR content on any HDTV in your home

Las Vegas, Nev., USA – Jan. 6, 2010 – Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today unveiled the Sling® Receiver 300 to television service providers. The Sling Receiver 300 is a companion product to a SlingLoaded™ set-top box, such as the award-winning EchoStar SlingLoaded 922 HD DVR, that delivers a full 1080i video stream from an HD DVR to any other HD television in a home using the viewer’s wireless home network. The Sling Receiver 300 was selected as a CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Award honoree in the Multi-Room Audio/Video category.

With the Sling Receiver 300, viewers can enjoy the same HD programming that they experience on their primary HDTV on a secondary HDTV in their home without the need to run additional cables or purchase a second DVR.

“HDTV viewers often want to extend their main set-top box experience to another HDTV with minimal hassle and expense,” said John M. Paul, executive vice president of Products at Sling Media. “The Sling Receiver 300 can extend the full quality of a primary HD DVR experience to any secondary HDTV in the home, while eliminating the cost and problems of running cable.”

How It Works
The Sling Receiver 300 connects to a second HDTV via its built-in HDMI, component or composite video connectors. Depending on the connection method, multiple video formats up to 1080i can be delivered. Audio is delivered to the second TV using HDMI, digital audio or analog audio outputs. The Sling Receiver 300 is small enough to be mounted behind an HDTV.

The Sling Receiver 300 is one in a suite of products and services that EchoStar Technologies L.L.C and its affiliate Sling Media are making available to television service providers to help them attract new subscribers, retain current customers, and bring placeshifting to the largest audience possible.

Sling Media will be demonstrating this new technology in Booth 9021 at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Photos of Sling Media products are downloadable at Sling Media - Media Overview.

 

[sundude90]

Here is a ink with more info about this new device. It includes Pic's & Spec's as well. Sling Media - Sling Receiver 300

 

[BigFella]

Price and expected release date?

It looks like the perfect solution for secondary (bedroom) HDTV's. I'm thinking one of these in my bedroom and the 922 in my Family Room / Home Theater. Slim down to one receiver and to hell with these $17 fees for second and third bedroom receivers (save $34 bucks a month).

 

[LostBoyinVA]

I need these 2 devices at a resonable cost. If the cost is resonable it would mean that the 32" LCD my wife won at her Office X-mas party may actually get unboxed and installed in our Bedroom.

 

[legatebroke]

What side of the dual tuner 922 does it broadcast. If it is side 2 in HD this be great solution to a many installations.

 

[shaudods]

On the Thread on the Dish Forum page with the 922 Spec Sheet attached, Scott had mentioned that the 922's "slinged" content is sent out on TV2. So if the 922 indeed "slings" content via the TV2 tuner... with the use of the new Sling Reciever 300, does that mean that you would be able to watch TV in HD on a second HDTV? I currently do that now via a powered HDMI splitter, but I am stuck watching the same thing on both TV's. It seems like with a 922 and a Sling Receiver 300 at your second TV, you could view HD content on your second TV separate from what is showing on TV1... Right?

 

[jacmyoung]

I think the answer may be even better than yes. The Sling 150 may just be the two-in-one version of your 2nd HD set + Sling 300. The Sling 150 is only 15" and 720p, but still an independent TV3 HD output.

If Sling 300 uses TV2, there will be three HD outputs from the 922, so my bet is leaning on Sling 300 using TV3. TV2 is still SD.

 

[///M AZING]

I wonder how far out the sling 300 is? I don't want to get too excited like I did with the 922 from ces last year that still is not out.

 

[BigFella]

Can two 300's be used simultaneously or can only one be "logged" on at a time? How about a SlingCatcher and a 300 at the same time?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Folks...

With this unit and a 922 you now have full HD output to TV2 on your home network.

Yes the 922 can output to TV2 in HD with this box. Cool huh?

 

[jacmyoung]

Folks...

With this unit and a 922 you now have full HD output to TV2 on your home network.

Yes the 922 can output to TV2 in HD with this box. Cool huh?

I am perfectly happy to be wrong on this one.

I guess the most use out of this setup is, three HD outputs from the 922, one TV1 HD, one Sling 300 wireless remote HD, and one Sling 150 wireless remote HD.

The next question is similar to an earlier question, can they all be used at the same time? If so, can they deliver live feeds independently at the same time or one or two remote TVs can only play back recordings if the main TV is on?

 

[tornado]

Did anyone think with all the discussion of using a less receivers to supply more displays in order to incorporate new hardware and because of fees, no single receiver can tune more than two satellite channels at once? What about situations like in the U-Verse commercial where there are more than two shows on at the same time? Personally I find the U-verse commercials a bit conservative and I know U-Verse's capabilities are not all they are made out to be, but they do have a valid point. With all the programming available now sometimes there are as many as 8 shows I want to see on all at the same time. The upside of this new technology being watching a recorded show in another location or in sharing a receiver, but the less tuners is a pretty big dowside to me. Right now I can tune six channels from satellite with three DVRs, but wish there were more. This is definately a concern if this becomes a trend.

 

[BigFella]

Did anyone think with all the discussion of using a less receivers to supply more displays in order to incorporate new hardware and because of fees, no single receiver can tune more than two satellite channels at once? What about situations like in the U-Verse commercial where there are more than two shows on at the same time? Personally I find the U-verse commercials a bit conservative and I know U-Verse's capabilities are not all they are made out to be, but they do have a valid point. With all the programming available now sometimes there are as many as 8 shows I want to see on all at the same time. The upside of this new technology being watching a recorded show in another location or in sharing a receiver, but the less tuners is a pretty big dowside to me. Right now I can tune six channels from satellite with three DVRs, but wish there were more. This is definately a concern if this becomes a trend.

I understand your point Tornado, I currently lease 3 dual tuner DVR's myself. However, we've got a three person household and like most everyone else out there I'm trying to cut back on expenses. When I see these new fees coming in February, I've got to weigh the convenience of having six sat tuners against saving 34 bucks a month. I think I'm going to opt for making do with 2 sat tuners. Besides, even though I live in a poor OTA reception area (I only get NBC OTA - nothing else), with the OTA module I get an extra tuner to record any NBC shows I watch. I'm also taking into consideration the fact that most of the cable stations repeat shows either the same day or very shortly afterwords, so I can record them later if there is a conflict.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Did anyone think with all the discussion of using a less receivers to supply more displays in order to incorporate new hardware and because of fees, no single receiver can tune more than two satellite channels at once?

I think you will see something at next years CES show like you are describing. Somethign you put in the closet with many tuners and have one of these Sling Receivers hooked to each TV (or if the TV supports Flash have then you need no Sling receiver)

Kind of neat ehh?

 

[tornado]

I think you will see something at next years CES show like you are describing. Somethign you put in the closet with many tuners and have one of these Sling Receivers hooked to each TV (or if the TV supports Flash have then you need no Sling receiver)

Kind of neat ehh?

Cool Scott. Thanks.

 

[tornado]

most of the cable stations repeat shows

Valid point.

 

[jacmyoung]

I think you will see something at next years CES show like you are describing. Somethign you put in the closet with many tuners and have one of these Sling Receivers hooked to each TV (or if the TV supports Flash have then you need no Sling receiver)

Kind of neat ehh?

Does not look like the direction DISH is taking though, more like the DirecTV's approach. Not too long ago Charlie said if you wanted it in another room, just get another DVR. Of course DISH can change its direction, they seemed to have done so to some degree already with the new gears in this CES.

 

[silvanthalas]

Yes the 922 can output to TV2 in HD with this box. Cool huh?

What would be far cooler is if Dish would just build a DVR that can support HD on TV1 and TV2, so there's no need for extra hardware at all.

Or, and I say this as a customer, is that just too forward thinking for Dish?

 

[tornado]

What would be far cooler is if Dish would just build a DVR that can support HD on TV1 and TV2, so there's no need for extra hardware at all.

Or, and I say this as a customer, is that just too forward thinking for Dish?

I agree this would be cool, but I am not an average user. This would have to be in the same room because it would be difficult to run HDMI or component and audio to a different location in your house. It sounds like Dish's solution with the cool extra hardware would overcome the obstacle of long cable runs quite easily I think. I really think this stuff is cool. I do not think it is going to be easy endure the lengthy waiting period for all of this hardware. It sounds great. Just my opinion. On second thought if it could easily be added a TV2 high def output would be nice and no one knows what the charges are going to be on the sling stuff.

 

[huskerpat]

I think you will see something at next years CES show like you are describing. Somethign you put in the closet with many tuners and have one of these Sling Receivers hooked to each TV (or if the TV supports Flash have then you need no Sling receiver)

Kind of neat ehh?

This is exactly what I'm looking for in the end. Are they talking about doing something with Microsoft Media Room or will it be purely powered by Sling. This years solution sounds fine, but it doesn't quite meet the needs of my family's viewing habits.