Looking for a good deal on a Slingbox? Woot has the Slingbox AV for $70 today only. Shipping will set you back another $5, but that's still about $35 cheaper than the $110 you'd usually pay for a Slingbox AV.

Like its siblings in the Slingbox family, the Slingbox AV lets you stream media over the internet. That means you can plug the Slingbox AV into your home cable box, TiVo, or other audio/video equipment and then watch live or pre-recorded video on an internet-connected computer or mobile device.

The Slingbox AV is one of the cheapest models available. You can only plug in one audio/video device at a time using the S-Video or composite inputs. This box also does not support HD video. If you're looking for HD, you either need an adaptor or the Slingbox Solo. If you want multiple inputs and/or HD video, you should check out the Slingbox Pro. But if you're just looking to save money and stream content from your TiVo to your mobile phone, today's a good day to buy.

Sling Media first announced the SlingModem in January, and we haven't heard much about the product since. Now it looks like Sling will be showing off the device at The Cable Show next week.

The box will basically have most of the features you'd expect from a Slingbox (ie: you connect it to your TiVo, cable box, or other device to stream live or recorded TV over the internet) plus a built in cable modem. The SlingModem is targeted at cable service providers who might want to offer the box to customers. Odds are you won't be able to pick up a SlingModem at your local Best Buy anytime soon.

The continued development of the cable-only SlingModem shows that Sling's parent company EchoStar was serious when it spun off the DISH Network satellite network as a separate division.

[via Gizmo Lovers]

Archos is rolling out a series of software upgrades to its WiFi-enabled portable media players. CNET reports that he 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi will be getting support in May for Flash 9 which will let you watch online video from sites like YouTube and Hulu.

Flash 9 support will come as a free firmware upgrade, but you'll also be able to pay $20 for a "Web TV and Radio plug-in" which will give you access to thousands of streaming radio stations, video streams, and podcasts. Don't expect broadcast quality television though. More likely you'll find C-Span style video content.

Finally, Archos is adding placeshifting features to the Archos TV+, which is the company's answer to the Apple TV. The company will release a plugin in May that will let the box stream content over the internet to computers, Windows Mobile and Symbian Smartphones, and of course Archos's internet-enabled portable media players.

Sling Media first launched a Symbian version of its SlingPlayer software which lets you stream live TV from your home to your cellphone last fall. But now the company is improving its Symbian software, with support for UIQ on Symbian devices. Support is also coming soon for the Nokia N95 phone, which has 8GB of internal memory and a nice big screen, making it an ideal device for multimedia.

Support for UIQ handsets should roll out this summer, with support for the following models initially:

• Sony Ericsson P1i, P990i, W960i, W950i, M600i
• Motorola MOTORIZR Z8

In order to watch live or recorded TV on your mobile device using the SlingPlayer software you'll need to purchase a Slingbox, which is a set top box that you plug into your home TV or other video source and connect to your home network. SlingPlayer Mobile clients are also available for Windows Mobile and PalmOS devices, and Sling Media plans to roll out a BlackBerry client later this year.

One thing that sets HAVA's place-shifting boxes apart from the better known Slingbox is that every Hava unit has a built in TV tuner. That means you can stream live TV across the internet just by plugging in a cable or antenna, no cable box, TiVo, or other device needed. It's also meant that you could use Hava boxes as networked TV tuners for Windows Media Center PCs.

But now Monsoon Multimedia, the makers of the Hava line, are announcing that you can plug a USB hard drive into a Hava Titanium box to turn it into a fully functional personal video recorder. You can schedule recordings remotely using the Hava interface, or remotely using Hava's PC or Windows Mobile software.

Monsoon Multimedia will be selling Hava branded USB peripherals for the Hava Titanium soon, but I'm guessing if the company issues a firmware upgrade for the box, you should be able to plug any old hard drive into the USB port.

Sling Media is working on a SlingPlayer client for BlackBerry devices. No, we're not particularly surprised either. The company already as a Palm Client, a Windows Mobile client, and this morning officially launched the US version of their Symbian client. So it was really just a matter of time, right?

SlingPlayer Mobile lets anyone with a Slingbox hooked up to their cable/satellite/TiVo/other set-top box stream TV from their home over the internet to a mobile device. We're going to go out on a limb and say that SlingPlayer for BlackBerry is going to run you $30, which is the going rate for Sling Media's other mobile clients.

A Sling spokesperson confirmed that a BlackBerry version is in the works. But he says it can take a long time to port the software to a new platform. It took nearly a year to develop Palm and Symbian versions. In other words, don't expect to Sling anything to your BlackBerry before 2008.

[via Engadget]

Sling Media has announced the latest addition to its lineup of place-shifting devices. The $180 Slingbox Solo fits between the top of the line Slingbox Pro ($230) and the entry level Slingbox AV ($130). Not only does the solo fit squarely between its siblings when it comes to price, but it also has some of the same features as its big brother, on a smaller scale.

While the Slingbox Pro can control 4 separate devices, the Solo handles just one. The Solo also lacks the built-in NTSC tuner found int he Pro. But unlike the Pro, the Solo can handle HDTV out of the box. It includes component inputs and outputs, so there's no need to spend $50 on a separate HD Connect.

This is the first Slingbox to include a USB port. It doesn't do anything at the moment, but it's reserved for future use. No word on what that use is, but perhaps a firmware update will let you store programs on an external hard drive. Or something.

This is also the first Sling Media device that will be launched in the US, Canada, and the UK simultaneously. It should be available in stores next week. Sling Media is also launching the Slingbox Pro in the UK this week for £199.99. That unit will include a DVB-T tuner and comes bundled with an HD Connect.

EchoStar Communications, the company behind the Dish Network satellite service has agreed to buy Sling Media for $380 million. Sling Media is the maker of the popular Slingbox place-shifting device.

Over the past few years, the Slingbox has become synonymous with place-shifting, much the way some people refer to generic PVRs as TiVos. The difference is that Sling Media doesn't face much serious competition yet. While Monsoon Multimedia, Sony, and Orb do make products that compete with the Slingbox in one way or another, place-shifting isn't built into generic set-top-boxes from Motorola or Scientific Atlanta yet.

By acquiring Slingbox, EchoStar is in an excellent position to be an early player in the place-shifting game. The company can continue to sell standalone Slingboxes to non-satellite customers. And EchoStar can integrate Sling technology into its existing products, putting the company far ahead of the competition when it comes to place-shifting.

EchoStar was among the earliest investors in Sling Media, which was founded 3 years ago. What does this mean for future Sling products? It's hard to say, but we're pretty sure EchoStar can pump an awful lot of money into research and development. And it's not like Sling Media was resting on its laurels. The company has put out a number of updates to its original place-shifting Slingbox line, and has a new SlingCatcher device that will bring internet video to your TV set scheduled for release soon.

Place-shifting software maker Orb Networks announced it's signed up its 1 millionth registered user. We've been using Orb for years to stream video from our PC-based PVR across the web, but in case you're not familiar, here's how it works.

You install a client on your PC and it scans specified directories for audio, video, and photos. When you login to mycast.orb.com from any computer, PDA, or mobile phone, you can stream video from your home PC. You can also use Orb to watch live TV using your PC's TV tuner card. Just make sure that card's not scheduled to record something else, as we've found that Orb stop BeyondTV recordings in order to stream live TV.

While Sling Media gets all the attention (and rightfully so, since the Slingbox is easy to use with or without a PC), Orb is free and a handy addition to any home theater PC.

Along with a self-congratulatory press release marking the 1 million customer mark, Orb also released a couple interesting facts about what people have been streaming. For example, Pink Floyd, Linkin Park, and Metallica are the top three music artists streamed. Sportsl, local and national news, and Seinfeld, Mythbusters, and Scrubs have topped the TV streams.

[via Mobility Site]

Almost a year after Sling Media announced a SlingPlayer client would be available for European phones running the Symbian operating system, the company is working on an American version.

Sling is currently accepting testers, but the beta is currently live. SlingPlayer for Symbian will officially work on Nokia N75, N95, and E65 phones, although your results may vary with other devices. You'll need a 3G or Wi-Fi capable device to apply for the beta, seeing as how streaming video is going to look pretty bad on any phone without a high speed internet connection.

You'll also want to be on AT&T or T-Mobile to sign up, since the client supports GSM networks.

No word as to when an official US Symbian client will be released. But it's probably fair to say you'll have to wait at least a month or two since the beta is just getting underway.

[via Engadget]

It looks like the FCC has spilled the beans on yet another top secret product. Sling Media has received approval for an update to its Slingbox Pro place-shifting device.

While the new model carries the Slingbox Pro name, it doesn't include an HDMI port, making it a cut below the existing version. But it does support S-video, coaxial, and RCA inputs and outputs as well as an ethernet jack. TG Daily speculates that this feature set could make the new box a replacement for the Slingbox A/V.

No word on pricing or availability, and a Slingbox rep would neither confirm nor deny this device's existence, other than to say that the company continues to develop new products. But thanks to the FCC, we do have a whole slew of pictures after the jump.

[Photo credit: Sling Media via FCC]

There's a whole slew of updates coming out of the Sling Media camp this week.

• The SlingCatcher launch has been pushed back to this fall.
• Sling Media released a firmware update for all Slingbox models with some minor networking fixes.
• HP is shipping selected laptops with SlingPlayer preinstalled.

Of course, having SlingPlayer preinstalled does no good unless you also shell out the money for a Slingbox. But with PC makers constantly dangling incentives like free printers or flash drives in order to convince you to buy their model, perhaps we'll see a notebook/Slingbox bundle some time down the road?

The nice thing about HP's SlingPlayer integration is that the application has been added to HP's QuickPlay software, meaning you can load up the SlingPlayer to watch streaming television without fully booting up your PC.
[via TiVo Lovers and Dave Zatz]

With all the talk about Slingbox and Hava, you may have forgotten that Sony was one of the pioneers of the place-shifting revolution (if you can call it a revolution).

Sony's LocationFree boxes, which let you stream content from your TV, PVR, DVD player or other A/V components to any internet-connected PC, Windows Mobile device, or Playstation Portable. But in recent years, Sony's LocationFree line has been operating in the shadow of the more popular Slingbox.

Sony plans to launch the latest member of the LocationFree family under the VAIO name. Not that the move alone is likely to raise much awareness about the product. But Sony also plans to pre-install LocationFree software on VAIO noetobooks. In other words, buy a PC, notice that it has place-shifting software, and maybe you'll go out and buy the hardware to enable it. Maybe.

Slingbox competitor Monsoon Multimedia has announced that its HAVA Gold and HAVA Platinum HD streaming video products are now both available in stores.

You can plug either box into your TV, TiVo, or pretty much any device that plays back video. Then just fire up the HAVA player on your computer or mobile device to watch your media on the go.

The HAVA Platinum HD also includes support for high definition video, which you could probably tell from the name. This higher end model also includes a TV tuner, and integrates with Windows Media Center PCs, enabling you to time-shift as well as place-shift.

Unlike the Slingbox, you can use a single HAVA box to stream video to multiple PCs simultaneously. The HAVA Gold sells for $130, and the HAVA Platinum HD goes for $150, although you can find both a bit cheaper if you shop around.

Acogito's newest box set-to-box combines your basic TiVo and Slingbox functionality, allowing you to record HDTV and stream it over the internet to your broadband-connected PC. If history has taught us anything, it's hard to best either of these companies on an ease-of-use front, but an all-in-one box sounds cool enough that we're willing to root for the underdog.

The "Roaming Machine," (their name, not ours), streams video using the H.264 codec.

The Roaming Machine comes in three different varieties:

• A US version for recording ATSC/QAM/NTSC signals
  
• A European version for recording DVB-S/DVB-T/PAL signals
• A "worldwide" model that handles IPTV sources

Acogito is also launching a "RoamingTV," which is an LCD TV with similar place-shifting capabilities.
No word on pricing or availability.

[via Engadget]