Sling Media launches new 'TV Anywhere' solutions

Wednesday, July 16th, 2014
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Sling Media Launches Powerful “TV Anywhere” Solutions That Deliver An Industry Leading Mobile Device And Smart Living Room TV Experience

  • New Slingbox M1 and SlingTV Will Delight Mobile and Home Entertainment Users with New Features Including Discovery and Navigation Enhancements, Cloud-Based Social Media Personalization, and Ease of Setup and Use

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today announced the Slingbox® M1 and SlingTV™, replacing the popular and award-winning Slingbox 350 and 500 models. Both of these retail products are the only solutions capable of delivering a customer’s pay TV channels and programs (live or recorded) from the living room to the most popular mobile devices in up to HD quality with no restrictions. In addition SlingTV delivers the power of a Slingbox combined with new “Smarter TV” features designed to enhance the TV viewing experience in the living room.

Slingbox M1

With a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149.99, the new Slingbox M1 is the most affordable Slingbox that Sling Media has ever produced. Designed for the mainstream user who wants to have remote access to all of their home TV channels and shows as well as access to DVR content on personal computers, tablets and phones, the Slingbox M1 is offered in a compact, unassuming form factor that fits easily into an entertainment system. In addition, the Slingbox M1 integrates WiFi for simple network connectivity and utilizes the new Slingplayer for Desktop app for PCs and Macs. The new Slingplayer for Desktop app dramatically improves setup and configuration, allowing users to be up and running in less than 10 minutes. Furthermore, Sling customers will now be able to configure their new Slingbox M1 with a mobile device via the Slingplayer app for iPhone and iPad as well as Android-based phones.

Slingbox M1 features include:

  • Dual-band 2.4/5Ghz WiFi connectivity and Ethernet port
  • Absolutely no monthly fees for the Slingbox M1 or SlingTV
  • Watch and control live TV on a tablet, phone, PC or Mac
  • Easy and quick setup and playback via PC/Mac desktop apps, as well as iPhone, iPad and Android phone apps
  • Watch on a second TV anywhere via Apple TV® and Roku®
  • Play and schedule DVR recordings
  • Component and composite input/output

SlingTV

Powered by Slingbox 500 hardware, the new SlingTV gives customers a world class, exhilarating Slingbox experience in their living rooms that utilizes new tools to easily discover and navigate to TV shows, movies and sports in an elegant, seamless manner. SlingTV is a powerful Slingbox that gives customers access to their pay TV channels (live or recorded) on a laptop or desktop personal computer, tablet or phone at home or anywhere in the world a network connection is available. In addition, SlingTV is designed to make the living room TV experience more enjoyable and powerful by turning the television to which SlingTV is connected into a “Smarter TV” without having to purchase a new TV or pay for a set-top box upgrade. SlingTV has a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $299.99.

SlingTV features a vibrant electronic programming guide (EPG) that utilizes cover-art tiles similar to Slingplayer for iPad’s Media Gallery. Customers can now discover more of their existing pay TV programming in an easy-to-navigate interface with SlingTV’s state-of-the-art programming gallery. This new interface provides recommendations powered by SlingCloud™, the company’s cloud-based analytics platform that analyzes popularity, reviews and social activity.

SlingTV features include:

  • New on-screen TV main menu powered by the included SlingTV remote
  • Soft remote built into Slingplayer for iPhone or Android phone apps
  • Gallery View
    • A visual interface to easily find and select a show to watch
    • Filter by popular, favorite channels, sports, movies, kids programming, etc. currently airing, upcoming and in primetime
    • Rotten Tomatoes® ratings for all movies in Movies filter
    • Big screen TV scoreboard and channel guide. See all the scores and stats without changing the channel
    • Find out who’s playing, the score and the channel it’s airing on in a visual, easily navigated interface
  • Details View
    • Get detailed game stats in real-time for fantasy fanatics
    • Integrated Thuuz™ excitement ratings tell you when to tune into a game based on the score, the match-up, dynamic game momentum changes, etc.
    • Movie and TV episode details

“Once again, Sling Media is totally redefining the ‘TV Anywhere’ experience with the introduction of the Slingbox M1 and SlingTV,” says Michael Hawkey, senior vice president and general manager of Sling Media. “Customers interested in a no-compromise entertainment experience using the most popular devices will be delighted by the affordability and new features of the Slingbox M1. SlingTV completely enhances the living room TV experience with a visually stunning on TV user interface that takes ultimate advantage of social media data activity.”

Slingbox M1 will be available in retail stores, through Sling.com and online partners on July 20th. SlingTV will be available in late August. Existing Slingbox 500 customers will automatically receive the SlingTV software upgrade for FREE at that time as well.