Slingbox No Longer Alien To Android

client software operating system OS

The CRN Test Center downloaded a copy of the $29.99 client from the Android Market onto an HTC G1 phone for testing over WiFi (3G also is supported).

Although responsiveness of on-screen controls exhibited a delay of a few seconds, testers were otherwise impressed with what they found. Just a few minutes after the download completed, Chris Wallace of the Fox News Channel appeared loud and clear on the cell phone’s screen, being “slung” from the Slingbox testers had set up a day earlier.

A single tap on the screen brings up controls for moving up and down channels...

...a numerical keypad for entering channel numbers directly...

...playing back DVDs or content on-demand...

...and a “MISC” button for controlling other aspects of the remote box such as menus and power...

If testers had to name one interface flaw, it would be the MISC screen; the buttons are many and small and it’s easy to press the wrong one. SlingPlayer Mobile versions also lack images of the actual remote (as on their desktop counterparts), there’s just not enough screen real estate.

But mobile versions do present a channel guide that takes you directly to channels just like the real thing. And except for that guide, controls are placed around the perimeter so as not to obscure the programming.

If you’ve got more than one Slingbox on your network, hitting “Connect” (the one and only button on the SlingPlayer’s splash screen) brings up a directory of your devices and waits for a selection. Once connected to a stream, the picture and sound quality are uncanny. And if your cable or satellite provider is like most, the picture-in-picture displayed with your program guide will be safe and sound with Android.

Also intact are controls familiar to users of the desktop version: aspect ratio. Depending on the program and its resolution, settings include standard (4:3), anamorphic (16:9), letterbox and pillarbox.

Headquartered in Foster City, Calif., Sling Media is a channel friendly company with a research facility in Bangalore, India. Opportunities for Slingbox resellers are always expanding thanks to this growing company’s constant expansion of its hardware and software product lines.

The CRN Test Center recommends Slingbox products to resellers seeking a revenue source that’s frequently refreshed.