Sling Media, the creators of a hardware device that lets users stream their home television signal to an Internet connected device anywhere (with a software download), is preparing to launch their new video portal, Sling.com. The company first mentioned the new portal earlier this year but has been quiet since then.
Today though, several readers received emails from Sling Media with information about beta testing the service:
Dear Sling Beta Team,
Sling Media is getting ready to roll out a private beta program for our new website, Sling.com. And you’re invited!
We really need your help banging on the site and providing feedback so we can improve some rough spots before we push a release to a broader audience.
Getting Started
- First, go to https://betasecure.sling.com/account/login and click “REQUEST AN INVITE” on the right.
- Over the course of the next couple of days and weeks we’ll be sending out batches of invites to our beta team.
- When you get your invite, follow the link provided and you’ll be prompted to either create an account or update your existing Sling Account. Then you’ll be off and running.
- Please keep in mind, this is a US only test. Other users will be geo blocked unfortunately.Sling.com Features
Sling.com is a new online video portal that will give users access to a premier library of content from top TV networks, movie studios, sports leagues and websites. Combining professional programming, editorial expertise and social networking features alongside easy and logical navigation.
In addition to premium on-demand video content from 60 partners (and counting), Sling.com includes a preview of the web-based Slingplayer software for PC, allowing Slingbox owners to watch live TV directly within our website.
Your FeedbackWe need your feedback so we’ve made it very simple. You’ll notice a “feedback” button on the right-hand side of every page in the site. Click it and use the tool to submit your feedback from any page quickly and directly.
Submit bugs, suggestions, usability issues, content problems, performance issues, etc. using the feedback tool and we’ll take it from there.
Your feedback is critical and we look forward to hearing from you as we launch the first of many phases of Sling.com. Please treat your Sling.com account with the utmost confidentiality and do not share any information about Sling.com with anyone outside the beta program.
Regards,
The Sling.com Team
The new service will let users grab snippets of television content, upload them to the Sling site (Hulu also lets users create quick content snippets), and create playlits and feeds that can be viewed and subscribed to others.
According to the email above, Sling will also provide direct access to content from sixty current partners, and let SlingBox users access their TV directly from the browser.
Sling v. YouTube, Hulu and Joost
Suddenly Sling Media doesn’t look much like a hardware company, but rather a direct competitor to online video sites like YouTube, Hulu and Joost. If users can control their own television and DVR through the browser, and also access direct premium content, it’s a big competitive advantage over those other services. It may even get me to buy a SlingBox.
sounds like some exciting competition will be heating up online video.
flicklocator.com
LOL at Joost being a legitimate business
i would remove youtube from their competition list. youtube is in a league all by itself. they may challenge hulu, joost but youtube never .
i think that youtube is a intresting and useful .
Welcome back from your nap, Rip Van Winkle.
I don’t know how this could be affective? If you want to show a video or something on your website, you would put it up on your server. If you wanted to watch TV or something similar, you would have better success watching the content online through a web site or by going to your closest TV.
I can only think of one reason to get a Sling box, to monitor what kids might be watching on TV or what games they’re playing.
Also who owns the video content that will be available through this portal, the users or Sling ?
Yeah, cause everyone has a server, wtf?
Who would ever want to upload short video clips online and share them with others?
/sarcasm (b/c you seem slow)
if you have no life you could share short video clip lol.
As Tim said, not everyone has a server. Another really SWEET thing about the slimbox is that you can use it on your PDA. You pay one bill for your cable and then have it routed straight to your phone, laptop, etc…You can watch whatever you want right from there – and it costs nothing extra, just a WiFi connection.
Sounds like the Boxee company Biggs covered today has more competition than I knew. Sling has a better product, but it only works with their hardware (as far as I know). They should find some way to get their software on other devices. They need a sub-$100 device, an API, and it better be as simple as a TIvo.
wow! great.
big competition in online video.
http://gatesand...s.blogspot.com/
you beter watch were you go on the net you could become sick with gay.
I haven’t owned a TV in 6 years, but I watch TV in every room… on the computers, with Slingplayer. I can watch it anywhere I go, too, since I can connect to my Slingbox over the internet.
Removing the software requirement and watching my own TV, controlling my own digital cable box and DVR, through the web browser, is genius.
Don’t get it. Why would I buy a box for this? Already get all of this at Veoh.com and on my TV with VeohTv. Am I not seeing something here?
You don’t get local sports games in realtime when you’re traveling outside your home station’s coverage area, for instance. If you’re talking about major movies & TV shows, then yeah, why bother with a cable TV subscription when it’s all on Hulu, torrent etc.
I like this idea. The big websites like hulu.com and Jadsters.com have competition! Although Jadsters.com does have good quality movies, but hulu has the TV shows. its anyone’s game right now.
Hey, where is my SlingPlayer iPhone app I was promised?
sounds like another YouTube knockoff…lol
Is this gonna be youtube competitor?
Applian Technologies is looking at this service to figure out how people can make recordings for their own personal use. Should be fun to watch:
http://blog.app...oad_videos.html
Hulu wins. Will be a failure.
This is lame. What’s worse it took them two years to get this up and running! Two years! I recall interviewing for this gig way back when with some creepy gay Indian dude who was adamant that this site would be up in 4 months tops. Guess his architecture was a little under sized. Wonder if he’s still there?
Looks like he’s still there: BHUPEN SHAH, CTO
http://www.slin.../executive-team
How to record streaming audio:
http://www.down...io-recoder/#137