Mark Evans

Slingbox: Cool But Set-Up is Challenging

My brother, Sean, finally came over to help set up the Slingbox. The installation process, which included upgrading the SlingPlayer and the firmware, took about 45 minutes and required far more brainpower than what's normally available on a Sunday afternoon. In other words, the Slingbox is not for the Luddite or people with an aversion to anything that isn't plug-n-plug. But once you finish, the Slingbox is totally impressive. It really evolutionizes the TV-watching experience - much the same way the remote control did. I just wonder about my productivity at work now that I can watch my TV and access the PVR with all those unwatched episodes of The Sopranos. The Sunday shift, which can be very, very quiet, may never be the same!
    Perhaps the biggest issue/challenge facing Slingbox is the size of the potential user base. The device is a natural for road warriors who want to watch their home TV from a hotel room, airport or airplanes; it's got potential for people who want to watch TV at the office but how big is that audience?; and there's probably a market among people who want to watch TV on their laptops at home - although how many bosses would tolerate and/or promote it? But are there enough users within these groups for Slingmedia to create a viable business that sells 100s of thousands of Slingboxes? That's an awful lot of hardware at $249 a pop but the VCs who recently gave the company $46.6-million must think otherwise. So how will Slingbox generate enough revenue to give its investors the ROI they want? Will it be hardware or will it also be about delivering content over the Web?
Update: For more on setting up the Slingbox, check out sMorty71. Time Europe has a story on the Slingbox, highlighted by a delicious lede “Tivo? That's so last year”, while USA Today's personal tech columnist Edward Baig has a story recounting the technical issues he experienced while setting up the Slingbox (He also enthusiastically raves about the service.) Jim Courtney also weighs in on being interviewed by a CBC reporter, who read his blog post on watching the Winter Olympics from a Starbucks in Palm Springs.
Update II: Perhaps the “killer app” for the Slingbox is the ability to remotely program your PVR. Say, for example, you forget to set up the PVR to record American Idol; the Slingbox makes it easy to do it from work. Amazing!
Tags: Slingbox, TV