Sling Media

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sling Media Inc.
Type	Private
Founded	2005
Headquarters	San Mateo, California, USA
Key people	Blake Krikorian, CEO, Founder Jason Krikorian, VP, Co-Founder Bhupen Shah, CTO, Co-Founder
Industry	Placeshifting, Computer hardware
Products	Slingbox
Employees	30 to 40
Website	www.slingmedia.com

Sling Media Inc. is an American private company, specializing in audio and video placeshifting technology. The company is based in San Mateo, California. Their flagship product, the Slingbox, debuted on the US market on July 1, 2005.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Growth 1.2 Criticism and controversy 2 Products 3 Advertising 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Blake and Jason Krikorian, brothers from San Francisco and devoted San Francisco Giants fans, envisioned the concept of the Slingbox during the 2002 Major League Baseball season. Traveling far from home, they faced missing the best games of the season, and sought a solution. The Slingbox was born.

[edit] Growth

Beginning with the colossal refrigerator-like prototype placeshifter for baseball games, the Slingbox soon evolved into the sleek form we see today, designed by Yves Behar, capable of 'slinging' any video source, even that favorite DVD of The Big Lebowski.

[edit] Criticism and controversy

Early in its history, Slingbox caused widespread speculation of its possible legal implications. High on the list of issues cited by critics, is the ability to provide a loophole around proximity control, potentially allowing people outside the approved viewing area for events, especially sports, in which distribution traditionally has been restricted by time and region. These concerns have yet to impact Sling Media, however, as the Slingbox has evolved into a family of products designed for compatibility with specific video connections and consumer needs.

[edit] Products

The Slingbox, now referred to as the Slingbox Classic, connects to any standard audio and/or video signal, and streams the video and audio to a computer over a high-speed broadband internet connection. Flagship of the Sling Media line of products, it was released July 1, 2005, garnering significant media attention. The "foil-wrapped chocolate bar" appearance made a statement, but many felt the design made the Slingbox stand out, and not in a good way.

Improvement came with the introduction of the second-generation line of Sling Media products, the AV, Tuner, and Pro. While the Slingbox AV became a simplified unit with s-video and composite inputs only, the Slingbox Tuner provided service for the other end of the spectrum, with only a single coaxial input for use by basic cable and antenna-only applications. The Slingbox Pro introduced a four input design, allowing for the connection of high-definition devices with the use of an addition proprietary cable. Along with a line of accessories, including the SlingLink homeplug powerline bridge adapter and additional software for mobile devices, Sling Media's products became more and more attractive for the menagerie of consumers in the electronics market.

[edit] Advertising

• Television Ads: "Sharkbait", "Gorman", "Kruke and Kuipe"
• Radio Ads: featured by Howard Stern, Jim Rome, and KKFN.
• Print Ads: "80 lb. Basketball", "Condolences", "Gospel", "Sling Family", "Pay Per View Porn", "49ers"

[edit] See also

• Slingbox

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Homepage
• Official Forums