One of the most important features of the announced X-Series from 3, is the carrier’s partnership with Sling Media to give customers access to their home TV channels on their mobile handsets.
This is the first time that Sling Media has partnered with a major mobile operator and signifies the increasing focus on mobile TV services. The SlingPlayer Mobile service will be exclusive to 3 customers who purchase both an X-Series handset and a Slingbox.
SlingPlayer Mobile delivers the home TV experience on mobile handsets using standard 3G network connections. Any programme that can be watched at home will be viewable through a Slingbox and compatible SlingPlayer Mobile software pre-installed on two new handsets, the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i including support for terrestrial TV, Freeview, cable, and satellite TV. In addition SlingPlayer Mobile lets customers control their TV recorder at home to watch recorded shows, pause and rewind live TV or even queue a recording when away from home using the handset.
The combined mobile TV experience is driven by Sling Media’s breakthrough product, the Slingbox. The Slingbox redirects a single live TV stream from a standard cable connection, cable box, satellite receiver, or PVR to the viewer’s PC – located anywhere in the home or anywhere in the world – or a 3G handset.
Sling Media will provide Slingbox and SlingPlayer Mobile technical support for 3 customers in the UK and Scandinavia through its partner Stream. Additional European country support will be announced in 2007. Sling Media will provide a similar level of support to 3 customers in Hong Kong through its partner Synergy Technologies (Asia) Limited.