Good news for Chromecast dongle users! Sling Media has upgraded its iPhone, iPad, and Android phone Slingplayer smartphone apps to stream Sling-connected content to any TV fitted with a Chromecast dongle. (An Android tablet app is in the works and coming soon.)
The Slingplayer apps’ upgrades gives Chromecast users the same reception capabilities that Sling has already extended to Apple TV and Roku users. The functionality works with TV captured on the company’s Slingbox M1, 350 and SlingTV/500 ‘place-shifting’ boxes, which connect to the user’s cable/satellite TV set-top box.
“When paired with the Slingplayer app, you’ll be able to watch any of your cable or satellite programming (live or recorded) on any TV that’s been set up with Chromecast,” said Slingblog. “Remember, both the Chromecast device and Slingplayer-equipped mobile device must be on the same network. And when they are, you’ll be able to control your TV with a soft remote interface that shows up on your phone or tablet.”
The Chromecast casting interface in the Sling app.
Sling’s continuing integration of its place-shifting technology with Apple TV, Roku and now Chromecast Smart TV add-ons has got to be worrying the incumbent cable/satellite TV companies. The reason: With this technology, it is no longer necessary for their subscribers to rent/own more than one set-top receiver/DVR, cutting into the cable/satellite providers’ revenues. Although Sling is not actively aiding and abetting cord-cutters, it’s definitely helping them to ‘thin the cord,’ so to speak.