New Slingbox(TM) Personal Broadcaster Uses Microsoft Windows Media and Texas
Instruments Technologies to Deliver Live, Local TV Anywhere, Anytime
HOUSTON and SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Sling Media, Inc.,
and Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) (TI) today announced that the companies are
working together on the newly introduced Slingbox(TM) Personal Broadcaster,
the groundbreaking product from Sling Media that won numerous awards at the
2005 International Consumer Electronics Show. This cooperative effort
involves commitments to technology integration from both companies and audio
and video technology from Microsoft Corp. Both Sling Media and Microsoft will
be part of the keynote presentation at the Texas Instruments Developers
Conference (TIDC), which takes place February 15-17 in Houston, Texas.
"Sling Media is driving to create engaging and empowering digital media
products for consumers," said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO for Sling
Media. "We are thrilled to have Microsoft and Texas Instruments join us in
our effort. The quality and flexibility of TI's high performance solutions
are integral to the uniqueness of the Slingbox."
The Slingbox enables consumers to watch their TV programming from wherever
they are by turning any networked laptop or desktop PC into a personal TV.
The Slingbox redirects, or "placeshifts," the TV signal from any cable box,
satellite receiver or personal video recorder (PVR) to a viewer's location and
device of choice, whether in another room in the home or remotely with a high-
speed Internet connection. An elegantly designed compact box that fits neatly
into a user's existing TV setup, the Slingbox will retail for $249 with no
monthly service fees. The product is due to ship in the first half of 2005.
Sling Media selected Texas Instruments' DSP-based digital media processor
technology because of its flexibility, performance, and optimal peripheral
set. For the primary audio and video codecs, Sling Media turned to
Microsoft's Windows Media(R) 9 Series, which provides superior quality and
device compatibility. These powerful platforms, combined with a proprietary
streaming optimization technology developed by Sling Media, enable the
Slingbox to provide a high quality video experience across a wide range of
network conditions.
"Given the unique challenges presented by bandwidth-constrained networks,
Sling Media required the most advanced, flexible technology available in
today's market," said Jonathan Usher, Director of the Windows Digital Media
Division, Microsoft. "With its unmatched quality, Windows Media 9 Series was
a natural fit for an innovative product like the Slingbox."
The TI processor -- the first DSP to be certified by Microsoft as a
Windows Media encoding solution -- features a level of programmability
critical to the Slingbox. In addition to providing a method for Sling Media
to implement its proprietary streaming algorithms, the DSP-based approach
allows for remote upgrades as well as the introduction of additional software
and services once units are already in the field.
"Texas Instruments is committed to developing technology that enables
consumer electronics manufacturers such as Sling Media to put pioneering
innovations into the hands of consumers," said Henry Wiechman, business
manager for TI's Streaming Media group. "The Slingbox truly takes on-the-go
media to the next level with its simple interface and high-quality video
delivery."
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog
technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements.
In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors &
Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than
25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at
http://www.ti.com .
About Sling Media
Sling Media, Inc., based in San Mateo, CA, is a new kind of consumer
electronics company working to demystify convergence technologies and to
create empowering experiences for the digital media consumer. The focus of
Sling Media solutions is to embrace -- not replace -- existing products and
standards, enhancing them with hardware and software that will greatly improve
the consumer experience. For more information about Sling Media, visit
http://www.slingmedia.com .
Trademarks
All registered trademarks and other trademarks belong to their respective
owners.
SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated; Sling Media, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ti.com
http://www.slingmedia.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010105/NEF016LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Marcia Barnett of Texas Instruments
Incorporated, +1-214-480-2050, or mpickett@ti.com ; or Lindsey
Seabaugh of Golin Harris, +1-972-308-9137, or
lseabaugh@golinharris.com , for Texas Instruments Incorporated;
or Betty Taylor, +1-408-918-9080, or bettyt@krause-taylor.com ,
or Cindy Cooper, +1-408-918-9085, or cindy@krause-taylor.com ,
both of Krause Taylor Assoc., for Sling Media, Inc. Please do
not publish these numbers or email addresses.
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