If we’re to believe a Slingbox employee posting on a forum, Slingbox support is definitely coming to Chromecast. And that could mean that very shortly, Chromecast will have a whole new bag of tricks.
For those unfamiliar, Slingbox is an ingenious system that helped to pioneer the “TV Everywhere” format, allowing users to connect to their home DVR, and send live and recorded TV virtually anywhere over a mobile device or PC. Reported by TechCrunch, a back and forth discussion this morning on a Slingbox forum about hopes for incorporating Chromecast into the Slingbox fold resulted in an encouraging message from Slingbox employee going by the moniker Matt.Sling. “I checked in with engineering, and although I can not give you a timeline yet, I’m happy to report Chromecast support is in development,” the employee said.
Over the past year or so, we’ve seen Google’s Chromecast grow from its infancy with only a few minor apps like Netflix and YouTube, into a burgeoning powerhouse on the verge of all out dongle domination, thanks to a slew of new apps, and the company’s release of its software developer kit.
With Slingbox support, here are a couple ways users could exploit their $35 investment:
- Chromecast as a DVR tuner: One possible use for a fully armed Slingbox app would be to employ Chromecast as a separate tuner, sending DVR content into other TVs in the house. Just grab the Chromecast, stick it into the upstairs TV, and you’ve got all of your DVR content at hand, without buying or renting a new DVR box.
- DVR everywhere: And much like Roku’s Slingbox app, Chromecast users will also likely be able to go to a vacation home, a hotel, or even just Grandma’s house. As long as they’ve brought their Chromecast along, all of their favorite DVR content is ready to transfer from a computer or mobile device straight to the big screen.
Of course, with the recent release of a new Roku Streaming Stick, which already incorporates Sling software in a very convenient dongle design, the Chromecast news is less ground shaking. Still, the Roku stick is priced around $15 more than the Chromecast, and for those who have already invested into Google’s design, it’s an exciting addition.
As the message states, no word has yet been given as to when the new app will make its way to Google’s device. We’ll keep an eye out as this story develops, so stay tuned.
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