Slingbox PRO has a mysterious built-in infrared receiver

Jimbo, an intrepid member of the Sling Community, recently tore open his Slingbox PRO to document the chips inside, and in the process seems to have discovered an infrared receiver hidden away behind the Sling logo. No one's quite sure what this is for, but Dave Zatz, an Engadget special correspondent, is speculating that this may give the PRO some "SlingCatcher functionality" -- making it possible to watch a remote Sling feed on a TV -- or that it could possibly be used to display additional information somewhat like the upcoming Wii channels. Zatz has put in an inquiry to Sling and will keep all of us posted.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

[kevan @ Nov 8th 2006 10:48PM]

duh, it reads your mind....come on.

[nsp @ Nov 9th 2006 1:05PM]

huh...

isn't the slingbox is all about interpreting the signals from its s/w client or tv remote and send it to the media device or tv??

i am not a user or dev of slingbox, but just my thoughts...

[Hugh Jass @ Nov 9th 2006 1:21AM]

Watch a remote Sling feed on a TV using infrared...? How might there be enough bandwidth to do this?

[Hugh Jass @ Nov 9th 2006 1:24AM]

Ah, yes, the link to Zatz Not Funny confirms my suspicion... this would be for a Sling *remote*. Small detail.

[Paul @ Nov 9th 2006 2:31AM]

Between the constant use of the word "sez" by Engaget writers and blatant illiteracy in the electronic world (IrDA for video streaming? oh come on..) I think it is time for me to find a different tech news RSS feed.

[Jim Snyder @ Nov 9th 2006 1:07PM]

Cheers. I've been losing faith in the last few months myself. What the world needs is The Register's writing (http://www.theregister.co.uk/) combined with the Engadget's sense of which new science and technology is fun - and cool pictures.

In essence, Engadget for adults.

[Aniruddha @ Nov 9th 2006 3:34AM]

Thats the LED which lights up the logo once you start streaming a feed. What an idiot.

[Huleboeren @ Nov 9th 2006 5:56AM]

usnt that infrared receiver just for remote controlling your slingbox with a infrared controller?

[Walter @ Nov 9th 2006 8:47AM]

@Aniruddha
Obviously they're talking about the device BESIDE the LED. Who's the idiot now?

[Timothy @ Nov 9th 2006 8:59AM]

Oh my goodness, none of you understood the original post. The IR wouldn't be used to execute the stream, it would be used to remotely control it. Picture this, one slingbox pro at your summer house, and one at your regular house, and you could sling back and forth between them. Of course, you would need to control them, hence the IR. *THIS IS TOTALLY SPECULATION*

[Hugh Jass @ Nov 9th 2006 9:58AM]

If you'd read both my first and second posts, you'd see that I understand the original post perfectly well; it's Engadget's post that doesn't make sense, since they made it appear that you would be streaming video via IR into the Slingbox by leaving out the phrase on the original article that said it would be for a remote.

[mespinosam @ Nov 9th 2006 9:50AM]

names of rss news besides engadget ??

[Ryan @ Nov 9th 2006 11:10AM]

I thought the slingbox had an IR transmitter to control whatever vcr / cable box / satellite receiver you had connected to it? So it would be pretty logical for the slingbox to also have a IR receiver to learn IR codes from possible future / unsupported remotes.

[aide @ Nov 9th 2006 1:39PM]

could it be to transmit diagnostic information to a machine at the factory if it has to be sent backe for some raisin

[Hugh Jass @ Nov 9th 2006 1:45PM]

No. They have better ways of interfacing with the device. I doubt they do many repairs anyway.