Slingbox Integrates YouTube Recommendations with Live TV
December 1, 2014
Sling Media, the company behind multiscreen TV devices including the Slingbox 500 and SlingTV, has added support for YouTube video recommendations in its TV guide. During live TV programming, the user could call up a menu of related YouTube videos on the bottom of the screen. Audible Magic’s audio-fingerprinting technology determines the content of the live TV. The top-trending YouTube videos are also located on a separate tab within the TV guide.
The YouTube integration is designed to make SlingTV and the Slingbox 500 more attractive to people with a pay-TV service. The devices enable users to watch live TV, recorded TV, or YouTube videos using an Internet connection to a desktop, tablet, smartphone, and other streaming boxes. For $300, SlingTV will essentially turn any TV into a smart TV.
The SlingTV’s guide, which now includes YouTube videos, makes it easier for users to discover content. The sleek set-up includes “cover-art tiles, ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, content recommendations, and the ability to set up favorites,” according to Variety.
Viewers may also discover YouTube content through the new standalone app within the guide that categorizes YouTube videos by top-trending or genres.
The company has not released information about how many devices it has sold, but the place-shifting device has not taken over for DVRs quite yet.
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