Dish shuts down Slingbox - Will brick all devices by 2022

[Tony S]

Here is a link to an interesting article I just read:

Dish shuts down Slingbox

In the article, Dish said Slingbox has been discontinued "to make room for new innovative products so that we can continue to serve our customers in the best way possible," but it added that it wouldn't be releasing any new products.

 

[mikew]

Guess I can throw mine in the trash. Haven't used it much since I went to YouTube TV. I think it's BS that they can do this. They should allow for peer-to-peer communication and avoid their servers in the first place.

 

[DJ Lon]

Does this affect Hopper 3s?

(Sorry, I honestly don't know the difference between a Slingbox and a Hopper 3 with Sling)

 

[TheKrell]

They should allow for peer-to-peer communication and avoid their servers in the first place.

I have a Hava Platinum that did just that. In fact, it can send to 5 LAN clients at once! However, as far as remote streams are concerned, I have no idea whether Monsoon Multimedia still runs the servers that handled that, or if they are still in business at all. Mine developed a video sync problem and I haven't used it in years pending repairs.

I do know that the Sling clients and servers such as that in my H3 (and also the HwS) switched protocols away from Flash. This is why my Sling Adapter quit working. Perhaps the hardware in the Slingbox was incapable of encoding video in the new format.

Note that I'm wildly speculating here.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Does this affect Hopper 3s?

(Sorry, I honestly don't know the difference between a Slingbox and a Hopper 3 with Sling)

No. The Hopper 2 and 3 will continue to work. This shut down is only for stand alone Slingbox products.

 

[Radioguy41]

I do know that the Sling clients and servers such as that in my H3 (and also the HwS) switched protocols away from Flash. This is why my Sling Adapter quit working. Perhaps the hardware in the Slingbox was incapable of encoding video in the new format.

I think they should have differentiated between hard products and soft products in that article when they said "no new products". You're on the mark, I think, in that there's new software (soft products) in the pipeline that this particular hardware will not be compatible with and they have no plans to replace it with another new box (hard product).

 

[Tampa8]

Slingbox

Slingbox setup your device

www.slingbox.com

Sad but two years is a decent time period at least. I use my Slingbox often the picture is very good. This was one of the greatest innovations in recent history for TV.

 

[charlesrshell]

Slingbox

Slingbox setup your device

www.slingbox.com

Sad but two years is a decent time period at least. I use my Slingbox often the picture is very good. This was one of the greatest innovations in recent history for TV.

We use our Slingbox 500 all the time too. I think it works much better than Dish Anywhere.

 

[pattykay]

I think they should have differentiated between hard products and soft products in that article when they said "no new products". You're on the mark, I think, in that there's new software (soft products) in the pipeline that this particular hardware will not be compatible with and they have no plans to replace it with another new box (hard product).

I interpreted "wouldn't be releasing any new products" as meaning that they will have new products (both hard and soft) but that they will not be available to consumers. Rather, Dish will be keeping the new products for their own use, to help with delivering programming to Dish and Sling customers.

In any event, DishSubLA is probably going to be pissed about this news of the Slingbox being discontinued.

 

[charlesrshell]

I interpreted "wouldn't be releasing any new products" as meaning that they will have new products (both hard and soft) but that they will not be available to consumers. Rather, Dish will be keeping the new products for their own use, to help with delivering programming to Dish and Sling customers.

In any event, DishSubLA is probably going to be pissed about this news of the Slingbox being discontinued.

Me pissed too also. I was afraid this was going to happen when DISH took over Slingbox.

 

[dweber]

Both of my sons used to use my sling box all the time to watch dad’s Dish satellite. I even had it hooked up to my DVD player and by calling me they could watch a DVD after I loaded it. Unfortunately it finally died about 3 years ago. I never replaced it since my sons now use Dish Anywhere to view my 2 Hopper3 receivers.
As technology changes our equipment must change with it. I had a Replay TV many years ago and trick play worked well on it. This was long before anyone else were doing it. Of course it also became useless.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Bobby]

Me pissed too also. I was afraid this was going to happen when DISH took over Slingbox.

Dish bought Sling in 2007. That's 13 years ago and they will sunset in 2 years. That gives you 15 years of using the product. Are you still using the VCR that you used 13 years ago?

 

[Nebugeater]

They already effectively did this to me when the Sling adaptor became obsolete for my 722K Yes I still use a 722K and it is fine but I no longer have sling capability.

 

[Tampa8]

If you still have the older models that used computer software to watch, those do not use their servers. I still have one working it was the best one they ever made with an OTA tuner (no longer good of course) and several inputs and features. That software still works in Windows in compatibility mode if you have it, and a compatible receiver. Two years from now no guarantee that old receiver will still be working of course.

 

[pattykay]

Dish bought Sling in 2007. That's 13 years ago and they will sunset in 2 years. That gives you 15 years of using the product. Are you still using the VCR that you used 13 years ago?

I don't know about charlesrshell, but I am still using the VCR that I used 13 years ago. It makes a great way of adding more audio/video inputs to my old 20" analog TV, also more than 13 years old, which I also still use. As far as actually watching any video tapes with the VCR, no I no longer do that.

 

[Tampa8]

I still use my old VCR in conjunction with older style security cameras. You watch them through the VCR and of course can record if you want to. They are before watching cameras over the internet so to watch them away from home I use......yep my slingbox.

 

[charlesrshell]

I don't know about charlesrshell, but I am still using the VCR that I used 13 years ago. It makes a great way of adding more audio/video inputs to my old 20" analog TV, also more than 13 years old, which I also still use. As far as actually watching any video tapes with the VCR, no I no longer do that.

I still have two VCR + DVD combos. Once in a great while I will make a DVD from the Hopper for a friend. Sometimes I copy a VHS tape to DVD.

 

[pattykay]

I still have two VCR + DVD combos. ...

Me too. The VCR broke on one of them, and the DVD player broke on the other one. So, rather than replace them both with a new one, I just hooked one up through the other one. That gives me one working VCR / DVD combo, even though I rarely even use the DVD player now.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I got rid of all my vcrs back in the early 2000's. I've had dvr since 99 and Blu ray players since 2006; dvd players were dropped off soon after. I had DISH satellite since Jan. of 97 and was an early adopter of any of their new tech receivers. Had all 3 versions of the Hopper that came out since 2012.

I have two 4k tvs, a 55" in the living room and a 50" in my computer room and one 3d Hdtv 50" that still works in my son's bedroom(he never watched it when he was at home) and a cheap Magnavox hdtv 32" in our master bedroom. If they ever make a 4k tv smaller than 43" I would get that one to replace the hdtv in the master bedroom. We have an old wooden armoire that we bought in 94 when we got married and it only has room for a tv that size. It also holds my old cd collection and older cassette tapes from the 80s . We kept the older boom box that can play cassettes and every now and again I put them on for fun.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

They already effectively did this to me when the Sling adaptor became obsolete for my 722K Yes I still use a 722K and it is fine but I no longer have sling capability.

That is because the encoder was a hardware encoder and used Adobe Flash, which as you know has been phased out on all devices and computers due to its giant security holes. Because the encoder was hardware based DISH could not upgrade it to use newer technology.