Satellite : Echostar+Slingbox considering Euro-retail

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Echostar+Slingbox considering Euro-retail
Chris Forrester 11-03-2009

Echostar, along with its now wholly-owned Sling Media division, is rapidly gearing up to attack Europe’s retail market. Rick Smith, Echostar Europe’s VP/Sales & Marketing, said with the growing number of European public broadcasters now embracing digital TV, especially digital terrestrial and digital satellite ‘free’ viewing methods, the time might well be right for Echostar to re-enter the retail sector.




At a demonstration in London on March 10 Smith and his team showed off a prototype Slingbox (the ‘E-Sling’) with built-in digital tuners which could be supplied for either terrestrial or satellite reception. “We think we are the best-funded start-up in the industry,” Smith said. “And this is already working well for us particularly in the cable and IPTV space, which are areas that we are not best known for. Our DNA is in satellite. Outside of the USA we are in the equipment supply business, and in home devices. We said we would attempt to exploit [progress] in cable and IP, and we are responding to substantial RFPs and we are making an impact.”

Smith said it was now time to update the story since Echostar’s last news at IBC in September 2008. “We will be showing cable and IP products at some major shows in Europe over the next couple of weeks.” Smith explained that its new highly-specified cable box came in an HD mode, along with DVR and could be supplied with DOCSIS functionality. First boxes would be supplied with NagraVision [from Kudeslki] “the dominant conditional access provider in European cable” with other options available later.

Smith displayed Echostar’s 922S receiver, which is a very high-end device with 4 tuners, and the first “Sling-loaded” set-top box with a built-in SlingBox (and a 1TB hard drive). One of the tuners was dedicated to the SlingBox which meant use of the Sling functionality did not interfere with viewing in the lounge. The 922S uniquely comes complete with a computer-type Touch Pad in the remote control. “However, the box is probably over-engineered for the European market, and probably too expensive,” admitted Smith. “So we are asking what European broadcasters and especially public broadcasters need to be included in a product like this, which itself governs the price we can sell it for?”

“The E-Sling box is our Audi TT. We’ll probably bring it to market this year. The jury is still out on which country or countries we will launch in, because we have 2 or 3 candidates in mind. It could well be in a public broadcasting environment because [HD is now happening] and is a real contender in some Western European markets. It means we could align this box with IP feeds, Over The Top content like iPlayer, and a device with all of these factors might well command a premium price.”

Rapid TV News 2009