Sling Media released a major upgrade for its SlingPlayer app on Monday, adding AirPlay and Roku support and creating a stronger "second-screen" experience for users of its place-shifting video devices.
Version 3.0 of the SlingPlayer iOS app is a major upgrade that runs only on iOS 7. It's got AirPlay support, so iPhone and iPad users can send video streamed from a Slingbox attached to a remote device to an Apple TV. The only limitation is that, unlike video streaming from many other iOS apps, the Slingbox app will only stream via AirPlay as long as it's the currently active app. If you want to check your email or Twitter while you're iPad's streaming to your TV, the connection will drop.
There's also a new SlingPlayer app for Android, and while it doesn't work with Apple's AirPlay, it joins the iOS version in being able to connect to Sling's new Roku channel. The Roku channel enables AirPlay-like functionality for the Roku set-top box, allowing a SlingPlayer app to relay video to the Roku box for display on a TV. The net result is, if you've got an Apple TV or Roku, you can now use them to display the contents of a far-off Slingbox.
According to Sling Media, a Windows 8.1 app is also on the way, scheduled to arrive in December.
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