Ahead of Monsoon Multimedia actually shipping the Vulkano “God Box” later this month, their free iPhone/iPad client has landed in Apple’s app storefront. Vulkano is the successor to Monsoon’s Slingbox-esque HAVA. It allows you to stream live and pre-recorded TV over the internet to a computer or mobile device after plugging a piece of hardware into your home theater setup.  I suspect the new Vulkano Mobile app (v1.2.101) is an enhanced version of HAVA Mobile (v1.1.28) to now support the iPad and iOS4.

While I don’t yet have a Vulkano in my possession, I do have access to a pair of remote units (connected to DISH ViP 211 satellite receivers) for the purposes of testing the iPhone software. Once locked onto a television channel, video quality looked very good… And I enjoyed some arena football from the NFL Network last night, despite a max app resolution of 320×240 (equivalent to Sling’s current solution). However, initial buffering and issuing remote commands seemed quite slow.

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After a somewhat protracted lead-up, SlingPlayer Mobile for Android will enter the Market late tonight. Priced at the same $29.99 as Sling’s other mobile clients (and maybe 1/3rd too much in the current app environment), SlingPlayer Mobile allows you to stream your home television over 3G or WiFi while on the go with the assistance of a Slingbox.

Officially, the Slingbox SOLO, PRO, and PRO-HD are supported… but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of the older units also get the job done.

Sling Media believes the new Android client provides their most polished mobile experience yet — with quicker app launching and channel changing, along with a refreshed UI. Check out Engadget’s video coverage of a beta build, shot last month, to see for yourself. While Sling wouldn’t give me the streaming resolution and codec details I was looking for, they did suggest video quality would be comparable to the iPhone client.

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Sling Media offers a two part solution for streaming video from your home to an internet-connected PC or mobile phone. First you buy a Slingbox to stick next to your home A/V components (cable box, TiVo, etc), and then you run the SlingPlayer software on a Mac or Windows PC, or a supported smartphone including Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm, or Symbian device.

A few months ago we learned that an Android version was in the works, and now it looks like Sling Media has launched a limited beta of SlingPlayer Mobile for Android. The closed beta isn’t available to the general public yet, but a beta tester sent a message to Android news site Phandroid the other day — despite the fact that the message specifically said not to share it.

While this could clearly be enough kick this particular tester out of the beta test if he’s discovered, it’s also a good indication that the wait for a full fledged SlingPlayer Mobile client for Android is in the works and hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for a public release.

There’s no word on the final pricing, but SlingPlayer Mobile generally runs about $30 on other platforms.

Sling Media is working on developing an Android version of its SlingPlayer mobile software that will let you stream live video from your home theater to your Android phone. Sling already offers SlingPlayer clients for Windows Mobile, PalmOS, , BlackBerry, Symbian, and the iPhone for about $30 each. While Sling hasn’t announced the Android pricing, it seems safe to assume it will run about the same price when it’s launched this summer.

In order to stream TV using the SlingPlayer, you need to purchase a Slingbox, which is a set top box that you plug into your home theater components. For instance, if you want to stream live TV, you would plug in your cable or satellite connection. If you want to be able to stream media stored on your DVR, you can connect your DVR, allowing you to watch live or pre-recorded programs, pause, play, as well as play, pause, fast forward, or rewind.

SlingPlayer Mobile for Android will work over WiFi or 3G connections.

You can check out a video of an early version of the application below, courtesy of Android and Me.

via Android Community
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