If you’re a Slingbox owner who happens to be of the opinion that there just aren’t enough ads on television already, you are weird.
You also might be seeing even more ads if Sling Media puts into play the technology described in a recent patent.
The patent basically entails using various methods of delivering ads including video overlays, pre- and post-roll ads, pop-up windows, and even serving ads to you via “a phone call, a fax, or the postal service.” The ads would be targeted to you based on what you’re watching at the time, so you’d get ads for golfing websites while you’re watching a golf tournament, for instance.
It should be noted that Sling Media hasn’t announced any plans to use the service yet. I’d hope that the company would be smart enough to realize that people who are paying for a SlingBox and then, in some instances, paying again for the SlingPlayer software (SlingPlayer Mobile costs $29.99) might be a little miffed to see ads showing up.
It would make more sense for Sling Media to use this technology to supplement the cost of the hardware player and/or software packages or at least offer it as an opt-in “service” to Slingbox owners. And it might not affect Slingbox owners at all. It may be something that Sling Media uses for the new partnership with EchoStar/DISH Network to offset the costs of building the technology into DISH receivers.
Slingbox to Slip Ads Into TV Viewing? [Sling Community]