Since I heard of it, I've thought Slingbox is a pretty sweet idea. But I never considered how serious the legal and commercial issues it raises are until I found this 2-year old article.
Even when used as intended, Slingbox has serious potential to undermine copyright and, even more scary to broadcasters, to reduce the ability to make money from advertising, whether or not copyright restrictions are obeyed.
But place-shifting technology also provides some potential benefits for television, chiefly in that:
Place-shifting also conceivably could help affiliates face down their viewers' biggest distraction -- the Internet -- by replanting the TV signal where they lose viewers' attention most: the computer, particularly at work.
"The product allows me to reach the consumer in so many ways that they were starting to lose people," Krikorian said. "Broadcasters would love to reach you while you're at work."
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