That is, until today. EngadgetHD’s Richard Lawler called my attention to this video,“Introduction to the Verizon Slingbox Subscription Plan”, posted yesterday by Sling Support:

According to the video the Verizon Slingbox Subscription Plan is available now, for a $49.99 deposit and $9.99/month – plus taxes and shipping. You get a Slingbox 120, Slingbox player software for your Verizon mobile device (which is not the same as the generally available SlingPlayer app), and ‘accessories’. I found this FAQ on Sling’s website, which indicates the ‘accessories’ amount to a pair of SlingLink TURBO powerline network adapters – also seen in the video. The deposit is refundable if you cancel the subscription and return the hardware.

The video states that the subscription is available if your have a 4G LTE device, but the app doesn’t seem to be available on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus nor my wife’s Verizon Droid RAZR. The FAQ indicates the supported phones are the HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Droid Charge, and LG Revolution, while the video explicitly mentions the Thunderbolt, Charge, and the Motorola Droid Bionic – but not the Revolution.

Since the phones mentioned are all last year’s models, and this hit out of the blue, I left the following comment on the video:

This was announced last year, and the FAQ on Sling’s site? (support.slingbox.com/get/KB-2­000434.html) seems out of date – the phone models listed are all last year’s models. Is this actually launching now? Which phones are/will be supported? I don’t see the app on my Verizon Wireless Galaxy Nexus, which is 4G LTE.

Somewhat surprisingly, Sling Support responded quickly thusly:

Good point, but that FAQ is actually accurate. We have a limited roll out right now and are evaluating other VZW models as they come to market.? Thanks!

If the flagship 4G LTE phones aren’t supported it does seem to be ‘limited’, but hopefully they’ll expand this to newer models rapidly. It certainly seems to have been a very quiet launch. Not only did we miss any sign of it, but I can’t find any mention of this service anywhere on the Verizon Wireless website. And even the Sling Media website is pretty much limited to the old 2011 press release and the FAQ. It doesn’t seem like either party is doing much to publicize this option.

What about you? If you have a Verizon 4G LTE phone, especially a model not listed above, is this available to you? Would you take this over just buying a Slingbox outright? A Slingbox SOLO is currently $162.02 at Amazon, and SlingPlayer for Phones is $29.99, so you’d be looking at just over $192. That’s about 19 months worth of subscription fees (I won’t count the deposit since that’d refundable). Personally I think buying a Slingbox at retail is a better deal in the long run.

Now the Financial Chronicle reports that Sling Media is looking to increase the volume of their business in India by pursuing deals with two direct-to-home (DTH) operators.

“We have initiated talks with Airtel and Reliance for bundling our Sling Box with their set up box,” said Raman Venkatachar, Sling Media general manager.
…
“If we tie up with a DTH player, we can give our hardware and software to the company. Both Sling Box and set up box can be combined into one unit. This kind of arrangement will be operator specific,” he said adding that the increasing penetration of 3G users will be the key driver of growth.

In the meantime, they’ve also expanded their retail availability, with the Slingbox now being sold at Reliance Digital stores. Reliance Digital claims to be “one of India’s most popular destinations for purchase of electronics and durables”. Based on the description in the press release, it sounds something like an Indian Best Buy.