SlingPlayer app delivers early Christmas joy to Windows 8.1 users

Santa Claus may not be due to slide down the chimney for another 12 days, but the elves at Slingbox are bringing a little holiday cheer to PC and tablet users on the Windows platform.

Sling Media has announced the release of SlingPlayer for Windows 8, a native media player app first announced last month and now available for PC users running Microsoft's operating system.

Available globally from the Windows 8 Store, the SlingPlayer app offers a unified experience across all Windows 8 devices, including laptop or desktop computers, convertibles and tablets.

Although Intel-powered Windows 8.1 devices could previously access Sling's web-based player, the Windows 8 app delivers support for ARM-based Windows RT devices like Surface 2 and the Nokia Lumia 2520.

Sling it, touch it

SlingPlayer for Windows 8 works equally well with a mouse or fingers, thanks to the touch-enabled user interface that offers universal support for all gadgets.

The app also includes an intuitive gallery view in keeping with the look and feel of other Windows 8 apps for easy discovery and navigation of live or recorded programs.

Should you need another incentive to upgrade to Windows 8.1, the SlingPlayer native app is as good as any, since it requires the latest version.

SlingPlayer for Windows 8 offers a free 24-hour test drive and is priced comparable to other versions at $14.99 (about £9.20, AU$16.72); a separate version is also available for Windows Phone 8 devices.

• No luck buying an Xbox One yet? Check out our extensive review instead!

Halo spin-off and more original TV shows landing on Xbox One in early 2014

Microsoft's march into original television content on the Xbox One will begin in earnest early next year, according to the company's president of digital entertainment.

Nancy Tellem said the roll out has taken longer than the company would have hoped, but the first wave of shows are coming by the second quarter of 2014, including that hotly anticipated Steven Spielberg-produced Halo spin-off show.

Tellem, who is overseeing the acquisition and development of new content said: "We're hoping we will be able to put something up in the first quarter, at minimum second quarter."

She told Variety that progress had been slower than hoped, but "reflecting on what we've done and what lies ahead, it's been pretty good."

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Tellem admitted that Microsoft doesn't quite have its business model down as the company is not trying to be Netflix or Amazon, but is looking at a range of ways to offer content to Xbox Live subscribers.

She said: "We aren't Netflix, we aren't Amazon, we're a different animal. We're neither or we're a little like them. It all depends. The lack of black and white and this is the template and this is what we're following is very difficult. As we continue to do deals everyone's going to get more comfortable."

"Depending on the piece of content, the deals change. We're talking about exclusives, exclusive first windows, exclusive second windows. We play a lot with windows and co-production arrangements" and "whether we feel these are ideas are franchise building or we can own completely."

• Halo: Spartan Assault is going to make it an extra special Christmas Eve for Xbox fans...

Lovefilm hits Xbox One just in time to sate early adopters' on-demand desires

The Lovefilm instant streaming app is now available for the first Xbox One owners to download from the console's App Marketplace.

The Amazon-owned on demand portal was listed as one of the few big name entertainment apps that would be made available on day one, and duly arrived on Friday afternoon as buyers unboxed.

Naturally the app, which joins rival service Netflix on the new Xbox One, features 1080p streaming and Dolby 5.1 sound along with the full catalogue of movies and TV shows.

It also plays nice with the Xbox One's 'snap and full' features, allowing users to work in other apps while watching content on the big screen.

WhisperSync and Kinect integration

The Lovefilm app also features the Amazon WhisperSync technology (borrowed from the Kindle range) which lets viewers pause and resume on other devices without losing their position.

It is also compatible with Kinect gestures with browsing, selecting and moving through content available through a simple wave of the hand.

The arrival of Lovefilm boosts the Xbox One's launch line up with currently lacks Xbox 360 mainstays like the BBC iPlayer, Sky Go and Sky's Now TV.

The BBC says it is working with Microsoft to bring the iPlayer to the Xbox One, which Sky says Now TV won't arrive until next summer, with no immediate plans for Sky Go.

The iPlayer on the other hand will be a launch app on the PS4 when it arrives next week. It appears to the naked eye that the Beeb's beef is with Microsoft's desire to put everything behind the Xbox Live paywall.

• Take a closer look at the Xbox One's dashboard as we go in depth...