CBS 5 News in San Francisco is saving money while delivering more live-cam shots of weather and traffic to residents in the area… all thanks to Slingbox, reports the Slingmedia blog about the first professional usage of the Slingbox. According to a video report on CNET News, the TV station is using Slingboxes and wireless data services to beam live video of traffic, weather, and breaking news to the studio instead the more common satellite uplink.
Don Sharp, Operations Manager for CBS 5 San Francisco, and innovator of the concept compared the cost difference between satellite and Slingbox. “The cost is around 8 dollars a minute,” he said in the CNET report, referring to satellite feeds. “Plus, it takes a satellite truck with a big dish on it, a generator, and a person to operate the uplink. The price of those transmitters and receivers are roughly around 20,000 dollars… plus the camera, the pan and tilt head, and the rental because it consumes a lot of space. And, you have to go to the FCC to get licensing…”
