Dish shuts down Slingbox, to brick all devices by 2022

Dish Network announced on Monday it’s immediately discontinuing Sling Media’s Slingbox devices and will shut down its servers in two years, effectively bricking owners’ devices.

“Until then, most Slingbox models will continue to work normally, but the number of supported devices for viewing will steadily decrease as versions of the SlingPlayer apps become outdated and/or lose compatibility,” the company said in a message posted on its website.

Dish said Slingbox has been discontinued “to make room for new innovative products so that we can continue to serve our customers in the best way possible,” but it added that it wouldn’t be releasing any new products.

The company’s Slingbox, first released in 2005, was the among the first handful of products to offer video “placeshifting” technology — the ability to digitize the signal from your cable box and stream it to a PC or mobile device elsewhere in the home, or around the world.

Sling to Dish Network bought Sling Media in 2007 for $380 million, where the brand has gone on to form the basis of the company’s streaming video service, Sling TV.