SlingPlayer v. MediaFLO V-Cast TV on HTC Imagio

In this video, I pitted the SlingPlayer Mobile client running on the Verizon Wireless Touch Pro2 against the V-Cast TV service, which operates on Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology on the HTC Imagio.



Click on to read about the results.

It was surprising to see the Qualcomm MediaFLO service stutter sometimes to buffer between frames. There were a few audio and video skips. On the other hand, Sling Player Mobile stuttered only at the beginning and once the video started, it was smooth sailing. However, Sling Player will depend on a good data connection so if you're in a weak 3G area, video quality will be scaled down to a more pixelated resolution and/or stutter from time to time. In our test, the V-Cast TV service on MediaFLO was a bit more clear.

The verdict? MediaFLO on Verizon Wireless requires a monthly subscription cost of $15 and no hardware investment. Sling Player requires an up-front hardware investment (see our review) and no monthly subscription for TV except a compatible data plan--just watch for overages. You also get the full gamut of channels from your home cable or digital satellite service versus the limited channels on V-Cast. My choice would be Sling Player Mobile.

Thanks to Adam for the video idea.