With all the fuss about the upcoming mobile broadcast TV revolution, it's easy to overlook the hurdles and unanswered questions. Chief among them: Who will watch? Who will want to pay extra for it? Would a free, advertiser-supported model get consumers interested? Sling Media, the inventive company that brought you the acclaimed Slingbox, has a better idea: Get great quality mobile TV right now on your handheld using SlingPlayer Mobile, its new Windows Mobile application. This slick way to watch TV on the go works well—and has no monthly fees, to boot.

Sling Media offers versions of SlingPlayer Mobile for both Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC and Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone. For either flavor, the company recommends a CPU with at least 144 MHz, 4MB of free RAM, 900KB of free storage, and download speeds averaging 120 Kbps or higher. Surprisingly, these requirements encompass common EDGE-based smartphones in addition to faster EV-DO-, UMTS-, and HSDPA-enabled devices.

You'll need to have a Slingbox hooked up to your TV for this to work, of course. Installing the SlingPlayer Mobile application is easy. Head over to Sling Media's Web site straight from your smartphone and download the appropriate version for your device. Unfortunately, there's no support for Palm OS, Symbian, or BlackBerry handhelds, though Sling Media is working on that. Its direct download Web page could also use a redesign. Beginning the download takes scrolling through several screens of confirmations and EULA agreements from your phone's browser, which on some phones could be a slow affair.

I tested both versions of SlingPlayer Mobile on two different devices. During testing, I also connected to two different Slingboxes, one located on each coast. First, I installed SlingPlayer Mobile for Pocket PC 1.1 Beta2 on a Sprint Palm Treo 700wx, which has a 312-MHz processor. Audio and video quality was great for streaming media, and almost as good as a 30-frames-per-second television feed. At numerous times during testing, I enjoyed a steady 26- to 29-fps connection on the Treo, though anything above 15 fps was smooth enough to watch without distraction.

I had no problem changing channels, and I also like the ability to set up "favorite" commands (such as Channel Up and Down) in prominent buttons on the main screen. SlingPlayer Mobile even supports TiVo devices. I tried to change the channel on one Slingbox and was told that the TiVo was already recording; did I want to still change channels? I was able to select either option from the Treo. I chose no, the channel stayed put, and the TiVo's recording job continued uninterrupted.

Next up, I threw SlingPlayer Mobile a curveball by using a much slower device, a Cingular 2125 with a 195-MHz CPU and a pokey EDGE-based data connection. This time, I installed SlingPlayer Mobile for Smartphone 1.0.5 Beta, which is the correct version for the 2125. After the installation completed, I started up the application, connected to the same two Slingboxes, and crossed my fingers. This time around, I saw some pixelation and experienced some hiccups—video wasn't as silky or as sharp as with the Treo 700wx—but to my amazement, the result was still quite watchable. There must be some serious programming wizardry happening behind the scenes to stream video over a connection that is essentially only twice as fast as dial-up.

News tickers and other small on-screen print weren't always readable on either device, but that's a small price to pay. If you have a Slingbox and a Windows Mobile device, you simply have to try out SlingPlayer Mobile. It's easy to set up, it works well, and you'll have one more distraction to take along on your smartphone.