At CES this year Sling Media made an announcement that they were going to ship the SlingCatcher that was announced at last year's CES 2007. The SlingCatcher is a standalone device that receives video content for display on a television in your house. Video can be received in a variety of ways: The SlingPlayer for TV feature allows the SlingCatcher to display local or remote Slingbox content on a television so it kind of works like an extender and doesn't need a dedicated PC to watch it on your television.
As you can see from the pictures it is a pretty small device akin to the first Slingbox, but with more connection options and video out as opposed to video in. Yes you are looking at Digital audio, typical 3 component connections, composite and (what is that?) a true HDMI connection on the back along with 2 USB ports and Ethernet.
The SlingSync feature allows a variety of video file formats including popular HD content to be synchronized from the PC to a USB storage device (hard drive or thumb drive) attached to the SlingCatcher for television playback. SlingProjector streams any video content displayed on a PC to a television, such as content from popular online video sites lke YouTube, Revver, Blip.TV and Soapbox. The SlingCatcher also comes with an IR remote for pasting your self to your couch and indulging in a true television experience from the comfort of your backside. The folks at Sling told us SlingCatcher will be available in Q2 for $249.99. In Q2 the will also be introducing for $49.99 the SlingLink Wireless which is an optional 802.11g USB adapter designed for use with the SlingCatcher. They had demonstrated the SlingCatcher publicly for the first time at their booth in the Sands Convention Center.
Brian Jacquet told me they will also be having a new version of SlingPlayer 2.0 for PC which will also include the "Clip+Sling" functionality, allowing Slingbox customers to "grab" clips of their favorite television moments and instantly share them online. Additionally, SlingPlayer 2.0 also adds a new feature that many users have requested(however I have a feeling Dave Zatz had a lot of influence on this!) an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) that displays a customer's television channel lineup and programming based on zipcode and provider information. And something that was desired from the beginning of the creation of SlingPlayer is addition of a 60-minute video buffer that allows local
pause, rewind, and fast forward transport controls so if you are just using the built-in tuner you will now have PVR functionality on your PC. SlingPlayer 2.0 will be available in Q1 (so check your SlingPlayer for updates) at no cost to Slingbox owners. Yes free!!
Dave Zatz also gave a demonstration of SlingPlayer 2.0 to the folks at Sling Community the video is definitely worth checking out here.
Sling also announced they will be working with OEMs to create a SlingModem, which provides a cable customer with both a broadband connection as well as the place-shifting functionality made famous by the Slingbox all in one simple to install package with no router configuring needed. The above picture is not a final product, but a mockup still it looks pretty nice!
EchoStar and Sling Media will also sell for $39.99, a digital-to-analog converter allows analog TVs to receive digital over-the-air broadcasts and comes with an onscreen setup wizard for easy installation called the TR-40 which will operate strictly over-the-air, Other features include up to a seven-day electronic programming guide (EPG), program search, parental locks and VCR auto-tune timers. The box can also be purchased via the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. The program provides U.S. households with up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes, which includes the TR-40. I have some old CRT televisions and may retrofit them with one of these when they become available.
Other big news that hit the wire fairly quickly was support for RIM Blackberry in SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry later this year, which was demonstrated at CES on a BlackBerry Pearl™ 8120 via WiFi and Cellular connectivity.
For all those people with new HD televisions they announced the next generation Slingbox PRO-HD, that is capable of streaming HD content from a home television source, including over the air HD digital signals, HDTV cable or satellite receivers, or HD DVR’s, to a laptop or desktop computer in and around the house. Geared to be paired with Sling Media’s SlingCatcher, the Slingbox PRO-HD will transmit the HD signal to another TV in the house. Also for customers who have a high speed broadband connection with upload speeds of 1.5 – 2 Mbps or higher can even stream their content in HD outside the home to the office, to a hotel room or even to a remote TV when using SlingCatcher. What had me stoked was that the Slingbox PRO-HD supports some pretty impressive and new hardware like a ATSC/QAM HDTV Tuner, S-video, composite video, component video and either analog or multi-channel connection, and 5.1 surround digital audio. The Slingbox PRO-HD will be available for purchase in Q3 2008 for a suggested retail price of $399.99.
What I was told at the booth was that the connector on the back is like the previous high-end model the Slingbox PRO with the HD connector being provided by an HDMI connector, but really isn't due to the added costs. Rather it supports a convertor cable to add the ability via the HD Connect Cable from the previous PRO model. Who knows when it finally comes out I am hoping it supports true HDMI like the SlingCatcher for one cable connectivity. Each year at CES SlingMedia seems to innovate and not disappoint, I can't wait...