14 DAY TRIAL // Like most other CE manufacturers, SlingMedia is using the International CES 2008 as a marketing booster right from the year's start, making all sorts of announcements regarding its upcoming products. After announcing the Slingbox PRO-HD yesterday, the company has also announced that it will be demonstrating its SlingCatcher during CES, a product most SlingMedia fans are eagerly waiting for.
For those of you who have never heard anything about this particular product, it's important to note the fact that the SlingCatcher is a set-top box that seamlessly delivers broadcast TV, Internet-based content and personal media to the TV. The SlingCatcher acts as a repository for content and is able to pull from multiple sources and places, unifying the content for easy navigation and playback.
SlingCatcher is bundled with three built-in applications: SlingPlayer for TV, SlingSync and SlingProjector that combine to create a unified media platform capable of pulling content from disparate places and consolidating them onto a single TV screen, giving the customer complete control of their personal media.
Each of the three applications has a very well-defined role in the overall structure. Thus, for example, the SlingPlayer for TV delivers one of the most requested Slingbox customer features: the ability to "sling" programming to another TV in the home or to a TV in a remote location without a PC by connecting to and streaming from the Slingbox on a LAN or WAN. In addition, when combined with the forthcoming Slingbox PRO-HD, SlingCatcher will give customers the ability to stream in HD from one TV to another.
The SlingProjector enables consumers to project to the TV Internet and PC-based digital audio/video content from a PC to TV-screen for a "lean back" viewing experience. The SlingProjector supports most video streaming web sites, media players and Internet video players.
Finally, SlingSync gives customers the ability to sync files over their network connection and store them on a third-party USB flash drive or other portable hard drive attached to the SlingCatcher, as it allows them to use the SlingCatcher to replay their favorite content on demand and manage content from a PC via the SlingCatcher user interface.
The SlingCatcher includes both standard definition and high definition AV outputs to connect to a TV including HDMI, component, S-Video and composite video, as well as analog and digital audio. In regards to network connectivity, the SlingCatcher features a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home network either directly or via SlingLink powerline Ethernet adapters. In addition, Sling Media will sell a wireless USB adapter called SlingLink Wireless for $49.99, which can also be used to create the network connection.
As mentioned earlier, the SlingCatcher is slated to arrive in Q2 of 2008 for around 250 US dollars, which is not exactly a very small price, but it's probably worth it, especially for the people who already own another SlingMedia device.
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