CES 2008

The SlingProjector feature mirrors anything on your PC screen including streaming video

(Credit: CNET)

Watch the SlingCatcher video on CNET TV.

But this is the year, the company insists, that the long-awaited product will indeed be on sale. No specific date has been set, but the word is sometime in the second quarter. Though it originally planned to have it out in time for holiday sales, "sometimes these things take time," said Sling CEO Blake Krikorian, in a statement.

(Credit: Sling Media)

The SlingCatcher is a separate set-top that can be used to bring content from a Slingbox to another TV in the house, or from an external hard drive. Though it works fine on both HDTVs and standard-definition sets, connecting the SlingCatcher to the new Slingbox Pro-HD is the only way to transmit high-definition video around the home.

The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

SlingProjector software has been updated since last we saw it. When browsing Web video on a PC, the software automatically detects windows with video and projects it to the TV screen it is connected to.

The Slingbox PRO-HD: True high-def video streaming--at least on a home network

(Credit: Sling Media)

Sling Media has unveiled the Slingbox PRO-HD, the first version of its video place-shifting boxes designed to stream true high-definition video. The catch? Due to the massive bandwidth requirements, HD video can't be streamed over the Internet--just to other locations on a home network. Still, that means that PCs running the SlingPlayer software--or TVs attached to Sling's soon-to-be-reannounced SlingCatcher--should be able to view a high-def stream at up to 1080i resolution with 5.1 surround audio. (To date, some Slingbox models have been able to accept HD video, but the output stream was limited to DVD-level standard-definition resolution.)

Watch the Slingbox PRO-HD video on CNET TV.

The Slingbox PRO-HD will be loaded with a full range of inputs and passthrough outputs. Although it will lack HDMI (thanks to copy-protection restrictions), the PRO-HD will include NTSC, ATSC, and clear QAM tuners. The newest Slingbox is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2008 for $400.