Sling Media, who we did a big profile on back in November, kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show with news about a new product. The SlingCatcher is due out by the middle of this year and will reportedly retail for under $200.
The SlingCatcher, explained Sling Media, is designed to let consumers bring web and PC-based content to the television by enabling the consumer to wirelessly project any web site or digital audio/video format onto their TV through the built-in SlingProjector application. This could be useful, as an example, in serving up Internet based, long form content such as movies and shows in the relaxed setting of the home TV experience.
Another feature built into the SlingCatcher is the SlingPlayer for TV application, which will reportedly deliver an easy, familiar way for customers to move TV content around the home or access content from the home remotely via a TV, without the need for a PC or Mac in the process. This is on top of the ability to download or stream content directly from the Internet and display it on a TV without the need for a PC to serve that content via a hard drive attachment. In regards to network connectivity, the SlingCatcher features both integrated wireless and a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home.
“Current ‘digital media adapter’ products only provide subsets of the digital media experience we have come to love on our PCs and Macs,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Sling Media. “The beauty of the Internet is its totality and diversity. Hence, the notion of providing subsets of it on the TV screen just doesn’t cut it. In keeping with our reputation of providing uncompromised and empowering solutions to consumers, the SlingProjector application enables you to enjoy a full-blown web and digital media experience on the TV. Essentially, anything that can be viewed or played on my PC can now be slung to my TV via the SlingCatcher’s SlingProjector feature.”
