This post was published 2 years 10 months 13 days ago.
It\'s is possible that the information within this article is now out of date or updated.

”Reverse Slingbox” takes revolutionary approach to delivering the full-blown web and PC digital media experience to the TV.

Las Vegas – Consumer Electronics Show (CES) –- January 8, 2007 — Sling Media, Inc., a digital lifestyle products company, today announced a new product called SlingCatcher™, designed to deliver rich video experiences to a television located in the home as well as in remote locations. Sling Media also announced the first key applications that will be a built-in part of the SlingCatcher platform at launch: SlingProjector™ and SlingPlayer for TV. Additional services and partnerships will be announced at a later date.

SlingProjector application: Full-blown digital media experiences for the TV.
The SlingProjector application – bundled with every SlingCatcher – takes a radically new approach to bringing 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. “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.”

The core use cases for the SlingProjector feature revolve around consumers wirelessly projecting web or PC-based content from their laptop to the TV. Net-based, long form content such as movies and shows mesh wonderfully with the “lean back” nature of the home TV experience. Additionally, short form content such as funny videos, music services and home movies/pictures lend themselves very nicely to social gatherings around the big-screen TV.

SlingPlayer for TV application: Your TV on another TV
While the current Slingbox enables consumers to placeshift their favorite TV programming to a PC, Mac or mobile phone, one of the most requested features from the Sling Community has been to provide the ability to sling that same programming to another TV located in the home or to a TV in a remote location.
The SlingPlayer for TV application built into the SlingCatcher delivers 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.

“From the very beginning our customers have asked why we didn’t offer a product that allows them to watch their home TV via the Slingbox on another TV,” continued Krikorian. “For instance, Slingbox customers have shown a desire to access their living room DVR on every TV in the home. The SlingCatcher enables them to do just that.”

Additional Applications, Services and Partnerships Forthcoming
The SlingCatcher also has 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. Sling is currently discussing partnership opportunities with both large and small content owners to create and deliver their offerings directly to the TV via the SlingCatcher. The add-on storage capability (via hard disk drive attachment) could be utilized for direct delivery of such content. More details will be announced closer to the launch of the SlingCatcher.
For media companies and content holders, who are interested in talking to Sling Media, please send an email to: slingtotv@slingmedia.com.

Brief Summary of Specifications, Availability and Pricing
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 both integrated wireless and a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home. SlingCatcher will be available for purchase by the middle of this year and the company is targeting a price point under $200.

Chris Leckness (3549 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.