Sling to Stream in HD
Also Preps Software for BlackBerry Devices
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 1/4/2008 5:00:00 AM
Sling Media has cooked up a device that can fling high-definition content from a cable set-top box to a personal computer over a home network -- and potentially even over the Internet.
The Slingbox PRO-HD, which the company plans to demonstrate at the Consumer Electronics Show next week, will be able to stream up to 1080i HD content (which has 1920-by-1080 screen resolution) to PCs over a user's home network.
According to Sling, the device can also deliver HDTV over the Internet to a remote location if the broadband connections on both ends are fast enough. In some cases, the company said, as little as 1.5 megabits per second has proved to be sufficient to provide HD streaming over the Internet.
Moreover, the PRO-HD may be used to deliver high-definition video to another HDTV set via the company's forthcoming SlingCatcher.
The Slingbox PRO-HD includes multiple inputs and outputs, including digital audio and a digital ATSC/QAM tuner. The box has a $399.99 suggested retail price and is slated to be available in the third quarter.
The company released a lower-end HD-capable device with a suggested retail price of $179.99, the Slingbox Solo, in September.
Also at CES, Sling will demonstrate its SlingPlayer Mobile software working on Research In Motion's BlackBerry Pearl 8120, which allows Slingbox owners to watch their home TV programming. The BlackBerry version of the software will be available later this year for $29.99.
Sling Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Holding Corp. EchoStar acquired Sling last fall in a deal valued at $380 million.
