Sling Media has just unveiled the product pages for the long anticipated Slingbox PRO-HD and the even longer anticipated SlingCatcher.

The Slingbox PRO-HD is the first Slingbox capable of streaming content in high-definition, up to 1080i, across a LAN. Replacing the Slingbox PRO at the top of the Slingbox lineup, the PRO-HD supports three inputs: component video, S-Video or composite video, and RF. The internal RF tuner is digital, capable of tuning NTSC, ATSC, analog cable, and Clear QAM digital channels. The PRO-HD has another trick as well, it can stream 5.1 audio – from the internal digital tuner, or from an SPDIF coax digital audio input associated with the component video input.

The SlingCatcher, first announced in January 2007 and intended to ship last year, has been hotly anticipated due to the delay. It is the yin to the Slingbox’s yang, a hardware receiver instead of a sender. The SlingCatcher can stream content from your Slingbox – on the other side of the house, or the other side of the world – and put it on your TV. It can also access content from your PC as well as content from the soon-to-be-launched Sling.com online portal and the Internet.

The SlingCatcher has a number of connectivity options, with HDMI, component video, S-Video, and composite video out as well as SPDIF coax digital audio and analog stereo L/R audio out. In addition it has an Ethernet port for the required network connectivity, as well as two USB ports which can be used to connect USB mass storage devices to store content.

Supported media formats:
* Video: WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, Xvid
* Audio: MP2, MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3
* File formats: .avi, .vob, .ifo, .ps, .ts, .mpg, .wmv, .asf, .mov, .mp4,.m4v, .mp3, .wma, .mp4a, .m4a, .wav

But it is more than just product pages – both units are available for pre-order now! You can pre-order the Slingbox PRO-HD direct from Sling Media or from Amazon, it is $299.99 in either location. The SlingCatcher is also available direct from Sling Media as well as Amazon, and is also $299.99. Though if you’re an Amazon Prime member you may save money on shipping by ordering from Amazon.

I’ve also added both units to this site’s store, which is powered by Amazon.

Disclaimer: I work for Sling Media as a Beta Manager. Guess what I’ve been doing.

Now through July 15th, Sling Media is running a promotional bundle. Buy the Slingbox PRO ($229.99 MSRP) and get the HD Connect dongle ($49.99 MSRP) for component video input and a SlingPlayer Mobile license ($29.99 MSRP), all for $229.95. So basically you get the HD Connect and SPM license free with the purchase of the Slingbox PRO. While I’ve seen the Slingbox PRO & HD Connect bundled for less, including the SPM license this looks like a pretty decent bundle deal. Amazon sells the Slingbox PRO for $182.99 and the HD Connect for $39.99, that’s $222.98 – without SPM, which would bring it to $252.97.

SlingPlayer Mobile is currently available for Palm OS, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Windows Mobile Professional/PPC, and Symbian S60. Symbian UIQ is in beta now and will be out soon, and Blackberry support is in development, expected later this year. The license works for any of the SlingPlayer mobile platforms.

Disclaimer: I work for Sling Media.

From June 2 through June 8, Buy.com is selling the Slingbox PRO with the HD Connect as a bundle for only $195.00. That’s over $100 off the $299.98 combined MSRP. I own a Slingbox PRO myself, and it is a nice box if you want to sling from multiple sources.

Disclaimer: I’m currently employed by Sling Media, but I’ve owned my Slingbox PRO for much longer than I’ve worked there.

There’s a special promotion running through June 30, 2008 on a bundle of the Slingbox SOLO and SlingPlayer Mobile for $143.99 plus $9.95 shipping – $153.94 total. (More if you’re impatient and want faster shipping.) SlingPlayer Mobile clients are currently available for select devices running Palm OS, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile Smartphone, and Windows Mobile Professional/PPC. This is a good deal – the SOLO has an MSRP of $179.99 and SlingPlayer mobile is $29.99, which is $209.98 – with $9.95 shipping that’d be $219.93. So you save $65.99.

You have to love the net – I found out about this from a Twitter message that linked to the deal at dealnews.

Disclaimer: I’m currently employed by Sling Media. But, as I said, my finding this deal had nothing to do with work.

Dish Network just held a ‘Team Summit’ and some interesting news is making its way out. SatelliteGuys.us posted a report from the General Assembly which includes an overview of upcoming Dish Network DVRs, including what I think is the most interesting – the 722s, with built-in Slingbox!

Then Mark and Leslie introduce something that blows me away… The 722s. Its a 722 with Sling technology built in. Besides having Slingbox technology built in it also has Clip and sling which will let you send clips to friends. The 722s has a totally new interface, it has a guide with channel logos plus a totally new UHF remote, which features a touchpad and a trigger below it. This s a amazing unit. The front of the 722s also features al touch technology with no buttons and is backlit instead of using LCD’s. They are looking at having 1TB drive at launch, however 500 GB will be used by Dish and the DVR will come loaded with name HD movies preloaded on the drive. The 722s also has a built in browser (although Jackson said it will only go to certain sites and will be tightly integrated with Yahoo.)

But it is more than just a Slingbox with Clip+Sling – it is a SlingCatcher too!

Out comes Sling CEO Blake Kerkorian and he talks about the Slingbox and talks a little more about the 722s. The 722 will be able to do Clip & Sling and Slingcatcher, plus it will be able to run more applications as well.

So it is a Dish PVR, Slingbox, and SlingCatcher all in one. And from a follow-up post in that thread, it will be an HD Slingbox, like the upcoming Slingbox PRO-HD.

This isn’t really surprising in general, since EchoStar purchased Sling Media last year, but I think this is the first time we’ve heard of this as a real product and not just speculation. And being a SlingCatcher too wasn’t something I’d seen discussed before. The built in web browser is interesting, though it is a shame they have it restricted. (And I’d presume that only works for boxes connected to broadband, same with the Slingbox capability.)

That’s not all they talked about at the summit. The 700MHz spectrum Dish picked up at auction recently was mentioned, unsurprisingly, as a carrier for Dish Mobile. So you’ll be able to access Dish Network content in your car, on your boat, etc.

There are other new Dish STBs as well, the 222k and 722k lack OTA tuners, but a tuner module can be added. And apparently the module provides dual OTA tuners, instead of the single OTA tuner in today’s ViP722. And the tuner module also adds an RF modulator so you can distribute the output through the home over existing coaxial cable on channel 2 or 3. As well as some new two-way remotes, which apparently can store all of your DVR settings and resend them to a new box if you have to have your STB replaced.

Check out the thread at SatelliteGuys.us for all the details.

Disclaimer: I’m currently employed by Sling Media, which is owned by EchoStar.

Announced in April, SlingPlayer Mobile for Symbian UIQ is now ready for beta testers. Symbian UIQ is distinct from Symbian S60 (aka Series60), an update for which was released recently. While Symbian S60 is used on phones from Nokia, Symbian UIQ is used by vendors such as Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

If you’re a Slingbox owner with a Symbian UIQ smartphone, you can apply for the beta here.

Disclaimer: I’m not only currently employed by Sling Media, I’m the Program Manager for the Symbian UIQ beta.

Sling Media today released SlingPlayer Mobile updates for Windows Mobile Smartphone, Windows Mobile Professional/PPC, and Symbian S60. There new versions are 1.6, 1.6, and 1.01, respectively. While not updated, the Palm OS client is still available as well. US versions of the clients are available here, and UK/International versions are available here. The new versions are a free upgrade for existing register users, or a USD$29.99 purchase for new users. You can try the client for 30 days before purchasing to make sure you’re satisfied before purchasing. Of course, you’ll need a Slingbox for the client to connect to as well.

The new releases add support for additional phones such as the Treo 500v, Nokia N95 8GB, Samsung i760, and Nokia N82, as well as improved video streaming on select phones such as the Sprint/HTC Mogul. Additional changes include support for additional set-top boxes, additional channel logos, and various ‘under the hood’ tweaks.

Symbian UIQ and Blackberry clients are still planned for later this year.

Disclaimer: I am currently employed by Sling Media, and I took over as the beta manager for these three beta programs on April 7th. If you’re interested in beta testing register and be sure to keep your profile updated, especially the ‘Test Platforms’ section.

Jason Fry of the Wall Street Journal has taken a look at how time-shifting via TiVo and place-shifting via Slingbox are changing the TV landscape and the social aspect of TV viewing. “Today my TV is not your TV, and you can never assume the same people are watching the same thing at the same time or in the same way.” And he expresses feelings that are likely common to most DVR users – not wanting to go back to pre-DVR TV viewing, of the power to watch the content you want when you want, and the large behavioral changes their bring to our TV-related habits. But what I found most interesting is his list of five major lessons learned from the first years of DVR use. Give it a read.

It seems that for every gizmo and gadget that is released these days a community of hackers and after-market vendors springs up to offer add-ons to power users and geeks to soup them up. Of course, most people are familiar with automotive after-market add-ons, but your tech gadgets aren’t left out of the picture. TiVo users have offerings from DVRupgrade, WeaKnees, and 9th Tee, as well as numerous community projects such as TiVo Decode and WinMFS/MFSLive. iPod & iPhone users have many add-on vendors as well as hacking and jailbreak sites. Many DVD players have 3rd party firmware loads, or hack sites with back door codes to disable region locks, etc. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that the Slingbox is no different.

At commercial option comes from Applian Technologies. Early on Applian Technologies released At-Large Recorder, which allowed users to record the streams from their Slingbox. However, Sling Media later made changes to their SlingStream which blocked recording from Slingboxes with newer firmware, so users could only use it with un-upgraded, older units. However, Applian eventually sorted out how to make their software with newer Slingboxes, and they released At-Large Recorder 2. At-Large Recorder 2 works with any Slingbox, and allows for scheduled recordings, turning your Slingbox into a remote tuner for recording on your PC. You can download At-Large Recorder 2 and try it out as a demo, which allows you to record 5 minutes per recording. Which is probably enough to grab clips if that’s all you need. If you like it, you can purchase the activation key for $49.95. The full version allows recording without limitation.

At the other end of the spectrum is the open-source Slingbox SDK developed by Alexandre Lefebvre. Completely free, but really for the geeks. The project includes an SDK for communicating with any model of Slingbox, a basic recording application, and a plug-in to access the Slingbox from within VLC.

There’s another free application, which is a bit more user friendly. Actually, a small suite of applications – Slinger, SLR Recorder, and VSLR Player. Much like Applian’s At-Large Recorder 2 these free applications allow for recording of the SlingStream, including schedule recordings. They’re a little rough around the edges, without the polish of the commercial At-Large Recorder, but that’s $50 and these are free. So take your pick.

And there is another player just entering the field. Reader Natasha Silverfoote tipped me off to them back on March 24th, which is what started the wheels of my brain turning to pull this post together. She let me know that mReplay had just opened up their mReplay Live product for public beta. This is a different kind of application, it is an ActiveX program that runs from within Internet Explorer to allow you to record from any Slingbox from within the browser. It also allows you to edit the recordings and product clips, much like Sling’s own forthcoming Clip+Sling. However, while Clip+Sling will upload the clips directly to Sling.com, mReplay Live allows you to share the clips on YouTube, via email or IM, etc.

Right now it is, frankly, fairly rough. I’ve played with it and it crashed IE a few times. But that’s not unusual for a first beta release. As a Firefox user, needing to run IE in the first place bugs me. But while it is rough around the edges, and is clearly an early beta, it does work. I was able to stream from my Slingbox SOLO and make recordings and clips. The good news is that mReplay intends to bring the same functionality to Firefox via a plug-in, and they also intend to bring mReplay Live support to the Mac and Linux in some fashion. They’re also working on support for the iPhone using the just-released SDK. As well as bringing the software to additional platforms, a planned feature addition is ‘DVR functionality’ to allow scheduled recordings. And to top it off, mReplay Live is a free application.

After I tracked down a contact, mReplay’s founder and CEO, Patrick Riley, was kind enough answer my questions via email. mReplay is based in Orinda, CA, just outside of San Francisco. mReplay started back in 2005 and grew out of Patrick’s Masters Thesis at the UC Berkeley School of Information, and it seems that the folks at mReplay are big fans of the Slingbox, but just felt limited by the capabilities of the official software. That’s generally how all of these things start, when someone thinks “This is great, but wouldn’t it be cool if it could do X?” The founders are sports fans who really wanted a way to use their Slingboxes to grab highlight clips.

Their original effort in 2005 was to develop mobile client software to allow accessing the Slingbox from mobile phones. However, that effort ended up taking a back seat to developing the PC client that has first surfaced as the free mReplay Live application. The next step is for a commercial application called GameDay Professional which will expand on the basic recording and clipping functionality of the Live application to include automatic sports highlight detection and recording and ‘VCR-like’ recording scheduling. While watching a sporting event the professional software while automatically compile a highlight reel of the game. It is still in private beta, but Patrick told me it will be available in June 2008 and pricing is planned to be $30 for PC and Mac.

The mReplay Mobi effort hasn’t been dropped either, it is still in the works for ‘Summer 2008′ with the aforementioned iPhone support as well as support for Google Android planned. The mobile client is planned to go beyond the standard SlingPlayer Mobile client software by supporting the same clipping and sharing features as the mReplay PC software.

mReplay received a Cease & Desist letter from Sling Media last year, relating to their early efforts, and this delayed their work and software releases a bit. But they’re now represented by the law firm Fenwick & West LLP and feel that all of their current products are 100% legal. mReplay hasn’t heard more from Sling Media about their current work, and when I contacted Sling Media about mReplay they officially had no comment at this time.

Patrick sees mReplay as a ‘value add’ for the Slingbox, and not really a competitor. As he put it in email: “We are only going to help Sling Media, by making their hardware more valuable by providing additional free and premium services.” He’d like to see Sling embrace third party vendors who can add features and functionality to the standard Sling products for the power users. He’d really like to see Sling Media release an official SDK for third party developers to use in extending Slingbox and SlingPlayer feature set. mReplay plans to release some of their code as open source to help fuel community development efforts around the Slingbox. When I asked about producing a client that isn’t tied to a browser Patrick said: “[I]t’s just a matter of making a PC and Mac Client that isn’t reliant on the limitations of a browser.”

I asked Patrick if he is concerned about Sling Media updating their products to block third party software such as mReplay, and he replied:

I think it would be a great disservice for Sling to technically or legally tweak user’s Slingbox (their firmware) as to prevent any other companies from making software for this piece of hardware.

I don’t really see the likes of mReplay, or Applian and the others, as competitors to Sling, so I hope they allow the third party vendors to establish a Slingbox ecosystem to support the power users and geeks who look for more than the average user. As we’ve repeatedly seen with other products, community hacking efforts really can’t be stopped, so it probably isn’t worth spending resources on trying.

While the third party applications may offer additional functionality, none of them really feel as user-friendly as SlingPlayer. mReplay Live is still in its first public beta release, so I do have to cut it a lot of slack, but I did have some trouble figuring out how to use it. I didn’t find it very intuitive. But hopefully those issues will be worked out during testing – that’s what betas are for after all.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the release of SlingPlayer 2.0 with Clip+Sling as well as SlingPlayer Mobile updates. I got a taste of SP 2.0 and C+S at CES in January and what Sling has done is really polished and easy to use. I really do wish Sling Media would add recording functionality, as I said back during CES they’re so very close already with SP 2.0:

SlingPlayer 2.0 is an evolution of today’s SlingPlayer software. The new software adds a 60 minute local playback buffer which allows you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward the program locally. The UI has been spruced up and there are a number of updates, including an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) source from Zap2it.com (which is run by TMS, the same company that provides TiVo’s guide data). At this point a Slingbox with SlingPlayer 2.0 is a hair’s breadth from forming a DVR. All they need to do is add recording capability to SlingPlayer and they’d have a functioning DVR. I asked Dave about that, but Sling has no plans currently to add recording. Maybe at some point in the future. While it wouldn’t replace TiVo, I do think they should do it. And it is clear that not doing it is a deliberate choice, as everything is in place for it in 2.0 aside from allowing the buffer to be saved.

Perhaps once the ongoing lawsuit between TiVo and EchoStar (which now owns Sling Media) is settled Sling will be able to add DVR functionality.

In the meantime power users looking to record, and more, might want to check out one of these add-on products.

Monsoon Multimedia’s HAVA products are a lesser-known competitor to the Slingbox in the place-shifting market. One of the largest limitations to the HAVA product line has been the limited client platform compatibility, which has amounted to Windows or Windows Mobile (which is still in beta), while Sling Media supports Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS, Palm OS, and Symbian OS, with a client for BlackBerry in development. Instead of launching a client for one of these popular smartphone platforms, or even Mac OS, Monsoon has made the interesting choice of developing a client for Nokia Internet Tablets, such as the N810. While the Nokia tablets are certainly interesting gadgets, they’re not exactly a huge market. Internet Tablet Talk got a chance to play with the beta version of the player on a Nokia tablet, and they made a video of it.

I will warn you that the video is, well, slow paced. There isn’t a lot exciting there – it is a new version of the HAVA Mobile Player running on a Nokia tablet. The most interesting thing about that, to me, is that the Nokia tablets run Linux, so maybe this was an exercise to prepare for the growing number of Linux smartphones, etc. I just don’t see support for the N800/810 really selling any HAVA boxes, since the tablet market is fairly small. I’d think Monsoon would’ve gotten more return on investment by releasing a client for Mac OS or Symbian OS.

Picked up from EngadgetHD.