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Making good on a promise made at CES 2008, Sling Media has announced that a beta version of the company's SlingPlayer Mobile software will be available on select BlackBerry smartphones starting December 30.

BlackBerry users who own the Bold, Curve 8900 & 8320, 8820, Pearl Flip 8220, and Pearl 8120 will be able to stream video to their smartphone using a Slingbox device.

The download requires BlackBerry device software 4.5 or higher and will be free for a limited time. We'd imagine once the beta lifts, all users will be required to pay the one-time fee of $30.

Sling Media is recommending a Wi-Fi connection for optimal viewing performance on some of the BlackBerry models (that support it); otherwise, a high-speed data connection will be needed.

Not sure if your device is compatible? Point your BlackBerry browser to http://mobile.slingmedia.com/go/bbcheck and let Sling Media tell you if it is.

The player and page for Arrested Development on Sling.com.

(Credit: CNET)

Last week, we reported that Sling.com, the streaming site of Slingbox maker Sling Media, was moving from the private beta phase and launching to the public. Well, that move is now official, as Sling has sent the site live to the world--though the "beta" moniker remains.

Much has been written about the impending launch of Sling.com. A partial list of partners has been circulating the last few weeks, but Sling's PR reps wanted to use today's announcement to showcase the full list, which naturally is "growing each and every week."

I'd list all the partners, but it would make for one ugly blog post and it's easier to just give you these links if you're interested.

Full list of shows available on Sling.com

Full list of channels available on Sling.com

Those of you waiting for a review of the recently released SlingCatcher--we're working on it now. Unfortunately, that product was pushed onto the market a little early (we assume to hit some sort of self-imposed deadline) and was basically still in a beta state. We'd been waiting for a couple of key software updates/fixes to arrive before passing final judgment.

Comments anyone? Does Sling.com live up to the hype? How could it be better?

Sling Media no longer wants to be put into a box--the theoretical kind, anyway.

Previously just a maker of hardware like the Slingbox, and related software, the company is now thinking bigger. With the official launch of Sling.com fast approaching, the small Silicon Valley company--bought last year by EchoStar--is making a bid to be taken seriously as an entertainment company.

Currently in private beta until November 24, Sling.com is a shiny new video portal that pulls in TV episodes, clips, full-length movies, and professionally produced Web videos to a single destination. The free content is provided by the NBC-Fox partnership Hulu, along with CBS (parent company of CBS Interactive, CNET's publisher), PBS, BBC America, and Web video sites like College Humor and Break.com, to name just a few. There are short ads before and during the videos.

Up until now, Sling had been mainly in the business of creating hardware and software that allow consumers to get their TV channels from remote devices.

The Slingbox, which allows owners to watch their own subscription TV channels remotely from a computer, marked the first introduction to Sling Media for many consumers. Then the company began releasing the SlingPlayer as downloadable software for Symbian, Palm OS, and Windows Mobile that lets Slingbox owners also get their TV channels on mobile phones. BlackBerry and iPhone versions are on the way.

The player and page for Arrested Development on Sling.com.

(Credit: CNET)

Sling then turned from just moving TV to the Web, and began pushing the idea of moving Web video to the TV with its SlingCatcher product, which started shipping last month.

Now, by creating a new Web destination, the company is turning the Internet into yet another destination for its customers to watch the channels they subscribe to along with a host of free, ad-supported content.

Will we actually see the SlingCatcher before 2009?

If you've been waiting been patiently waiting for the SlingCatcher, we feel your pain. We first saw the device back at CES 2007 and were impressed, but then it never came out. Then we saw it again at CES 2008 and we were told it would be out in the second quarter of 2008--and Sling missed that deadline. Now it's September and still no SlingCatcher.

With all these delays, we're about as skeptical as you can be, but Dave Zatz (of Zatz Not Funny and former SlingMedia employee) recently noticed that both the SlingCatcher and Slingbox PRO-HD are available for preorder on Amazon. And quick zip over to SlingMedia's site shows that the company is also offering up the units for preorder, and we have to imagine Sling is close to delivering the products if they're starting to take money for them.

Maybe the bigger question is whether the SlingCatcher still appeals to us as much as it did back in 2007. The device is capable of streaming media, transmitting your PC's display to a TV and "catching" a stream from your Slingbox, but a lot of those functions are pretty limited in real-world use or already done by other devices. We've already reviewed one device--the ZvBox--that aims to bring your PC and internet video to your TV, and we were less than impressed. Sling has a good reputation for a solid user experience, but at $300, it's yet to be seen if the SlingCatcher can appeal to larger than a niche audience.

Are you still excited about the SlingCatcher or Slingbox PRO-HD, or is the thrill gone after all these delays?

Sling Media has plans to connect your Slingbox to Apple's 3G iPhone. But don't get too excited; there's no release date set yet.

Sling showed us a brief demonstration of what the company's mobile application, SlingPlayer, looks like on a jailbroken first-generation iPhone. It's merely a proof of concept, the company says, to demonstrate how superduperexcited it is to get started on an actual product.

This is, of course, all assuming that Steve Jobs announces the 3G iPhone Monday at the opening of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which is all but assured at this point.

A glimpse of what the SlingPlayer UI will look like on the next-gen iPhone.

(Credit: Sling Media)

SlingPlayer is an application that allows users to stream video directly from a Slingbox to a mobile device. The bandwidth to show a high-quality video stream necessitates a device on a 3G wireless service, which is why the company has had to wait for the next-gen version of the iPhone. Sling already makes the SlingPlayer Mobile available on Windows Mobile, Palm OS, and Symbian phones, with RIM's BlackBerry on the way.

Sling's product manager for hardware, Ted Malone, says the company didn't consider making a Web application version of the SlingPlayer like Apple has encouraged other developers to do. Malone says SlingPlayer Mobile has to be a native application to meet Sling's standards of quality.

There's no date set, but Sling says it could be available by the end of this year. It's more likely to debut in early 2009.

The SlingModem: cable modem plus Slingbox

(Credit: Sling Media)

EchoStar will be officially unveiling the SlingModem at next week's Cable Show trade event in New Orleans. As the name suggests, the product combines a standard DOCSIS cable modem and a Slingbox media placeshifter--which transmits live TV broadcasts to Windows PCs, Macs, and a variety of smartphones--in one compact housing. If it sounds familiar, it's because the product was soft-launched at January's Consumer Electronics Show (following several online appearances at various enthusiast sites). The SlingModem will be sold directly to cable providers, who will then sell or lease the product to their customers. Exact price and availability weren't disclosed.

Having the SlingModem in the AV rack would be potentially helpful for the increasing number of consumers using network-capable devices for home entertainment (TiVo, Apple TV, and all three game consoles, for instance). ... Read more

The latest software pledges to fix the dodgy video quality on the Sprint Mogul.

(Credit: CNET)

Sling Media is offering upgraded versions of three of its mobile software clients: SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile PocketPC (now version 1.6), Windows Mobile Smartphone (also 1.6), and Symbian S60 (1.1). According to Sling's press release, the updated software adds support for additional hardware--including the Nokia N95 8GB, the Treo 500v, and the Samsung i760--and improves the streaming experience on "select handsets," including the the Sprint Mogul. The upgrades are free for registered users of the previous versions. Download prices for new users remain at $30 per handset, and with the free 30-day trial period, you can try before you buy.

Still available (but not updated today) is Sling's Palm OS mobile client. The company is pledging Symbian UIQ (for Sony Ericsson phones, as opposed to the Nokia/S60 version mentioned above), and BlackBerry support by the end of 2008. Of course, in order to stream live TV (or any other home AV source) with the SlingPlayer Mobile software, you'll need a Slingbox up and running in your home.

What do you think: do the new Slingbox Mobile software clients make a good product even better? Or do you prefer rival offerings from the likes of Sony, Hava/Monsoon Multimedia, and--soon--Archos? Or is the whole "TV on your phone" movement overrated?

SlingPlayer Mobile downloads (US): Slingmedia.com

This is just getting silly.

The makers of the popular Slingbox have been promising the SlingCatcher for almost a year and half now. And once again, the projected release date will come and go quietly.

Sling Catcher delayed again. This time, they're crossing their fingers for a release date sometime before the end of this year.

(Credit: Sling Media)

Gregg Wilkes, vice president of sales for Sling Media--which is now owned by EchoStar Communications--told a frustrated customer in an e-mail that the goal to release the device during the second quarter of this year will not be met.

Wilkes writes: "Will the catcher ship in Q2? No. We are upgrading the user experience and making enhancements to the feature set. These may or may not all ship at the same time. Will the Catcher ship in '08? All indications point to this happening in 2008."

The SlingCatcher is a set-top box, separate from the Slingbox, that brings video content from a Slingbox to another TV in a house, or from an external hard drive. The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector.

The device was originally introduced at CES 2007, and shown again at CES 2008, which was when Sling was floating the Q2 time frame.

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.