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 SlingProjector feature mirrors anything on your PC screen including streaming video
(Credit: CNET)Watch the SlingCatcher video on CNET TV.
But this is the year, the company insists, that the long-awaited product will indeed be on sale. No specific date has been set, but the word is sometime in the second quarter. Though it originally planned to have it out in time for holiday sales, "sometimes these things take time," said Sling CEO Blake Krikorian, in a statement.
(Credit:
Sling Media)
The SlingCatcher is a separate set-top that can be used to bring content from a Slingbox to another TV in the house, or from an external hard drive. Though it works fine on both HDTVs and standard-definition sets, connecting the SlingCatcher to the new Slingbox Pro-HD is the only way to transmit high-definition video around the home.
The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.
SlingProjector software has been updated since last we saw it. When browsing Web video on a PC, the software automatically detects windows with video and projects it to the TV screen it is connected to.
Also updated: the official price of $249.View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
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