SlingCatcher Puts Other TVs in Play

Wandering the halls of CES, I keep my eye out for the practical amid the spectacular and the glitz. Technology that I can see us actually using in our homes as soon as this year. If it's affordable, all the better and more likely to be adopted by those of us who are not the earliest adopters of tech.

Sling Media's SlingCatcher fits that criteria.

Sling Media gets high marks for its Slingbox line, which effectively allows you to watch what's stored on your DVR on your PC, whether your DVR is a few rooms away at home or several states away.

At CES, SlingMedia demoed its new Slingbox PRO-HD ($399), which moves HD-quality (1080i) video over your home network to a laptop PC anywhere in the house. The HD signal will not travel over the Internet. The HD Slingbox version will be available in the fall, but the bigger announcement that I think will appeal to even more TV watchers is the SlingCatcher.

Used in tandem with any of the current Slingbox models ($130 to $230) or later with the new PRO-HD, the SlingCatcher allows you to watch media stored on your main TV's DVR on another TV in the house, rather than on a laptop. It also works on a TV outside your home, so you can bring it on vacation. It will be available for sale in the spring for $250.

As we watch more recorded TV than live TV in our house, I can see the SlingCatcher catching on in lots of homes. But since you do need a Slingbox as well, it's not an insignificant investment. But it is wonderful, useful technology.

By the way, the SlingCatcher will also allow you to watch videos, photos, and other media stored on a USB drive that plugs into the SlingCatcher, and watch media stored on your PC  on the TV hooked up to the SlingCatcher. For more info on how it works, check out this Sling Media page.   

Related: New Slingbox Delivers True HD Video

Sling Unveils HD-Ready Solo