Research in Motion hasn't added a TV tuner to any of its popular Blackberry devices but Sling Media just introduced software that enables Slingbox owners to watch content from their home TV on a Blackberry connected to the AT&T or T-Mobile networks.

If you have a lot of cool video content on your computer that you're dying to display on a big screen TV, Slingcatcher sounds like a pretty neat idea.

Sling's products let customers record TV shows and watch them on their PCs. SlingPlayer Mobile has been available for other smart phones, such as those using Windows Mobile or Palm OS, but the upcoming launch extends service to a handful of BlackBerry devices, including the Bold, Curve and Pearl.

The SlingCatcher is one of the best options I've seen for viewing PC-based content on your TV.

SlingCatcher is a difficult device to explain, but when you have one properly hooked up for a while, you'll find it difficult to fathom that you could ever live without it.

This week, the guys at Sling announced that they will bring their Slingbox functionality to the Blackberry platform, with SlingPlayer Mobile for Blackberry Smartphones, Dec. 30. Now you won't even need a laptop.

Sling Media, makers of the TV place-shifting Slingbox, will finally release its BlackBerry application for 3G- and Wi-fi -enabled BlackBerry devices on December 30.

Slingbox lovers will soon be able to watch their own television on BlackBerry devices come Dec. 30.

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.

Sling Media’s Slingbox is a great way to take anything you can see on your TV and watch it on a PC, or even a mobile phone, but that’s not always what you want. The long-awaited SlingCatcher is the next logical step: it lets you watch what you’d normally see on one TV - on another TV screen.

But the SlingCatcher pairs up nicely with a Slingbox, which lets you view the contents of your TV on a PC. Which one would I want most? It’s a toss-up, but this is a gift guide, so I’ll choose both.

Whether you're down for streaming recent or calssic television shows, or checking out the film side of things, Sling.com has what you need in a Hulu kind of way, but with the added requisite social networking element thrown in.

More consumers are watching their favorite movies and TV shows online, at sites like and Youtube. Still, most computer monitors aren't ideal for lounging around the living room. That's where Sling Media's new pyramid-like SlingCatcher comes in. Hook it up to your TV and wirelessly stream sites from a computer. And in November, the company, a subsidiary of Dish Network (DISH), unveiled Sling.com, which lets users watch full movies from MGM (MGM), Warner Bros. (TWX), CBS (CBS), NBC (GE), and others.

Do you wish you could easily send videos or photos from your PC screen onto your living room TV? SlingCatcher, the latest hardware from Sling Media, lets you do just that, although I experienced some snags testing it.

The feeds provide a starting point for a journey through Sling's programming, which is particularly helpful for clips-oriented channels such as Break.com and The Onion. More important, they give Sling.com the feel of a user-generated content site. Although Sling users can't upload clips, they can help curate the massive quantity of material supplied by Sling's partners.

Sites such as Hulu, Joost and, now, Sling.com offer thousands of TV episodes and a growing number of feature films from a wide variety of networks and studios. You can find everything from the latest episodes of "The Office" to "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World."

Right on schedule, Sling Media's new video portal—including hundreds of network TV shows, scores of free movies, and Slingbox access over the Web—has gone into open beta.

Sling.com has a fairly clean look, and I found it easy to navigate. You don't need to create a site profile if you just want to watch TV shows, movies or clips, but it's necessary if you want to set up subscriptions to channels and shows so you'll be alerted when new content is added to the site. Unlike with Hulu, you don't have to log in to watch R-rated movies. And Slingbox users who want to watch live TV can use the e-mail address and password associated with their Slingbox to log in.

So what’s different about Sling.com? The service is trying to tap into social media tools, to let you "subscribe" to channels and your friends get to see what you’re subscribing to. Sling also has a nice blog that serves as a guide for what's available to watch.

With the Slingbox, you can access your home television and all of its programming from your laptop or mobile phone - anywhere you have an Internet connection. Use your computer to watch TV in another room of your home, or catch up on your digitally recorded shows while you travel.

Where Sling.com hopes to break away from the pack is through its integration with Slingbox, which intercepts regular TV programming and transmits it over a broadband connection to a laptop, desktop or mobile device loaded with a Sling Player application. Slingbox users will be able to watch TV on Sling.com, instead of through the Sling Player.

Early next month, the Foster City company will release the SlingCatcher, a $300 gadget that, among other things, will allow consumers to watch just about any video they can find on the Web on their living room TV. So a user could watch a home video on YouTube, an episode of "Fringe" from Hollywood studio-backed Hulu or even a video report from the Mercury News Web site.

So what does SP 2.0 offer? In terms of new features, the biggies are a 60 minute video buffer and EPG. The video buffer allows you to pause or scrub through playback, without the lag associated with remotely controlling a DVR. OR a major bonus for those without a DVR. And the EPG is exactly what it sounds like - an electronic program guide of your local television lineup. SlingPlayer 2.0 also sports a modern, refreshed UI that I find visually appealing.

The beta version of the SlingPlayer 2.0 software is now available for Windows users as a free download from Sling Media's Web site. The software, which allows owners of the company's Slingbox products to access their TV programming via any broadband-connected PC, includes several notable upgrades from the previous version.

Sure, we've seen a few updates to SlingPlayer here and there since then, but these were mainly maintenance updates, remote control upgrades, and firmware fixes. Don't get me wrong, these are always welcome. However, as an avid Slinger, I've been waiting to sink my teeth into the meaty new features of SlingPlayer 2.0 ever since I got a sneak peak at it back at CES. Suffice it to say, it's been a long, grueling wait. The wait is finally over... SlingPlayer 2.0 is here... at least in Public Beta form. Will it exceed your wildest expectations? Does it live up to the months and months of hype? Will it blend?

Looking to broaden its once-traditional TV brands--now digital brands--Warner Bros. Television Group has signed five digital distribution deals for WB.com and KidsWB.com. The digital sites--Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh--will launch separate channels for TheWB.com and KidsWB.com. Those new advertiser-supported broadband sites were announced in April. Time Warner-owned AOL is also a digital distributor of the two Warner Bros. Internet brands.

Warner Bros.’ new broadband networks, TheWB.com and KidsWB.com, will be distributed by partners Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks when they launch in mid-September, Warner Bros. Television Group president Bruce Rosenblum said Wednesday.

The Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) has signed distribution agreements with a select group of preferred partners to launch a number of advertiser-supported branded channels in premium environments that will further WBTVG’s strategic expansion into the digital marketplace. WBTVG will work closely with Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks to launch channels that will include TheWB.com and KidsWB.com – the two new advertiser-supported broadband destinations WBTVG unveiled in late April at a press conference in New York City. The announcement was made today by Bruce Rosenblum, President, Warner Bros. Television Group.

Warner Bros. Television Group said Thursday that its content will be distributed through branded channels on Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks.

Warner Bros. Television Group (TWX) signed distribution agreements for the broadband version of its reinvented WB Network, as well as KidsWB.com, with Joost, Dailymotion, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks, which will carry the ad-supported broadband "channels," when they launch in September.

We had a feeling it was coming any day now, but now we have confirmation that Sling won't be leaving iPhone and iPod touch users in the lurch when it comes to streaming TV to their devices.

All the WWDC rumors may be focusing on the new iPhone hardware we may see tomorrow. If you ask me, though, the far more compelling (expected) release is the iPhone 2.0 firmware and iPhone App Store. I'm more jazzed about iPhone software than new hardware, and tonight's announcement from Sling Media is a great example of why.

After much speculation, Sling stopped by to show us they have indeed been working on a native app for the iPhone, and gave us a quick hands-on with the proof-of-concept. The demo, which also runs on the iPod touch, offers the ability to connect to your Slingbox and control it using the iPhone's touchscreen.

Sling Media today made official that it has been developing a version of its SlingPlayer Mobile software for the Apple iPhone. The software is described as a "proof of concept" developed using jailbroken iPhones but offers much of the same functionality as the released applications for Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, and other cellphone platforms. Users can navigate a Slingbox network streaming hub connected to a home TV feed and choose channels through a visual guide as well as stop or skip through playback.

Much like versions for Windows Mobile and other smartphone operating systems, the software lets users pick from a channel guide when viewing TV and offers basic controls over live TV playback. The software requires a high-speed Internet connection currently supplied only through Wi-Fi.

One of the applications I always knew would be a wonderful addition to the iPhone with its large beautiful display is SlingPlayer Mobile and tonight I received an email from their new Beta Manager that a proof of concept version will be shown at the WWDC this week.

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.

Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox place-shifting TV device, announced Sunday that it’s building a version of its SlingPlayer software for the iPhone and iPod touch. Last week Macworld was among the first to get a private preview of the software.

What we’ve got here is a technology demo and a stake in the ground: SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone. As it is, the current application is an amazing technological achievement (given Slingbox’s Windows Media Video broadcast) and the team has done a great job with the initial UI.

I get to see every game these days by using a product called Slingbox, which is available here in America. Recently on a night shoot for the film State of Play, I got to watch most of a game because the local real estate agent in a suburb of Washington DC let me sit in his office in the early hours and plug in a computer.

"Sling Media is a good example. ... We met them early enough," said Marti Nyman, Best Buy's point man with venture capitalists and director of its Global Innovation Network. Best Buy became aware of Sling Media Inc. through a venture-capital contact. Founded in 2004, the Foster City, Calif.-based start-up developed a device called the Slingbox that allows users to connect a PC, laptop, or smart phone into their home televisions. Said Sling Media CEO Blake Krikorian: "They took a big gamble on us." And it appears to have paid off. "The product has sold incredibly well,'' Krikorian said.

Sling Media leads the video place-shifter category in terms of installation ease and usability, and its new Slingbox Solo is no exception. The Solo's simple but elegant interface is a joy to work with.

This way I can watch any channel I desire, including my stored DVR content, when I want to without any additional subscription fee. There is an initial charge for the Slingbox and SlingPlayer for mobile devices, but after that it is all part of my data plan.

Blake Krikorian, cofounder of Sling Media and its revolutionary Slingbox, which introduced the concept of “place-shifting,” joked as he received his award, “If anybody’s going to serve me a subpoena, here’s your chance” -- a reference to earlier times when some content providers thought his invention was robbing their product. Now he has a content deal with CBS, among others.

Game gadgets: I track scores all the time on my handheld devices. I have a Samsung cellphone, a BlackBerry (RIM), and a Motorola (MOT, Fortune 500) Q. In my office the Q is hooked up to a Slingbox so I can watch games on the phone.

Q: Where do you think Sling Media falls in relation to the form-factor of mobile video and what type of content do you believe is most compelling for mobile devices? A: All these comments about ‘well I think it’s going to be snacks or exclusive content, short form, whatever,’ you know, frankly so much of that is just utter bullshit, I mean to tell you the truth. It’s people coming up with marketing spins to justify the content that they have rights to. You go down to the store, go on any street corner, talk to people and say ‘do you want to watch television on your phone?’ and the people who will say yes, then you ask them, ‘OK, like what?’ And they’re not going to say ‘Hmm, I would prefer to like watch some like short form or some exclusive content tailored for the phone.’ They’re going to say the Super Bowl is on and I want to watch the Super Bowl or ‘The Daily Show’ is on and I recorded it on my TiVo and I want to watch it. It’s the TV programming that people know and love today and are familiar with.

Waiting out a long delay can be a nightmare if you don't have a conduit to the outside world. Besides obvious diversions -- internet access and music and video entertainment -- I've supplemented my laptop with two extras: Slingbox software, so I can tap into my home television system, and The Complete New Yorker, which includes every issue in the magazine's 80-year history.

The Slingbox, a high-tech remote attached to your TV, acts as a modern-day catapult, launching the contents of a digital video recorder, or live programing, to any desktop or laptop. Sling Media is not just stopping at the laptop. The new generation of Slingboxes make it possible to view taped or live events on any Web-enabled, Windows Mobile-powered handheld or mobile phone.

An efficient option is a small device called a SlingBox (www.slingmedia.com, $129 to $229). Plug one end into your Internet connection and the other into your home TV’s cable box or DVR or both, and you can watch television and your recorded video library on a computer, cellphone or laptop. "The basic premise is that with a SlingBox, you have access to your living-room television no matter where you happen to be,” said Brian Jaquet, a Sling Media spokesman.

In the world of off-deck mobile video, Sling Media Inc. has pushed the envelope quite successfully. Indeed, the fact the television is no longer anchored to the living room is partly due to the company’s innovation. By place-shifting the content of users’ set-top boxes and other television gadgetry to PC and mobile devices, Sling Media has squarely taken on industries that froth at the mouth over any opportunity to nickel and dime customers.

What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set? Mac, 360, iPhone, Sidekick, BlackBerry, Slingbox, chuuch

Three years ago, the idea of cutting up movies like The Godfather into short scenes that could be shared on the Web seemed preposterous. Tom Freston, the former chief executive of Viacom, “looked at me like I was nuts” when I suggested it, recalls Jason Hirschhorn, then chief digital officer of Viacom’s MTV Networks. Times change. Later this year, Mr. Hirschhorn expects to launch a similar service for Sling Media Entertainment Group, manufacturer of the Slingbox, a device that allows consumers to watch television on multiple devices at any time and place.

Since the first Slingbox hit the market a few years ago, the device has developed a passionate following among frequent travelers. The box, developed by Sling Media of Foster City, California, lets users send television signals from their homes to their laptops, virtually anywhere in the world.

Sling Media's Brian Jaquet says the Slingbox Pro HD will arrive this summer… You can actually stream around your home in full HD to another laptop computer or desktop computer, for example. And if you have a high enough speed broadband connection you can actually stream HD out of the home as well.

I have seen the light; or rather thousands of teeny, tiny lights on a small screen. SlingPlayer Mobile is what I’ve always imagined mobile TV could be — an extension of the programming I already pay way too much for at home. And that’s exactly the point. Why pay for the same entertainment twice?

Wonderfully simple to use, fabulous software and interface, great technical support, very high "coolness" factor, HD streaming is great

The highlight? The product presentation, performed with the ultimate in kitsch by a spokesman done up in late ’60s garb including bell-bottoms, long hair and a big peace-sign necklace. [...] the message was clear: Hey man, don’t be tied down. Freedom is yours when you watch TV with the Sling.

The Slingbox Solo rebroadcasts a TV feed to any Mac on a home network, freeing you from your living room couch. Using a Mac notebook, you can watch a cooking show in the kitchen, a gardening show in the backyard, or you can go to bed with Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The video quality looks good on a home network, and the Slingbox Solo even sends shows through the Internet if you’re traveling.

Going to Grandma's? You don't have to scrounge around to find your kids' favorite DVDs before you go. Just hook up this cool gadget at your house, and take your laptop with you on your trip — you'll be able to get all your home TV channels, plus anything you've recorded on your DVR, right on your computer screen

Sling Media unveiled its latest innovative digital lifestyle products and services in the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas from January 7th-10th.