SlingCatcher

The SlingCatcher is a device that allows a user to stream video and audio content from a PC, along with video from the Internet (YouTube), directly to the TV. When it comes to technology, this is another device that is connecting different bits of technology in to one, to make life more convenient. The device plugs into any AV system, and locates a slingbox on the user's network, allowing them to be connected to a television or computer anywhere in the world. The next question that one might ask is, "what is a Slingbox?"

A Slingbox is a set-top box that connects to one's television, and it allows them to stream the signal to another machine in real-time with no recording. This is a device that enhanced the lifestyles of those who traveled a lot, and paid for premium television services. A person would be able to access their premium movies or sports channels, anywhere in the world, using an array of different devices. These devices ranged from a laptop to a cell phone, and the Slingbox would stream the signal from the television through the various networks connecting those devices.

The beauty of the SlingCatcher is that it enhances this streaming technology by integrating a larger part of the computer to any television. Someone can plug in the device to a television, miles from there home, and watch video from a computer that is attached to the slingbox back home, using its included SlingProjector software. Another aspect involves being able to attach an external hard drive or USB storage device to the SlingCatcher, and watch a multitude of different video files, due to the compatibility with many different video codecs and file types. Once again, for clarification on the distinction, the SlingCatcher receives content from an external source and displays it on the TV, and the Slingbox takes content from the TV at one's house and displays it on remote devices like cell phones and laptops.

So why is this device important to the television industry? SlingCatcher is going to have a major impact on the Cable industry. In a downturning economy, many people are considering the removal of extra costs that fall into a category of wants and not needs. Cable is easily classified as a want, and with the introduction of the SlingCatcher, people will have an easier means towards customized content distribution, perhaps with deals made with major networks.