SlingCatcher will be ready when it's ready

By Tim Conneally, BetaNews

April 10, 2008, 6:46 PM

In response to unconfirmed reports that Sling Media's SlingCatcher would be delayed until late this year, the company told BetaNews SlingCatcher will ship when it's good and ready.

Slingbox is a piece of hardware that saw a lot of hype last year that connects to a user's television and the Internet, allowing TV programs to be viewed in the SlingPlayer from anywhere the user signs on.

The SlingCatcher is an add-on to the SlingBox that allows content to be streamed back to the TV, including most video codecs, from a connected hard drive. It was originally due to come to market in early 2007 but has been pushed back in availability numerous times.

AOL's Engadget posted an email exchange last night from a SlingBox user that reportedly took place with Sling Media's VP of Sales Greg Wilkes that said, "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."

When asked about this, SlingMedia told BetaNews that "SlingCatcher will ship when it is ready and meets the high expectations we have set for ourselves at Sling Media."

EchoStar's acquisition of Sling Media plays heavily into current speculation about the "enhancements" to SlingCatcher. Whether the place-shifting device will be incorporated into EchoStar's Dish Network property has yet to be seen, but certainly would give cable companies something to fear.