Foster City (CA) – Slingbox announced that its SlingCatcher television set-top box is now available through online and offline retail stores. The box connects TVs to online video sites such as Hulu and YouTube as well as the movie streaming service offered by Netflix.

Slingbox describes its latest product a universal media player that seamlessly delivers broadcast TV, Internet video and personal content to the TV. In fact, it may be one of the more flexible Internet video devices that were recently announced. According to the manufacturer, video can be streamed from network television sites like ABC.com, video content sites like Hulu.com and CollegeHumor.com, as well as community video sites like YouTube.com.

Perhaps most significantly, the device also connects to video rental store Netflix and enables consumers to stream video directly to their TV, if the they are current subscribers to the service.  

The SlingCatcher comes with a remote control that allows customers to access and control any device connected to a Slingbox - such as a DVR, Cable or Satellite set-top box - in another room, in the house or even from a Slingbox in a remote location, the manufacturer said. There is also a USB port to interface with a standard USB hard drive or USB flash drive to playback personal media stored on the hard disk, including home movies, personal videos and Internet video downloads. Native file format support includes WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264 and Xvid. Additional format support is available for .avi, .vob, .ifo, .mpg, .mov and .wma.

On the software side, SlingCatcher comes with the SlingPlayer, SlingProjector and MyMedia applications, which include the ability to watch and control their living room TV on another TV in the home or on a TV in a remote location without using a PC or cabling.

According to Slingbox, the $300 SlingCatcher integrates both standard definition and high definition outputs to connect to a TV including HDMI, component video, S-Video and composite video, as well as both analog and digital audio connectors. There is also a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home network, either directly or via powerline Ethernet adapters.

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