James Delahunty
13 Apr 2008 3:44
There have been several unconfirmed reports around the Internet recently that indicate Sling Media's SlingCatcher will be delayed until late this year. The SlingCatcher allows content to be streamed back to a television set while the company's Slingbox allows users to access content at home from anywhere in the world they can get online and sign in.
The SlingCatcher was supposed to hit the market in early 2007, but has since been marred with several delays. Engadget posted an email exchange between a user and Sling Media's VP of Sales Greg Wilkes which partially read: "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."
Betanews contacted he company to ask for a comment on the answer. "SlingCatcher will ship when it is ready and meets the high expectations we have set for ourselves at Sling Media," the site was told. EchoStar's acquisition of Sling Media may be a reason for a further delay as further enhancements to the device may now be made, or perhaps incorporation into EchoStar's Dish Network property.