Sling Media has launched four new products today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- all of which are based on its original Slingbox "place-shifting" device that allows you to watch your regular television programming anytime you want from any location around the globe -- a good way to watch international soccer games in the U.S., for example.
The company's new lineup includes:
- The Slingbox 700U, which connects via a USB cable to a high-definition TV set-top box to make the TV "SlingLoaded," that is, able to serve viewers HD content via the web no matter where they are in the world.
- The Sling Receiver 300, which wirelessly delivers HD DVR content from a central home entertainment system to any other television connected to the home network, eliminating the need for multiple DVR machines.
- The Sling Monitor 150, a wireless, lightweight, portable flat-screen display that allows the consumer to view DVR content anywhere in the home, particularly in rooms that don't have a television set; no set-top box is necessary.
- The Sling Touch Control 100, an updated touchscreen remote control (pictured above).
All of the new products make it easier to time-shift and place-shift your television viewing. But the Sling Touch Control, in particular, was introduced to help people discover and explore new content that they might be interested in. Providing a full guide to programs via a slick, touch-screen interface, this remote will expose people to "programs that they might miss using existing on-screen electronic programming guides," according to the company.
The technology behind the remote is also interesting. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, it includes a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 272 x 480. It can comunicate with HD DVRs and any of Sling's other products via IP over a home network. It can also talk to non-IP devices in its line of sight through infrared control.