SlingBox Pro HD Unveiled

I scream, you scream, we all scream, for HD video streaming. Ok, it isn't exactly a snappy bit of poetry but the sentiment is true enough; if there was one thing we wanted Sling Media to add to its SlingBox players, it was high definition streaming. How marvellous, then, that the SlingBox Pro HD does just that.

Some of you may remember that the SlingBox Pro will accept a high definition input, but scales it down before transmitting it over a network. The Pro HD ups the ante by being able to transmit up to a 1080i signal either over Ethernet or wirelessly. Of course you're going to need a reasonable amount of bandwidth to stream high definition content, so hopefully Draft-N wireless is used and, of course, unless you happen to have a fibre-optic cable providing your home internet connection, throw away your hopes of watching Heroes on HD DVD at the office - not that we'd publicly condone such activity anyway.

As well as viewing on a laptop or desktop PC using the standard SlingPlayer software, budding owners will also be able to buy a standalone receiver which can be connected to a second TV in the same house, a useful option if you want to watch a Blu-ray film upstairs while Sky HD is playing in the living room; though if you want to use a PS3 you won't be able to control it - the SlingBox doesn't feature Bluetooth. Availability is slated for the actually quite-far-off date of August this year with a prospective price of $400 (£200-odd).

Link:
Sling Media.