It's been over a year and half since Sling first announced the SlingCatcher, but the mythical streamer is finally, finally here -- it's now officially for sale on Sling's site and at other major retailers. You already know most of the details about the $299 box -- Slingbox playback, SlingProjector computer streaming, extensive codec support including XviD, eventual Sling.com content delivery -- so we'll just let you hit the order page, but rest assured we'll be tearing this thing apart when our test unit arrives.

After seemingly endless delays, it looks like the SlingCatcher is finally making its way into the world, as evidenced by this grainy unboxing at the SlingCommunity forums. Sure, it looks exactly the same as the prepro boxes we've toyed with, but we won't lie -- we've been waiting for this box with breathless anticipation ever since it was announced at CES 2007, and combined with the recent launch of the Sling 2.0 software, the Slingbox PRO-HD, and the seemingly-imminent launch of the Sling.com video portal, Sling's ending the year strong. Click on for a few more pics, and don't worry -- we'll be blowing this thing out as soon as we get our hands on one.

[Thanks, Christopher]

Check it, placeshifters -- two new must-have boxes have just popped up for pre-order on Sling's website and Amazon's online marketplace. Sling Media's awfully exciting SlingCatcher and the sleek Slingbox PRO-HD are now ready to be loved for $299.99 apiece, though neither site gives any indication of ship dates. Still, with the holiday season just around the bend, we'd expect to see 'em both out before too long.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Read - SlingCatcher pre-order
Read - Slingbox PRO-HD

Although DISH Network's previous quarter wasn't anything to write home about, it sounds like the satcaster (EchoStar, technically) isn't going to allow its set-top line to grow stale in the process. During the recent Team Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, DISH's CEO Charlie Ergen reiterated that it would be beaming out "more than 100 national HD channels" by the end of 2008, and he also made mention that the EchoStar 11 satellite would lift off in July. Most interesting, however, was all the talk about the new STBs. The forthcoming ViP 722s will be the first HD DVR from the outfit with loads of Sling technology built in -- not too shocking considering the recent acquisition. Additionally, the box is said to feature an all new interface and the ability to browse to (select) websites, double as a SlingCatcher and even handle Clip & Sling duties. There's plenty more where this came from, so be sure and hit the read link when you've got some spare time for reading.

[Via GizmoLovers]

We honestly can't wait for Sling's SlingCatcher media streamer to be released, so we'll take any little scrap of info we can -- and these shots of the box are pretty tasty scraps indeed, because it looks like Sling's latest will have some sweet codec support: WMV, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 and XviD in a variety of file formats, including .VOB. Sadly, it looks like output maxes out at 1080i, but that's a small tradeoff for what looks to be one of the most flexible streamers on the market. Hit the read link for two more shots, including the codec list.