Our old friend Dave Zatz got a chance to drop by Sling's booth at the CES Unveiled event yesterday, and got a peak at the under-development SlingPlayer for Blackberry client running on the new BlackBerry Bold. According to Dave, it looks "gorgeous" on the Bold's screen, and that hopefully the wait won't be much longer.

With several cool new phones from RIM hitting the scene, like the Bold and the upcoming Blackberry Storm, this should be music to any Blackberry-addicted media junkie's ears.

Check out the screen shots over at Zatz Not Funny

In a report filed yesterday, CNET's Caroline McCarthy discusses the pending release of Sling.com, Sling Media's upcoming video portal that "promises to deliver a huge library of TV and web video content." Sling.com has been in the works for nearly two years, and just recently went into private beta.

Much of the legwork has involved negotiations between content providers and the company, led by Sling Media Entertainment head Jason Hirschhorn, saying that negotiating with Hollywood has been "a soul-killing, ego-destroying experience."

Online video distribution has been adopted slowly by the industry, as networks face the challenge of security, half-baked revenue models, and irregular viewership.

One of the more interesting things to come from the discussion is Sling.com's tie in with the recently launched SlingCatcher, a device that captures and displays Slingbox streams and other media on a television. Hirschhorn indicated that in the future, SlingCatcher owners will be able to stream video content from Sling.com and their partners directly to their TVs via the SlingCatcher. Putting the puzzle pieces together makes for an obvious conclusion, but Sling hasn't commented on this particular feature since Jason Hirschhorn spoke with SlingCommunity back in 2007. 

Read the full article at CNET

Sling Media today announced the award-winning SlingCatcher is now available for purchase from leading retailers and online retailers in the U.S. as well as in Canada and the UK. The SlingCatcher is a universal media player that seamlessly delivers broadcast TV, Internet video and personal content to the TV.

The SlingCatcher allows customers to watch online video from any popular site on the internet including network television sites like ABC.com, video content sites like Hulu.com and CollegeHumor.com, community video sites like YouTube.com, and even online movie rentals from popular services like Netflix, directly from a PC to the TV for the ultimate lean-back, social viewing experience. The SlingCatcher, with its included remote control, also allows customers to access and control any device connected to a Slingbox – for instance a DVR, Cable or Satellite set-top box – located in another room in the house or even from a Slingbox in a remote location. And finally, connect a standard USB hard drive or USB flash drive and the SlingCatcher can playback on the TV most personal media stored on the hard disk, including home movies, personal videos, internet video downloads, etc.

“Customers have been waiting with anticipation for this product since we announced it, and I’m very pleased to say to them that the SlingCatcher has arrived,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, Inc. “Thousands of video programs are available for viewing online for free, but until now there hasn’t been an easy way to watch them on a screen larger than your laptop computer. In addition, SlingCatcher will give Slingbox customers the ability to watch their home TV on another TV, something they have been asking for since we first introduced the original Slingbox in 2005.”

SlingCatcher comes with three built-in applications: SlingPlayer™ for TV, SlingProjector™ and My Media that combine to create a unified media platform capable of delivering content from disparate places for viewing on a single TV screen. This unique approach promises to give customers unprecedented control over their home television experience.

SlingCatcher includes 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. SlingCatcher also features a standard Ethernet jack to connect to the home network, either directly or via SlingLink powerline Ethernet adapters.

SlingCatcher can be purchased in the U.S. from Amazon.com, Buy.com, NewEgg.com and many other leading online retailers for the MSRP of $299.99. The SlingCatcher is also on retail store shelves starting today, including national retailer Best Buy, as well as Fry’s Electronics, Microcenter, J&R and other regional retailers.