EchoStar Technologies made its entry into the cable market this week with the introduction of its latest product, the CableLabs (News - Alert) Certified DOCSIS 2.0 SlingModem.

EchoStar spun-off from DISH Network Corporation earlier this year, but maintained control of certain businesses including its set-top box product line and certain infrastructure assets. The company acquired Sling Media last fall and is currently pursuing OEM relationships with cable operators worldwide.

SlingModem is the company’s latest offering, this time specifically designed for the cable industry. The device comprises a DOCSIS 2.0-certified cable modem with the functionality of the traditional Slingbox device. By simply hooking the device up to a coax cable input or set-top box, subscribers can receive live or recorded television on any Internet-connected device.

EchoStar is working on a variety of other products and services for cable operators to be introduced later this year.

"We are firmly committed to becoming the vendor of choice in the cable industry, leveraging decades of systems and manufacturing excellence," said Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies. "We are excited to announce our first cable-ready product."

 

Company representatives also told TMCnet that the Clip+Sling application announced at CES (News - Alert) this past January was almost ready for launch. The solution is designed to give Slingbox customers the ability to take short clips of television content and instantly share them with friends.

As announced in January, Clip+Sling leverages SlingPlayer 2.0, the client software for the PC that gives Slingbox customers the ability to ‘placeshift’ their television content to a desktop or laptop computer.