This is one cool gadget for the TV addict. The SlingBox (by Sling Media) is an easy-to-use device that plugs into your satellite, cable, DVD or DVR and transmits the video signal over a broadband connection to your remote PC desktop, mobile or PDA. So, you’ll never have to miss your favourite show when you’re away from the living room.

SlingBox setup is simple. You literally just plug your video signal into your SlingBox, connect the SlingBox to your broadband connection, power up the SlingBox and load the SlingPlayer software onto your PC. Windows-Mobile based phone or PDA, use SlingPlayer Mobile to connect and view SlingBox video feeds. The SlingBox video transmission features include:

• Maximising the quality of the signal being transmitted by automatically adjusting the level of compression
• Connecting up to 3 video signal sources to a single SlingBox
• No subscription fees, just pay for hardware

The SlingBox is currently only available for PCs and Windows-Mobile based devices streaming NTSC video. Beta testing on Mac and PAL-compression SlingBoxes began last Autumn. Sling Media aims to launch these products by mid-year. The SlingBox is currently available from CircuitCity for $199.99.