Say Hello to Sling TV and the New Slingbox

A lot of big things are happening with Slingbox in the near future. I mean a lot of big things. The little black boxes that allow you to watch TV (your TV, streamed from your own cable box) on your computer and mobile devices - from anywhere in the world - are getting an upgrade.

Starting July 20, the Slingbox 350 will be replaced by the Slingbox M1. It's basically a redesigned version of the 350 with integrated wifi, internal IR emitters (in addition to an external one that can be hooked up), and a price tag of $149 - the cheapest any Slingbox has ever been at retail.

Then there's the Sling TV, which will be a repackaged version of the Slingbox 500. It includes HDMI and Component in and out, can attach to a hard drive to display files to your TV, and comes with its own remote unlike the M1.

On the software side of things, the firmware will be receiving an update in August that will add a guide interface similar to the iOS apps. You'll be able to filter content, view scores for any number of sports games right from the menu, transmit from your Slingbox to a Roku/Apple TV/etc, and even use your iOS device as a remote if need be. The Mac/PC Slingplayer apps are making a comeback as well. The web browser versions are being chucked in favor of dedicated software you'll be able to install and run on your computer.

Both the Slingbox M1 and Sling TV will roll out on July 20, with the apps updating soon after.