Even though some cable giants are already trying their hand at placeshifting with TV Anywhere, Echostar may be ready to leverage its technology by licensing the SlingLoaded feature to other set-top box manufacturers like Motorola, Cisco or Pace, according to Cable Digital News. With its tru2way cable box still notable lacking a distribution deal, this could be a way for Sling fans that don't want any additional hardware to get it in the home, but speaking of that T2200S (still not coming to retail channels according to Senior Product Manager P. Margit Tritt) the company's presence at The Independent Show also gave it an opportunity to feel out the needs of smaller cable operators. Either way, there's plenty of time before its planned Q4 2009 launch - go on, admit you're excited, we don't judge here.

It didn't take long for Echostar to turn its ViP 922 SlingLoaded DVR for DISH into a tru2way powered HD DVR for cable viewers ready to placeshift live and prerecorded TV, and now we've got a glimpse of what it will look like. The specs show off a 1TB hard drive ripped from its still-yet-to-launch predecessor, but new for the T2200S is a backlit capacitive touch control mounted up front, while that no numbers required touch remote the 922 flashed at CES is so far missing from the mix. It'll be at least Q4 before these go into production, but you can believe Echostar is pitching them to all willing to listen at Cable Show '09 this week, while interested customers are being advised to contact their cable provider and let 'em know they want a piece.

Want a taste of the SlingLoaded DISH Network 922 DVR (pictured), without switching to satellite? Echostar, as expected, is ready to show off a tru2way compatible version of its latest box, the T2200S, this week at the Cable Show '09. The T2200S contains the 1TB hard drive, expandable storage and of course, Sling Media's placeshifting technology ready to send live or recorded TV to your Internet connected device of choice. Since it's tru2way, it's also capable of running either the SlingGuide software, or whatever middleware is chosen by the provider, and enabling remote video diagnostics, hopefully making many truck rolls unnecessary. Like the 922, we've no price or release date yet but hopefully all that work on tru2way and M-CARD means whether or not our cable company signs up, we'll still have the choice of purchasing one at retail.

Update: Looks like the box is planned to start testing June, and go into production in Q4 of 2009, the specs from the PR are after the break. [Thanks, Justin]

Up for an investigation? We've got a curious case going on with a recent FCC filing, which sees the user manual of the recently unveiled DuoDVR ViP 922 (yeah, the SlingLoaded one) alongside images of a heretofore unseen ViP 822 DVR. Curiously, the actual FCC label corresponds with the "922," through the logo on the pictured Sling DVR definitely shows "822." So, is this just the typical step a device takes before it hits shelves in America, or is this a DVR we've never seen before? Something tells us it's far less exciting than our imaginations are leading us to believe.

Word from Multichannel News is that -- particularly in light of DISH's SlingLoaded DVR -- Comcast, Time Warner and Cox are all looking to include place-shifting rights in their latest carriage negotiations, promising subscriber access to their TV content even away from home. Unfortunately it appears their idea is to provide the TV feed over the Internet -- think Fancast and Starz Play -- instead of direct (and likely bandwidth consuming) DVR access. No word on which, if any, networks have agreed to such an arrangement but it does raise the question: would streaming access via PC or cellphone be enough to keep you from switching to satellite?

That funky angled screen is the just announced Sling Monitor (yes Virginia, it is HD), designed to work with the SlingLoaded ViP 922 DVR to take video anywhere in the house via WiFi. With 922, you can perform the usual Sling-type activities streaming video over the net and as many as three devices in the home, including HD over wireless. The model right now is 14.9-inch, but according to President Charlie Ergen nothing definite has been decided yet before the expected launch this summer.

We heard way back in May of last year that DISH Network's next major wave of DVRs would have hints of Sling all over. Guess that played out alright, huh? The company has just announced its first SlingLoaded DVR, the ViP 922 HD DuoDVR. For those still scratching their heads, here's the skinny: this is the industry's first high-definition digital video recorder that incorporates placeshifting technology. The device packs five video sources including satellite, broadband and optional OTA tuners, and the 1TB HDD can hold up to 1,000 hours of content before tapping into external drive space. The box comes bundled with an innovative touchpad remote, and it can be controlled using the all new SlingGuide, which enables users to control their TV viewing experience over the web. No word on a price or release date, but boy, it'll be hard to resist regardless. The full release for both the DVR and the SlingGuide are just after the break.