EchoStar to showcase first product for cable

Former satellite TV provider EchoStar Corp. on Sunday will demonstrate its first product for cable companies at the industry's trade show: a unit that can tune in television and act as a cable modem.

The SlingModem, made by Sling Media Inc., which is owned by EchoStar, will combine modem functions with its popular Slingbox, which lets users watch broadcast, cable or satellite TV shows on any Internet-connected device such as laptops or cell phones, even when they're away from home.

For instance, it lets someone who subscribes to cable catch an HBO special on his laptop while he's on a business trip in Japan.

The unit, to be sold through cable companies, at least initially, was first announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

EchoStar, which recently spun off satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp. to focus on its equipment sales business, plans to unveil more cable products later in the year.

It will be EchoStar's first time to exhibit at the 2008 Cable Show in New Orleans, hosted by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.