The wait it over. Sling Media announced that they are now shipping the Slingbox PRO-HD. It was announced at the beginning the year, and will now be available to rob you of $300 of your Christmas savings. Ho, ho, ho!

Yes—you will want one. Because this latest version of the popular Slingbox not only takes in those precious high-def signals (as well as over the air and digital cable), but it streams them to any laptop or desktop in or around the house—as long as it’s running Windows XP or Vista. Of course, it can stream content when you are away as well, but you’ll need the 1.5MB connection to get the HD. Sling says the system does work with the Mac as well, but doesn’t deliver HD. Expect that to change in the (near?) future.

In addition to the hardware, Sling also announced an upgrade to its SlingPlayer for Windows software. The new version includes a live video buffer as well as an electronic program guide (EPG). You can snag the 2.0 update on the company’s website.

The Slingbox PRO-HD is available now on at retailers nationwide, as well as the Sling website.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.