EchoStar unveils remote TV cable modem

US-based EchoStar will demonstrate its first product for cable companies at the industry's trade show, a unit that can tune in TV and act as a cable modem, an Associated Press report said.

The SlingModem, made by Sling Media, 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, the report said.

For instance, it lets someone who subscribes to cable catch an HBO special on his laptop while they are 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, the report added.

EchoStar, which recently spun off satellite TV provider Dish Network 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.