Slingbox SOLO

Sling Media will formally announce tomorrow morning its new Slingbox place-shifting media device — an announcement that will come fresh on the heels of the proposed EchoStar buyout of Sling Media. Dubbed the SOLO, the new unit will fit between the starter AV unit and the high-end Pro model. THe device is supposed to is to deliver higher quality features for a more reasonable price.

The style of the SOLO is largely the same of its predecessors, which is to say that it looks great — even in this pre-production state. It maintains a sort of loose industrial appearance that looks stylish with some futuristic home theater system. The SOLO features component in and out for ultra-high quality video.

Like previous Sling devices, the SOLO is capable of shifting channels through the use of a universal IR adapter that you position in front of your cable receiver.The never SlingPlayer is snappier than ever and the quality of the transferred content has been superb.

In terms of being a mid-level device, the SOLO performs resoundingly well. It offers a definite advantage over the AV, while withholding just enough cool stuff from the PRO to possibly tantalize you into buying the more expensive model.

The Slingbox SOLO will be available soon for $179.99. Also of note, is that the SOLO will be the first model to launch in other concurrently parts of the world. It will be available in Canada for $179.99 and in the UK for £129.99.

Tags: Slingbox, SOLO, media device, place-shigting, Sling Media, home theater system