Sling Unveils HD-Ready Solo

Fresh from its acquisition this week by satellite provider EchoStar, Sling Media has just unveiled the Solo, its new video-streaming device that'll connect to your HD DVR or satellite set-top box and deliver impressive-looking (if not quite HD-quality) video to your laptop or handheld. The Solo isn't the first Slingbox that's HD-compatable—that would be last year's Slingbox Pro—but it's the first to do so for less than $200.

Gizmodo got an early hands-on with the Solo ($180), and it looks pretty slick. Sitting between your TV and, say, a DVR, the jet-black device has a wired Ethernet connection and a component-video input in back that accepts 720p and 1080i video; S-Video and composite inputs are also included, along with a single stereo audio input. An IR blaster controls your DVR so you can change channels and tee up recordings remotely.

The bloggers at Gizmodo tried the Solo with a Series3 TiVo over a home network, and they report that streamed 16:9 video from the TiVo's HD outputs arrived on their laptop at a resolution of 640 x 480—not HD quality, clearly, but still pretty sharp for local video streaming. Resolution dropped to about 320 x 240 over the Internet at large, but again, that’s not bad at all consider the blocky, juttery video you'll get on Verizon's standard V Cast video or Sprint TV.

Sling Media's done a great job at churning out clients for a wide variety of platforms: Windows and Mac software players are available, as are clients for Windows Mobile and Palm handhelds—and now, Sling has just announced a client for Symbian devices, including the Nokia N95. I'm expecting to get the new, U.S. 3G-ready N95 for review, so I'll be sure to test it out with a Slingbox and report back.

Related:
Slingbox Solo Hands On: Slinging a Single HD Source Wherever You Are [Gizmodo]