I was somewhat doubtful when I read yesterday that someone had picked up a new Slingbox, but I figured what the heck and headed over to Best Buy (Fairfax, VA) during lunch. Lo and behold, about half a dozen AV Slingboxes were on the shelf next to the original Slingbox. I had an employee ring up the price: $179.99. The side panel of the boxes confirms there will ultimately be three new models — the Tuner, AV, and Pro. The Tuner unit includes a built-in tuner (duh) for analog cable or antenna, the AV model is for controlling a set-top box, and the Pro model appears to support multiple sources and HD. The other side panel indicates support for Windows and Mac OSX… AND Symbian! (Which CEO Blake Krikorian alluded to two weeks ago.) I didn’t come across much more info on features (versus the “classic” Slingbox) or pricing of the other two models, though we gotta hear something official soon – right?
UPDATE: Ryan H from the Sling Community was a little more thorough than I when visiting his Best Buy in August, GA. The Best Buy computer shows the Tuner model listed at $150 and the Pro model listed at $250, both being available 10/22. Additionally, there’s a listing for a $50 HD connector.
UPDATE 2: Amazon has both the Slingbox AV and Slingbox Tuner online. Neither is available for purchase, though the AV is listed at $180 and can be pre-ordered for $155. The descriptions indicate a 400% improvement in picture quality over the original Slingbox. (Thanks Bill!)
Updated info:
The 2nd Generation Slingbox Resource Page
Three New Slingboxes Formally Announced