Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100
by Sling Media
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100
Customer Review: Great product
Summary: 5 Stars
Product works exactly as advertised, very easy to setup, and is highly recommended. The hardware connection is as follows: My cable provider is Comcast. I have a coax splitter at the wall outlet with one feed going to a Motorola Cable box (SD not HD) with DVR. Composite out from the cable box goes to the composite in of the Slingbox and composite out of the Slingbox goes to my DVD player which is connected to my TV. The connecton to my home network is wired (not wireless). With this setup, I can't use the Sling box to view DVD's, which I did not care about, but changing the connections would allow this. The other coax connection from the wall splitter goes to the Sling coax in. This set up allows one computer to view and control all programming coming from the cable box (including DVR). Simultaneously, a second computer can view all programming coming from the wall outlet utilizing the Sling box TV tuner; two computers viewing different programming (if desired) at the same time!
The software must be downloaded from the Sling website and works great on both Vista and Windows 2000 machines (have not tested XP but specs say it will work). Windows 2000 machines require an older version of the software that's available on the Sling website. You can set up the software on as many computers as you wish. The software easily lets you select which source you want: either the wall (which uses the Sling built in tuner) or the cable box (which uses the cable box tuner or DVR). Note that if one computer is viewing TV using the cable box input to the Sling box, a second computer can not also use this source. The second computer could, however, view programming using the Sling tuner (as mentioned earlier).
I have not tried to objectively determine the Sling picture quality on the computer, but subjectively, in my opinion, it is more than acceptable. It is easily on par with a computer TV tuner card. I have not tried an HD source, but I got the HD Slingbox for "future proofing."
Customer Review: Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100
Summary: 4 Stars
The reason I bought the Slingbox Pro-HD instead of the Slingbox SOLO was because of the built-in TV tuner which would allow me to watch TV without interfering with viewers at home. With that said, the built-in TV tuner on the Slingbox Pro-HD does not work. My cable provider is Verizon FIOS. After performing both a Quick scan (78 Channels Found) and a Detailed scan (421 Channels Found) which took between 30 minutes and 1 hour to perform I was unable to watch any channels using this input. When I contacted Sling Media customer support I was told the problem was that I connected the coaxial cable running directly from the wall to the coaxial input on the Slingbox Pro-HD and had a second cable running from the coaxial output on the Slingbox Pro-HD to the cable box. Instead of doing this they told me that I needed to use a splitter to split the cable before running the cable into the Slingbox Pro-HD and cable box. After they told me this the Sling Media customer support representative hung up on me before finding out that this did not solve the problem (Strike 1). Then they told me that my cable provider must be scrambling or encrypting the channels. However, I get ~40 channels if I connect the cable running from the wall directly to an old TV lacking an internal digital tuner (Strike 2). Then they told me that the problem was signal attenuation and told me to try a different cable provider. This is harder to try since it would require canceling my current cable service. It is disappointing to buy a brand new product and then when the product does not work as advertised the company blames everyone and everything else for the problem. I knew that the Sling Media customer support was poor when I purchased this product (based on other reviews) and they have lived up to this billing. On the other hand, I also connected the cable box to the Slingbox Pro-HD using composite cables and the video quality and sound quality are amazing and I am able to watch all of the channels.Customer Review: Slingbox Pro HD SB300-100
Summary: 5 Stars
As an AVID baseball fan I bought this device mainly to watch ballgames from the patio and to pop in on the occasional day game during work hours. But, the device has exceeded my expectations, I can watch any channel or device at my home from ANYWHERE I WANT.
Locally(Connected to my home network)- The Slingbox sends Perfect HD video to my Laptop or any other PC in my home.
From a PC on the internet(Work, WiFi a coffee shop etc.) - Using the Web based Browser plugin I can adjust the stream to fit the connection I am currently using - At work I can do HD over the internet, other places with a slower connection I can tone it down a bit to keep it smooth.
Out and about - (Anywhere on my Windows Mobile phone - $30) - While shopping or sitting in a restaurant waiting for my order I can put my phone off to the side and follow the game or show and still have a conversation, People pass by my table and have asked "Is that a TV?" the phone APP is just that clear. If you get a new phone you can use your license as long as it is the same type of device (Windows Mobile to Windows Mobile or iPhone to iPhone) if you switch technologies (iPhone to Windows or vice versa) then you need to buy a new Software client. Even moving on a train or in a car the picture is smooth and very watchable.
In all this is one of those purchases where even the wife has seen its value and better yet the "COOL FACTOR".
Setup can be a bit confusing but as a network administrator I have a professional grade firewall so I am no stranger to opening ports on a router.
But, If you're not like me and own a mainstream router (Linksys, DLink, Netgear etc.) the installer will attempt to make the changes for you. 24/7 Support is available for 90 days too, to help get you going.
If you are thinking about buying a slingbox and already have a use in mind, go for it you will not be sorry.
Customer Review: Great Product!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in the military and am stationed in Japan (Camp Zama). The only english speaking TV we recieve over here is AFN (Armed Forces Network)which has about 13 channels but only about 5 channels worth watching. I heard about the slingbox thru CNET.com. I researched it and called my buddy in Tyler,TX to see if he would set one up for me.
He is pretty electronic savvy so i asked if he would hook one up in his house. His daughter has a HD Tivo in her bedroom and has gone to College. So he hooked it up in her bedroom. I wasn't sure about the difficulty of setting it up but he said it took him all of about 15 minutes and he was watching it on his computer in another room.
So then i was hoping and praying i could access it over here in japan. I downloaded the software from the slingbox website and wala i was watching perfect tv and controlling the tivo from Japan on my computer. My internet was not fast enough to support a full 1080 picture so i backed it down to a 640x240 picture which is about eqivalent to a VGA picture resolution.
Then i decide i was tired of watching tv on my computer. So i ordered a Slingcatcher and it is so much more convenient than being in there on my computer.
I can watch tv from my couch with a remote that comes with the slingcatcher and controls all the buttons on the HD TIvo remote. i think it works better on the slingcatcher because there is really no lag compared to watching it on my computer.
I think it is a great product, i just wish i would have set it up a year ago. That way i could have been watching all my shows, plus i added a 1 terabyte harddrive to the Tivo so i can record as many shows as i want to.
It is just like being in tyler texas with my HD tivo remote in hand watching tv on My HDTV. It is truely amazing.
I would highly recomended this to everyone, it is worth it's weight in gold.
Customer Review: Revoluntiary Idea
Summary: 5 Stars
What started out as a free T.V. in the kitchen, turned into exposure into the streaming media world.
I'm not a typical buy a device that does one thing sort of person. I like products that make life easier by performing several tasks. Well, this one box is fantastic at providing this.
The box is easy to configure, plug it in and you are done. Straight-forward instructions prove that in less than ten minutes, this box can be installed and running without much difficulties.
The problems, I can see for some - One, be prepared to have your network expanded (i.e. get a good network switch). Two, if you want to add more HD devices, you are somewhat limited even with this box. I have three devices I would have liked to controlled with this box, but, left it to the Cable box due to the video input limitations.
I have a HD DVR Cable box, Xbox 360 and a Mediagate MG350 that I'd like to control. The Cable is component, the Xbox also is component and the Mediagate is DVI to HDMI. Alas, the configuration just doesn't allow it - although being creative with a video switch might work. I just haven't tried it yet.
The last problem for some, I have a Cisco ASA firewall. For those of you who do NOT have the expertise in Firewall configuration, this may the most difficult point for you. However, I'm not talking hours of configuration time, just a simple understanding of your Firewall and how to open port 5001. I personally would prefer to use a higher end Firewall, but if you know how to enable UPNP, you'll be all set.
I now watch and control my Cable box from all over. I travel often, I am considering purchasing the iPhone app, but find it ridiculous that I spend good money for the product but don't get all the features without additional purchases.