Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100
by Sling Media
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List Price: Our Price: Calculated in a shopping cart Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days 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: Once you get it working it's fine; I think Amazon shipped me a returned unit
Summary: 5 Stars
I first suspected that the "new" unit I purchased from Amazon was not new (probably a return), when I saw that the tape seals around the Slingbox carton had been cut. When I opened the box, there were bulges under the flaps where the cables are stored, and I discovered several cables were missing the tie-wraps and had been merely re-folded and "stuffed" back under the flaps. The most telling evidence was that when I tried to install the unit, it could not be "located" by the Sling software on my network. This takes you into a long and time-consuming routine where you have to make sure your network is correctly set up, and that your firewall and anti-virus are not blocking the Slingbox. After a lot of checking, I decided to press the reset button on the Slingbox, and it immediately -- almost instantaneously -- was recognized by the Sling setup software. Obviously this Slingbox had previously been installed somewhere else, and the network settings in the memory were for a different network than mine. As soon as these were wiped by the reset button, the unit went back to it's factory condition and installation then proceeded smoothly.
There was absolutely no indication from Amazon when I purchased the unit that I was going to receive a unit that was not really brand new. Having been a loyal and satisfied customer of Amazon for many years, I am frankly disappointed.
Once you get it working, the product is really good. For remote viewing over the Internet, you really need a high-speed broadband connection. The higher, the better the resolution. We have this, and it works fine, with high-definition viewing possible between our St Louis MO home and France. Only occasionally does the sound skip. You can play around with the manual "encoding" settings to minimize this.
Customer Review: Something you should know if you use the SlingLink Turbo.....
Summary: 5 Stars
I have both a Slingbox PRO-HD and a Slingbox Solo in use on my system at home, both working flawlessly. I'd had the Solo for about 3 years - it's attached to the DirecTV box in my den, where my cable modem & wireless router are located. I access it from a netbook I keep at my office, and take along when I travel.
I added the PRO-HD about 6 months ago, for my son, who moved out-of-state, but is still an avid fan of his hometown sport teams. It is attached to the HD box in the master bedroom - far removed from the router, so I purchased Slinglink Turbo 1PORT Enet Connection Bridge (SL 150-100) to provide internet access.
Upon initial installation, I lost wireless internet access on my network. I was using another brand of wall-plug ethernet bridges to connect my family room DVR to the internet. When I unplugged those, everything worked beautifully. I replaced them with another set of SlingLinks, and I was in business. There was nothing in the documentation for any of the Sling products which indicated there might be compatibility problems, but it was definitely an issue.
Another tip: overheating can affect performance, so take care about installations in a closed cabinet, or about stacking components atop one another. Picture is much improved when you assure air flow/cooling of the SlingBox unit.
If I were contemplating purchase, I know I would probably be deterred by the reviews of poor customer service listed here. I was totally ignorant of them at the time I bought my first SlingBox, and I have been fortunate in my experience thus far. I love my SlingBox! It does exactly what I want, great picture, great sound anywhere I go.
Customer Review: So far so good...wider use planned!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was turned onto this by a friend who's a true video tech junkie. He really knows his stuff. I resisted for a while, thinking "Would I really use this?". Not too long after, a situation arose where TV would be nice to have in a room in the house where there's no cable line. Run the line, pay for another box...UGGG! There's got to be a better way right?
While streaming video over wireless can be a tricky thing, our model Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100 does (over all) a great job. Depending on your situation, this unit could pay for itself in short order. Savings on additional cable box fees, and cable TV service itself adds up quickly! We've now used this at home in rooms with no cable and also a couple of different addresses where we had no cable television available, but decent wireless access. Bingo...it's like you're at home watching your own set.
Features I like: The online guide is great! Better in some ways than the onscreen guide from Comcast. It's nice taking advantage of the buffering to sometimes zip past commercials. Fun too is changing the channel on an unsuspecting at home viewer ;-) !
Your success with this unit strongly depends on a GOOD wireless router, or connection wherever you are. The better the connection, and your device (the iPad works very well) the more you'll like the Slingbox. Any issue we've had so far are related to the connection and NOT Slingbox itself. For in home use, if you're able to get a hardwired ethernet to each desired location, with a good laptop and a couple of cables to feed out to a flat screen.... you'd could have the ideal HD set up.
Future plans we're considering is to use the other input for a security camera at the front door.
Cheers, Scott & Chris in JP MA
Customer Review: Love the Slingbox PRO-HD
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this device as a way to help a friend get American TV while stationed overseas, but turns out he doesn't have enough download speed to make it possible. Won't be able to help friends and family in places such as Iraq or Afghanistan, but that has nothing to do with the Slingbox itself. That has to due with wireless and networking infrastructure in those places.
On my wireless network at home, this device provides a beautiful picture on all of my computers. My new ASUS netbook struggles with the amount of data being thrown at it, so I had to dial its Sling Player settings back in order to have a real good netbook viewing quality. For those of you who don't know, you need Slingplayer ( a free download that you use on your computers to watch your Sling box ) to be able to hook up to your Slingbox via the internet or your own network. Don't be a hero! Let the auto configuration stuff do what its suppose to do. Trust in the technology!
My upload speed out of my network is a pawltry 384 kB/s, and when I am viewing from a remote computer such as work, the max speed inbound is 266 kB/s. This is sufficient for a decent, non-HD viewing. I have found that the absolute minimum (go/no go) needed is 180 kB/s.
Love the fact that there is a tuner built in, so you don't have to disturb anyone else's television viewing.
And I love the potential of this box, as in "what else can I hook up to it?"
Bottom line is: works as expected, really looks good on the INTERNAL network where there is more speed available for enhanced viewing. Program Guide works. This is a good device. Recommended buy!
Customer Review: Great Once I Got It Working
Summary: 5 Stars
I installed this device over a few hours at a relatives house. My goal is to watch Fall sporting events remotely.
Review of using the device:
PROS: I am able to view in HD & lower quality and it looks fantastic! Sounds great too. Like the 3 interfaces to use the Slignbox: full client install, via the Web & via mobile phone. All 3 look great.
CONS: Sometimes the sound is out of sync slightly with the video, but not enough for me to worry about. The software interface is not the sleekest & most intuitive but it does well enough. Channel changing can be slow but I understand why & can live with it.
Install: (3 Stars)
PROS: I had no real issues getting the Slingbox to recognize the channels available. I was very happy with the chat support who was able contact me, to remote into my computer, and solve my issue in like 8 minutes flat.
CONS: Internet setup for remote viewing trickier than I thought & I am generally comfortable with that stuff. The documentation was wrong for my router (or maybe all routers?), the tech switched one number in the router setup & we were done. Also the 'router wizard' they have failed to work for the older router that I had available.
Caveat: I setup a very vanilla system, just plugged in a cable ready into the Slingbox & was happy. Did not have a use for controlling a cable box or DVR, so it was as simple as I think it can get setup-wise; no IR blaster for me
Overall very pleased, the picture is razer sharp at HD levels, I am looking forward to the Fall 2009 when I can see
my team play in near HD.