Sling Media Slingbox PRO (SB200-100)
by Sling Media
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Our Price: $399.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $143.00 (click here) 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 (SB200-100)
Customer Review: This Thing is Slick!
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided to purchase a Slingbox after seeing it in action on a friend's PDA phone. He casually flipped it open and said, "Excuse me, I gotta check the NCAA tournement". I glanced over and he was watching ESPN... I thought to myself, quoting Will Smith, "I gotta get me one of THESE!!".
I hurried home and ordered the Slingbox Pro and it was at my doorstep in less than a week. Set-up was pretty painful, but only because I was trying to connect with my wireless network via a defective Linksys Wireless Gaming Adapter. Finally I ran out and bought a couple SlingLinks and spent the next hour laughing and shaking my head at how easy set-up was after that. If your Slingbox isn't right next to your internet router, I HIGHLY suggest getting the SlingLinks. Definitely worth the money.
My Slingbox connects quicker than I expected with both my laptop and my HTC Touch pda/phone. Software for the laptop is free via download from the Sling website though the software for the mobile device will cost you some dinero (30 day free evaluation though). Picture and sound quality is much better than I expected and I've heard nothing but good things about their customer support... though the one time I called with a question about license transfer I got a guy who MUST have been having a bad day. Very professional, but personable?... not so much. ;)
If you want to watch YOUR programming from anywhere with an internet connection, Sling is the way to go.
Customer Review: Amazing Sling
Summary: 5 Stars
I've always been on the fence wondering if I should get a Slingbox and whether it would stream well on my notebook and phone. I took the plunge and I regret waiting so long to get this.
I installed the Slingbox between my TV and Sat box. Wired everything up and tried to setup the router for it to stream through the internet. I had a little difficulty with configuring my router, but I called Slingbox and the technician help me resolve the issue in a short time. I am utterly amazed at this technology and that's saying a lot because, I am in this industry.
I installed the software on my notebook and went through the setup and was slinging in no time. The image quality is quite good.
My next challenge was to see if it worked just as well on my Nokia N95 8gb. Its GREAT! I tried the wifi first and it worked well. Next, I wanted to see if EDGE data transfer would be fast enough. There is a little lag, but once you allow the data to cache and stream, the picture and sound isn't too bad. I have T-Mobile as my carrier and currently they do not have 3G ready (from the time of this review). They are planning to present their 3G platform later this year, so once that is up, then I expect the video streaming and picture quality to be good.
Now,I can finally keep up with the Laker's games even when I can't make it home or to a bar; especially the east coast games (NBA Finals) GO LAKERS!
Customer Review: TV from anywhere, including wirelessly
Summary: 5 Stars
The SlingBox PRO functionality allows me to view TV from my desktop and laptop PCs over my wireless (G) broadband link. No cable connection is available near the computers, and although I've had wireless access to the Internet for several years, I could not watch cable TV at my desktop. The SlingBox PRO solved this problem. Bonus -- I can watch TV from my laptop when I am on the road. Unexpected benefit -- I can take the laptop out on my patio or deck and have TV there (need a shady spot to have good image on the laptop LCD screen). The SlingViewer on the PC can be watched in windowed mode or theater (full screen) mode, or it can be minimized to listen (e.g., CSPAN congressional hearings or floor debate).
Setup was very easy (because of my wireless setup, I did need to use the laptop to temporarily LAN hardwire connect to my wireless router) and configuration was straightforward -- total time about 5 minutes. It works great with wireless G; when I am doing very bandwith-intense browsing, sometimes the video can be affected. When I upgrade to Wireless N after the standards settle down, the threshold should be raised significantly. I don't have digital cable TV yet, but anticipating the 2008 FCC deadline, I wanted the upward compatibility path. Also, the SlingBox PRO allows for other devices to be attached (such as DVD player) and I wanted that flexibility also.
Customer Review: Your Channels, Your Tivo, Anywhere You Have Internet
Summary: 5 Stars
We traveled a lot over the holidays and kind of went crazy having to watch all the commercials that we normally skip at home thanks to our DirecTivo.
Enter the Slingbox.
Setup was easy. The Mac client works great. We have DSL with a uplink speed of only about 500 kilobits/sec, yet once established on a channel, the picture and sound are excellent. Now when on the road, we watch our favorite shows off of our Tivo on one of the laptops, accessing all the Tivo bells and whistles. We can even watch over my Verizon EVDO card.
Even though I have it set up using Network Address Translation (NAT) at home and accessing through a NAT-style connection remotely, it totally works, which was a pleasant surprise.
Because of the Slingbox's streaming technology, it does play several seconds "behind" what the Tivo is pumping out, making the remote a bit sluggish, but this is not enough of a problem to drop a star on the review...
When accessing it at home, you get a multi-megabit/sec connection, and the picture and sound are extraordinary. A home automation fetishist considering an expensive video distribution system would spend a lot less money and run a lot less cable buying multiple Slingboxes and simply moving the video over ethernet. (Only one client can connect to a Slingbox at a time, however.)
Customer Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK This is the coolest thing since Tivo. I have a Comcast dual tuner HD DVR and a Tivo series one box. For a network I'm using Comcast internet with a Netgear wireless router (wpn824). My wife and I both have Hp nx7400 laptops. The Netgear is connected to the Slingbox via a standard Ethernet cable.
First thing, the Pro does have an internal tuner, so I ran the cable into it, then to my Tivo. The Tivo is hooked to the sling box via composite video. The Comcast DVR is connected via S-video. We have one TV in our living room but now my wife or I can watch TV from anywhere in our house, full screen with fantastic quality. When I tried it from work the quality is very very good in a window and even ok full screen. My boss travels all over the world and his first question was where can I get one?
PROS: Fantastic wonderful incredibly cool way to turn a wireless laptop into a wireless portable TV that works from anywhere you have a broadband internet connection. If my wife is watching the cable box in the living room I can control and watch the Tivo in the bedroom and vice versa. I can watch all our analog cable channels anytime from anywhere without affecting our home setup.
CONS: Only one computer can connect to the Slingbox at a time. This makes sense when you think about it.