Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)
by Sling Media
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List Price: Our Price: Calculated in a shopping cart Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $109.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)
Customer Review: Sligbox Solo
Summary: 5 Stars
I love my new Slingbox. It did take me a little longer to set up than I had hoped. But, in the end it all worked out great. I have read in the reviews that customer service for Sling is horrible. I had hoped not to have to deal with them. However, I could not get video or audio to work on my laptop even on my home network. I could see the Sligbox was connected to the network and I could turn my Dish DVR on and off with the onscreen remote. It turns out I had the component cable run from TV 2 out to the Slingbox. TV 2 is controlled by a UHF remote. Not an IR remote like on TV 1. After a quick call to customer service and a change to the component setup I was up and running.
I have a super SLOW DSL connection at home. (I'm not into having big monthly bills) So, the Slingbox works perfect on my home network. When I'm away and watching over the internet the picture is not perfect. But, I understand what is actually happening and I am fine with that. For $150.00 I now have two more options to watch at home ( i have a laptop and a pc) and pretty good option for away. I guess if I think I needed a better picture when I'm away, I could just upgrade my DSL.
Great product and credit should be given to there customer service as well. I have no clue as to why these products are not marketed and sold by the retailers that sell Dish Network. If I was retailer for Dish, I would require each installer to have a pile of Slingbox's in every truck. Just ask the customer during the installation if they have DSL in there home. Have them watch the Slingbox Demo online while I do the install and sold! One more Slingbox.
Customer Review: 5 Stars Isn't Enough!
Summary: 5 Stars
The device is amazing and lives up to everything it claims to do. I am extremely happy with it. I purchased the Slingbox Solo, along with the Slinglink Turbo (because my router is nowhere near my DVR. Both products are wonderful and work perfectly together. Setup was very easy and was nearly automatic. It took only about 10-15 minutes total (and most of that was simply trying to get to the connections behind my console.) The only problem I ran into was that my DSL modem acts as a second router and the program could not configure the port forwarding on it for remote viewing (and I had no idea that the modem could even do any of that.) They have a "contact support" button right in the setup program which connected me to live chat and a tech helped me resolve this remotely in no time. I was very impressed to find tech support that actually could help me! He was awesome. The picture and sound quality are amazing! It's like I now have another HDTV on my laptop. I can watch TV out on my patio and enjoy the nice weather without having to plug anything extra into my laptop - it just works thru the WI-FI. I'm actually outside now writing this and watching TV as well. I love it! Using the virtual remote also is great; I can control everything on my HD DVR as if I was right in the same room. Response time is also much faster than I exprected. I have not yet tried remote viewing from another location, so I'm not sure how well it works. I'll write more on that after I try it. So far I've used the device many times on my home network and I love it. I highly recomend both products!!Customer Review: Slingbox Is Awesome When Set-Up Correctly
Summary: 5 Stars
This Slingbox Solo is awesome!! It allows me to watch the HD DVR in the basement from any computer in the house, and also on the laptop when I am on the road.
Over the past few months, I have learned what is needed to maximize your experience. It's a few extra bucks, but it will pay off in video quality.
First, you need to understand that it's all based on your connection from the slingbox to your PC. Maximize that, and the video quality improves. When you are connecting from anywhere in the world on the internet, you are at the mercy of your connection speed at that location. Some hotels don't allow a high amount of download speed per connection, so you have to live with that. It's not the Slingbox's fault. However, the more you can do to maximize your home connection, the better you'll be.
The Slinglink connection (through your electrical wires) works ok, but it's not the fastest. I recently purchased a Linksys DAP-1522 802.11N Wireless Bridge, and it is SUPER fast. I normally get a connection on my Slingbox of over 4000 kbps, which is well over double the Slinglink. The video quality with this wireless bridge is great, even on hockey. With this connection, I had to open a firewall port on the bridge's connection to my DSL router, but the Slinglink support can walk you through that.
So, buy the Slingbox and the DAP-1522 together, and you're as good as it will get. Add the Slingplayer Mobile on a 3G cell network and you are good to go!
Customer Review: So Good, I Just Had to Have a Second Helping!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, the fact of the matter is ... I just got really spoiled over the convenience of remotely viewing my TiVo HD from anywhere and at anytime that I felt like it, no matter where I was. So, after adding a second TiVo HD XL and moving the first one into the 'Man Cave', it was essential that it also had its own dedicated Slingbox. What can I say, during the week of the 'Masters' (golf), and during the two weeks of each of the four tennis majors throughout the year, I don't mis a thing!
WORTH NOTING: This journey was not without its chanllenges ... My first Slingbox SOLO which I had purchased over a year ago, had been manufactured two or three years ago (from the time of this review) and therefore experienced what had become a widespread, common/known problem with the SOLOs of the two primary capacitors overheating..., bulging..., and ultimately failing. So on that first SOLO, I eventually had to crack it open and replace the cap's. But after I had done that, it has worked at least as good (if not possibly even better) ever since then.
*** I can't imagine that any of the units available for purchase at this point in time could possibly still have those bad capacitors in them. (Pretty sure Sling figured that one out well over a year ago and corrcted the issue as soon as they could).
IN SUMMARY: I LUV BOTH OF MY SLINGBOX SOLOS!!! And yes, I would (now) definitely recommend them to my friends. (In fact, I already have).
Happy Slinging Review: Great product for extending your cable or satellite tv viewing to a computer
Summary: 5 Stars I bought this to configure with a new laptop computer. Since my satellite box and home network router are not in the same location I also bought the ethernet bridge. The ethernet bridge uses the house wiring to transmit the signals, which means that both boxes have to be on the same electrical circuit and they have to be directly plugged into the wall (no surge suppressor devices or power strips). This created a logistical problem where I first tried to install it. When I switched the location to my other satellite receiver it worked perfectly. If necessary in order to get your slingbox to connect to your network you can upgrade the slingbox firmware by connecting it with a LAN cable to your computer. As part of the set up you input the make and model of your receiver. The slingbox software recreates an exact image of your remote control unit and provides the channel guide for your area. The picture quality is excellent. You can reduce the tv image window and keep an eye on the tv program while doing other work on your computer. I installed the slingbox on another computer at home and it also works perfectly. The only downside is that you cannot watch a different program if the satellite/cable box is in already in use. This of course will not be a problem if you are watching your cable programming while you are traveling. I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to be able to remotely view their satellite/cable programming or to be able to watch tv on computer(s) at home.