Sling Media Slingbox Pro

Editors' note: The Slingbox Pro is no longer produced. It has been replaced by the Slingbox Pro-HD, which addresses many of the issues of the model reviewed here.

The Slingbox lets you watch your TV anywhere--anywhere, that is, where you can access a broadband Internet connection with a device that runs the company's SlingPlayer software. When it first hit the market in 2005, the SlingPlayer software could only run one platform: Windows XP computers. Windows 2000 compatibility was added soon after, and Windows Mobile devices--handhelds and smartphones--followed later. A long-promised Mac client debuted in the fall of 2006, and now Palm OS devotees can finally join the Sling party (if they've got a Treo 700p smartphone). The Palm software provides yet another venue for users of all of three Slingbox models--the Slingbox Tuner, the Slingbox A/V, and the Slingbox Pro--to watch their home TV programming. But only the high-end Slingbox Pro model supports multiple device inputs and the ability to accept HD video.

Slingbox and SlingPlayer: several choices
The original Slingbox (model SB100-100) may not have been the first placeshifting device to hit the market, but it quickly became a favorite way for gadget fans to watch their favorite TV shows, regardless of their location. The company followed up in the fall of 2006 with a trio of second-generation models: the Slingbox Tuner ($180), the Slingbox A/V ($180), and the Slingbox Pro ($250). Each of the three models is targeted at TV viewers with different needs. The Slingbox Tuner accepts only analog cable TV signals and has just a single screw-type RF input. The Slingbox A/V, like the original model, can control any cable or satellite box and gets its video signals via composite or S-Video. And the Slingbox Pro does it all: it can accept as many as four A/V sources, including (with an adapter) HD video.

Before we look at the Slingbox Pro in detail, however, it's worth focusing on the basic concept of the device. The Slingbox enables you to watch your home TV programming anywhere so long as you have access to a broadband Internet connection. It takes your home TV source, digitizes it, streams it onto your home network, and--if you'd like--onto the outside Internet as well. You receive the resulting video stream on a computer, a handheld, or a cellphone that's equipped with the SlingPlayer software. Both the Slingbox--the source--and the device running the SlingPlayer software--the receiver--need to be connected to high-speed broadband networks (a cable or DSL line or a 3G wireless network), but the distance between the two isn't a factor. As long as you're getting normal broadband access speeds, you can watch your Slingbox playback anywhere--be it in another room of the house or halfway around the world--literally.

SlingPlayer software for Windows PCs (2000, XP, or Vista) is included on a CD that comes with the products, but you're always better off getting the latest build from Sling Media's Web site. A beta version of the long-awaited Mac OS X version is available for download as well. Windows or Mac, laptop or desktop, just be sure the computer has access to a high-speed connection (Ethernet or Wi-Fi)--dial-up won't cut it.

If you'd prefer to watch your TV on a smaller device, Sling has you covered. SlingPlayer Mobile software is available for Pocket PC (touch screen devices running Windows Mobile 2003 or 5.0, such as recent Dell Axim and HP iPaq handhelds, as well as phones such as the Palm Treo 700w, the Audiovox 6700, and the Samsung i730), Windows Smartphone, (non-touch screen phones running Windows Mobile 5.0, such as the Motorola Q, Samsung Blackjack, and the T-Mobile SDA), and the Palm Treo 700p. Each mobile software package needs to be purchased on Sling's Web site for a one-time fee of $30, but you can try before you buy--just download the 30-day trial software. Just like the PCs, the mobile devices need to have access to a broadband connection, be it Wi-Fi or a 3G high-speed cellular network--EVDO on Verizon or Sprint, or UMTS/HSDPA on Cingular, for instance.

Don't have a Windows Mobile device or Treo 700p? Sling's Web site mentions that the company is evaluating the feasibility of creating SlingPlayer software for other platforms, such as RIM BlackBerry, J2ME, and BREW, but such plans remain entirely theoretical. (A Symbian version is preinstalled on some phones sold through British wireless provider 3, but it's unclear when or if it'll be made available for purchase to existing Symbian phone owners and those elsewhere in the world.

Handhelds and computers are great, but what about getting your Slingbox to send images to another TV? Sling's announced a product that will do just that: the SlingCatcher. Due in the second half of 2007, the SlingCatcher will be able to stream content from any Slingbox (so you can access your living room DVR recordings in the bedroom, for instance). It also will offer a function called "SlingProjector" that will mirror what appears on the screen of any networked PC.

Slingbox Pro: Design and setup
Before you can watch your TV shows from 2,000 miles away, of course, you have to get your Slingbox up and running. The Slingbox Pro is the largest model in the line, but it's still modestly sized as far as home-theater components go: 1.5 inches high by 14 wide by 5 deep. For some reason, Sling chose to make the Pro model red, unlike the unassuming black of the smaller Slingbox Tuner and A/V models, though the color is tempered somewhat by the tapered, smoked-gray housing. Fortunately, once you connect the Slingbox to your home A/V system, you never have to see it again; the always-on device can be tucked away in the depths of your TV stand--or even in an enclosed cabinet--where it will toil away indefinitely.

The rear of the Slingbox Pro is crammed with A/V inputs and outputs: one composite A/V, one S-Video, one RF coaxial, and one input that looks suspiciously like an HDMI port but isn't (more on that later). The physical setup is quick and logical. Simply hook up the video source, be it cable box, satellite box, DVR, DVD player, or the like, to the Slingbox's composite, S-Video, or RF cable inputs. There's also an included two-headed IR blaster that you can use to control the attached devices remotely--change channels, pause, play, fast-forward, rewind, and so forth. (A complete list of Slingbox-compatible products--the ones it can control remotely--can be found on Sling's Web site.) In addition, the Slingbox Pro, like the original Slingbox but unlike its two less-expensive siblings, has pass-through outputs for all of its audio and video connections. The necessary cable interconnects are included, so the Pro can integrate seamlessly into your system without the need for any major rewiring.

About that "HDMI" port: despite its appearance, it won't accept HDMI signals. Instead, its sole purpose is to interface with the proprietary dongle (officially known as the Sling Media HD Connect) that provides component video in and out. When connected, the $50 dongle allows the Slingbox Pro to accept all standard HDTV resolutions, namely 720p and 1080i--but not 1080p; not that it matters since very few component 1080p sources are available.

The final step in connecting the Slingbox Pro is to get it on your home network. Your only option to do so is via a wired Ethernet cable. If you don't have a network connection nearby, you'll need to opt for a bridging solution: powerline Ethernet extenders or a wireless-to-Ethernet bridge. Sling offers its own set of powerline adapters, the SlingLink Turbo, available in single and multiport versions (the latter for connecting other networked entertainment devices, such as a game console, Apple TV, or TiVo). We used a pair of older, significantly less expensive Netgear XE102 adapters with no problem.

Once you have the Slingbox base station wired up and ready to go, you'll need to install the viewing software on a PC (Windows or Mac); the initial setup must be done within your home's local network. The software follows a bulletproof, wizard-style install path; if you have a plug-and-play (UPnP) router, the whole process should take just a few minutes. The latest iteration of the SlingPlayer software setup includes a great video optimization wizard, which automatically optimizes the software settings to your PC's CPU and graphics-card capabilities. Once it's up and running, the software gives you a video window not unlike that of QuickTime or Windows Media Player, but which includes channel-changing controls. If you've connected the Slingbox to a TiVo, a cable or satellite box with a built-in DVR, or even a DVD recorder, you'll also get video-transport controls: pause, rewind, fast-forward, and so on.

Streaming performance
Right off the bat, the Slingbox's basic functions worked as advertised. We were watching our living-room TV on the bedroom PC, able to flip channels at will. The recent improvements in the SlingPlayer software were notable as well: there are now several "skins" from which to choose, and you can easily create favorite channels using the familiar channel logos for one-touch access. But where the interface of SlingPlayer really triumphs is the onscreen remote control. Essentially, you're getting a nearly identical version of the handheld remote of whatever set-top box the Slingbox is connected to. During testing, we were able to toggle between the DirecTV HR20, the DirecTV HD TiVo, the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD, the Dish ViP622, and the Dish DVR-942, each of which had their corresponding remotes available on the screen. The obvious upside is that there's no learning curve: if you can use your home remote, you can use the SlingPlayer software as well.

The SlingPlayer software automatically optimizes viewing quality to available bandwidth via an algorithm called SlingStream. The Slingbox Pro and its second-gen siblings all utilize the same chip, a new Texas Instruments DSP that offers the potential for much better video quality than that of the original Slingbox model. Of course, the quality is largely dependent on the available network bandwidth; you'll want at least 300Kbps on both upstream and downstream connections, with 400Kbps to 500Kbps (and beyond) offering a noticeably better picture.

Of course, the viewing on a home network offers the potential for much greater speeds, and that's where the improved video quality of the Slingbox Pro was most evident. We were able to watch a baseball game streaming from our DirecTV HD TiVo DVR at full screen, 30fps, with only an occasional stutter. In fact, composite and S-Video sources looked great--using the component-video adapter didn't give us a noticeable improvement in video quality. While the Slingbox Pro could accept full HD video signals from our DirecTV HD TiVo, the HD sources actually seemed to be more prone to artifacts, including jaggies and dithering. (That could easily--and quickly--change as Sling optimizes its software.) But let's be clear: in the realm of streaming video, it went beyond watchable to downright excellent. If not the fabled near-DVD quality, it was certainly competitive with--if not better than--the movies and TV shows available on the iTunes Store.

When broadcasting to the outside world, the Slingbox is limited by the upstream bandwidth of your home's broadband connection, which is often significantly less than your downstream speed. For instance, our cable modem seemed to max out at a decent 500Kbps--not bad at all, but far below the 3,000 to 6,000Kbps we were getting on the home network. The result is some "down-rezzing" to accommodate the lower bandwidth, which naturally results in a softer picture with more artifacts. (The SlingPlayer has a helpful meter in the window that shows throughput and frames per second.) You can still expand the SlingPlayer window to fill the screen, but you'll get significantly less sharpness and detail than you would via LAN streaming. Still, as long as you're getting a decent stream, you can get a very watchable video window that delivers 24fps to 30fps. The quality was much better than you'd get with most YouTube videos, for instance, and looked at least as good as CNET's own First Look videos (see above).

When watching on a cell phone or a handheld device, the same bandwidth concerns apply. But because those devices have such small screens (compared to a computer's monitor), the resulting image looked even better. We tested the SlingPlayer Mobile software on several devices, including an old HP iPaq (via Wi-Fi), a Palm Treo 700w (Verizon EVDO), a Samsung Blackjack (Cingular/AT&T HSDPA/UMTS), and a Palm Treo 700p (Sprint EVDO), and it worked equally well in all instances. The mobile version is a faithful recreation of the same solid performance we've gotten on a PC. What's better, of course, is that you can use the handheld or cell phone service much more often and in many more locations than you could from a desktop or laptop PC. Just be sure you have an unlimited-usage data plan on that smart phone, or you'll have a nasty surprise at the end of the month when the bill arrives .

Competition and caveats
The Slingbox is far from the only game in town when it comes to streaming your home TV to a remote location. Sony offers two LocationFree TV products that deliver similar functionality. The $250 LF-B20 includes built-in wireless and the ability to stream TV programming to PSP-gaming handhelds. Sony also offers third-party software for streaming to Macs, Windows Mobile, and Symbian devices, and even has plans for a SlingCatcher-style client called the LF-BOX1 LocationFree TV Box (originally scheduled to debut in 2006, it's since been delayed until later in 2007). Meanwhile, the Monsoon Multimedia Hava Wireless HD and the Pinnacle PCTV To Go HD Wireless (essentially the same product sold under different names) also deliver Sling-like streaming, but include built-in wireless networking, HD support, the ability to stream to multiple clients on a LAN concurrently, and better integration with Windows Media Center/Vista than Slingbox.

Moving beyond dedicated hardware, there are a growing number of options for copying and syncing video media from your PC to a handheld--the most notable being Apple's video-enabled iPod and TiVo To Go. But that's just transferring previously recorded media to a portable playback device. If you want live, real-time video, your options are limited. Those with newer mobile phones can opt for live 3G streaming subscriptions such as MobiTV and V Cast but will be restricted to the few channels offered by each provider. But the hardware competition is growing: Sony's latest LocationFree TV products offer three distinctions from Slingbox: built-in wireless networking support, the ability to beam TV programming to the Sony PSP, and the (future) availability of a client box that promises to turn any TV in the house into a LocationFree viewer. And anyone with a Media Center PC should check out Orb Network; it's a free service that offers remote access to virtually any PC-based media--photos, music, and so forth--but unlike Slingbox, it requires a host PC with a TV tuner card to stream live or recorded television programs.

That's not to say the Slingbox is perfect. Among our gripes is the fact that it lacks any wireless networking component, so you'll need to connect a wireless bridge or a pair of power-line adapters. Furthermore, the Slingbox is only as good as its device support. And while its catalog of supported devices has grown considerably since the product's debut, you'll be out of luck if it's missing the remote codes for your primary video device. We'd love it if the Slingbox software could learn codes or allow modification of its virtual-remote template, much as a PC-programmable remote can. We'd also like the option to program hotkeys ourselves into the software, which would enable easier control via multimedia-friendly keyboards, for instance. Meanwhile, the mobile client is hampered by some obvious limitations of the small screen: the miniaturized versions of your EPG; channel labels; or onscreen text such as sports scores, news crawls, or stock quotes, may just be flat-out unreadable on many devices; as will the finer details of some quick-moving videos; for example, hockey pucks and baseballs will be hard to discern.

Conclusion
Nitpicks aside, however, the Slingbox is one of the few gadgets that adds value to all your other tech investments--including your cable/satellite service, DVR, home network, laptop PC, and handheld device. The second-generation models are an evolutionary improvement over the original model, with improved video quality-- especially via a home network--and wider device support (Palm, Mac) being the primary step ups. Most users will find the Slingbox A/V to be the optimal model in the line, which is why that more affordable model was our pick for Editors' Choice. The Slingbox Pro's component video support isn't yet a huge draw, but that's only because the composite and S-Video sources look so good. However, if you need to control more than one device, the Slingbox Pro is certainly a worthwhile choice.

Senior Editor David Katzmaier contributed to this review.

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