Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)
Award winning Sling technology moves toward hi-def for video access possibilities around the world. Recently, I took a trip to Africa to do some work with one of the communities there. As interesting as it was, I missed home. With SlingBox in my notebook, and the community's DSL connection, I was able to receive, view, and listen to my TV from the USA. It's like a taste from home! My journeys wouldn't be as complete and as comfortable without SlingBox. Their new SOLO makes any trip anywhere better and easier.
The Slingbox SOLO allows you to view and control your favorite TV source?including your HD content?from anywhere in the world on your laptop or cell phone. So now you can view your DVR, digital cable, satellite receiver, or DVD player wherever you see fit. With the Slingbox SOLO, you can view your favorite TV shows and sporting events wherever you see fit. The Slingbox Directory is where you can easily view all the available Slingbox connections in your network and add additional Slingboxes Extensive customizable settings, including a Favorites Bar and Manual Audio and Video controls, allow you to fine-tune your viewing experience SlingStream Technology SlingRemote looks and acts exactly like your real remote control at home, giving you full control over your viewing experience. From changing channels to setting a DVR to record, you can do it using buttons right on your computer screen SlingLink TURBO 4-port bundle enables network connections for multiple devices such as TiVo, satellite receiver, game console, or computer
The Slingbox SOLO allows you to watch and control your favorite TV source from anywhere in the world on your laptop or mobile phone. So now nothing can come between you and your DVR, digital cable, satellite receiver, or DVD player. The Slingbox SOLO not only allows you to watch your home television anywhere, but it also allows you to watch any cable subscriptions, special programming, or sports packages you may have--at no extra cost. If it's on your home TV, it's on your computer and phone--with no monthly fees. With the Slingbox SOLO, you can watch all your favorites wherever you see fit. - Watch and control your HDTV anywhere on your laptop or mobile phone.
- No monthly fees.
- On screen remote control.
- Crisp video streaming.
Slingbox SOLO can connect to a myriad of A/V devices--over 5,000 of them. |
Features:
- Watch your HDTV anywhere on your laptop or mobile phone.
- No monthly fees.
- Watch and control a high-definition or standard definition A/V device, such as a DVR, cable set top box, satellite receiver or DVD player.
- Full set of pass-through connections for easy integration with virtually any A/V device.
- On screen remote control. Every feature that's available on your TV remote control is accessible through the included SlingPlayer software for your Windows or Mac laptop. This means you can view your electronic program guide (EPG), change the channels, queue a recording on your DVR, or even watch pay-per-view movies.
- Clip+Sling ready. Use your Slingbox to clip segments of your favorite TV programs and share them with friends and family online.
- Mobile phone compatibility. SlingPlayer Mobile software lets you watch and control your TV and all of its programming on compatible Windows Mobile, Symbian or Palm mobile phones. Separate download required.
- Crisp video streaming. SlingStream is the innovative streaming technology that ensures you receive the clearest picture possible at any given location.
- Supports over 5,000 A/V devices.
- Broadband internet connection w/router required.
- Supports Windows XP/Vista, Mac and Windows Mobile, Symbian or Palm OS-based mobile devices.
Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100) Accessories
 Slinglink Turbo 1PORT Enet Connection Bridge (SL 150-100)
Sling Media SlingLink Turbo Powerline Kit ( SL200-100 )
Sling Media Slingbox PRO (SB200-100)
Sling Media HD Connect Cable for Slingbox Pro ( HD200-100 )
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV
SlingLink TURBO 1 PORT
Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Disc Remote
Sling Media Slingbox AV (SB240-100)
Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100) Reviews
It will fail over wifi. My HAVA will be getting sent back for a refund. Changing Channels - Again, the Sling box blows the HAVA away. Then switch it over to an AM channel. The reason I am giving the Slingbox 4 stars instead of 5 is for the lack of recording ability, and that you have to pay $30 additional for the mobile software. This doesn't come into play very often but it can be a pain to function in some screens. Recording - This is really the only area where the HAVA truly wins. A lot of this has to do with the longer delay in the stream on the HAVA, but either way, it is a long process.
The phone must be in portrait mode, not widescreen, and you get about 2 frames per second. The Sling box currently does not have the ability to record. If you can't stream properly, the unit is worthless, or at least very annoying to watch. I have had the Sling Box Solo for about 2 months now. You can double click on what you want to watch and the Sling box changes channels. Sometimes this is across town and sometimes it is on the other side of the world. Streaming - I am talking about this first because this is the most important capacity of any of these type of units. The Sling box takes about 1 to 2 seconds to do what you tell it to.
The Sling box again is the opposite. The HAVA does not have this guide. If you watch it for an hour, it might stutter once or twice for a second, but it has never cut out on me with a solid connection. If you are an audiophile in the slightest way, you will be severely disappointed with the HAVA unit. Mobile Phone - I have an HTC Touch Pro on Sprint.
Keep in mind this edge is so small that most people will not notice it. The Remote control interface is similar on both units. ABC, NBC, and CBS all have regions, and different games are broadcast for each region. When I hook up my laptop to a Samsung A750 LCD 52" it appears as if the HAVA has a slight edge over the Sling box when the HAVA is not cutting out. This might not sound like much, but it gets very annoying, especially if you watching a game and you miss a big play.
This review is for the purpose of remote viewing only. The only difference I have notice is that on the Sling box the A B and C buttons do not work correctly with my Motorola cable box. Overall, I believe the Sling Box wins hands down. If you are really into recording then maybe the HAVA is for you, but with its stream and sound issues, the recordings are not very fun to watch. On a laptop you can't see any difference. You have to hook up a separate hard drive to the unit through a USB port, but once you have that it works great. Hear the difference. On a side note, if you buy the HAVA, you must be hooked up by cat 5 or Ethernet to update the firmware.
The audio comes through uninterrupted for the most part but the video continuously cuts out. I find the Sling box pleasurable to watch. If you were to watch these units for an hour each, this is what you would see.
It has the 2.0 software with all the latest software and firmware updates. That is at least the level of separation between these two units. I only use the HAVA and Sling Box on a completely separate internet connection from where they are stationed. It works ok. The HAVA also has the latest software, 1.8 latest firmware etc. It will give you a buffer, so you can rewind the show you were watching if you missed something, or pause it for a few minutes but that is all. Tune it to a strong FM channel and listen for a minute.
The HAVA I find to be annoying and irritating which is not good considering I am watching it to try and relax. On the sling box, you could do the same thing in 30 seconds. Many times I like to catch a local sports game, football, basketball, soccer, and no matter how hard you try you can't get it in other locations of the country. The HAVA unit will have about a 5 to 10 second delay from the live stream. Comparison - Both of these units do what they are designed to do.
If you would like to get a better idea of what I am talking about, go to you car and turn the radio on. If you go to watch something On Demand, it my require ten or more button pushes of the remote to get to where you want. The Sling box is quite different. This feature runs independently, so you don't have to have a computer on for it to record. Sound - This is a huge area to myself.
The HAVA takes anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds for the channel to change. I also use the On Demand portion of my cable box quite frequently. Even with fairly slow internet connections in some hotels, once the Sling box has fully buffered it very rarely cuts out. The audio does cut out as well, but not as often.
It is very clear, about 95% of the original broadcast sound, and has a full rich sound to it. The other thing you can do is record directly onto your laptop. While watching, the picture will cut in and out for about 10 seconds every 2 to 5 minutes. The internet connection where the units are located is through COX, and I believe it is rated at 768K up and around 15mbps down. The Sling box blows the HAVA away in this area. I generally buy the best or very close to the best audio equipment available, whether it is for my house, car, mp3 player, or headphones. Picture - The picture clarity is very close on these two units.
Every time the picture cuts out, it comes back on at the lowest bitrate and works itself back up, so the picture quality is very poor for at least 10 seconds from the time it comes back on. EVDO rev A, windows mobile 6.1 I have only tested the HAVA on my phone. You can even view those recorded shows that are on your laptop when you don't have internet, like on a plane or in a car. It sounds like an AM radio station on a 1970's car. So if you were watching something and wanted to record it to watch later you could. I have not used the Sling box software on this phone but I have seen it run on a HTC Mogul, and it ran great, much better than the HAVA. The HAVA functions as a true DVR. I have had the HAVA Titanium HD Wifi unit for about a week.
The only number you need to be concerned with is the UP speed of the location where the units are located. These devices do allow you to stream locally, on your local network, but I do not do that often enough to comment on it. Software - The Sling box software is nice because it gives you an entire TV guide for your local cable provider. This is nice because I can remotely watch anything that is in the on demand section.
When I first started using the Sling box I thought this was slow until I received the HAVA. This can take upwards of 5 minutes on the HAVA. The highs and lows are missing, and what you are left with is a very bland and dull sound. So even though the game you want to see is on regular TV in your home town, it might not be on that same station on the other side of the country. I bought these devices so I could get all of my local cable channels when I was away from home, whether that is at the office, traveling for business, or on vacation.
One does it much better in my opinion than the other. I bought the HAVA because of the ability to plug a separate hard drive into the unit to record remotely for viewing at a later time.
This little invention is probably the best thing since sliced bread. I can now watch TV at work while handling my business. I had a problem setting up my IP addresses and in five minutes support was able to diagnose, find, and solve the problem. It does what it says it does. You gotta get one of these. Moreover, the customer support is fabulous.
I was able to watch my beloved Baltimore Ravens on my laptop while sitting in a parking lot Cody, Wyoming. 4-stars only because the picture quality could have been better, but, it worked as advertised.
The only complaint I have is it takes up a lot of bandwidth on your network even when you are not watching TV with it. DVG This is a neat gadget, to be able to watch your TV anywhere. And it works great.
Just don't expect the picture to be DVD quality. I LOVE it, but the picture isn't quite as good as I had hoped. Football/Basketball/Baseball are watchable and the Audio is perfect. I purchased the Sling Solo so I could watch Minneapolis TV stations from my home in Indianapolis, IN. Apparently it is much improved at 800kb or higher. My brother installed it in his house there and got the Solo set up in less than 30 minutes. It's pretty grainy at 400kb upload speed.
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