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Customer Reviews for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Model: SB300-100
SKU: 9004258
UPC: 852619001585
Use this Slingbox PRO HD to take the show on the road and enjoy crisp high-definition sporting events, TV or movies through your notebook, cell phone or a TV at your office or a hotel.
Average Customer Rating:
3.7
out of 5
(99 Reviews) 99
Rating Snapshot 99 reviews
5 stars
48
4 stars
21
3 stars
5
2 stars
7
1 star
18
73% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
72 out of
99)
Customer Reviews for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Review 1 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Awesome Product
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
2.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
2.0
What's great about it: Allows you to watch TV anywhere. Freaking amazing product
What's not so great: It's a bit pricy. And you have to pay for the app also. Total around 350 for everything but no annual or monthly fee aft
I bought this product because I would study in college and would want to watch the Baseketball games. But to do so I'd have to leave my spot in the library and come back to see it stolen by someone. With this I was able to log on straight from any wireless and watch my TV. Change channel when I want see when I want. Good on long drives or when you don't have anything to do and are bored. Went to brazil and was watching tv from brazil that was playing i nmy house. Doesn't turn on your tv, just your cable back. So it won't waste a lot of energy. I have cable speed but wouldn't recommend it for anyone lower than that. I get some hick ups sometimes but when I do it straight from a wireless it runs great. Over cell data, laggy. But because of the cell phone restrictions. I have grandfather unlimited plan. So it works great for me.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
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Review 2 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Your TV Away From Home
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
What's great about it: Watch your TV on an iPhone, iPad, laptop or even a TV.
What's not so great: Expensive mobile app. Web application not as great as it could be. No HDMI.
The main reason I purchased the SlingBox was because I live in New Jersey, but spend a lot of weekends in Pennsylvania. You can imagine how that effects the sports teams that I prefer to watch. Assuming you have a good internet connection at the upload and download site, this is an excellent solution for such problems.
Pros:
It will work pretty much anywhere you happen to be with the use of an iPhone, iPad or other mobile devices. The quality increases with better service (3G, 4G, or 4G LTE) but I have been using 3G when on the road with great results.
It will work pretty much anywhere you happen to be with the use of an iPhone, iPad or other mobile devices. The quality increases with better service (3G, 4G, or 4G LTE) but I have been using 3G when on the road with great results.
With a strong internet connection at both the send and receive sites, the quality of the picture is incredible and there is very little lag between the real-time video and the streamed video. Sure, you might have a better picture if you were watching at the source, but it is still very, very good. Audio comes through clear as well, especially when using the digital coaxial audio connection.
Now, there is also a "Legacy" Sling Player, which is the old computer application. Sling Media is no longer developing this application and prefers you to use Slingbox.com to stream video. The "Legacy" player can be found with a simple Google search, but it has it's limitations for Mac computers, which I'll discuss later.
Sling Media is working to develop new applications for different platforms. It seems they are following the trend of NetFlix, which is included with pretty much every new Blu-Ray player on the market. They have two options for "Connected Devices" to view your Sling Box on a different TV away from home. Logitech Revue and Boxee Box. Neither of which I have had the chance to use yet. I have watched video reviews, however, and they seem to work very well. I have also seen reports of Google TV possibly acquiring a Sling Player App and I'm sure it is only a matter of time before other manufacturers follow.
Tech support was helpful as well. Answered my questions that I had on a live chat so I didn't have to actually call into an automated system and wait for 10 minutes to speak with someone.
One final note: The SlingBox will allow you to set up guest IDs so friends or family members can use your SlingBox. Only one user can view the SlingBox at a time, but as the main user you have the ability to "boot" anyone that is using your SlingBox. I cannot fault the company for this. If they allowed everyone to use the same box, you could imagine what that would do to video quality and, not to mention, sales.
Cons:
Short list, really. There is no HDMI support, but I would imagine it is in the works. Considering my cable provider only supports 1080i, it isn't really a concern for me. I use separate audio connections, so the HDMI serves no additional benefit to me at this current time. I have no loss of quality using the component cables, however, you will need an additional set of cables if you plan on hooking this up to an existing TV. (The box includes one set of component cables and an audio cable as well.)
Short list, really. There is no HDMI support, but I would imagine it is in the works. Considering my cable provider only supports 1080i, it isn't really a concern for me. I use separate audio connections, so the HDMI serves no additional benefit to me at this current time. I have no loss of quality using the component cables, however, you will need an additional set of cables if you plan on hooking this up to an existing TV. (The box includes one set of component cables and an audio cable as well.)
I downloaded the "Legacy" application for my Mac and I actually preferred it over the web application. The only negative is that the Mac Application does not support HD video. The Windows app, however, does support HD video. It is also more user friendly, as well.
There's no good way to say this so one - The mobile app is $30.. It's rather expensive considering you just purchased a $300 piece of equipment. It would be a nice "thank you" from the company if they at the very least gave you a discount code for a one time use. The app can be added to multiple devices, so I can understand not giving it away for free to anyone who knows someone with a SlingBox. However, it isn't required if you want to use the SlingBox, so I guess they can justify the price.
Video over the 3G network is somewhat "spotty" while traveling in a moving vehicle, such as a train, bus or car. (Do not watch while you're driving the car, obviously, as it can be extremely dangerous.) This is to be expected in my opinion since reception can change constantly while traveling. I have not had the pleasure of viewing over a 4G LTE network, but I'm sure it performs very well. However, I do not feel, by any means, that this is a deal breaker. After all, you are streaming your TV through a cell phone data network. (This still amazes me)
Summary: If you need your TV away from home, this is a great product. Especially if you're traveling and your team is currently in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Go Devils!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Never Connected to Home Netword
Customer Rating
1.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Ease of Set Up
1.0
What's great about it: Features for global travellers
What's not so great: Could not connect to home network
I purchased this device based on the CNET review and the features. I travel globally, many times in areas that do not have english TV channels, or they have only english news on a repetive cycle, so this technology would be perfect. My problem with this is that it did not have a wireless card built in, so I tried hard wiring it to my router, directly to my modem, and I even bought an access point to try to get this to work, and it would never connect to the network, even when I made the network unsecure without a WEP code. Nothing worked, and I felt there was limited support. I spent hours trying to make this work, but it never connected so I brought it back.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-4points
1out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
sorry, be we returned this item since it didnt all
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Ease of Set Up
4.0
it didnt allow viewing remotely and diffeent channels like we hoped
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Internet viewing only connects 10% of time
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: dansfiv
from san francisco
on 04/18/2012
Value for Price
1.0
Features
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Ease of Set Up
3.0
What's great about it: Local network viewing
What's not so great: internet viewing is unreliable
Bought it for watching Giants games at our apartment in SF... it only works about 10% of the time... connecting.... connecting... error... retry... connecting... There's no diagnostics to figure out what's wrong... connections on both ends are high speed cable... so bandwidth is not a problem. If you buy it for Internet viewing, be sure it works flawlessy in the first 30 days so it can take it back if it doesn't.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Does exactly what I needed it to do.
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
What's great about it: Easy setup, no annual fees
What's not so great: Had to change my Directv receiver remote back to an IR signal from the RF signal.
It does exactly what it says it should do. To buy a product like this once, and not have to pay an annual fee is becoming rare. A lot of complaints I see on here are that it isn't true hi-def because there's no hdmi port....... component cables do carry 1080i, just not 1080p. So yes, it does hi-def very well. In 3G service...... not as great, but still good.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
HD quality is great
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
This is a great unit. I was upgrading from the old SD device. My only complaint would be that they did not say that you could still use the old Slingplayer software. instead the installation procedure led you thru the setup to use it via a browser and the Slingplayer software is so much easier to use.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Great Device for On The Go
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: CyberMike
from lake charles, la
on 04/06/2012
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Ease of Set Up
3.0
What's great about it: Lots of options, easy to use, and works on lots of devices!!
What's not so great: App price, misleading box info
I love this device. It's very nice to be able to catch my shows everywhere. I thought it was a bummer that the sling catcher app for Android was an additional 29.99. Also, it states on the box that it works with xp but it doesn't support that OS. Aside from that it was easy setup and very easy to access tech support that will work directly with you. That was a definite plus.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
You are buying a very expensive headache
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: PTICHKA
from nyc
on 03/31/2012
Value for Price
1.0
Features
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Ease of Set Up
1.0
What's great about it: nothing that I could find
What's not so great: everything else
I have a programming background and usually can wire anything with no problems, but it took a team of smart people to wire this thing up (the instructions are so skimpy that some supplied equipment is not even mentioned).
Then I failed to set it up over the internet by myself, and had to call for tech support (that also works minimal hours).
All in all, it took a month to make it work.
And another month and a half for it to die. Changing power cords or wiring it directly to the router (at the insistence of tech support) did not revive it.
I don't miss it, since I wanted it for my HTC tablet. But I could not find an app for it (they sell an app for iphones for additional $20 bucks or so).
I also could not get a refund or even an offer to exchange it. I was told to wait 72 hrs. Then another 72 hrs. Then my request was escalated and no one got back to me since.
Then I failed to set it up over the internet by myself, and had to call for tech support (that also works minimal hours).
All in all, it took a month to make it work.
And another month and a half for it to die. Changing power cords or wiring it directly to the router (at the insistence of tech support) did not revive it.
I don't miss it, since I wanted it for my HTC tablet. But I could not find an app for it (they sell an app for iphones for additional $20 bucks or so).
I also could not get a refund or even an offer to exchange it. I was told to wait 72 hrs. Then another 72 hrs. Then my request was escalated and no one got back to me since.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-1point
2out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Sadly Disappointed in Slingbox
Customer Rating
1.0
Value for Price
1.0
Features
3.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Ease of Set Up
1.0
What's great about it: The concept
What's not so great: It doesn't work for me
I set up my Slingbox in Texas to watch tv when I am in Singapore, where I live half time. I have had no success in being able to use it. It will show a couple of minutes and freeze. I tried the recommended fixes but there are not many, and the websight is pretty uninformative about what to do if it doesn't work. It may be my internet and not the box, but according to their specifcations I should be ok. If anyone knows how to make this work I would love to know.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Easy set up and works as expected
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
What's great about it: Easy to use and works as advertised
What's not so great: The cost of the software if you want to use it on anything other than a PC or a MAC.
The Slingbox Pro Hd works as advertised, was easy to set up, and sends a good picture to any PC in my home. I haven't tried connecting to the Slingbox from someplace outside my house yet so I can't commend on that. I also have a Slingbox Tuner that I've had for several years and it works fine from locations outside my home. For the price of this Slingbox I think the software should be free for any device you want to use it with but the only free software is for the PC or MAC. I had to pay another $29.95 for the iPad app and if I want to use it on my iPhone or iPod I would need to pay another $29.95 for that app too. I'm knocking down the value by one bar because this seems greedy to me.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Well worth the effort
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
3.0
What's great about it: Easy to use on a day to day basis
What's not so great: Directions were not the clearest
I bought this so my husband can watch television from Saudi Arabia. The set up was a little difficult. The directions were a little sparse. When I couldn't figure it out I chatted with tech support online and they were very helpful. He stayed on with me till I had everything connected, even logged into my computer to see what I did wrong. The product works great! My husband can record on the DVR and watch any show. It is worth the effort!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Great to stay connected to home
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
What's great about it: It works as promised, both on my Mac and my iPad!
I've been transferred overseas and this is GREAT for watching sports, movies and tv from "home". Keeps me from getting homesick!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Incredible Product, almost worth the full price
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
5.0
What's great about it: Everything but the full cost
What's not so great: $300!? Really expensive.
Literally took more time to untwist and plug in cables than set up and get watching. It is very easy to set up and use. I have DirecTV and entered model number and within a couple seconds had the remote working and programming guide for my area. Disconnected from my home network and tried it, the picture is grainy, but it was a 3G wireless hotspot connection (to the same laptop). I refuse paying $30 for the mobile app. Less delay than I thought there would be, only a couple seconds of lag time. Worth the sale price for any sports fan that cannot get that programming (or will not pay for it) live otherwise. Hard to swallow at full price, but still the best bet overall of any method out there.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
This is fantastic
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Ease of Set Up
3.0
What's great about it: Overall function - it''s really cool!
What's not so great: A little expensive for the Pro, but worth it.
This system is great for being an Expat in China. It really helps bridge the gap to be able to keep up with local hometown information and to be able to see US programming while abroad. The slingbox works great, depending on available internet speed.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
My commute just became that much more enjoyable!
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
4.0
What's great about it: I can watch TV during my commute and while out on my deck or working in the garage.
What's not so great: The video quality can sometimes be pixellated more than I like.
I picked this up last night after reading a lot of reviews. I have to admit I am a bit of a skeptic so I was anxious to see how well it would work. It took me less than 15 minutes to get the Slingbox Pro HD hooked up to my Directv HDDVR and have it running on my computer. I was very surprised by how good the video looked and the audio sounded. I was very pleased. It does take a few seconds for the controls to respond when you change the channels. This will take some getting use to but not a big deal really. I spent about 30 minutes playing with it and was very impressed. The real test was this morning as I made my commute to work. Using the wifi network provided on the train that I take to work proved ample enough to allow me to watch programming all the way in to work. It was a little more pixellated than I care for, but all in all, I was very pleased. There were only a couple of times and only for a few seconds that the streaming was interrupted. When I logged in on my computer at work to see what kind of a picture I had, I was again, very pleased. The picture was very clear and the Slingbox Pro HD performed flawlessly. I am very happy with my purchase and look forward to taking advantage of my commute time catching up on programs I haven't had time to watch in a long time. Thank you Slingbox Media!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Great product
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Ease of Set Up
3.0
What's great about it: The service it provides!
What's not so great: iPhone app is not free
I live in Ohio and I do a lot of business travel, but I'm from the Bay Area. Hooked this up at my parents house who live out there, and I love being able to watch all my home teams play. It was a little complicated to set up since their internet router was in a different room from the HD cable box. Had to move the router. Plus my parents have two different program sources (cable and Dish) so set up took a long time for me. I'm giving the Slingbox an almost perfect score, because it really is awesome once it's set up. My only complaints are 1. That I have to pay extra ($29) for the iPhone app, and 2. I wish it was not so "messy" trying to watch programs without screwing up the reception back home. When they're out of town, I watch HD through their cable box, but when they are home I have to switch to a different mode to watch and then have trouble finding channels since they are numbered differently. Oh, I really can't complain, just takes some getting used to. The app SHOULD be free though.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Great for the avid TV watcher
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Ease of Set Up
4.0
This is a great product if you like to watch a lot of TV. While on lunch break at work, I can connect to my cable box at home and watch shows I have on my DVR. It is really easy to use once you have it set up.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
SlingBox Pro HD......Great Idea but for how long?
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Ease of Set Up
4.0
What's great about it: content anywhere there is internet access (ie on phone)
What's not so great: Gets very hot
Hello! Well I got a SlingBox Pro HD several weeks ago. The kind people at Best Buy sent one over to review. So to start off with there were some expenses on my part. The Sling Box app was an additional $29.00 which was an initial bummer. However I was off to the races once I downloaded it.
The Slingbox Pro ($299) is perhaps the best and most convenient way to watch live television content from your cable or satellite box anywhere you have access to the internet. There are several ways to view the content with a desktop application as well as apps for most smart phones and tablet technologies.
My review unit did not come with IR blasters which really hurt my experience. (Couldn’t change channels) . I really like the item but do believe it has a shelf life (see conclusion). I was able to watch TV on my phone and Ipad in the doctor’s office, on the airplane (via wifi on the plane) and in my office. Item works great and I can imagine if you’re going overseas this would be a great item to have to keep you connected to your essential tv shows.
The item did get very hot when I used it. It does not have a fan and I ended up using a laptop cooler to keep it cooler. That was my biggest complaint.
Conclusion:
We all have options like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others streaming a wide assortment of choices for a relatively low subscription price. None of those options will stream live TV to your mobile device but …..I can see that happening soon. I currently have a Time Warner App on my Ipad that allows me to watch live TV anywhere in my home. Item works great and if missing the game or an out of the box solution for another cable box is needed this may be your solution. I works great and is easy to install.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for Sling Media The Slingbox PRO HD
Could be better but does a good job
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
3.0
Features
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Ease of Set Up
4.0
What's great about it: All of your cable channels on your cell phone
What's not so great: Sometimes video drags just a little
The install was pretty simple the hardest part was running the cat five cable through the wall when using this with your cell phone pictures not as smooth as one might hope it's good not great I'm using standard definition television again it's good not great it does what it supposed to do I would rated at 3 1/2 wish pic was smoother but again what can you hope for when you're watching all your cable channels on your TV so in that aspect it's great I don't miss a show or should I say my wife doesn't miss the football game now
I would recommend this to a friend!
-2points
0out of 2found this review helpful.
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