Slingbox SOLO Review
Dave Zatz from
Sling Media was nice enough to send me a Slingbox SOLO to play with a few weeks
ago, and I’ve been trying to get this review written since then without much
luck because of my schedule. So, without
further ado let’s get to it.
For those not aware, a Slingbox is a hardware device that will
allow remote viewing of various sources including cable/satellite set-top boxes
(STBs) and PVRs. Media Center PC owners
might be using a software based solution to do some of the same, but there are
advantages to using a hardware based solution like a Slingbox and I was very
impressed while playing around with the Slingbox SOLO.
The SOLO is the latest addition to the Slingbox lineup and features
a SD (S-Video, Composite)/HD video input (Component) ready for your single
device to be hooked up. If you require
multiple devices then you would want to check out the Slingbox PRO which does
everything the SOLO does but includes multiple inputs.
I did the majority of my testing using a RCA DIRECTV
receiver, but Media Center keep reading for Media Center integration tips.
Setup
Setup of the Slingbox SOLO went very smoothly especially if
you have a background in setting up a Media Center PC to interact with an STB. All you have to do is
connect your video source, Ethernet, power, and the IR blaster and you are
ready to go. I’m not over exaggerating here,
that is it.
Once you do that, head to
your PC and install the SlingPlayer software.
Upon first launch, the Slingbox Setup Wizard will search for your Slingbox
and walk you through the video source setup (S-Video, Composite, Component,
etc) and offers video and volume adjustments that are easy to understand. You select your STB/PVR model from the
listing (or DVD player, Media Center, etc. 5000+
devices are supported) and then you are ready to go. You can either proceed to watch TV, or you
can setup remote viewing. The remote
viewing setup was just as easy, with the setup detecting my UPnP router and
making all the configuration changes. This
whole process took about two minutes, and coming from Media Center based
software that attempts to do the same the setup and configuration is won by the
Slingbox hands down.
SlingPlayer
To stream content to your PC all you need is the SlingPlayer
software installed. The software has a
nice skinable UI that is easy to use, but also offers advanced features and
settings that you can use to tweak video quality and streaming. Changing the streaming solution is simple as
pie, along with bitrate (based on profiles, or manually). Quality looks great streaming across my home
network at 640x480 and about 3.0mbps.
Remote Viewing
The main advantage of the Slingbox isn’t watching content on
your PC within the house, it is watching it on the go. I don’t have a SmartPhone or hand held, but a
laptop works just as well for me on the go.
Since the Slingbox Setup Wizard configured my router for me all I had to
do was install the SlingPlayer software on my laptop (or phone). One of the best features of the Slingbox is
that it works out-of-the-box with dynamic IP addresses. Using PC based software and a dynamic IP
address doesn’t work unless you are using a dynamic IP service which generally
requires running an extra server application on your PC. Not fun.
The Slingbox on the other has a unique address that is stored on Sling
Media’s servers. This way, the SlingPlayer
software just looks to Sling Media to know what my random IP is without me
having to know. This made everything
worth it for me.
I’ve got a relatively poor upload speed on my DSL, but I get
around 300kbps up which is good enough for the 320x240 video output for remote viewing by the Slingbox. The quality is far from spectacular, however
your mileage will vary based on your upload speed for your connection. Betterupload speeps equal higher bitrates, and in turn better video quality.
Media Center
Integration
Something that seems like it has been kept a secret is that
Slingbox’s do support Media Center. When
you are going through the setup there is an option for “Microsoft/Media Center DVR.” In this case, you would want to run
S-Video/Composite/Component out of your PC into the Slingbox. Once you do this, the Slingbox has all the Media
Center IR commands built it and will end up looking something like this when
you go into the SlingPlayer application.
Conclusion and Limitations
While the Slingbox SOLO has Component (HD) inputs, it doesn’t
really stream HD. All video is converted
to 640x480 internally, so if you are expecting HD you are out of luck. This doesn’t bother me too much in practice,
as even 480p video at my 300kbps upload would be unwatchable. However, I think many people see the HD
inputs and assume it streams HD.
Other than that, the Slingbox SOLO has been a joy to play
with and unlike PC based software solutions for streaming I’ve yet had to
troubleshoot any part of it. If you are
looking for a way to stream content to remote devices, I would highly recommend
the Slingbox SOLO or
anything from the Slingbox
lineup. The Slingbox SOLO retails
for $179.99.
