Sling Media HD Connect Cable for Slingbox Pro ( HD200-100 ) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Don't buy the Sling HD connect cable - more accurately referred to as a component video adapter - if you're eager to get your Slingbox Pro broadcasting HD quality, since it won't do that. Instead, buy it if you want to connect multiple sources to your Slingbox, since the 4-way IR blaster that's included means you can actually take advantage of the full input capability of the Pro. I take a star off on both how this has been mismarketed and how it should have been included with the Pro, but it's a must have if you're going to truly take advantage of the Pro's capabilities.
The Slingbox is a really neat toy, but they've done a semi-unethical job positioning the Pro and this adapter as HD "compatible" in an attempt to catch on to the HD upgrade wave. Some of it isn't their fault, as bandwidth is a huge issue. Think of it this way: compressed high definition video in 1080i runs somewhere in the 8-10 GB/hour range, with uncompressed video directly from over-the-air stations running quite a bit higher. Even the fastest current cable modems - let alone DSL - would have problems keeping up with that, and with uploading generally limited to 1/10th that speed to prevent you from running a file server, it's a moot issue, which is why the Slingbox limits remote uploads to 320x240. And while you can get closer to the required speed on a LAN and the Pro transmits 640x480 video over it, it'd probably take $600 more of hardware for the Slingbox to process a 1080i stream - and while Slingbox is neat, it's certainly not $1000 neat.
So the Slingbox downrezzes any HD signal you send into it. Whether or not connecting a HD component to this adapter results in improved output depends a whole lot on how well your DVR or TV already downrezzes to 480i, which also makes sense: an expensive piece of hardware like that generally has better electronics to do so. Generally, the best reason to buy this for the HD input capability alone is if you have an oddball HD source, like my DVHS VCR which doesn't display menus in certain resolutions. Otherwise, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not you'll get improved video even within your LAN. (Outside of it you probably won't notice the difference much either way.) And by the way, even though the port looks like it accepts an HDMI input, the adapter only accepts component video inputs - although at least it includes a set of component video cables so you can pass through the signal if you need to without spending any more than you already have.
The reason you buy this, though, is that the Pro is very good at streaming 4 separate devices - but while you can connect 3 devices without this item, you can only control 2 with the IR blaster that comes with the Pro. I spent a while trying to figure out a workaround for this, looking into such things as 3/32" Y cable splitters connecting to 1/8" plugs and looking into finding another brand of IR blasters since Sling won't sell you a second one. Then I hit my head against the wall once I realized this includes a 4-prong IR blaster. Basically, buy this cable set if you plan on taking full advantage of the Pro's capabilities to remotely control more than 2 devices - or get a headache.
No real excuse for Sling Media not to include this with the Pro and not to explain it to the consumer properly, but such is life.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sling Media HD Connect Cable for Slingbox Pro ( HD200-100 )

The Slingbox PRO HD Connect Cable enables you to watch your home television s HD programming (up to 1080i) by connecting your HD component device to the Slingbox PRO. The Slingbox PRO and SlingStream technology adapts the compressed video stream to match the available network and Internet bandwidth to provide the best possible video quality between the Slingbox PRO and the SlingPlayer application, whether running on a computer or mobile phone. Compatible with Slingbox PRO. Provides pass-through connectors, so you can easily add the cable into existing HD configurations. Provides component video and stereo audio connections.

Click here for more information about Sling Media HD Connect Cable for Slingbox Pro ( HD200-100 )

Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been waiting for this product for 22 months, having seen the announcement and demo at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronic Show in January 2007. I have long been a fan of Sling Media and have used its products for close to three years. I have also recommended them to many friends and colleagues. I am a technologist and a "gadget freak" and seldom return products. Even less frequently I write reviews.
I received the SlingCatcher yesterday, after pre-ordering it on Amazon, and I could not have imagined, 24 hours ago, that I would now be packing it to return it. In a word, this product is a disaster. It is expensive for the features it offers (I paid $299 at Amazon, and I note that the product is already discounted two days later) and it is poorly implemented.
The installation was the only positive part of the experience. It was very simple to install (even simpler than a Slingbox) and recognized the network immediately. I have a wired, 1 Gigabit network available at the right location. The SlingCatcher does not have WiFi. The only peculiarity is that it took several minutes to download a software upgrade. Given that I have one of the first units to come off the boat, I wonder how many bugs were discovered during the trip from China to the USA. I should say that I did not experience any of the installation problems mentioned by other users.
The SlingCatcher lets you do three things (according to what's written on the box): watch video from the Internet; watch video from a Slingbox; and watch video from a PC. But be careful about making assumptions about what these descriptions mean!
Watch video from the Internet -- while you might think that this feature would allow you to browse the web and stream videos from it, it is not quite so. You have to have a computer on your network running a software program called "SlingProjector," which allows you to "project" whatever you can play on your computer onto the SlingCatcher (and your TV.)
I downloaded the SlingProjector software to my laptop (which I operate wirelessly) and to my home computer which sits on my 1Gig network (iMac running Windows because there is no SlingProjector software for the Mac OS yet!) I was able to go to the web from my laptop and stream software which in turn was streamed from my computer to the SlingCatcher and my TV. In order to stream a Hulu or Youtube video, the software lets you capture the portion of the screen where the video is being shown via a "cropping" feature. This works reasonably well, but the resulting quality is not that great. Part of it is a function of the quality of the incoming video, but I think that the fundamental problem is that as you stream the signal twice, you lose quality. In addition to that, you are showing the video on a large screen TV, and that is bound not to look as good as on the computer. So, expectations are high and quality is lower than it could be. Not a good outcome.
I then streamed videos from my home computer on the 1G network, with similar results. Note that in order to do that, you better have the SlingCatcher, your computer and your tv in the same room, otherwise you have to go back and forth all the time. I was watching a video and all of a sudden a computer message popped up right in the middle of the screen, which required going back to the home computer to click on the message.
But the worst part of the SlingProjector was that it did not work in some instances. I wanted to show a PowerPoint presentation on the tv screen, and in order to do that I did not use the "cropping" feature, but I put the SlingProjector in full screen mode. After opening the PowerPoint file, it was not possible to get the thing going from my laptop to the SlingCatcher. I managed to see a screen, but then the whole thing would freeze and I could not make it work even after restarting and resetting the box. After a while I gave up.
The second feature is the ability to connect to a SlingBox and watch on a TV what you would until now watch on your computer. That feature seems to work, though I found the menu system quite cumbersome. The quality also did not seem that great. I would have thought that having two hardware boxes talking to each other would allow Sling to optimize protocols and provide high quality and speed. Not so. Perhaps you can get better results with the HD box, which I do not have (it would have been the next purchase probably.)
Finally I thought I would get good results with the third, "slam dunk" feature, "Watch Video from your PC." Note that even this description is misleading. Watching video from your PC means implementing the Sling version of "Sneakernet" -- copy your files on a USB stick from your computer and walk it over and plug the stick into the SlingCatcher. But much to my surprise, this did not work at all. I tried both a USB stick with a few files, and then attaching a 500GB USB external hard disk full of media files. In the first case it found nothing, in the second case it told me that the files were unreadable. So much for the slam dunk feature.
So, I am disappointed at two levels. First, because the product is buggy and does not work as advertised. I knew what I was buying, because I have been reading about this for almost two years and despite the misleading descriptions, I knew enough not to be surprised. Even so, however, the product just does not work!
At another level, I am very disappointed in Sling. This was a huge opportunity to corner the market as the "media center" device of choice. For $300, why didn't the company include a web browser, so that I could go on the web directly and stream video from there as opposed to having to do it twice, with the additional inconvenience of having to use a computer in the middle? Was that not possible, given that the product is 2 years late and they charge $300? How much more would that cost? Some additional memory maybe?
Second, what's the deal with Sneakernet? Have we gone back 20 years? If you can read from a USB device (which you can't even make work) can't you allow me to read from devices on my network? I have several computers on the network as well as a NAS. My Playstation allows me to browse all these devices, retrieve and stream videos in HD, retrieve pictures and music and play it at high quality and flawlessly on my TV. If you can do it from a USB device, why can't you do it off the network? Even if it requires people to upgrade to a 1Gigabit network for HD video, it is still better than not having the feature at all.
In conclusion, I am very disappointed. The SingCatcher is under-featured and overpriced. Most importantly, it is a buggy product, which is incredible for something that's been in the works for over two years.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV

Click here for more information about Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV

VUDU Set Top Box for Movies On Demand Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Vudu's combination of solid Standard Def and High Def video performance, stable hardware/software, easy to use interface, ease of setup and instantaneous playback make it the closest product yet to the "killer" internet based movie delivery platform. But for a few small improvements and one very critical issue with the studios, vudu could be the next way most of us watch movies on demand.
First the good news:
* Video quality is excellent on the SD content and outstanding on the HD. On Hot Fuzz (SD) there were NO discernable artifacts and the upscaled pic (1080p) on my RS1 FP was as good as the same movie I saw upscaled on my Toshiba XA2. The HD on the Bourne movies was very good and compares favorably to any HD DVD or Blu-Ray that I have. Video quality is nailed on this product.
* Interface is excellent. Quick to browse. The search function is fast and filtering results are relevant . Interface is the best I have seen for a video service.
*Setup is very simple. I would have no problem giving this to any tech challenged family member who has the prerequisite network requirements. Also it comes with all the cables you need to set it up on your HD tv, including HDMI and cat 5 network patch.
* Customer service is readily accessible and responsive by both phone and email. They seem to be solidly behind their product.
*The software and firmware on the unit is being updated regularly. It appears VUDU is commited to making requested changes and fixes on a regular basis. New features (such as TV and HD content) are being rolled out quickly to customers.
*Movie load speed is instantaneous on the features I have watched so far. No lag or glitches in playback. And the areas that are pretty good right now but need improvement...
* Sound is hit and miss. A good number of films are only in stereo. Vudu says this is what the studios have given them. New releases are coming in with 5.1 but not all.

* There is no Closed Captioning right now in the box.
* The remote is compact and simple, consisting of only a few buttons and a down-click scroll wheel. Even though it is a joy to use, it is RF only. I wish that I could integrate this with my IR Harmony remote.
* HD content right now is limited to the free Bourne Movies. As I mentioned the quality is excellent for both video and sound. More HD content is promised and would be the SELLING point for this product if they could have well encoded, quality new titles available for rent in DVD release time window.
* Price for entry is still to high. Vudu will need to come down to the $49 - $99 range for the initial hardware setup to be competitive. Indications are that the price is dropping.
The critical issue for Vudu? Studio release policies! Vudu is hamstrung right now by the fact that:
* some movies are not for Rent on first release but rather must be purchased. Movie purchase, even if a feature is in HD, is NOT where Vudu will attract customers. I don't go to Blockbuster to buy a film, and likewise I won't be buying a film from Vudu. However, I will pay more for a day/date release with the same DVD as Blockbuster has if I can just get it from Vudu. Even more so if it is in HD.
*New releases must rentable on the same day as they are released to DVD. This is THE market that Vudu will compete in. Catalog title rentals are great for the occassional view, but are not where Vudu's success will be made.
*HD content will be a HUGE driver for success. More HD content, especially HD new releases are necessary.
Vudu is a well executed, easy to use and stable product out of the gate. It is poised for greatness. If the above issues can be addressed, it will be under your TV sooner rather than later.
-Alex Baird-
Vudu Evangelist
*********
Update to review: 11/03/08
I wanted to update my review after living with and using the VUDU system for a year or so.
After this first year, Vudu is still being used extensively in my home theater. Vudu has consistantly updated and upgraded their product through both the interface and the quality of the movie software they deliver. This has improved the ease of use of an already great interface. For instance, they have grouped all their versions of a movie (Standard Def, High-Def, HDX (their blu-ray quality version) into a single listing so you no longer havea a confusing multiple list with each title. Sorting and finding movies has also been improved with the added bonus of "recommended" titles (think tivo recommendations) and a listing of the most popular rentals and purchases. In addtion they have instituted an archive feature where purchased movies can be stored on their servers to free up room on the local drives. Extended rental times and of course a much larger library of movies rounds out the changes to the interface.
The biggest and most important change for me though has been the quality of the movie software. The number of HD titles has been greatly increased. But more importantly is the release of many new films on the HDX format. This high bit rate codec is NOT a purchase/rent and immediate view format. It takes about two hours to download an HDX encoded title. However, the quality is truly the best of ANY downloadable service to date and is indistiquishable from a HD-DVD or Blu-ray. When I compared the HD-DVD version of "Chronciles of Riddick" with the HDX version it was impossible to tell the difference even on freeze frames swtiching back between the two. A similar comparison of the Blu-ray version of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and the HDX version confirmed this. It is simply amazing to be able to get such high quality video through a download service! There is a difference in the audio quality between the HD disc formats and the HDX, with the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray having the more advanced lossless codecs (Dolby Tru-HD, DTS-Master HD or PCM uncompressed) with richer sound. But HDX is encoded with a high bit rate DD soundtrack in up to 5.1.
Overall the Vudu is the internet based movie service to beat. Vudu has done an outstanding job of upgrading their product and seem hard at work on delivering even more features in the future.

Click Here to see more reviews about: VUDU Set Top Box for Movies On Demand

Movie Fans... Welcome to Digital HeavenHaving VUDU in your home means never having to go to the video store again.Movies On-Demand - Access over a vast library of movies and TV titles from all Hollywood studios and leading independent distributors directly from your HDTV.New Movies Weekly - Watch newly released movies the same day the DVD becomes available. No worrying about it being in-stock at the video store, or having to queue it up online. Even watch the trailer before you decide to rent or buy.HDXTM Movies - Only VUDU offers the highest quality internet-delivered format, HDX, featuring true 1080p HD, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.World's Largest HD Library - With over 2000 HD titles VUDU has the largest collection available anywhere, physical media included.VUDU Labs - Access millions of free videos and photos from popular Internet sites like YouTube, Flickr and Picasa, free On-demand television and games, plus free Internet radio from Pandora.Instant Convenience - Having VUDU means that you don't need to plan anymore. With a large catalog of new releases and library titles available instantly you will never need to drive or wait for the mail again.No Subscription - VUDU is available without a monthly subscription or contract. Rent or buy high definition and standard definition movies whenever you like - only pay for what you watch.

Click here for more information about VUDU Set Top Box for Movies On Demand

Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Having been a prior user of the SlingBox Pro, I was already familiar with the SlingBox software and hardware setup. Receiving the ProHD it was quite easy to perform the setup and installation required to be "slinging" my TV all over the world (and around my home).
Despite having setup one of the the original devices before, I attempted to walk through the installation as a completely new user. The booklet gives clear, easy to understand directions for the multitude of ways in which this device can be setup. It isn't relegated to "just" HD; the SlingBox Pro HD can also sling your standard definition content over the world or over your own network as well. This does not mean, however, that a person couldn't be easily confused just due to the sheer amount of devices one could potentially control with the SlingBox Pro HD (or the original Pro for that matter).
Remember when setting up the hardware, the location of the IR sensors is crucial in your ability to control your devices over the Internet or the network.
Once you are finished setting up your SlingBox Pro HD, you are prompted to download and install the Sling Player software. Of the entire process, I have to say this is the most frustrating part. It would have been easy enough to deliver a CD with the software inside the box, however Sling Media chose to force you to download the software. The only time I can see this as being an issue is if you purchased the SlingBox Pro HD with the express intention of "slinging" your media around your house and not over the Internet (and even then really only if you have no Internet connection). Deduct a point for the 5-15 minutes you must spend downloading the software; as if the anticipation of getting the device working wasn't bad enough already!
Next up was actually installing the software and finding the device on the network. The software walks you through every step of the process. The most difficult part, and calling it difficult may be stretching the definition, is in figuring out what remote to use. Some devices you may have in your home have several hardware versions and also have remotes with different nuances which could potentially throw a monkey wrench in the works. You are presented with the layout and a picture of the remote, so as long as your remote is handy you should be able to compare it easily to what is on the install screen.
You must install the Sling Player software on every PC (laptop or desktop; or cell phone if you purchase the software for it) you wish to view your media from.
Now for the fun part, actually watching your media!
From home, you can sling HD media around your network with reckless abandon. Even with a "slow" network speed of 10 mbps, you can achieve the ability to sling content in HD. At lower speeds you may notice some minor artefacting and other compression issues, but this is really only due to the slower network speed. If you are using a 100 mbps or faster connection, this should shoot high quality HD content all over your house with no problems. The only down side in this is that if you are using wireless, you must remember THERE IS NO WIRELESS CAPABILITY built into the SlingBox Pro HD (or other SlingBoxes for that matter). I wish they had included the Sling Link Turbo, which allows you to connect the Sling Link Turbo to your network, another cable into your power line and network the SlingBox Pro HD via your electrical outlets, negating the need to run network cabling all over your house. Including wireless connectivity would also be a bonus, however there is no guarantee on wireless connection speeds, which is why it is not included as a feature. Given variances in wireless speeds and quality of connection, there would be no good way, yet, for the SlingBox to offer a consistent level of quality in the video it slings.
Now we delve into watching from anywhere around the world. The first HD caveat I mention in my title for this review, is one of HD media slinging. Unfortunately you must have a decent upload speed from your Internet connection to be able to receive a decent HD picture. The recommended upload speed for a consistently good HD picture while traveling and watching over the Internet is 1.5 mbps. My DSL connection is capped at 768 kbps, which means I cannot watch HD content while traveling as I am given choppy images and broken audio. You can, however, still watch the content, only you will need to set the SlingBox Pro HD to "down convert" the video you receive to standard definition quality. So if all you want is to be able to watch local sports or TV while traveling and don't mind it not being in standard definition, this is a great device. The other side of this caveat is that if you will only be watching while traveling and don't have a fast upload speed, you may be better served saving some money and going for the regular SlingBox Pro instead of the HD.
The other HD caveat is that the SlingBox Pro HD can only accept and output sources UP TO 1080i. This means that if you have a Blu Ray or other HD capable device that can output and is setup to output at 1080p, you will have to dial it down to 1080i output. 720p content is not affected.
Which brings us to connections. There is NO HDMI connection on this device. Not a single HDMI connection. Your options are:
Inputs:
composite (red, white, yellow)
svideo (still needs red and white for audio)
component (red, blue, green, uses either red and white for anlog audio or orange connection for digital audio)
coax (your cable connection)
Outputs:
composite (red, white, yellow)
svideo (still needs red and white for audio)
component (red, blue, green, uses either red and white or orange connection for audio)
coax
The SlingBox Pro HD also has a USB connection for viewing media off of a USB thumb drive (may even work for a USB hard drive; I haven't tried it as of this writing)
You can control all sorts of devices with the SlingBox Pro HD, and especially important is the inclusion of an ATSC tuner within the Pro HD. What this means is that this SlingBox is prepared for the digital conversion we all keep hearing about on TV. The regular SlingBox Pro has only a regular NTSC tuner so is not future proof on its own (if you have a digital converter box, like the ones the government offers coupons for, the regular SlingBox Pro may still be an option).
One other "problem" is not being able to control the PS3. As the PS3 is one of the best selling Blu Ray players, I would have liked to have seen a way to manipulate it using Bluetooth connectivity from the SlingBox Pro HD. They missed the mark on this one, but only by a little. Hopefully they will allow for Bluetooth remote control connections in the next version of the SlingBox?In the end, this device is amazingly nice. Very rarely does a device impress me as much as this. If you desire to watch HD sources all over your house, this is a great device to purchase. If you want to do the same with SD content, this will still work for you. If you want to watch HD media while traveling, this is the device to purchase (assuming you have a fast enough upload speed to the Internet); you can also use it for watching standard definition content while traveling, though again, if this is what you desire you may be better served with the regular SlingBox Pro and save a few dollars.
As long as you can look past the inability to input/output at 1080p and the Internet upload requirements, this is a great buy!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100

Click here for more information about Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100