Consider this: You’re on a work trip abroad and your favorite TV show’s finale will be aired while you’re away. The possible solutions to watch the finale will be to watch it once its uploaded online or watch the rerun when you’re back in the country. But if you had Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD in your home, you’d be able to enjoy the TV show live from anywhere in the world.
For the uninitiated, Slingbox PRO-HD is a device that is attached to the user’s TV, set-top box or DVD player and the router and allows to stream the content from the TV to a web browser or a mobile app.
The Slingbox PRO-HD comes with a quick start guide, AC adapter, Ethernet cable, Coaxial cable, Composite and Component A/V cable, Remote control IR cable and stereo audio cable.
Slingbox PRO-HD comes in an elegant mesh design with various input/output connections at the back. Now given the multitude of ports for the cables, there are chances for the configuration to go wrong but is fairly simple if you follow the instructions given in the booklet.
To give you a brief rundown, take a look at the ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ ports – the ‘IN’ is for the input cable which should be from your set-top box or DVD player to the Slingbox PRO-HD whereas the ‘OUT’ should be from the Slingbox PRO-HD to the TV. Finally, insert the Ethernet cable that connects the Slingbox to the router. If you’re like me who has a router placed in another room than the TV, you’ll need to purchase an additional accessory called as SlingLink Turbo. What SlinkLink Turbo does is that it enables the Slingbox to communicate with the router. It comes in a pair (one for the Slingbox and other for the router) and costs Rs. 5,000. However, it’s a bit disappointing that Slingbox didn’t include the support for Wi-Fi out-of-the-box.
Next up is the software setup that will allow us to watch the content. Compared to the hardware, software is a breeze to setup. Just head to the Slingbox website, create an account, follow the onscreen instructions, let Slingbox select the video source and you’re all set.
If you’re on a web browser, head over to watch.slingbox.com. Once Slingbox is detected on the network, it will start streaming content. Users can control the stream quality from the settings and even change the channels with the on-screen remote, which is downloaded after you’ve selected the model of the respective device.
The streaming video quality is pretty good but it depends on two factors – the source quality and the internet speed. Strangely, there’s no HDMI port, which means users will have to plug the source via Component in order to enjoy full HD content. As for the speed for an optimum viewing experience, at least a speed of 2Mbps is recommended.
Sling Media also offers mobile apps in case a user wants to view it on their smartphone or tablet. Currently, the apps are available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. One caveat to this is the app for each platform and device costs $29.99 each, which seems a bit pricey considering you’re already investing in a Rs. 15,000 hardware. If not for free, perhaps, it would’ve been feasible if users were given a choice to buy all the mobile apps at a fixed price.
To sum this up, Slingbox PRO-HD is a unique device with a unique use. Sure, there are quite a few apps available for viewing TV channels but it won’t give you the same number of channels you’re used to watching it at home. More importantly, Slingbox gives you the same remote control, which means there’s little learning needed to use the interface. However, this does not mean Slingbox PRO-HD does not have any shortcomings. Exclusion of Wi-Fi and HDMI are a downer, which warrants an additional investment.
Slingbox PRO-HD retails for Rs. 15,000.
Rating: 
Pros: Ease of use, Decent streaming quality even on low-speed connections
Cons: No Wi-Fi, No HDMI, Mobile apps is a separate purchase
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