By Jamie Lendino
Sling Media recently released two brand new Slingboxes, both of which are updates on the company's original seven-year-old concept: Watch your TV or DVR from anywhere in the world, on any computer or mobile device. The less expensive of the two, the Slingbox 350 ($179 direct), is the subject of this review. Think of it as an updated, less-expensive Slingbox Solo, which was released in 2008. It's great for watching cable TV channels and recorded content on the go, but there's not much new here, even years later.
Product Line, Design, and Connectivity
We've already tested the higher-end model, the Slingbox 500 , in full. For more details on how SlingPlayer software works, both on PCs and mobile devices, check out that review. Here, we'll discuss the hardware and performance differences between the 350 and the 500 and discuss whether the $120 in savings between the two devices is worth it.
First, let's start with the hardware, which is obviously different. The Slingbox 350 is a small, rectangular plastic block, instead of the modern art-influenced cut lines of the 500. Still, diamond-shaped texturing gives it an interesting look. Two LED lights on the left indicate power and network status, while the Slingbox logo contains a U-shaped series of small LEDs that signal streaming activity.
There's no HDMI input or output on this model. But that's not a big deal, thanks to HDMI's built-in encryption that renders many channels unwatchable, as we found with the Slingbox 500. That said, you'll need a second set of component video cables to hook the Slingbox 350 up to your HDTV, as there's still only one set in the box, which you'll need to connect to your DVR—you can't just use the bundled component video cables on the way in and the HDMI cable on the way out, like you could with the Slingbox 500.
The biggest omission on the Slingbox 350 is Wi-Fi. Without it, you'll need to snake an Ethernet cable in your living room to the Slingbox. If you live in a small apartment and keep your wireless router near your HDTV, this is no problem; Sling Media even includes an Ethernet cable in the package. But if you have a larger home and haven't wired up your living room for network access, this could be a royal pain—and was consistently the biggest barrier to entry for all prior models of the Slingbox (none of which had Wi-Fi; the new 500 is the first). Sling Media also still sells its power line adapter, which also gets the job done, although it's a bit of a hack; you'd might as well buy the 500 up front.
Setup, In Use, and Conclusions
The Slingbox 350 also lacks the remote and on-screen TV setup the 500 offers. That's not much of an issue, though, because Sling Media's redesigned Web interface is easy to navigate, and you don't need to input a complex ID code for the Slingbox 350 the way you did for prior-generation models. In fact, the setup process went very smoothly. From my PC's browser, I logged into my existing Slingbox.com account, clicked Watch, and within moments, the system saw the new Slingbox 350 on our network and set it up automatically.
Once set up, the Slingbox 350 performs just as well as the Slingbox 500—minus the on-screen setup and the lack of Wi-Fi, of course. I saw a clear, crisp picture on both a ThinkPad running Windows 7 and an Apple iPhone 5, in both 720p and 1080p modes. The Slingbox lets you watch on a laptop or desktop PC out of the box. You can also watch on tablets and phones, but you'll need to buy a SlingPlayer app for each platform (iPad, iPhone, Android, and so on); each app costs $14.99 extra, which is frustrating, but the apps themselves perform reliably and deliver sharp picture quality.
With the Slingbox 350, I had no problem controlling our Dish Network Hopper DVR using either the phone or the computer. There's still a several-second delay between pressing on-screen remote buttons and when they register, despite Sling Media's software-based improvements over the years. But it's a fairly small price to pay. Sling Media also just updated its iOS app for the iPhone 5's larger screen. High definition channels now fill the display, just as they're supposed to. As always, the Slingbox 350 ties up the television it's hooked up to, and you can only watch it from one device at a time. The TV doesn't have to be on, but if someone turns it on, they'll have to be content with what you're watching remotely.
In a world of Internet streaming video, it seems like cable TV might be losing its luster. That couldn't be further from the case, though. While none of us like cable and satellite TV providers for their high prices and inflexible channel bundles, most Americans still prefer that to the complex, confusing, and limited Internet video landscape. The Slingbox 350 extends cable further by bringing it to your computer and mobile devices in a reliable and convenient manner.
The more expensive Slingbox 500 is easily worth the extra $120 for its Wi-Fi capability and even more flexible on-screen setup and remote, and more fully realizes the goal of slinging your TV and DVR to any device you want. But if you can manage a relatively painless wired Ethernet connection in your living room or den, and don't mind an entirely computer-based setup, the Slingbox 350 still delivers the same streaming 1080p video in the end.
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