Slingbox Classic - Placeshifting made easy.

I bought my Slingbox classic just before the 2006 FIFA world cup as I wanted to be able to watch the matches live when I was away from home.

I liked the simple look and design of the device but wished it was a little heavier so that the weight of the attached cables did not keep dragging it down from the entertainment tower.

Connecting the Slingbox to my DishNet box was a breeze. I used the S-Video cables (for better picture quality), the audio and the IR cables to connect the satellite box to the Slingbox. The network port was connected to the router and I was all set for the next step, which was installing the SlingPlayer software that makes it possible to view the contents of the satellite box on the computer. The setup started automatically on inserting the installation disk into the laptop. It was very easy following the onscreen steps to complete the setup. For Audio/Video setup you have to make sure you select the correct cable that you used for connecting the Slingbox. In my case it was the s-video cable. Select the device for the remote from list of available devices. For remote viewing setup, the installation was able to configure the router on my Microsoft MN-500 Wireless access point successfully.

Video quality in window mode was not bad at all when I was using SlingPlayer from inside my home network. Full screen mode did make the picture more pixilated then it would appear on a TV. Response while changing channels was extremely good.

The only problem I have found so far with my Slingbox classic version is that the video output to the TV turns black and white every now and then and the Slingbox needs to be reset to bring back the colors.

I would love to buy the new Slingbox Pro as it supports connectivity for up to 4 inputs. The HD option is good as it would allow me to watch the HD channels in their original aspect ratio of 16:9.
It is the SlingCatcher that I am more interested in buying as it would allow me to watch all the video sources I have in my house on any of my TV sets without having to buy individual devices like HD tuners, DVD changers etc for every TV in my house.

I like the article on the Sling Community website about The Top 10 most wanted features in SlingPlayer which can be found at http://www.slingcommunity.com/article/22888/The-Top-10-Most-Wanted-SlingPlayer-Features