Sling Media Slingbox Pro-HD

3/10 Hardware Exceptionally Unreliable!

ingvymcwawa - 10/11/09

When the product works, it usually works well. However, I would strongly recommend NOT purchasing a Slingbox HD Pro, as the hardware is exceptionally unreliable. I purchased my HD Pro in January 2009 and I have already had to replace it twice. In both instances a hardware error causes the vertical hold on the picture to go completely nuts and, within a day or two, the HD Pro will stop streaming video all together. Since I live overseas, installing a new Slingbox requires me to find a friend to enter my apartment (which I still keep in the US) and reinstall an entirely new unit. In other instances, Sling's software often creates numerous problems too. Their most recent update is painfully slow to boot up. A number of times, it has automatically reprogrammed my Slingbox settings to those of one of the units I have had to replace. This means, that I have to keep my most recent serial number and account settings with me all the time (particularly if I am traveling) so I can reset the entire system regularly. On another occasion, my Slingbox stop working and I was told by technical support that a firmware upgrade was required. Although their technical support has the ability to upgrade your firmware remotely, they will not do so. Their rationale is that the install may have problems which will cause your Slingbox to stop working and will require you to restart the process again. When I told them that my Slingbox isn't working anyway, so the worst thing that can happen is that I am stuck in the exact same situation as I am right now, they still refuse to do it. Again, I had to call a friend to come to my apartment to upgrade the firmware. To summarize: Their hardware is shoddy, their software updates unreliable and their technical support not so good. I strongly advise against buying this product, especially if you are away for long periods of time! Thank you for submitting your feedback!