Gadgetory

sling media has added a new member to its family of play shifting streaming media boxes and this is it the sling box m1 despite its ho-hum design it's a pretty cool little box and the noteworthy hardware feature here is the inclusion of Wi-Fi previously that wireless connectivity was only available in the step-up Slingbox 500 now simply called sling TV which retails for 300 dollars the m1 cost half that or $150 hi I'm David Connolly and is with past sling box models the m1 digitizes video streams from your cable or satellite box or DVR and streams them in real time to a wide variety of devices Windows PCs and Macs iPads iPhones Android phones Android tablets including the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD windows phones and even some home devices such as an Apple TV or Roku there's no monthly fee but the mobile apps cost $14.99 the streaming software on the PC and Mac is via a free browser plug-in and the home streaming device apps are free as well to set up the m1 all you have to do is connect the box to the component video outputs of your cable or satellite box then setup a sling box account and link the box to your Wi-Fi network from your computer the box has built-in IR emitters that interface with the IR on your cable or satellite box allowing you to turn your mobile device into a virtual remote control if you have a router or an Ethernet connection available near where your sling box is set up yes the m1 has an Ethernet connection like the step-up sling TV the m1 offers 1080p video streaming but video performance will vary according to your internet connection it's more important to have a speedy upload connection at the source that would be at your home or where the sling box is installed that said sling engineers have done some impressive work with video compression schemes and I've managed to get a sharp image on my phone with even a slower 3G data connection and with higher bandwidth connections including ones on your own Wi-Fi network at home the image is rock-solid it's as if you're watching regular tea viii if you're looking for differences between the m1 and sling TV the sling TV has a pass-through HDMI port that allows you to navigate your home TVs program via slings well-designed electronic programming guide and some other added features however from the standpoint of accessing your content remotely you really don't lose anything by going with this more affordable model it faces more competition from TV anywhere apps from cable and satellite providers but a lot of those apps still offer limited channel selection into those apps truly open up the sling box remains the best way to remotely access all your home TV programming and this m1 with its built-in Wi-Fi is an attractive place shifting option it's more affordable price point of $150 I'm David Carr noise thanks for watching