Slingbox Personal Broadcaster Editorial Review (Page 5 of 8)
Categories: Video Playback / Recording Devices Audio / Video Streaming
Setting Up the SlingPlayer
With the hardware setup complete, the next task is to install the SlingPlayer, which is the software program that connects to the Slingbox. The sticker on the CD advised to download the latest version from the Sling Support website instead of using the CD. Who am I to argue with a red sticker? Sure enough, the version online was more recent than what the CD contained. I imagine that Sling will be updating the SlingPlayer quite often during the first few months, so don't be surprised if you do this often. The download was around 26MB, which took about 2 minutes on a 3Mb per-second broadband connection. Since the Slingbox is targeted exclusively at broadband users, no one should baulk at the size of the download. 
Once the software is installed, you're taken through a variety of setup screens. The setup wizard was successful in finding the Slingbox on my home network, but it failed to produce an image from the cable box. 
The next screen offered to update the firmware of my Slingbox, which is the software that is coded into the hardware itself. Apparently, the Slingbox I obtained had out-of-date firmware, so I opted to let the wizard update it. 2 seconds later, I received an error telling me that the firmware update had failed. "Hmmm..." I said to myself. 
Failing to update the firmware forced the setup wizard to close... that's always good sign... After I made my way back to the setup wizard, everything was working much better. The image from my cable box was now present, so I reattempted to update the firmware. This time, it updated perfectly. A fluke?
The next major step to setting up the SlingPlayer was to configure the video source. You're first asked if you're connecting an external box or plugging a cable/antenna signal into the Slingbox's RF tuner. Since I opted to connect my Motorola DVR, I chose the option for an external box. The next screen asks what type of video connection you made. There are three ways to connect an external tuner to the Slingbox: S-Video, Composite, or Coaxial. I selected S-Video since that's the one I used.
If I had used the Slingbox's tuner, the next screen would have ultimately asked me if I had plugged in cable or an antenna, but since I used an external tuner, I was presented with a list of possible devices that I could have plugged in. The SlingPlayer is configured to work with cable boxes, satellite receivers, DVD players, DVRs, and other non-controllable devices. Why a non-controllable device? I'm sure many parents will be using their camcorders and a Slingbox to spy on babysitters when they take a night out. I was also indecisive about which I should select. It's a DVR/cable box combo... so do I pick DVR or Cable Box? 
I figured I'd try DVR first, so I was brought to another list asking for the brand. I found Motorola in the list and continued
The first I tried didn't work, so I moved on down the list. I tried every option presented, and I could still not get the cable box to respond. I took a detour to go upstairs and make sure the IR blaster was pointing at the right spot on the cable box. After verifying that it was, I headed back downstairs to continue the setup.
I backed up a few screens in the setup wizard, and decided to choose Cable Box instead of DVR. I found Motorola in the list again, but instead of getting random codes to try, I was presented with model numbers (awesome!). Looking through the list I found "DCT-6412", which is the exact model I have. I selected it and sent a power command... and... still nothing.
I got up again to go check the IR cable on the front of the cable box. There was no doubt that it was in the right place, so I looked at the back of the Slingbox to see if the IR cable got disconnected. It was still plugged in, but after a few minutes of frustration (and a few more trips up and down the stairs) I realized that even though it looks like it's plugged in, it wasn't in all the way (go look at that picture above and you'll agree that the cable looks like it's plugged in). I pressed it the rest of the way down and resent the power command from the setup wizard. It worked like a charm, and I continued on...
I finally ended up being asked if I wanted to setup the Slingbox for remote viewing, and after choosing "yes", I ended up at a screen named "Router Configuration." One of the harder aspects to using a Slingbox is that it involves networking concepts that any average person would never think about. Sling has worked very hard to make this as painless as possible, but for those with a non-UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) router, this will remain a difficult task for the novice gadget users. Not surprising, my router was not compatible with UPnP.
The next few screens involve entering configuration settings for network access. The first step was to assign the Slingbox an IP address, and enter in the subnet mask and default gateway of the network. The next was to choose a port. For this exercise, I stuck with the default port of 5001. After you select a port, you're prompted to setup port forwarding on your router, which is necessary if you wish to view your Slingbox remotely.
I was impressed with how much work Sling has put in to this step. They obviously knew that this would be one of the harder parts of setting up the Slingbox. Port forwarding requires users to make adjustments in their router, which is not something anyone likes to do. Clicking "Enable Port Forwarding" brings you to an area of Sling's website that has detailed instructions and screenshots for a wide variety of the most common routers. My 2WIRE router was listed, so I followed their instructions and continued.
The rest of the setup was simple. You're asked to choose 2 passwords. One password allows you to view the Slingbox, the other allows you to modify its settings remotely. It's advised that you keep your administrator password private.
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