The SlingBar

Another convenient feature of the SlingPlayer is called "The SlingBar." The SlingBar is a set of buttons in the upper-right side of the SlingPlayer. These handy buttons allow you to quickly move the SlingPlayer around the screen in ways that make it convenient to work and watch at the same time.


Left: Before SlingBar - Right: After SlingBar

The left/right side dock buttons are particularly handy. If you press one, all the windows on your desktop get rearranged to fit either to the left or right of the SlingPlayer. The player itself lines the left or right side of the screen. If you try to maximize one of your other open windows, the SlingPlayer keeps it in the newly devised workspace.

It may seem like a small thing, but as you continue to use the SlingPlayer while you do other things on your computer, it becomes an invaluable feature.

Remote Control

The third major part to SlingPlayer is the SlingRemote, which allows you to remotely control your device from anywhere in the world. Depending on the device you've connected, you can: change channels, access menus, schedule and view recordings, play, pause, stop, fast forward, and so on. It's almost like you're holding the remote control for the device, except your remote works from anywhere.



One gripe about the SlingRemote is the brief delay from when you press a button on the SlingRemote until the command is executed on the other end. It does make menu and guide navigation a more painful process. However, remote control of this nature is a miracle in itself, so I'll cut Sling a break here. I'll also admit that my Motorola cable box is sluggish even when using the actual remote, so I'm sure that's compounding the issue.

Sling does offer a "control mode" that is supposed to speed up this process when you know you'll be executing several commands. My testing showed no difference in time, but I'm sure they will continue to improve this as time goes on.

Another brilliant move from the Sling masterminds is that remote commands are also available from the keyboard, eliminating the need to click buttons on-screen with a mouse or track pad. Press 007 on the keyboard, and the tuner flips to channel 7. How sweet is that! There's a ton of other shortcuts, so visit the SlingCommunity Website to learn more of them.