Skip to main content

SlingTV takes your TV Everywhere, replaces your Cable/Sat box’s terrible interface

The ability to watch TV online wherever you go — better known as TV Everywhere — has become a fairly mainstream phenomenon. But before cable and satellite companies begrudgingly brought their programming into the 21st century by offering it “to go,”  a little black device called Slingbox showed them the way. Now, Slingbox is broadening its horizons with the launch of a new entry-level device, the Slingbox M1, as well as a brand new operating system built into its premium Slingbox 500 device, which it now calls SlingTV.

Slingbox M1 ($150)

Replacing the service’s aging entry-level option, the Slingbox 350, the M1 brings that magical combination of additional features and a lower price point out of the gate. For the most part, M1 users will get an experience similar to the 350, including the ability to stream live and recorded TV to PCs and Macs, iOS and Android devices, and Roku and Apple TVs at 1080p resolution. The M1 also offers the same connection options as the 350, which includes Component and Composite connections from your TV or DVR box, but no HDMI.

Recommended Videos

But the M1 does bring some shiny new features along, including the welcome addition of a Wi-Fi connection, formerly only available on the premium Slingbox 500. The new device will also utilize Slingbox’s latest Slingplayer for Desktop app for PCs and Macs which, according to the company, “dramatically improves setup and configuration.” In addition, the new device will allow for initial setup from your iOS or Android device via the mobile Slingplayer app. However, new users should be aware that, while Slingbox charges no monthly fees, its mobile apps will cost you $15.

SlingTV ($300)

While the M1 is a full hardware update, the new SlingTV will run on existing Slingbox 500 hardware — new software, new name going forward, same box. Slingbox 500 owners will also be able to upgrade their devices with the new operating system free of charge.

Sling TV attempts to meld the convenience of the company’s TV Everywhere features with a new tile interface and electronic programming guide in hopes of taking control of your viewing both on the go and at home. To do so, SlingTV offers search filters from Slingbox’s new cloud-based analytics platform, SlingCloud, which analyzes content by “popularity, reviews and social activity.”

With SlingTV, users get a host of new features for filtering content from their pay-TV service, including search categories such as movies, sports, and kids programming, as well as the incorporation of reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. The system also tacks on new features to enhance sports viewing, including the ability to check sports scores and real-time stats without changing the channel, as well as “Thuzz” excitement ratings, designed to tell you when to switch to a game based on the score, the match-up, or real-time momentum changes.

Users will be able to control the new features via the included remote, as well as remote control via their mobile device through the Slingplayer app.

Just two years after its last upgrade, Slingbox is facing a completely new multimedia landscape with more competition than ever before, from TiVo’s popular Roamio systems to dedicated DVRs from your local pay-TV provider. We’ll have to wait and see for ourselves how the new devices perform, but there is no doubt that Slingbox knows it’s now swimming in deeper waters, and appears to have taken steps to keep afloat.

The Slingbox M1 is slated for release on July 20th, while SlingTV will be arriving in August.

Ryan Waniata
Former Home Theater & Entertainment Editor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
Topics
One of the best TVs ever made is below $2,000, and comes with expert delivery
Panasonic Z95A

When you look through our current list of the best TVs, there are exactly two TVs that should stand out to you, even if you're a casual skimmer. The first is the Sony A95L QD-OLED, simply because it is at the top of the list. The second is the Panasonic Z95A, not because it's the runner-up (which it is) but because it's... Panasonic. It's just not a brand we see making winning TVs, but wow, what a winner the Z95A is. We immediately called it one of the best TVs ever made, something that will be apparent to your eyes if you get it. Now, what's exciting about this TV right now is that it has a low price. You can get the 65-inch version of the TV for $1,998 right now, a savings of over $1,200 off its usual $3,200 price point. You can even get a deluxe delivery and unpack for free if you select the right option on the sales page (accessible by tapping the button below). But, this deal has been around for some time now, since around the start of summer. With Prime Day here and ending soon, it's very likely the time for this deal to end as well. If you want one of the best TVs ever for under $2,000, be sure to tap the button below now.

$1,998 at Amazon

Read more
An amazing TV under $1,000 has a sub $500 Prime Day price (and it’s ending soon)
TCL QM6K

We're now in the final moments of Amazon's summer Prime Day 2025 event, and finding critical last-minute deals. Here's one that almost fundamentally changes how you'll likely think about a product. See, we have a whole list of the best TVs under $1,000, a price point that a ton of people that love TVs just don't feel comfortable crossing. Then, we have a separate list for budget TVs, the best TVs under $500. Even though prices (which move up and down!) are quantitative data points, the differences between a sub $1,000 and a sub $500 TV feel almost categorical in nature, like the difference between water and steam. This deal take the $600 55-inch TCL QM6K (one of the TVs in our 'under $1,000' list) and pushes its price down by $152. This puts it at a price of $448, which is an all time low for it on Amazon, transforms it into an 'under $500' TV. Tap the button below to get the transformative deal while Prime Day is still here or continue reading to see why we liked it so much even when it was over $500.

$448 at Amazon

Read more
Our favorite soundbar is 41% off for Prime Day, but time is running out
Samsung HW-Q990D Dolby Atmos Soundbar.

There are a lot of soundbar deals that are still available as we approach the end of Prime Day, but this is the one that you should target -- the Samsung HW-Q990D with a huge 41% discount from Amazon, slashing its price from $1,998 all the way down to just $1,178. It's still expensive, but if you want to make an investment to dramatically improve your home theater setup's audio, you shouldn't miss this chance at $820 in savings. You have to hurry though, as there are only a few hours left before the shopping event closes.

$1,178 at Amazon

Read more