Power

"I'm sorry, captain. We just don't have the power!"

Electronics don't work without a power source, so if you want to actually use your Slingbox or SlingCatcher, you'll need to plug it in. Connect the power adapter you received in the box to a nearby electrical outlet, and plug the cord into this port to provide much needed juice to the Slingbox.

Network

The Slingbox and SlingCatcher are all about harnessing the power of the home network and Internet to let you watch your TV anywhere. Naturally, you'd need to plug the Slingbox into your home router to get access to that oh-so-important world wide web. That's just what this connector is for. Grab an Ethernet network cable and plug 'er in.

If you don't have a wired connection near your Slingbox, there are a variety of solutions to get your Slingbox connected to your home network, like powerline kits, wireless adapters, and more. You can learn about these systems here. 

USB

The Slingbox SOLO was the first Slingbox to ship with a USB port, and the PRO-HD has one as well. While there have been many ideas as to what the USB port would be used for, so far none have come to fruition.  It has been confirmed that the USB port is powered, and as such can be used to power and charge certain USB devices and peripherals with low power consumption. Some SlingCommunity members use it to power a small fan or USB light.

On SlingCatcher, the USB port is used to connect FAT32 formatted storage devices. SlingCatcher can play a variety of digital video and audio files directly from a connected storage drive.

IR

IR is a way for components, such as a cable/satellite box, DVR, DVD player, or television to receive commands from a remote control. When you press a button on a device's remote control, the command (change channel on your TV, for example) is received by the device and executed.

Even though the Slingbox does not have a remote control, it can still control the device you connect to it (a cable/satellite box or DVR, for example) by way of IR emitters.

If you're connecting to a set-top box like a DVR or cable box, plug the emitter set provided with your Slingbox into the IR connector on the Slingbox. The emitter ends of the cable are then placed in front of the device you want to control, close enough for your Slingbox to send signals that tell your device to change channels, or display a list of your recorded programs, pause, etc.

Coaxial

This cable is also referred to as RF. On the Slingbox, this particular connection can serve two purposes, depending on which Slingbox model you have.

Even though it's not going to give you the greatest picture quality, it can serve as an extra input for a set-top box on Slingbox models with an IR emitter port. Plug your cable or satellite box here if a higher quality connection is not available.

Since this port is part of the built-in tuner present on some Slingbox models, you can use the tuner to receive television stations from antenna or cable without the need for a set top box. On the PRO, Tuner, and Classic, it can receive basic analog cable from a cable provider (analog terrestrial broadcasts no longer exist except from certain low power stations, so this won't do you any good if you have an antenna.) On the PRO-HD, which includes a digital tuner, you can receive analog and digital signals from cable or terrestrial antennas.

Composite Video

Often referred to as "RCA," this is your basic video connection to analog devices such as cable boxes, VCRs, and satellite boxes. While better quality than coaxial for set-top devices, S-Video and component video will yield even higher quality results. Use this video connection if no other connection is available, or on whatever device is your lowest priority on multi-input Slingboxes.

This is a video only connection, and requires the analog audio cables be plugged in to receive sound.

On the SlingCatcher, this is the lowest quality output to your TV.

S-Video

Like composite video, S-Video supplies only the video signal. This connection provides a better quality image than composite. If the analog device that you connect to your Slingbox has an S-Video Out connector, you should take advantage of its superior video quality.

For SlingCatcher, this will provide a higher quality analog signal to your standard definition television than composite video. On digital TVs, component or HDMI will provide far better results.

Component Video

The highest quality video connection you'll find on some Slingbox models is component video, which requires three separate cables. The component video connection is the only input that will accept HD signals, and so is the preferred connection for connecting high-definition devices. 

For SlingCatcher, HDMI is the preferred connection to HDTVs, but component video will yield a fantastic HD image at up to 1080i. 

HDMI

HDMI stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface," a common digital connection found on the latest high definition devices and TVs. Video and audio signals over HDMI are commonly protected by a form of copy protection known as HDCP, and because of that, is currently not supported on any Slingbox model. 

On SlingCatcher, the HDMI connection will yield the highest quality results on your TV, and because it also carries audio, does not require any other audio connection to be made.

HD Input

It may look like the HDMI port above, but it's not. Present on only the Slingbox PRO, this port allows for the connection of the Sling Media HD Connect accessory, which adds a HD capable component video and analog audio input. For more information about the component video connection, see above.

Analog Audio

What fun is watching TV on your PC or mobile phone if you can't hear the sound?! That's exactly what this connection is for. Composite, S-video, and component video connections don't carry sound, so you can't forget to plug these in! 

On SlingCatcher, however, it's not necessary if you're using HDMI or the digital audio output.

S/PDIF / Digital Audio

This digital audio connection is commonly found on DVD players, HD cable boxes, and HD satellite receivers. It's capable of sending multi-channel digital audio from the source to an external device. The Slingbox won't pass multi-channel audio to SlingPlayer, so other than a slight (theoretical) quality improvement, there's little difference between the digital and analog audio connections on the Slingbox. Use it if it's there and not in use somewhere else.

On SlingCatcher, this is an output connection labeled as "Digital Audio". It will output digital and multi-channel surround sound to a home surround sound system.

A/V

It may not look like a composite video and analog audio input... but it is. Present in this form only on the Slingbox Classic, this 1/8" jack handled composite video and audio, or just audio if using the S-video input. To learn more about this connection, see composite video and analog audio sections above.

You'll need to use the cables in the box to connect up the Classic, but if they're not long enough, we've got some compatible cables at various lengths in our SlingCommunity store.