Here are some suggestions if you find that Watch on Slingbox.com plays audio, but doesn't show any video.
Watch on Slingbox.com uses a different video rendering technology than the desktop versions of the SlingPlayer software. But there should be no problems using Watch on Slingbox.com with most up-to-date computers.
Watch on Slingbox.com plays audio but no video Here are some suggestions if you find that Watch on Slingbox.com plays audio, but doesn't show any video. Watch on Slingbox.com uses a different video rendering technology than the desktop versions of the SlingPlayer software. Sling Media Sling Adapter for ViP 722 or ViP 722k HD DuoDVR. Back in the day, you could purchase a Slingbox adapter and have a tech install it into your DVR. Nowadays, all Hopper 3s or Hopper-with-Sling DVRs (they’re slightly different DVRs) come with Slingbox pre-installed. To access Sling on either, simply install the DISH Anywhere app (iOS or Google Play) or fire up DishAnywhere.com.
If you hear audio but see no video
Try these standard troubleshooting techniques:
- If you have another computer available, try accessing Watch on Slingbox.com on that computer.
- If Watch on Slingbox.com plays properly on the second computer, make sure that the first computer has up-to-date operating system software, especially its video drivers. If you've been alerted that the WebSlingPlayer Plug-in for your browser needs updating, be sure to do it.
- However, if the second computer also doesn't display video, the problem might be with your Slingbox and/or its connections.
- Check that all connections ... especially video connections ... are correct and tight. Check this on both your Slingbox and your AV source(s).
- If you have been alerted that a Slingbox Software update is available, perform the update as soon as possible.
It's very easy to do, but make sure that you are at home near your Slingbox when you do it. - Using an HDMI cable? If you have video equipment that connects to your TV using an HDMI cable and then try to stream with your Slingbox, you may get extremely poor or no video when using Watch on Slingbox.com. When HDMI cable is attached to the set-top box, you may receive audio, but video is disabled due to HDCP ('High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection,' also known as HD Content Protection).
One fix for that is to use your component cables (the red, blue, and green ones). They have the best quality HD-capable connection. But because they carry no sound, you also need to connect a set of standard red and white audio cables to the audio ports. If you have digital audio (usually an orange cable), you can connect it instead of the red and white audio cables.
Another option you can use, if you'd like to keep using the HDMI input from your set-top box with your Slingbox, is an inexpensive third-party product called the HDMI Adapter (or HDMI Splitter).
This third-party product (not sold by Sling Media) is very simple: it takes an HDMI signal from your set-top box, and converts it to Component video (and stereo audio). Using this product can help you in a couple of ways:
Sling Media Dish
- It offers Component video/stereo audio connections if you'd like to use that connection method, but your set-top box doesn't offer Component;
- It can help if you're experiencing a 'blank screen' problem while streaming (either your home TV goes blank when you're streaming remotely, or certain programs don't appear).
The Frontier Factory HDMI Adapter product is easy to set up and requires no further attention once that's done. For more information, take a look at the product on Amazon.com:
For more information on updating Slingbox Software and resolving the HDMI cable video issue, see the related articles linked below.
Sling Media Driver Updater
Sling Media Driver App
In context: Although it may not get the credit it deserves, Sling Media was a true pioneer in changing how and where we watch television. Its influence still lingers through Sling TV, the over-the-top streaming service operated by Dish Network.
How and where we watch television has changed dramatically since the turn of the century. Back then, cable and satellite delivery was the norm and most people still abided by traditional scheduled programming. DVRs would gradually change that, allowing users to decide when they watched a show. Later, technology like the Slingbox introduced the concept of placeshifting, or choosing where to watch television.
These advancements helped usher in the era of streaming, where content is available to watch live or on-demand across a range of devices at any time and any place (so long as you have an Internet connection). For many, streaming has rendered devices like the Slingbox obsolete, and now, it is official.
Sling Media in a recent FAQ update said that effective November 9, 2020, its Slingbox products will be discontinued. Existing users will still be able to use their Slingbox hardware for another 24 months, but after that, Slingbox servers will be taken offline and all devices and services will become inoperable.
What’s more, Sling Media no longer plans to continue to develop new functionality for its SlingPlayer apps. Some versions may receive maintenance updates while grossly outdated or legacy versions will likely disappear from app stores entirely, without notice.
Masthead credit Variety