After my initial review of the HAVA Platinum HD I promised I’d put it up against the Slingmedia Slingbox SOLO. I picked the SOLO because it matches the specifications of the HAVA Platinum HD. Both have HD inputs, and both are in the same price range.

For the test I connected both devices to the same HD video source (a Tivo Series 3), I used the included cables for both devices and connected them to the same Ethernet switch (a Netgear gigabit switch). I made sure that the software on my desktop PC (a Quad core Dell XPS) was the most recent version (non-beta), and updated both units to the newest available firmware. Both devices are connected to the same component output so they are being fed the exact same video signal.

Both windows open, side to side on my desktop. At this size there is no difference in video quality. But when I zoom in on the smallest lettering of the screen shot you begin to see some differences (these screen shots are of a the TiVo menu which is displayed in regular resolution).

  HAVA

Slingbox SOLO

  HAVA

    Slingbox SOLO

HAVA Platinum HD screen capture

Slingbox SOLO screen capture

You can clearly see the lower quality of the Slingbox video, colors are off, and details in the background image are not as clear as on the HAVA.

Where does the HAVA excel over the Slingbox? Picture quality. Every part of the viewing experience looks better on the HAVA than on the Slingbox. Even on the early beta version of the mobile client, video looks much crisper.

Even though the Slingbox web site constantly mentions HD, I’ve explained in a previous post that the actual streaming video quality of the Slingbox is SD, and not HD. The HAVA Platinum HD streams "real" HD, but only to local PC’s on your network.

The recording features of the HAVA are fun, but since they don’t work remotely they won’t be of much use on the road. The software included with the HAVA seems a little more temperamental than Slingplayer, but generally functions as it should.

Both units are easy to install, though the HAVA uses 3.5mm jacks to connect to your devices while the Slingbox uses regular RCA jacks on the back of the unit. Visually the Slingbox looks "cooler", but since these devices will usually be hidden away with your AV equipment I’d not take that into consideration when making a purchase.

In the end it all comes down to the picture quality; both devices work as advertised, but the HAVA simply produces the best streaming video quality.

The HAVA also delivers slightly better streaming quality on remote connections, which is important for travelers who plan to use it on the road, or on their mobile device.

The HAVA software may not be as polished as Slingplayer,  but that rarely gets in the way of using the device. The additional features of the HAVA Platinum HD combined with the lower price, make it, in my personal opinion the best of the test, though the lack of a MAC client or mobile clients for Symbian, Palm or Blackberry may mean you’ll have to pick the Slingbox.