slingbox

[Lapper]

has anyone tried this or know if it really works?

it's a device you hook up to your cable and you can watch your cable tv setup from your laptop anywhere in the world. i saw it the other day at tiger direct for $329. makes a lot more sense than location free tv.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-10602_1-5619284.html

 

[t8rs]

FYI, it's $299 on Dell.ca. Could be cheaper elsewhere, but I just happened to see it there. (Also, I had a bad experience with Tiger Direct so I try to avoid them.)

I'd like to know how well it works too.

 

[drrogers]

lots of talk about this product

has anyone tried this or know if it really works?

it's a device you hook up to your cable and you can watch your cable tv setup from your laptop anywhere in the world. i saw it the other day at tiger direct for $329. makes a lot more sense than location free tv.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-10602_1-5619284.html

this product has been well reviewed on the Podcast - Computer America, check their archives. Also Leo Laporte and Amber did a segment at one time on it as well. Sounds like a good idea but relies on a good high speed connection and someone not messing with your TV at home while you are gone.

 

[SilentLeviathan]

It works well if you have the bandwidth.

 

[Lapper]

It works well if you have the bandwidth.

can you clarify what this means??? i'm on rogers cable and usually d/l about 700 kbps.

 

[TWOTIGER]

thing is awesome...esp. if you travel...

I was lucky enough to have my brother who lives in the U.S. send me one the very first week they hit the shelves down there -- (although I paid about $400 U.S. at the time) -- well worth it IMHO -- have had it for months with no hardware or software glitches and use it every day at work.

Super easy to hook up, decent software packaged with it (have needed to install a few patches, but nothing big...)

I've got it looped through my grey-market Directv with Tivo and can watch anything I want from my laptop, anywhere in the world that has a high-speed connection.

Even from my older IBM plain-jane laptop, RIGHT NOW, as I type this, I'm watching CNN in a window (streamed from my house) at approx. 406 Kbps ( close to what you'd get from a decent Real Networks stream, and that's even through my network here at the office slowing it down I'm sure.)

If I shut everything down and just have SlingPlayer running, I can get a better stream. Full screen is so-so ( old laptop too ) but at 50% of screen, it's remarkably good quality. Best use so far -- if you're in a hotel with high-speed and want to watch a movie from your Tivo at home, it's perfect.

2T

 

[TWOTIGER]

one more thing on drrogers point...

...you don't really need to worry about anyone at home messing around with your TV -- you just split the signal prior to the Slingbox in ( with one feed into the Sling, one into your cable/sat box ) and it actually picks up the signal "whole" and uses the Slingbox software as the "tuner control" -- acting as the second TV -- it's no different than splitting cable to have two TVs, each "tune-able" -- hope that makes sense (the explanation) -- works like a charm...

2T

 

[emvee]

I bought a slingbox pro on Amazon.com for about $180 just before Christmas. It is really an amazing product. The player software continues to get better too I hear.

 

[ig-88]

How would you view your cable TV from a remote location?

For example, suppose you set up this device in your home.

Then, you travel to some place, say for argument's sake, Los Angeles.

In your L.A. hotel room with wireless internet access, could you watch your TV back home?

It would have to be on your laptop, unless you can find a way to connect your laptop to a hotel room TV, which hotel TVs can't do.

 

[emvee]

There are a few different models but the one I have has inputs (pass-thrus really) for analog cable, composite video/RCA audio, s-video/RCA audio, and component video/RCA audio on the slingbox hardware.

The player software first configures your hardware (and router) and gives it an ID. Then anywhere there is a PC with the player software and an internet connection, you can enter your id/password and connect to your own box.

 

[21pro]

I'm thinking this thing can be useful for the NHL playoffs as I am currently in Kansas for the entire month... only problem, I gotta get someone back home to set this thing up for me... Is it wife friendly? ie, difficult to set up to an HD reciever?

and I have a 9200 PVR ExpressVu... it only has one HDMI out, so can that be split, and if so, how?

 

[Anynym]

I'm thinking this thing can be useful for the NHL playoffs as I am currently in Kansas for the entire month...

The NHL are offering free highlights, and link to live audio for the games, as well as various other online multimedia content. Is nobody streaming the games?

 

[emvee]

I'm thinking this thing can be useful for the NHL playoffs as I am currently in Kansas for the entire month... only problem, I gotta get someone back home to set this thing up for me... Is it wife friendly? ie, difficult to set up to an HD reciever?

and I have a 9200 PVR ExpressVu... it only has one HDMI out, so can that be split, and if so, how?

It's fairly easy to set up. Although I don't think any of the current models have an HDMI passthrough. The slingbox HD (available this fall) might have this - it will be alot more expensive (approx. $500 I think). Does the 9200 PVR ExpressVu have other concurrent outputs (like s-video)?

 

[Anynym]

... slingbox HD (available this fall) ...

Whaaa? Are you suggesting that Slingbox, taking a (ballpark) 2Mbps signal and compressing it to (say) a 500kbps signal to make it fit on the upstream link from your home network, is going to charge a premium to compress a (say) 8Mbps signal onto that same 500kbps uplink?

Am I missing something?

 

[emvee]

http://www.slingmedia.com/get/pr-slingbox-pro-hd.html

... customers who have a high speed broadband connection that features upload speeds of 1.5 – 2 Mbps or higher, Slingbox PRO-HD can even stream in HD outside the home ....

I don't have that upload speed so I'll be sticking to my Pro model. I did some checking and it looks like it WON'T have hdmi capability either, you'll need to use a component connection. My hd tuner doesn't support concurrent hdmi and component, so I need to manually switch it too. That's about the only thing I don't like about it.