just got a slingbox and its awesome !

[tivoknucklehead]

this gadget lets you control your TV and Tivo or DVR from any computer in the world with broadband access. all you need is a home network and the Tivo/ TV able to be connected to the router via ethernet (or a slinglink described in post 49 lets you have the Tivo and router in different rooms). It works very well and picture quality was surprisingly good. The TV screen pops up on the right hand side of the screen and a virtual Tivo remote pops up on the left side. you mouse click the remote to control your Tivo. There is virtually no delay either. you can do anything on your Tivo as if you were home, including schedule shows, transfer shows, view photos, listen to Mp3s (all assuming of course you have home media option)

check it out at http://www.slingmedia.com/

named entertainment product of the year by PC magazine in the Jan 06 issue

[W Auggie H]

Welcome to the club! I got mine this summer and I also think it is a great product. Would be real cool if my TiVo boxes had the Sling technology built-in. Hummmmm. Anyway, Sure beats TiVoToGo.

[nhaigh]

Cool. Great toy isn't it. I use mine daily.

[Bierboy]

Now, for Mac support...

[nhaigh]

Now, for Mac support...

Don't need it :) Windows Mobile support please.....

[danieljanderson]

What is the process you use to log into your unit?
Do you need a static IP or or a DNS service?
Or, do they do it kind of like GOTOMYPC, where an app is alway running on your PC?

[nhaigh]

What is the process you use to log into your unit?
Do you need a static IP or or a DNS service?
Or, do they do it kind of like GOTOMYPC, where an app is alway running on your PC?


Slingmedia have a "Finder" service that keeps track of it. No fixed IP or DDNS required. You just need to know the devices finder id and password.

[Stanley Rohner]

Now, for Mac support...

Don't hold your breath.

[adavidw]

Don't need it :) Windows Mobile support please.....


Well, only 'cause you asked for it:

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2006-01/sling-box-supports-ms-portables/

[nhaigh]

Nice. I saw it a short while ago on Regis and Kelley. I've signed up for the Beta but havene't heard anything.

Must have :)

[Bierboy]

Don't hold your breath....I've learned from TiVo :( but, on the other hand, the slingbox Web site does say "Macintosh-compatible versions in the coming months."

[davezatz]

Well, only 'cause you asked for it:

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2006-01/sling-box-supports-ms-portables/

Let me add two points here... One, the Sling folks are pretty cool dudes. Second thing, they were pretty vague this AM when I asked about the pricing mention in the press release - based on that I'm guessing either the software will have a fee or it will be subscription based. Hmmm. Like TiVo's iPod/PSP support, they still have time to change their minds and give it away - that's my vote!

Let me add a third thing... Blake K. specifically told me a few months ago they know how to build Mac support and fully intend to. No telling when it will show up or if it's actively being developed at the moment, but they seem to recognize and value the Mac community.

[bubba1972]

I don't understand where Mac support comes into this. The slingbox runs all by itself dumping the video out through your home network. Is there a client piece required to actually view the stream on another computer (where Mac isn't supported) or is a web browser enough?

[davezatz]

I don't understand where Mac support comes into this. The slingbox runs all by itself dumping the video out through your home network. Is there a client piece required to actually view the stream on another computer (where Mac isn't supported) or is a web browser enough?

The Sling Box does more than just output the video to a network... it's two-way, interactive. You can control your AV device remotely (the box itself has an IR blaster). Also it is not web-based, it's a client app for that two-way functionality and for their proprietary video streaming technology.

[tivoknucklehead]

the slingbox enables you to watch TV on your laptop, say in a Wi-fi enabled airport waiting area, or to watch your recorded shows in your hotel room. Soon airplanes will all have Wi-fi, so you will be able to watch TV on a cross country flight ala JetBlue, only better, because you will have all your home channels and recordings. Throw in Tivo scheduling on Yahoo.com or Tivo Central online and you should never miss a show again

[timckelley]

So I wonder how much this costs.

[Tivogre]

So I wonder how much this costs.

The box costs about $199. No service fees /subscriptions.

I got one for x-mas; it IS awesome.

Been using it nightly this week from hotel via wireless internet.

WAY better than the hotel TV offerings.

I was really surprised by the quality.

Best of all, got to watch my home Hockey team from WAY out of market!

[chuckwny]

I was just wondering, is it possible to hook a stereo up to the Slingbox so I can placeshift AM radio and listen at work?

[nhaigh]

I was just wondering, is it possible to hook a stereo up to the Slingbox so I can placeshift AM radio and listen at work?

You can if the radio can be controled with an IT remote, or if you just want to capture one frequency.

[netposer]

I use Orb (http://www.orb.com/) and it will stream your TiVo shows (TiVo2Go), photos, tunes, etc.. All you need is a video capture card to watch live TV.

[davezatz]

Mac support is on the way...

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/wordpress/wp-content/slingplayermac.jpg

[dolcevita]

Will the Slingbox allow you to control multiple TVs, DVRs?

The primary reason I'm thinking about getting one is for my cousin (a Marine) and his family. After 3 tours in the Gulf, he went through Embassy school last year and he and his family are now posted in Vienna. His wife and 11 year old really miss some of their shows, so I've thought about getting a Slingbox and letting them watch stuff on one of my tvs/Tivos.

Will their changing channels or watching shows impact my own usage? Do I need to set it up on a TV/Tivo that is seldom used so they can program and watch whenever/whatever?

Or can I hook up the Slingbox and "assign" one TV/Tivo to them, while retaining control of another for myself?

[megazone]

Slingbox takes over whatever it is connected to. So if they start changing channels, etc, you'd see it. So yeah, you'd probably want to devote a box to them.

One of the things coming out of CES is that there is going to be a firmware update to the Slingbox that allows it to switch between the different inputs for multiple devices.

[nhaigh]

I use Orb (http://www.orb.com/) and it will stream your TiVo shows (TiVo2Go), photos, tunes, etc.. All you need is a video capture card to watch live TV.

Don't you need a PC to put the capture card in? With Slingbox you just need the sling box.

[tivoknucklehead]

what I find very cool is now I can remotely transfer from my two Tivos not connected to my slingbox to the Tivo connected to the slingbox and watch any of the stuff from the 3 tivos on my slingbox. not only that, with internet scheduling, i can pretty much schedule and watch any show I want when I'm out of town and watch it when I have time later in the day, say in a hotel room or airport

[Clarkey]

Looks like an interesting piece of technology, but what is their target audience? People who spend a lot of time away from their homes/TVs?

[timckelley]

Looks like an interesting piece of technology, but what is their target audience? People who spend a lot of time away from their homes/TVs?

I personally don't see enough need for me to spend $199 to get it. When I'm not at home, it's extremely rare that I have any desire to watch TV. I do all my watching at home.

Now, it is admittedly handy that you can use slingbox to remote program your TiVo. e.g. you suddenly remember there's a show you need to TiVo that's on today but you're not home to do it. But this doesn't happen often enough for me to justify buying a slingbox. Also, in an emergency I can call my wife who is usually home, to program it for me.

[murgatroyd]

Here's your target market right here:

The primary reason I'm thinking about getting one is for my cousin (a Marine) and his family. After 3 tours in the Gulf, he went through Embassy school last year and he and his family are now posted in Vienna. His wife and 11 year old really miss some of their shows, so I've thought about getting a Slingbox and letting them watch stuff on one of my tvs/Tivos.

Anyone who has to be away from home for long periods of time. Military tours, business travel, vacations, anything like that.

People who don't travel won't see the need.

The people who used to pack up their TiVos and take them on vacation with them will.

Jan

[gtrogue]

How does this thing work when there are multiple Tivo's in the same room?
Does it have the ability to use the different remote addresses on the Tivo?

I am going to be spending a lot of time away from home soon (stupid work:)) and I'd like to be able to use a Slingbox to watch TV from my hotel rooms. My problem is that I have two Tivo's in close proximity to each other and I would like to be able to control one of them without the IR blasters screwing with the other. Is that possible without building and IR fort or otherwise shielding one of the Tivo's?

Also, how does this thing work on slower PC's. I have modern Mac laptops but only a PIII PC latptop (750 MHz). I'd obviously have to use the PC until Mac support is implemented.

[gtrogue]

Mac support is on the way...

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/wordpress/wp-content/slingplayermac.jpg
I saw this in a Macworld report. Pretty cool.
http://www.slingmedia.com/press/pressreleases-01.10.06.php

[nhaigh]

How does this thing work when there are multiple Tivo's in the same room?
Does it have the ability to use the different remote addresses on the Tivo?

I am going to be spending a lot of time away from home soon (stupid work:)) and I'd like to be able to use a Slingbox to watch TV from my hotel rooms. My problem is that I have two Tivo's in close proximity to each other and I would like to be able to control one of them without the IR blasters screwing with the other. Is that possible without building and IR fort or otherwise shielding one of the Tivo's?

Also, how does this thing work on slower PC's. I have modern Mac laptops but only a PIII PC latptop (750 MHz). I'd obviously have to use the PC until Mac support is implemented.

Multiple TiVo's - yes you can select the right IR code to control the one it is connected to.

Laptop performance - shouldn't be a problem as there is not much to the client. The laptop must be running either XP or W2k - at least until Mac support is released. I have a PIII 450 laptop running W2k in the kitchen and that runs the Slingplayer without a problem.

[gtrogue]

Multiple TiVo's - yes you can select the right IR code to control the one it is connected to.

Laptop performance - shouldn't be a problem as there is not much to the client. The laptop must be running either XP or W2k - at least until Mac support is released. I have a PIII 450 laptop running W2k in the kitchen and that runs the Slingplayer without a problem.
Excellent! The UMF is strong with this one.
I thought about getting one of these some time ago but didn't after trying Orb Networks product. I was worried it would have similar performance.
However, lately I've been hearing nothing but good things about Slingbox so the time may finally be right now that my travel schedule is filling up.

Where are people finding it for $199? Everywhere I look has it for $249.

[bubba1972]

How many devices can it control? How many IR emitters does it come with?

[nhaigh]

Excellent! The UMF is strong with this one.
I thought about getting one of these some time ago but didn't after trying Orb Networks product. I was worried it would have similar performance.
However, lately I've been hearing nothing but good things about Slingbox so the time may finally be right now that my travel schedule is filling up.

Where are people finding it for $199? Everywhere I look has it for $249.

The performance is all about the bandwidth. I have about 300k upstream (DSL) and it works well but if you can get 450k or 500k upstream it works better. Any more than that and it is truely excelent.

Sometimes in Hotels the downstream to the desktop is low becuase the hotels WiFi is saturrated - this can affect things as well but its not the Slingbox's fault.

[nhaigh]

How many devices can it control? How many IR emitters does it come with?

Just the one. You can put Analioge cable in as well to give you a second source but it can only control one external device. It's really a one to one relationship. That said - a combination or MRV and Slingbox is good for watching the content on multiple TiVo's.

[tivoknucklehead]

you can remotely transfer from one Tivo to the other Tivo with the slingbox so it doesn't need to be connected to more than one Tivo. With my G-SRX router I can transfer a one hour show across my house to my slingbox Tivo in 30 minutes

[lombard]

Well, I just placed my order for mine. Hoping I'll have it in hand before the weekend gets here. Leaving for a business trip next Monday. I'd like to have this up and running before I leave, just in case I miss 24 as it airs in the hotel. I'm really excited (must be my techno-geek lust). I can always find, shall we say less than ethical, methods to get one in hand if UPS or FedEx or whoever is a little slow on the delivery. One way or another I should be able to report on this next week....

Oh yeah, got it for $220 (plus $16 for expidited shipping) from Tiger direct via Amazon.com. Still less than the local price of $249 plus sales tax.

[jsmeeker]

Multiple TiVo's - yes you can select the right IR code to control the one it is connected to.

Laptop performance - shouldn't be a problem as there is not much to the client. The laptop must be running either XP or W2k - at least until Mac support is released. I have a PIII 450 laptop running W2k in the kitchen and that runs the Slingplayer without a problem.


Mac support is in the works. Saw a demo of it last week.

[mumpower]

Here is my question. We have friends in England and Australia who long to watch live American programming. If I get a slingbox, can I just give them this information for my Tivo, thereby allowing to control one of our systems/cable boxes?

[jsmeeker]

Here is my question. We have friends in England and Australia who long to watch live American programming. If I get a slingbox, can I just give them this information for my Tivo, thereby allowing to control one of our systems/cable boxes?


yes.

[milliepuppy]

.. i've justified it by using the the slingbox just around the house on a wireless network .... great for kicking back out on the deck watching sport !!! (1.5mbs)

.. even with my poor internet conneciton, direcway, its still usable for doing remote scheduling away from home !!!

.. have a friend on a 768kbs upstream cable broadband connection and it looks superb !!

[rainwater]

Here is my question. We have friends in England and Australia who long to watch live American programming. If I get a slingbox, can I just give them this information for my Tivo, thereby allowing to control one of our systems/cable boxes?

Yes. But only one user is allowed to use the slingbox at a single time. Also, you will be giving control over your TV and/or TiVo/tuner to this person. So you want to set it up so you can watch TV and not have to worry about someone across the ocean changing channels :)

[tivoknucklehead]

Here is my question. We have friends in England and Australia who long to watch live American programming. If I get a slingbox, can I just give them this information for my Tivo, thereby allowing to control one of our systems/cable boxes?


it will work like a champ, but be careful because they will take control of your TV !

[jcondon]

A friend of mine got one for Christmas. He watches it from work when its slow at work. He stopped by one night and I got to see the client side of it running on his laptop and the wireless network here at my work. Worked great.

I don't travel for business and only 2 or 3 times a year on vacation. Last few trips I have not even brought my laptop. However if I had one I could see me using it on my laptop when I do travel. Better then watching whatever might be on the Hotel TV. Of coarse I will have to pay the hotel to use their HS internet though.

Anyway its very cool and pretty reasonable ($199). If and when they come out with a box that will work with HD I might buy one. Still might.


Anyone who has to be away from home for long periods of time. Military tours, business travel, vacations, anything like that.

People who don't travel won't see the need.

The people who used to pack up their TiVos and take them on vacation with them will.

Jan

[ZeoTiVo]

it will work like a champ, but be careful because they will take control of your TV !

not really. Just have them pay for a TiVo and set it up to the side as their TiVo then they use the outputs on that and you can hook the TiVo up to a spare set of TV inputs for troubleshooting curiosity but their is no need for a TV in the US to be part of what they need.

[jcondon]

not really. Just have them pay for a TiVo and set it up to the side as their TiVo then they use the outputs on that and you can hook the TiVo up to a spare set of TV inputs for troubleshooting curiosity but their is no need for a TV in the US to be part of what they need.


Plus at least for viewing chances are they will use it when you are sleeping or working anyway with the timezone diff. Now for recording you might run into some conflicts sharing a Tivo.

Great idea though.

[rainwater]

not really. Just have them pay for a TiVo and set it up to the side as their TiVo then they use the outputs on that and you can hook the TiVo up to a spare set of TV inputs for troubleshooting curiosity but their is no need for a TV in the US to be part of what they need.

For $6.95/month for tivo service plus around $250 for slingbox and a TiVo, that is not a bad price for someone who lives outside of the US to watch programs in the US. You just need a friend in the US to stick the slingbox and TiVo in a corner of their house.

[mumpower]

This is fantastic information. Thanks to all of you for clarifying.

[ferreter]

Just the one. You can put Analioge cable in as well to give you a second source but it can only control one external device. It's really a one to one relationship. That said - a combination or MRV and Slingbox is good for watching the content on multiple TiVo's.

Mine came with two IR blasters. On the Sling site one guy rigged his to control up to 8 devices! Of course you can only watch one at a time, but it's pretty cool to have that capability...

[xuxa]

For $6.95/month for tivo service plus around $250 for slingbox and a TiVo, that is not a bad price for someone who lives outside of the US to watch programs in the US. You just need a friend in the US to stick the slingbox and TiVo in a corner of their house.

Other than the fact the friend in the US will notice a very slow internet connection when they are watching it, unless they are on a big pipe. The time zone difference will help with that.

[timckelley]

Other than the fact the friend in the US will notice a very slow internet connection when they are watching it, unless they are on a big pipe. The time zone difference will help with that.

Speaking of time zones, that's a good argument for the setup being TiVo+slingbox vs. cable box+slingbox. Timeshifting would be the way to go, and TiVo is perfect for that.

[rainwater]

Other than the fact the friend in the US will notice a very slow internet connection when they are watching it, unless they are on a big pipe. The time zone difference will help with that.

I don't see how it will slow down their connection unless they are uploading a lot of data. It shouldn't affect their download speed since all of the slingbox data is outgoing.

[jcondon]

.. have a friend on a 768kbs upstream cable broadband connection and it looks superb !!

Friend on mine has it on a cable modem 1Mbs upstream looks great. He just ordered FIOS 15/2 and gets it late next week.

[wjarrettc]

Here is my question. We have friends in England and Australia who long to watch live American programming. If I get a slingbox, can I just give them this information for my Tivo, thereby allowing to control one of our systems/cable boxes?


They can watch yours but I'm guessing the reverse is not true. I want to watch British programming but I don't a friend in England could use one because of the difference in PAL and NTSC signals unless Slingbox can handle a PAL input. Anyone know?

[megazone]

There is a new model of Slingbox coming out with PAL support.

[davezatz]

EchoStar (the DISH Network folks) just invested in Sling Media... the possibilities are quite appealing. And don't forget DISH also invested about $10 million in Archos. :D

[dukegreen]

I have the HD R-10, which is the HD model. The slingbox only works in 480i and even though I set the Tivo unit up at 480i, it always reverts to 1080, perhaps because i have it set up with HDMI. any way to make the 480i permanent only go to 1080 manually?

[tewcewl]

Does anyone know if Closed Captioning is supported? I would love to get one of those babies for myself, but if it doesn't have CC then what's the point for me (because I'm deaf)?

[Tivogre]

Does anyone know if Closed Captioning is supported? I would love to get one of those babies for myself, but if it doesn't have CC then what's the point for me (because I'm deaf)?

It shows what's on the screen.

If the connected device shows CC, so will the slingbox.

[Kanyon71]

Ever time I go to BestBuy or CircuitCity I look at this box. I want one but $250 is a lot of money to pay for something I am not sure how often I will use. Anyone know of any good sales on them? I missed the christmas one or I would have bought then.

[pendragn]

I travel two or three times a year. Something like this would be great. Now to convince myself to spend the money.

tk

[bnbhoha]

Guys slingbox website says

"Slow Internet upstream rates can affect the streaming quality when using the Slingbox remotely. Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) if you would like to upgrade to a speedier service. It is recommend that you have a minimum upstream bandwidth of 256 Kbps. Higher upstream means "

If I have a slingbox setup at my house, does this refer to my upload speed on my internet connection or does it refer to the upload speed of the computer/internet connection I am watching it from outside my home. I'm confused because the slingbox uploads the data and the receiving computer downloads the data, no? Hoping for some clarification. Thanks

[TivoPip]

There is a new model of Slingbox coming out with PAL support.

Or get a format converter...but good ones aren't cheap :-(

[Walt]

Got mine for $220 a couple of weeks ago from Amazon.

[Kanyon71]

Guys slingbox website says

"Slow Internet upstream rates can affect the streaming quality when using the Slingbox remotely. Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) if you would like to upgrade to a speedier service. It is recommend that you have a minimum upstream bandwidth of 256 Kbps. Higher upstream means "

If I have a slingbox setup at my house, does this refer to my upload speed on my internet connection or does it refer to the upload speed of the computer/internet connection I am watching it from outside my home. I'm confused because the slingbox uploads the data and the receiving computer downloads the data, no? Hoping for some clarification. Thanks

It means the speed at which Slingbox can transmit data from it's location. The side which is receiving that transmission is called downstream.

[angelp]

My husband just bought one yesterday and is already in love.

[tivoknucklehead]

I added a second slingbox for my DVR, the first one is on one of my Tivos. My DVR is across my house so at first I tried a slinglink powerline adapter set, but could not get it to work. I sent the slinglink back and added a wireless bridge, Linksys model WET54G and it works fantastically with no wires 100 feet away from my router. Mind you, I have a Pre-N Mimo router Linksys WRT54Gx4. This router has amazing range and throughput. I get 95% signal strength on a Tivo 100 feet away

[jeray13]

i have a weird question.what if you get a cell phone or pda with internet access.would it be possible to transmit the slingbox to one of these?would it depend on how strong of a connection?

[pendragn]

i have a weird question.what if you get a cell phone or pda with internet access.would it be possible to transmit the slingbox to one of these?would it depend on how strong of a connection?
Their webpages says that clients for PDAs and smartphones are coming in the next few months.

tk

[jeray13]

yeah, i just checked out there forums, looks like there just scratching the surface.i haven't seen the slingbox in person but only in pics and it looks really cool.

[dolcevita]

Ok, all the raves just persuaded me to place my order. Costco has them online for $220. Same price as Amazon, but shipping not included - however, Costco's return policy is the equivalent of a lifetime extended warranty; well worth the $10 to ship :)

ETA: Costco now has a $30 off promotion on the Slingbox, making their price $189.99
The promo went into effect on 2/20, the day after I ordered mine, but they promptly credited me $30 for the price drop. :up:

[rawbi01]

I've been Slingin' from Chicago and it is great. I travel often so as soon as I heard about the Slingbox I bought one and hooked it up to my Series 2 Tivo. With DirecTV having the $16.00 DTivo special, I bought one of those and I now have a DTivo dedicated to the Slingbox, this way my wife and kids are not bothered by my channel changing ways!

[pendragn]

What port are you forwarding to your slingbox? The stuff I saw on their site mentions 80 and 443, but I'm already using them. Another post mentioned 5000 and 5001 but it also said they didn't work as well.

tk

[jtoeman]

What port are you forwarding to your slingbox? The stuff I saw on their site mentions 80 and 443, but I'm already using them. Another post mentioned 5000 and 5001 but it also said they didn't work as well.

tk

Hi,

You can actually select any port to use with your Slingbox; the default is 5001. The comment that they don't work 'as well' is really just about office firewalls - if your company blocks 5001, you may need to find another port to use instead...

Best,
Jeremy

[pendragn]

Great, that's what I wanted to hear. I ordered my Slingbox yesterday.

tk

[pendragn]

I got my Slingbox today. Now I'm all excited to go home and play with it. I feel a *cough* *cough* cold coming on.

tk

[danieljanderson]

I got my Slingbox today. Now I'm all excited to go home and play with it. I feel a *cough* *cough* cold coming on.

tk

Don't you want to go to work to REALLY check it out?

[davezatz]

Don't you want to go to work to REALLY check it out?

Ha! :D

[rainwater]

Don't you want to go to work to REALLY check it out?

Not if he wants to keep his job! :)

[dolcevita]

Awesome -- I had a trip on Tuesday that got me to my hotel halfway through the debut of The Amazing Race. Hooked up the laptop and was able to watch it from the beginning, courtesy of Slingbox.

Just wish internet access was enabled on flights now.. fortunately I had a couple of older shows on the laptop courtesy of Tivo to Go.

[pendragn]

I got my Slingbox but the IR doesn't work. :( No amount of codes get any response from the TiVo. I don't even get the amber light on the front that flashes when it sees IR. I was busy tonight so I only got to mess with it for about 30 minutes. I'm busy all day tomorrow too. I just hope Slingmedia's support is available on Saturday. My wife is traveling on Tuesday and I'd hoped to have it ready for her. Right now my gut is telling me that isn't going to happen. :(

tk

[davezatz]

I got my Slingbox but the IR doesn't work.

I recall som eearlie rreports where you've really got to jam the connector into the Slingbox... maybe try pulling it out and firmly putting it back in?

[Maniacal1]

Todd, what remote address is your TiVo set to? The last I knew, Slingbox only had remote codes for the first 4 remote addresses for both the standalone TiVos and the DirecTV units.

[pendragn]

Todd, what remote address is your TiVo set to? The last I knew, Slingbox only had remote codes for the first 4 remote addresses for both the standalone TiVos and the DirecTV units.
It doesn't have one at all because none of them work. I tried all of the "DirecTV DVR" and "TiVo" codes. There was a stack of them. More than 10 in all. Like I said before, my main concern is that I'm not getting the amber light on the TiVo when I hit "channel up" or "power" to test. That tells me the TiVo isn't seeing any IR at all, nevermind seeing the correct code.

Dave, I'll try placing it more firmly. I did reseat it a couple of times, but I'll try harder. The next step is to film it with my video camera and see if any IR is coming out. I was so excited to use this. :( :(

tk

[JustAllie]

So....

My older brother is trying to UMF me into a Slingbox.

Should I bite?

[davezatz]

Should I bite?

Do you travel a lot for work or want to watch TV at work? Or do you not have a TV in some rooms in the house and want to watch on your laptop? If so, bite!

[JustAllie]

Do you travel a lot for work or want to watch TV at work? Or do you not have a TV in some rooms in the house and want to watch on your laptop? If so, bite!I don't travel much for work, and I already have enough distractions at the office, but it's true that I don't have a TV in the bedroom, office, or out on the back patio. And I'm intrigued by the idea of being able to watch something on my brother's TiVo, for example... although I have no idea what's on his TiVo, it's just so cool to think that it's possible for me in Virginia to watch his TiVo in New York State. :cool:

Right now I have a PowerBook at home and will probably stick with Macs when I buy my next laptop, so I guess this hinges on how soon Mac support will be available. The PDA/SmartPhone plans intrigue me too.

[davezatz]

although I have no idea what's on his TiVo, it's just so cool to think that it's possible for me in Virginia to watch his TiVo in New York State. :cool:

Right now I have a PowerBook at home and will probably stick with Macs when I buy my next laptop, so I guess this hinges on how soon Mac support will be available. The PDA/SmartPhone plans intrigue me too.

FYI Only one person can access a feed at one time, and depending how his stuff is set up you might be changing his channels (which might not go over well if he's watching TV).

MS Mobile support is expected any day now. Mac support was promised first half this year, so probably a few more months.

I sometimes watch TV in bed via my laptop (and Shures) when my fiance watches something I don't like on TV. In-home streaming is very good quality. (I use the TiVo coax passthrough so when I change channels it doesn't interfere with her or the TiVo - also allows some people I look out for at work to watch TV without impacting us.)

[pendragn]

There are apperently some hacks involving a proxy that you can do to get more than one client attached. I just run Windows Media Encoder on a machine and server out the additional clients that way. Of course they can't change the channel, but they can still hear and see everything. I've found its quality to be better than the Slingbox client's, but it uses more bandwidth so that makes sense. I wish there were a way I could tell the Slingbox to take more bandwidth.

tk

[Adv1sor]

Can you capture/record the video on the PC?

I would love to be able to pause some shows and then print a picture.

Also, I like to make Anime Music Videos and this would be an easy way to get more footage.

[davezatz]

Can you capture/record the video on the PC?

I would love to be able to pause some shows and then print a picture.

Also, I like to make Anime Music Videos and this would be an easy way to get more footage.

No supported way to capture/record to the PC. If you use Slingbox with a TiVo you can pause the TV that way, and there are some utilities that *should* be able to capture video overlays. If you can pull it off, quality will probably be poor. If you have a Series 2 TiVo, you're better off downloadng shows via TTG either locally or web server. Some software like WinDVD or PowerDVD have capture features and should support TTG natively or after a little processing...

[puckettcg]

Why is slingbox transfer speed faster than Tivo To Go? Tivo To go takes forever. My wireless generally runs at 54Mbs, which I think is pretty fast, but yet it takes as much as 3 times longer than the length of the show to transfer using Tivo To Go. Internet pages are almost instantaneous, and I get fantastic streaming video, yet a 30 minute show on TIVO can take up to an hour and half to transfer. Slingbox sounds like its pretty close to real-time? Pardon my ignorance, but fear of ridiculously slow transfer times has prevented me from buying one.

[tazzftw]

Well with TiVoToGo, it has to convert the video to a certain format. With Sling, it's just taking a live image and sending it over the internet.

[pendragn]

Well with TiVoToGo, it has to convert the video to a certain format. With Sling, it's just taking a live image and sending it over the internet.
Tivo2Go doesn't convert the video, it's already MPG2. It just encrypts it.

The Slingbox is faster because it's a lower quality. Since it has to run in real time (you said TiVo2Go was 1/3 real time) it lowers the quality until it hits one that the bandwidth can support. If you watch the numbers across the bottom of the Slingclient, you can see the numbers changing. That's the bitrate in Kilobits per second.

tk

[tivoknucklehead]

Why is slingbox transfer speed faster than Tivo To Go? Tivo To go takes forever. My wireless generally runs at 54Mbs, which I think is pretty fast, but yet it takes as much as 3 times longer than the length of the show to transfer using Tivo To Go. Internet pages are almost instantaneous, and I get fantastic streaming video, yet a 30 minute show on TIVO can take up to an hour and half to transfer. Slingbox sounds like its pretty close to real-time? Pardon my ignorance, but fear of ridiculously slow transfer times has prevented me from buying one.


it is far superior to Tivotogo. It virtually is real time, only like a 1 second delay from mouse click to Tivo screen change. I just used both my slingboxes extensively on a trip and they worked fantasticly. Great for time killer in airports that have free wifi. Soon airlines will be rolling out wifi on planes and this will be the killer entertainment app for long airplane rides

I consistently get 400-500 k bit rates which is perfectly acceptable quality for watching at 1/2 screen size on my 15" laptop

[reggers]

Here's your target market right here:



Anyone who has to be away from home for long periods of time. Military tours, business travel, vacations, anything like that.

People who don't travel won't see the need.

The people who used to pack up their TiVos and take them on vacation with them will.

Jan

Also - I use it just as an additional TV in places around the house where I don't want a dedicated TV - when working in the garage, when sitting out on the deck and would like to keep up with news or other programs, or in the kitchen when cooking. I like that I can just instantly have a TV in any room in the house by just using my laptop.

[Dan203]

Do Sligboxes support multiple TiVo remote codes? Or do they only only support code 0? I was thinking about getting one but we have 5 TiVos in the same room so it would have to support multiple remote codes or it wouldn't work for me.

Dan

[wickerbill]

They support at least some of the extra remote codes. I can try checking when I get home later to let you know for sure. I think they have at least 1-4.

[HTH]

I bought one last year. I finally installed the client on the Windows box this week.

So far its primary use is to let one of my coworkers and his kids watch my non-premium cable for free (they don't have cable). Apparently it only supports one connected client at a time.

I may just take it to my mother's so that I can watch her cable and control her TiVo when she's not using it (after checking that her cable modem service doesn't have transfer limits). There's not much call for me needing to watch my cable remotely when I have 7 TiVos, but she occasionally has recorded something I missed and holds onto it for my next visit. If the Mac client comes out Q2 2006 I'd be able to share shows I've recorded for her as well without having to master DVDs.

Apparently its outputs are for pass-thru of non-RF input only. I thought I could send WMV files to it from the PC to display on the TV.

They can also be used for internet-enabled surveillance cameras, except without a recording ability. There are smaller, dedicated solutions for that as well; I recall an early such device called an EarthCam.

Lastly, RF audio seems to come through much louder than the audio on the RCA jacks. For the latter, I have to turn the speakers to 75% to just make out the dialogue; on the former, I have to turn them down to 25% to avoid pain.

[dkroboth]

I've been using my Slingbox to control my TiVo at my home in Virginia from my home in Japan for the last 5 months. It's been awesome. Even better, they just released the mobile client for PocketPC today, so more fun for me now.

[jlb]

Article in USAToday today about SlingMobile.......Treo users can download a free (for now) beta version of SlingMobile software which will let you view your stream on your Treo.....no need for a PC.....Of course you have to have a data plan.....sounds kind of neat.

[pendragn]

I've been using my Slingbox to control my TiVo at my home in Virginia from my home in Japan for the last 5 months. It's been awesome. Even better, they just released the mobile client for PocketPC today, so more fun for me now.
Holy Crap! Holy Crap! Holy Crap!

/me piddles

Here's (http://www.slingmedia.com/slingbox/slingplayermobile.php) the link for the mobile client.

tk

[tai-pan]

What if y ou use a wireless adaptor to get your tivo on the network? Will slingbox still work?

[pendragn]

What if you use a wireless adaptor to get your tivo on the network? Will slingbox still work?
The Slingbox connects to your TiVo (or any other device) via cables. Either Composite, SVideo or Coax. How you have your TiVo connected to your network doesn't figure in at all. The Slingbox will work just fine in your situation.

tk

[Stylin]

I don't have a sling, but found something that may be of interest to users:

If you are planning to buy a SlingBox it's best to do it before April 26th so you can receive a free license for SlingPlayer Mobile ($30/mth value). Article here (http://www.slingmedia.com/press/pressreleases-032206.php)

[pendragn]

I don't have a sling, but found something that may be of interest to users:

If you are planning to buy a SlingBox it's best to do it before April 26th so you can receive a free license for SlingPlayer Mobile ($30/mth value). Article here (http://www.slingmedia.com/press/pressreleases-032206.php)
That's also mentioned in the link I posted with the client download.

tk

[Test]

Article in USAToday today about SlingMobile.......Treo users can download a free (for now) beta version of SlingMobile software which will let you view your stream on your Treo.....no need for a PC.....Of course you have to have a data plan.....sounds kind of neat.

its not just for treos right? i think you just need a pda with pocket pc 2003 SE or higher...PLUS access to the net (either wifi or a cellular data plan)

def. somthing to look into and maybe somthing (if it works well) that could cure me of the crackberry...

[pendragn]

its not just for treos right? i think you just need a pda with pocket pc 2003 SE or higher...PLUS access to the net (either wifi or a cellular data plan)

def. somthing to look into and maybe somthing (if it works well) that could cure me of the crackberry...
I've been using it with a Sprint branded Audiovox PPC-6601 and it works great. I would guess if you had a wifi card or something it would work with that too. I'm using it over Sprint's network, but I would guess it would use whatever network is available to it.

tk

[Test]

how is the slingbox connected to your network? hardwired?

[pendragn]

how is the slingbox connected to your network? hardwired?
Yes. My Slingbox is plugged into my 24 port fast ethernet switch.

tk

[tivoknucklehead]

how is the slingbox connected to your network? hardwired?


my two work great wirelessly with a linksys wireless bridge WET54G

[Thos19]

I just got my own Slingbox (got a great deal by price-matching through Staples). This is the best. I've had a series 1 Tivo with a lifetime subscription which I could never program remotely. Now I can utilize my TiVo however I want from where-ever !

Yay !

Thos.

[cpersson]

I just got my own Slingbox (got a great deal by price-matching through Staples). This is the best. I've had a series 1 Tivo with a lifetime subscription which I could never program remotely. Now I can utilize my TiVo however I want from where-ever !

Yay !

Thos.

I am thinking about getting a slingbox. Will the picture quality be pretty good on my laptop even though I do not have digital cable package? My setup is analog cable with a dual tuner Tivo wired to a roadrunner high-speed internet router. I understand that the quality also depends on the internet connection where I am remotely with my laptop but let's assume this is high-speed. Also, I have a Treo 650 with sprint (unlimited data package), can I access the sling on my treo?

[pendragn]

The connections to the Slingbox are all analog, and the video will end up being compressed before it gets to your laptop, so having digital cable or not probably isn't going to be a factor. I've found the picture quality is more determined by your client's connection to the Slingbox.

Check Slingbox's web page to see if it works with a Treo 650. Last I heard it would not, but I have a PPC, so I haven't really been following the 650.

tk

[cpersson]

The connections to the Slingbox are all analog, and the video will end up being compressed before it gets to your laptop, so having digital cable or not probably isn't going to be a factor. I've found the picture quality is more determined by your client's connection to the Slingbox.

Check Slingbox's web page to see if it works with a Treo 650. Last I heard it would not, but I have a PPC, so I haven't really been following the 650.

tk

ok thanks for the info

[gtrogue]

Despite saying I was going to buy one of these things back in January, I only last week broke down and bought.
All I can say is, "what the hell did I wait for". This thing is one of the greatest entertainment devices ever created. The Slingbox and Tivo make an awesome combo.

Anyone on the fence about buying one of these, get off. It is well worth it.

[cpersson]

The connections to the Slingbox are all analog, and the video will end up being compressed before it gets to your laptop, so having digital cable or not probably isn't going to be a factor. I've found the picture quality is more determined by your client's connection to the Slingbox.

Check Slingbox's web page to see if it works with a Treo 650. Last I heard it would not, but I have a PPC, so I haven't really been following the 650.

tk

ok so I got my slingbox and I love it! but from what I understand the picture will improve the better upload speed I have at home. I have Time Warner that claims to have maximum upload of 384kbps but someone mention that it is possible to call and add upload speed. Is this correct? if so, how much does that cost?

thanks,