slingbox is being discontinued, any viable alternatives?

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ZJBox was the closest thing I found although people hated on it. Yes the remote control option is poor, but if you use it in conjunction with something like Logitech Harmony it works fine. They never developed a PC app unfortunately (Android/iOS only), and apparently already discontinued anyway although there is one left on eBay where the price is rising quickly (I watched the Buy it Now options get snapped up shortly after the Slingbox announcement this week). Amazon.com Seller Profile: ZJBOX-US ZJBOX MyTV H8 Shared Set Top Box - BRAND NEW - 6970924270060 | eBay

As for increasing the speed, if you use online.tivo.com you can increase the Desktop speed with Take Control of Your Time With MySpeed - Enounce

Also in case you missed it you can adjust beyond 30% QuickMode by following the instructions here Adjusting QuickMode speed via SPS codes

 

I recall the older version of the thick client slingplayer for windows, allowed for IP address connection to the slingbox CLASSIC. EDIT: Not so sure anymore what models it actually is compatible with.

My Slingbox 500 has no such option that I'm aware of.

 

I was looking for a port to connect to, and the only ports I see open on my slingbox (M2) are ports 22 and 8888. Port 22 is ssh, not sure what is on 8888 since nothing I did would give me an answer. Perhaps it needs a special handshake to return anything and I have no idea what that is. Maybe if I find some free time, I will sniff the traffic to see what it is doing on that port.

 

I would say it will work fine... As long as you don't need to change hardware as they will not provide any firmware updates. So a new TV could put your Slingbox out of commission.

 

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This popped up on my computer. The part about the Palm Pre cracked me up!

 

I remember Hauppage tuner cards having a stream to option at some point. I don't know anything about it, but it's something to look into.

I made a backup of the apk for my android devices. Servers will be around another two years, so I'll worry about the rest later.

 

Looking into this a bit further....
The app I have installed on windows (which may be an old version) has the option to direct connect to the slingbox without logging into the slingbox servers.
The android apps on my tablet and phone have no such option (nor do they work with my older Slingbox AV).

Anyone know if the Fire TV app has the direct connect option? Some old version of the Android app?

 

I thought i was the only one still using the slingbox. I use two of them still b/c the Tivo app on android is horrible.

Not sure if it is just me but the max volume on the android app is very low. I've tried on multiple devices and it is the same so I just use the slingbox app to stream anything and get around the streaming blocks on some shows.

Very sad when I got that email. I even stayed on the phone on hold for an hour before talking to someone at Sling who said they have no idea if there will be a replacement in the future but likely not.

Looking at the Desktop app when launching it, it does some handshaking with the Slingserver, I assume this is to authenticate your account so the slingbox directory pops up. But in the desktop app there is an option to enter an IP, still not sure this would work without the server portion doing the pre authentication, i could test this but I'm more concerned with the phone app not working and not having this option.

 

Try ports 5200 and 5201 and/or 5002

 

Sling was actually nice providing a 2 year warning. Bet TiVo won't be that nice when the time comes.

 

Its a slow "walk the plank" for sure.

Will use my slingbox500 till it stops working

 

I am interested in hearing what devices people use to view Slingbox these days. I still have luck with Android. May I still use a Windows 10 computer to watch Slingbox?

 

All the software and apps work for now.

They need to as suggested provide an IP option for those of us with ddns even better

 

Mostly an android tablet in the kitchen to watch the local news while making dinner.

Sometimes on my desktop pc to watch football in a small window while doing other things on the computer. I use some old archaic version on the PC, not the newer web based player.

Used it a LOT on my phone to see the Tivo signal meter while experimenting with different antennas, then re-aiming them due to seasonal changes. Finally got around to installing a short linear actuator. Hopefully it holds up.

I don't use it much outside the home network, but it's nice to have the option.

 

I'm working on a tivo-specific solution that would use some off-the-self hardware and an android app I am thinking of developing that would allow you to watch and control your tivo remotely from any android phone or a Fire TV stick (because it runs android).

It's one thing to develop it for myself, but it takes a huge more effort to make it usable for others. So, please reply if you are interested in such a solution so I can gauge the interest.

The best part is that it will run without relying on any third-party service (might need a DynDns service of your choice) - so there is nothing that will "expire". It will be a direct connection from my app to your tivo.

 

Anything is better than the existing tivo app. Dismal support on android platform.

I would be more interested if you can develop a slingbox app to allow a DDNS or direct IP address to keep it working without the sling servers

 

I am interested. Maybe we should start a new thread on this?

 

I am interested.

 

best alternative is VBox Communication which is placeshifting for a over the air (ATSC) stream or DVB-T/C/S. VBox Communications
it doesnt offer the features that ZJBox does. Sadly SlingBox has no direct replacement, just a compromise.