Slingbox
 

Does anyone else here have a slingbox from slingmedia? They are a pretty cool device, but in recent days I have seen some articles where the entertainment industry is plotting their demise.

Basically the slingbox allows you to extend your home tv viewing to your laptop, a remote pc, a handheld device, cell phone etc. It really works well. I can control my tivo and watch shows on my pda, it is amazing.

Unfortunately Hollywood would prefer that we repay over and over for the same content.

So any other slingboxers out there?

I've never heard of this 'slingbox' until now. Is it a bit pricey?

same here... first i've heard of it...

I've heard of it before, some of my friends like theirs a lot

It is actually not bad at all. The device is $249 with no monthly fees.

Check it out at www.slingbox.com or a site with some info outside the company is www.slingboxers.com

I looked at the site and it's interesting ...and I would hear about it just when it might not be around!!!!

same for me, never heard of this before, sounds neat.

I have one but since I do not travel much, it does not get a lot of use. My brother travels 90% of the time, though, so he uses it pretty much every day to watch television and movies from his house. He would hate life without, after a very short period of time.

Can you explain how the slingbox works? I can't fully get my head around it, how do you hook it up and are there limitations to what you can watch?

The Slingbox allows A/V signals to pass through it, which it relays to any Internet-accessible device. It has an input which it takes the signal in, it compresses it using its own compression technologies, and functions as a host when connected to the Internet. You'll have to install their software on a remote-viewing device such as a laptop or cell phone, and when configured, it will communicate with Slingbox through the Internet and view any signal passed through the Slingbox. To control devices, I believe it uses an infrared control that simulates your remote control.

As for limitations, Internet congestion and slower speeds can restrict quality. There is a single input, so you will be required to buy a switchbox if you want to connect multiple sources. Also, there are currently no location-shifting/space-shifting devices that support HDTV.