Comments on: Review: Slingbox AV

By: Buddy

Buddy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:09:01 +0000

With respect to the Slingbox in the UK, the only unit you can currently get is what is referred to as the Slingbox Classic, which is the first unit that Sling Media offered.

Now there are 3 units available in the U.S., the Slingbox PRO, Slingbox AV and the Slingbox Tuner. The Classic is closest the the Tuner, but not quite as good.

Before you get any Slingbox go to http://www.SlingboxGuide.com first.

This site explains the differences between all three slingbox units. They also have a current list of Slingbox "gotchas". No ads either. Found it on Digg. Saved me $50.

By: David Moore

David Moore — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:08:47 +0000

I’d like to see what the UK offering is and how it is compatible with units here since a lot of us use freeview etc not cable. This is great though. It’s thesis time and i would love to work late but stream but TV from home to my office machine via the 100mb/sec network.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:53:47 +0000

I’m sold!

By: Paul Stamatiou

Paul Stamatiou — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:35:06 +0000

@Blake – since the Slingbox doesn’t have a tuner or anything so it goes by your main component, which in my case can only tune into one channel at a time.

By: Blake Brannon

Blake Brannon — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:08:29 +0000

Can different users watch different channels (would it have to be digital)? If so how many users can the box simultaneously support?

By: Ash Haque

Ash Haque — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:30:50 +0000

Xbox 360 + windows vista FTW!
:-)

By: Andreas

Andreas — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:40:25 +0000

You pretty much covered some of the “problems” (no wifi, no physical remote) – but what about recording? I guess the Slingbox isn’t a replacement for a good ol tv card. It might just be me, but when I watch TV, I like to relax on the sofa, not sit in front of the Mac. Before I got a PVR, all I really used the EyeTV for was recording. But I guess I’m just not the target for the Slingbox then… Good review none the less :)

By: Paul Stamatiou

Paul Stamatiou — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:34:37 +0000

@Aptmunich – that’s still a local solution. The beauty of Slingbox is that it’s networked and I can add on many computers by simply downloading the SlingPlayer software.

By: Aptmunich

Aptmunich — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:12:08 +0000

“Compared to installing a TV tuner or similar device in my computer, I find the Slingbox route to be much better. You donâ€™t need to have a cable line in the same room as your computer and can still control your video component remotely. ”

What about ATSC or DVB-T tuners?

They plug in via USB, don’t require a cable connection and don’t even require a power supply. The picture quality is crystal clear and the video stream is entirely digital – so you can easily record it on your Mac and losslessly edit it if you’d like.

Seems a lot easier than ethernet adapters, infrared blasters and a laggy interface with mediocre image quality (although maybe the pictures don’t do it justice).

By: Mike Malone

Mike Malone — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 05:14:37 +0000

Thought I’d add some thoughts, since I have some inside-ish info on Sling (my brother works for the company). One cool feature is that you can stream content from your Sling to other devices, not just your computer. For example, my brother has a Motorola Q on Sprint’s PCS network to demo playing Sling over a cell network – it looks _amazing_, considering.

Sling is also working on a device called the SlingCatcher that will allow you to “Catch” video that’s being streamed from your SlingBox. So, for example, you can watch your downstairs TiVo in your bedroom. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about it, but I snuck a peak at the UI for the SlingCatcher last time I was at my bro’s house, and it’s really cool. I think it’ll definitely get some attention when it’s released.

Re Devin’s point: I think the people at Sling are paying close attention to the market, and are absolutely doing their best to adapt. I said the same thing about the DVR industry when TiVo came out – it’s a stopgap technology that will no longer be necessary when we’re streaming video directly off the net. But, when it comes down to it, a lot of the lessons that companies like TiVo and Sling have learned from developing set-top products will still be applicable in the future when the industry is more advanced.

By: Devin Lussier

Devin Lussier — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 04:16:07 +0000

Slingbox seems like a great answer to what I used to do with Windows Media Centre before I switched to the Mac. WMC was pretty good, especially since I could record shows directly to my laptop and take those shows on the plane with me, and I didn’t have to pay DirecTV for the privilege of using their horrific DVR.

I switched to the Mac last year after my Windows laptop started getting really unreliable, so when I made the switch I had to get a DVR and unfortunately the refurbed TiVo DirecTV sent me died so they sent me one of their own units. The only good thing about the DirecTV DVR is that it’s made me enjoy downloading and watching shows through iTunes.

Which brings me to my point, nowadays with the vast selection of TV shows available on iTunes, why bother paying DirecTV or the cable company, plus buying a Slingbox, so that you can watch TV anywhere when that’s something you can do with an iPod and iTunes? The only reason I can really see is if you watch a lot of news or sports, things that really aren’t conducive to the iTunes format.

So I guess what I’m saying is: isn’t Slingbox just a very good product for a small and shrinking market? Or do you think they’ll be able to adapt with the times?