Slingbox

[ginger1981 0]

One of my friends at work was just in London for a holiday visiting a friend of hers (a USC) who is living in the UK with her USC husband while he is in grad school at London School of Economics. My boss was asking my friend how she liked British TV and she said that she actually watched US tv over there because her USC friend had a Slingbox. From what I understand, basically you have a box attached to a tv (in her case she had it attached to her parent's tv in North Carolina) and somehow it streamed the tv channels from their tv to the computer in London.

I'm not a techie, and I've looked it up online to try to understand it better. But what I'm wondering is if any of the Brits who have moved over here use a slingbox, and are they pleased with the product?

[T and M 1]

One of my friends at work was just in London for a holiday visiting a friend of hers (a USC) who is living in the UK with her USC husband while he is in grad school at London School of Economics. My boss was asking my friend how she liked British TV and she said that she actually watched US tv over there because her USC friend had a Slingbox. From what I understand, basically you have a box attached to a tv (in her case she had it attached to her parent's tv in North Carolina) and somehow it streamed the tv channels from their tv to the computer in London.

I'm not a techie, and I've looked it up online to try to understand it better. But what I'm wondering is if any of the Brits who have moved over here use a slingbox, and are they pleased with the product?

Slingbox is alright. I have used it, although I never bothered to download the software to my new computer. The software is kind of slapdish and you can't record programming (a ridiculous oversight since you are already digitalizing it on your computer. How hard would it be to allow recording!!!) Anyway, there is also no link up to online programming schedules, which means you have to flip through (kind of primitive.)

This was all as of a year ago...maybe they have upgraded the software.

I also didn't bother because who wants to watch daytime Operah (sp?) at 9pm and latenight infomercials at 10am? The time difference kind of makes it worthless without recording capability.

It's great for watching sporting events, however. I watched the Georgia bulldogs live on my Slingbox last year.

Basically, you have to install the slingbox on your home network with a connection to your home cable system. Then you install the software on your PCs and you can watch your home cable TV network whereever you go in the world (that has an internet connection.) Fabulous idea. Still lacking on the software development side.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

My fiance' in the UK has a Slingbox. I watch things like Britains Got Talent and X-Factor with him. Works well except kinda hangs up if my old computer is in one of it's moods. He also has a DVR kind of machine with a hard drive. If I can't watch an episode live, he records it on the machine's hard drive. It's also connected to the Slingbox. From my computer in the US, I can change inputs...watch live tv or watch the recording. I can pause, rewind, etc just like I'm using the remote there. If he put a dvd movie in the machine I could watch that. I can look at the guide for what's coming on too. The Slingbox Basic was on clearance at PC World....maybe 50 pounds or something like that. There are fancier models,but the old basic works for us.

When he leaves UK in a few months, he's going to give the Slingbox to somebody to hook up so he can watch Brit TV if he wants.

[SMB x2 0]

Just been reading the Slingbox site. Am I right in thinking you're remotely controlling the (say) Sky box, so you'd be picking what channel it's on? I could leave a slingbox connected to my sister's Sky setup but I'm not sure she'd be too enthused about me actually selecting what it decodes

Stu

[pandora 0]

bought my SO one for his birthday - cant say i could ever find anything on US tv to watch though unless i stayed up to the wee hours of the morning - damn time zones

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Just been reading the Slingbox site. Am I right in thinking you're remotely controlling the (say) Sky box, so you'd be picking what channel it's on? I could leave a slingbox connected to my sister's Sky setup but I'm not sure she'd be too enthused about me actually selecting what it decodes

Yes, I can sit in Texas and control a Sky Box. Talking to fiance' now and trying to understand the technical bits and since I don't begin to understand Sky, freeview, etc...it's a challenge. Ok, here's what I comprehended. He has a Slingbox Classic which he said is probably only available now on eBay. He said models currently for sale are either far less capable or far too capable ($$$) than his Slingbox Classic. So what I'm telling about is the Slingbox Classic.

It has a built in freeview tuner. So if person in UK is watching freeview, person is US can watch something different because they are using different tuners. You can have three things. He has (1) built in Slingbox freeview; (2) NTL cable tv; (3) the LG brand DVR machine that has the hardrive, player, burner. From my computer I can pick any of those. I see the viewing screen and beside it a remote control. If I'm on NTL, the remote looks exactly like his real remote...blue I think and I can click the buttons with my mouse to do anything I want with the cable TV. If I switch to freeview, the remote is more generic and black. Let's say I'm watching Britains Got Talent on ITV1 (Ch 3). When it's over I want to see ITV3 More Britains Got Talent on Ch 6. On the remote I click the 6 and "enter" with my mouse and it changes channels. Or I could just click through the channel up button.

On cable or Sky box, you would be changing what the person in UK was watching if you changed those channels because you would be sharing the same box, tuner, whatever...don't understand all that. If they are watching Sky box, you could watch freeview or recorder without disturbing their show. I asked him to record BGT finals on Saturday because I needed to do something but his mum was visiting and he was recording Nancy or something for her, so there are limitations at times.

It obviously works better with the Slingbox in the UK because of the time difference. I watched BGT while having lunch or the finals around 3 in the afternoon. If he wanted to watch American Idol on a US Slingbox, he would have to be awake at 1-3 AM. But with the ability to connect to a DVR or Tivo in the US, it could be recorded. I figure most of the people on here are moving to the US, so the interest is in British TV not the other way around.

There, all done and not very technical, but maybe what I said is something you can relate to.

[Uklander 0]

Just been reading the Slingbox site. Am I right in thinking you're remotely controlling the (say) Sky box, so you'd be picking what channel it's on? I could leave a slingbox connected to my sister's Sky setup but I'm not sure she'd be too enthused about me actually selecting what it decodes

Yes, I can sit in Texas and control a Sky Box. Talking to fiance' now and trying to understand the technical bits and since I don't begin to understand Sky, freeview, etc...it's a challenge. Ok, here's what I comprehended. He has a Slingbox Classic which he said is probably only available now on eBay. He said models currently for sale are either far less capable or far too capable ($$$) than his Slingbox Classic. So what I'm telling about is the Slingbox Classic.

It has a built in freeview tuner. So if person in UK is watching freeview, person is US can watch something different because they are using different tuners. You can have three things. He has (1) built in Slingbox freeview; (2) NTL cable tv; (3) the LG brand DVR machine that has the hardrive, player, burner. From my computer I can pick any of those. I see the viewing screen and beside it a remote control. If I'm on NTL, the remote looks exactly like his real remote...blue I think and I can click the buttons with my mouse to do anything I want with the cable TV. If I switch to freeview, the remote is more generic and black. Let's say I'm watching Britains Got Talent on ITV1 (Ch 3). When it's over I want to see ITV3 More Britains Got Talent on Ch 6. On the remote I click the 6 and "enter" with my mouse and it changes channels. Or I could just click through the channel up button.

On cable or Sky box, you would be changing what the person in UK was watching if you changed those channels because you would be sharing the same box, tuner, whatever...don't understand all that. If they are watching Sky box, you could watch freeview or recorder without disturbing their show. I asked him to record BGT finals on Saturday because I needed to do something but his mum was visiting and he was recording Nancy or something for her, so there are limitations at times.

It obviously works better with the Slingbox in the UK because of the time difference. I watched BGT while having lunch or the finals around 3 in the afternoon. If he wanted to watch American Idol on a US Slingbox, he would have to be awake at 1-3 AM. But with the ability to connect to a DVR or Tivo in the US, it could be recorded. I figure most of the people on here are moving to the US, so the interest is in British TV not the other way around.

There, all done and not very technical, but maybe what I said is something you can relate to.

I have set up Slingbox in the UK ready for my pernament move to the states (got my interview in t weeks). Ive tested the following set up while in the US and it works brilliently.

1) You must get a good upload connection in the UK (NOT download). Depending on where your UK router is in the UK (like not in the Welsh hills!), you should get a good speed (I'm with UK online and get 768kb upload. This works well. O2 and Be there go higher. Don't go for Tiscali, Sky, BT, Virgin otherwise the slingbox broadband demand will push you well over their own small usage limits and you will get cut off.

2) If you are fine with Freeview, I suggest getting a Humax PVR (from 170 pounds from Currys). It comes with 40 hours or more of recording. And digital radio. Note that not many PVRs are compatible with the Slingbox Infrared control device that hangs over the IR area on the video recorder. Sky plus works as well. BUT as someone said, if your UK person is watching the Sky box as well, it will change their channels. So a Humax device would get around the time difference and controlling issues.

3) The Slingplayer software works great. Your video quality is only limited by your UPLOAD speed from the UK place (assuming you have a half decent connection in the US i.e. not dial up!!). I have a slingbox classic and that is all you need until the web hits upload speeds of 5meg plus.

4) You can connect your laptop or PC to your US TV (e.g. S Video connection that is standard with all newer laptops).

5) So you can sit on your couch controlling your tv, get a Gyration media centre and pc universal remote control. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gyration-centre-un...6819&sr=8-2

They are a lot cheaper in the states. This can control all the main functions on your Humax or Sky box via the slingplayer and slingbox.

6) Make sure your UK router is half decent. Avoid Belkin. D Link works well.

7) Test it in the UK before heading over (remote viewing - at friends or coffee shops).

8) Sling tech support are really helpful in installation if you need help.

9) Enjoy!

[ginger1981 0]

Wow Nich-Nich and UKlander...your knowledge impresses me. I'll have to re-read it to grasp it all but I think I get the jist of the advantages and limitations and how you can get around some of the limitations.

I think I might hold off getting one until the technology is a bit better. These days you can buy quite a few shows online or see them on youtube so I'll just continue to kick it old skool