The Slingbox - help needed

[SkinsTillIDie]

Hey all. I was just wondering if anyone here has had any first-hand experience with the Slingbox and could share their thoughts/concerns?

For those that don't know, the device is supposed to hook up to a TV outlet and connect it to a broadband internet connection, allowing one to watch TV anywhere in the world in real-time on the computer.

Basic information can be found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox. I've done a bit of research but would just like some consumer reports before spending the money on the product... It all seems too good to be true

Thanks

[Folami69]

I have one. It works exactly as advertised. I have the SlingBox Pro, which works with 1 HD device, and up to 3 others if I'm remembering correctly. I only have mine connected to my DVR (Comcast). I have the software installed on my computer at work, on my laptop, and on my Treo. It works quite well on all 3. Assuming you get a strong connection (on your laptop, pda, etc.) the picture quality is pretty good. I've never had any problems with it at all.

Did you have any specific questions?

[SkinsTillIDie]

I have one. It works exactly as advertised. I have the SlingBox Pro, which works with 1 HD device, and up to 3 others if I'm remembering correctly. I only have mine connected to my DVR (Comcast). I have the software installed on my computer at work, on my laptop, and on my Treo. It works quite well on all 3. Assuming you get a strong connection (on your laptop, pda, etc.) the picture quality is pretty good. I've never had any problems with it at all.

Did you have any specific questions?

Thanks. If I was in, lets say, New York, and couldn't find a bar to watch the Redskins play, how well would the slingbox work on my laptop (with the original connection here in Maryland)? Would there be a significant delay? Could I watch it on my full 15" screen with clarity, assuming I have a good broadband internet connection?

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being perfect tv quality, how would you rank the quality of the broadcast on your laptop?

And is there anything else I should know about the slingbox? Should I be waiting a certain amount of time before a new version comes out? Does it work just as well on the mac (as far as you know)?

[I_Bleed_B&G]

I have slingbox and it is awesome. I have it hooked to my laptop and my windows mobile phone. I love the thing. I can watch tv on the go at anytime. Just as long as your home broadband internet has good upload speeds and where you are watching has good download speeds, you shouldnt have any problems. There is like a 5 sec lag from what you see on your computer or your phone to what you see on tv. So it is pretty much real time. I think its the greatest invention. No matter where you are, you can watch the skins game live either on your computer or you phone. I definitely recommend it.

[Folami69]

Thanks. If I was in, lets say, New York, and couldn't find a bar to watch the Redskins play, how well would the slingbox work on my laptop (with the original connection here in Maryland)? Would there be a significant delay? Could I watch it on my full 15" screen with clarity, assuming I have a good broadband internet connection?

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being perfect tv quality, how would you rank the quality of the broadcast on your laptop?

And is there anything else I should know about the slingbox? Should I be waiting a certain amount of time before a new version comes out? Does it work just as well on the mac (as far as you know)?

Assuming you have a strong broadband connection at home and, in this case, in New York, it should work pretty well. Fully maximized, it will not fill the entire 15" of screen space. But, it will utilize the majority of the screen. With really fast connections, I would rate picture quality I get an 8-9 out of 10 (my laptop is 17"). When the connection is a little slower, probably more like a 7 or so. There generally isn't a significant delay. And, you can either use the "remote" on your screen, much like the one that actually operates your cable box/dvr/etc, or you can change channels by inputting the channel numbers on your keyboard.

I can't think of anything else that you'd need to know. I suppose you should be aware that if you choose to use the SlingBox with an HD device, they have a proprietary HD Connect cable that you need to buy. Also, you have to pay for the software for your PDA/Smartphone, but there are no other additional costs as you install it on other computers.

I've had mine since December, so I can't tell you anything about any newer versions that might be coming. And, I don't have a Mac, so I can't tell you how well they do or don't work with the SlingBox.

I have to say, I am completely satisfied with mine. I watch TV when I'm bored at work. I watch it when I'm stuck in traffic. I let my kid hold my phone so he can watch cartoons if we're going to be in the car for a while. I watch tv on my laptop when I'm out of town and don't like the channels available on the hotel tv. I'm going to use it to peep in at other games while I'm at Redskins games at FedEx this fall (No need to rent one of thost stupid Kangaroo things because I don't need the entire SundayTicket. NFL Network, Fox, CBS, and ESPN will work just fine.).

All things considered, I think it's a great device. You pay a one time price for the device, itself, and have complete access to anything you can see at home no matter where you are.

[SkinsTillIDie]

I have slingbox and it is awesome. I have it hooked to my laptop and my windows mobile phone. I love the thing. I can watch tv on the go at anytime. Just as long as your home broadband internet has good upload speeds and where you are watching has good download speeds, you shouldnt have any problems. There is like a 5 sec lag from what you see on your computer or your phone to what you see on tv. So it is pretty much real time. I think its the greatest invention. No matter where you are, you can watch the skins game live either on your computer or you phone. I definitely recommend it.

I_Bleed_B&G and Folami69, thanks for the testimony. It's been a great help, and I know who to come to when I have trouble with my slingbox

[DjTj]

Thanks. If I was in, lets say, New York, and couldn't find a bar to watch the Redskins play, how well would the slingbox work on my laptop (with the original connection here in Maryland)? Would there be a significant delay? Could I watch it on my full 15" screen with clarity, assuming I have a good broadband internet connection?

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being perfect tv quality, how would you rank the quality of the broadcast on your laptop?

And is there anything else I should know about the slingbox? Should I be waiting a certain amount of time before a new version comes out? Does it work just as well on the mac (as far as you know)?

I watched several games last season on my laptop in Memphis connected to a slingbox in Maryland. I had cable internet on both ends, and I'd honestly rate the quality at about a 6 ... it's definitely good enough to watch and enjoy a game, and I could tell what the score was, but you miss little details and it was often hard to read the clock exactly.

Overall though, the Slingbox definitely satisfied my needs, and I would definitely recommend it for the price. For regular TV, I don't even really notice any loss of quality. Unfortunately, the biggest deficiencies are fast-moving sports ... I think it would be impossible to watch hockey on a Slingbox, but with football, it's not perfect, but it definitely gets the job done.