View Full Version : Any of you heard of a slingbox?
As seen here: http://uk.slingmedia.com/page/home
I set one of these up this week - it's absolutely awesome.
Basically all you need is a broadband connection - you plug your sky/freeview/cable TV into it, then it streams over the net, and you have the receiving end (via a laptop or a PC) on your boat/flat or house abroad/friend's house whatever... and you can pick up and watch your subscribed TV. Obviously most laptops/PCs can be hooked up to a TV for a bigger picture.
This is awesome for the yachts as when they get out of the Sky spot beam (which they shouldn't legally be watching outside of the UK without a special contract ;)) they can no longer pick up UK tv. etc... So all they need is somone in the UK or the US (for example) to have one of these and they can keep watching their TV.
Obviously as boats go to different parts of the world they use different decoder boxes, DirectTV, Sky+, and others depending on the satellite service they have. However this would keep all these numerous racks of decoder boxes to a minimum. It's fantastic kit.
I'm thinking of getting here for our Freeview box, so we can watch it when we're in Cyprus (you can of course change the channel).
I'm tempted to setup a service at work have a full rack of them lashed up to hotbird (Sky satellite) and stream it for the yachts and make them pay a subscription for it.
We've used a few of them, and on a 60+ inch screen it does pixelate, but on a small 40 and less inch screen it's perfectly acceptable. You can even log onto the stream via your laptop :cool:
The clever thing is the encapsulation and modulation systems they use - they really are very clever little boxes - the stream quality is phenomenal.
If any of you have the chance to play one - try it, I'm sure you'll be impressed. :)
It's a gadget - of course I've heard of them! I almost bought one on Tuesday night but decided to order online instead.
How much upstream do they want to use? I assume you can configure that?
Flibster
10-11-2006, 19:05
They look quite cool.
Streaming to a phone is possible too. Would be great for me at work.
Simon/~Flibster
Minimum requirement upstream is 256k. But the higher you can go the better the quality of the stream.
And yes it *should* stream to anything that you can install the slingplayer on...
They do seem very very cool and they just released a client for OSX. The only issue with them is that only one person can use it at a time, which is a shame.
They do seem very very cool and they just released a client for OSX. The only issue with them is that only one person can use it at a time, which is a shame.
Yup that is a shame - but it's sensible if you think about it - most ADSL is quite weak on the upload side of things (hence the "A" ;)). I'm sure given the call for it they can release multi stream devices ... it's a bandwidth thing though ultimately being limiting factor.
Yup that is a shame - but it's sensible if you think about it - most ADSL is quite weak on the upload side of things (hence the "A" ;)). I'm sure given the call for it they can release multi stream devices ... it's a bandwidth thing though ultimately being limiting factor.
Quite true. I was thinking more of for home use on an internal network. Still, I can't imagine my parents using it that much. I'd definitely buy one if I had the cash.
Have I heard it of? Dumb question tbh. :p
I've seen it and toyed with getting one, but since my freeview box (a.k.a. media PC) has IPTV built in anyway, there wasn't any point. :p
Have I heard it of? Dumb question tbh. :p
Not really - I know a lot of techy guys who hadn't. :)
Heard of it, seen it in a box, never seen it in action. If it is as good as you say then it might be worth getting one when our house is finished as I could then stream TV in to the garden/shed/kitchen on the laptop :D
leowyatt
13-11-2006, 12:15
Saw something about the slingplayer for OS X and did some reading but not got further than that.
If anybody did want one of these, I did a google search and a discount code came up for Dixons. Enter NOW35 in the checkout and your price drops to £150 :D
I want one... but I'm saving my money at the moment :/ Dammit. :p
Same here mate, same here :/
Mine should arrive tomorrow :)
Cool, will have to let me know how well it works :)
Download Slingplayer and you'll be able to see for yourself :)
Awsome :D
I'll test it on the Mac at work too :p
Is this like a flingbang?
Just set my HTPC's DTV interface up. I can only watch it one minute at a time right now (trial license), so I'll try it properly before paying the £24.99 for it.
Has a few benefits over the Slingbox in that it'll work from any machine capable of streaming Windows Media, and it can be set to record programmes as well as watch them. :)
Mark, what is your DTV stuff based on? Hardware or software? Any info on it?
Got Slingplayer installed on the Mac in front of me now. Looks like some pretty nifty software :)
Hardware and software - http://www.nebula-electronics.com/
Ah right, Nebula. Got one of their original USB tuners sitting at home.
Yup, their latest software has IPTV support. I skipped the whole 3.5 **** (debacle) and went straight from 3.2 to 3.7. Still a networking bug to sort out, but I might go grab some beta software for that.
Apparently my Slingbox is waiting in the office for me. I'll probably detour en route to the hospital tomorrow to get it.
Apparently my Slingbox is waiting in the office for me. I'll probably detour en route to the hospital tomorrow to get it.
\o/
A worthy detour I reckon ;)
I have my slingbox. I'd forgotten just how cruddy it looks and how cheaply made it feels but that isn't really the point.
I'm out for dinner tonight but I dare say I'll be setting it up when I get home later :D
Yeah they do feel and look a bit cheap and nasty - but it's going to be great :D
Don't forgetgto send me tbe details ::p
Dymetrie
21-11-2006, 22:45
Don't forgetgto send me tbe details ::p
Jamie, don't post with your wang please....
Will and I did some testing and came to the conclusion that something isn't right with my wireless network. I don't know which AP it is (1 of them is bridging) but to save arsing about I'll make up a nice long patch cable tomorrow and try again tomorrow evening.
I gave up on streaming over a bridged wireless network, especially with WPA. Every so often (from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on circumstances) the link gets re-negotiated and the streamed video artifacts like hell.
Powerline or wired is the way to go for anything bandwidth/latency sensitive.
I hadn't thought of powerline.. it would be neater than running cat5 either around the house or down the exterior wall.
Powerline or wired is the way to go for anything bandwidth/latency sensitive.
Agreed. Though the satellite links (once streaming) do work very well.
I'm running a live DVB-T (Freeview) TS over powerline, and it seems I get virtually no drop-outs/artifacts at all now. You do need one of the higher bandwidth products to cope with that much data though.
The slingbox can stream over the internet so I don't think I'll need one of the new '200Mbit' powerline kits. I'll see if I can get a cheapie kit for now and see what happens.
What wireless kit are you using dude? I'd be looking to sort that if it was me, just knowing there were reliability issues would drill me.
A couple of Linksys WAP54G's, both brand new. I'll establish which is faulty and then have fun with RMA's.
What wireless kit are you using dude? I'd be looking to sort that if it was me, just knowing there were reliability issues would drill me.
You sound like me! ;D
But then I have a beer and give up and just plug a cable in :embarassed:
I spent several hundred £££ replacing kit at both ends (Linksys WAP54G then WRT54GS one end, Draytek 2600G then 2800G the other), high gain/directional antenna, cables to move the antenna away from anything RFI generating, etc. All to no avail. In the end I got the antenna close enough that running a Cat5 instead wouldn't have been a major stretch.
Powerline, on the other hand, just worked (save for the fact that I got a DOA unit first time around).
I'd end up 'borrowing' some of the Symbol kit from work I think. To, erm, test :D
The slightly annoying thing is that my company sells a lot of wireless kit, primarily long distance backhaul kit but also Cisco Aironet stuff. The kit is stored in our distribution centre in Frankfurt so I can't very easily borrow stuff :/
Gutted. I do actually genuinely borrow a lot of kit from work, either to help me if I have a problem or just to mess with. Tons of stuff everywhere, routers, switches, AP's, patch panels, printers... whatever really.
The bean counters don't like me having much in the way of spare kit and now that the shareholders agreed with the big bosses a capex limit for year I have to be even more careful about what stuff I buy and keep spare.
Ah well, I'll have to make do with work supplied cat5e for now.
So long as you keep a DR kit, that's the main thing I guess.
I gave the bridge a kick and it seems to be behaving itself now.
This Slingbox is a nice piece of kit!
Desmo, I'll PM you the details you need to try it out tomorrow.
It's working well :cool: You need to fine tune the slingmedia player a bit to get the best picture/audio quality, but now I had a 800x600 window streaming at 500kbps beautifully. :)
:cool:
Thanks for your help dude.
:cool:
Thanks for your help dude.
Anytime matey. :)
Cool, I'll give the OS X Sling Player a test out at work :D
From what Will and Desmo have said, it seems to be working quite well. All I need to do is setup the IR transmitter (remembering to bring it home from the office first :embarassed:) and I'll give it a proper test when I'm stuck in London at the beginning of December.
We can even watch it from mine when you come on Thursday night before Swansea! :D
Or, just maybe, and this is a bit out there....
... You could turn on your own tv, slack face :p
Or, just maybe, and this is a bit out there....
... You could turn on your own tv, slack pants :p
But that's considerably less geeky!
Or, just maybe, and this is a bit out there....
... You could turn on your own tv, slack face :p
I haven't got sky. I've only got 5 badly received terrestial analogue channels. :)
Anyway we'll be going t'pub.
And the wireless has gone tits up again. The AP (that's acting as an AP) is definately iffy, 25ms pings aren't a good thing.
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