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 I love visiting my daughter and her family in Sweden. In fact, I love a lot of things about Sweden. It's just that watching Swedish television isn't one of them. After a few days, I always long for some good old American TV.
Now technology has come to my rescue!! This handy device lets me watch my home television in Sweden, or just about anyplace else in the world.
A product that I am currently reviewing has, believe it or not, solved my problem. I recently hooked up a new device called a Slingbox. It allows me to watch my home television on an Internet connected computer anywhere in the world. Imagine that! I can watch my home television while sitting in my daughter’s living room in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Slingbox is a small (approximately 4” by 10” by 1 ½”) device that hooks up to your television and your Internet router. It beams your television signal to the Internet where you can watch it on any Internet-connected Windows PC. You can watch your home television at a local hot spot or from a hotel room in China. The Slingbox works with live TV, satellite receiver, and cable connection or cable box, as well as video from a digital video recorder.
It is fairly easy to set up the Slingbox. First you connect the Slingbox to your video source. Then you connect the Slingbox to the router from your home network. All the necessary cables are included. The third step is the installation of the SlingPlayer software on the computer you want to use to view the programming.
All this is easy if you have a universal plug-and-play (UPnP) router. With this newer type of router everything will be set up automatically. Older routers, and those without UPnP will require extra steps. Yet, the instructions for this type of setup are detailed and thorough.
Installation is also easier if your router and TV source are close proximity. If you want to use a wireless network or your router and TV source are in different rooms, the hookup gets a bit more complicated, and you may need additional equipment. Luckily the Sling Media technical support staff is both knowledgeable and helpful.
Once the Slingbox is setup, all you do is start the password-protected SlingPlayer program on your computer. An on-screen remote control allows you to change channels so you can watch any program that you get on your home television. If you have a TIVO or other digital video recorder you can also watch recorded television. You can even program your recorder remotely from the Slingbox program. The Slingbox is also compatible with Windows mobile devices, so if you have a compatible PDA or cell phone and Internet service plan, you can also watch the Slingbox TV on a portable device.
The Slingbox works great. Picture quality is dependent on the computer used, as well as the amount of bandwidth of the Internet connection. If you have a broadband connection the picture will be at least adequate and in some cases quite good. The size of the video on your computer screen can be decreased to give greater clarity over a slower connection or increased for easier viewing when you have a better connection.
Only one computer can watch the Slingbox connection at any given time. However if the Slingbox is connected to a television (you can also connect it directly to your TV input without a television), you and a Slingbox viewer can watch the same thing. Both the remote user and the in-home viewer will be able to change channels, so you may have to watch out for an unusual war of the remote control.
This is amazing technology that works quite well. The picture quality on a new Windows XP laptop over my daughter’s broadband connection was excellent, only slightly grainier than my regular television. I had no trouble following and enjoying the Canes games that I watched.
The Slingbox has a multitude of applications. Perhaps you would like to catch that big game on TV while you work at the office. Or maybe you would like to watch TV in the basement, garage, patio, or other area where you don’t have a television. Maybe you would like to watch that local news from your out-of-town hotel room. Slingbox is the answer to all of these scenarios.
One of the best things about the Slingbox is that there are no monthly fees. Just purchase the Slingbox and watch as much and for as long as you like.
The Slingbox is in the running for the ultimate high-tech device. It’s not for everyone, but many television lovers will be excited enough to take advantage of this wonderful technology. I am one of them.
Update: The Slingbox now comes in several versions including those capable of handling high definition TV.
Slingbox Pro
Original: Review Date: June 17, 2006
Updated: October 23, 2007
Price: $229
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