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PlaceShiftingWithSlingBox

SLINGBOX. A TV THAT FOLLOWS YOU EVERYWHERE?

The idea, introduced in 2005 from start-up SlingMedia, is the digital solution for “place-shifting,” or having programming content forwarded to different devices so it moves with you.

Slingbox streams live video from a source device to remote devices. You attach it to your TV setup (cable, satellite, or broadcast) and bridge that content to the other devices you’d like to use to watch television (primarily a mobile phone and a laptop). The Slingbox allows you to control your television setup from afar (whether it’s from another room in the house or a hotel room in another city) and bring your favorite content to your laptop or mobile phone.

Users get an on-screen remote to change channels on the home TV and gain full access to DVR functioning to record programming and play back recorded programs. Anything you can do at home using your remote control, you can do from a compatible computer or mobile phone equipped with an Internet connection. You don’t have to leave your TV on, just keep the Internet connection and the programming source (the Cable or Satellite box) open. It even includes infrared broadcasters so you can remotely control your DVD player from, say, Hong Kong.

THE BOX PART: You buy it once for about $200. No monthly fees. No setup charges. The box is basically a router that sends content to the other devices through a broadband cable or DSL high-speed Internet connection. There are a couple of different models for the box itself. Most allow only one source for video content at a time (the TV). Some make HD content capable. And others make up to four sources of both HD and standard content available to all supported remote video players (on mobile phones and laptops). It’s Apple-friendly, but not PSP.

THE LAPTOP PART: Mac and PC-friendly software is free to download on an unlimited number of laptops. However, only one user can access the TV and its programming at any given time.

THE MOBILE PHONE PART: This mobile software has a download charge (about $30) for each handset. With the Slingbox software loaded onto a mobile device, users can watch their TV and all of its programming on a cell phone or PDA, affording all-around-the-world mobility. Service is limited to Windows Mobile, Palm OS or Symbian cell phones.

REMOTE CONFLICT: If a someone else is home watching other programming, there may be a problem unless the user has a “pro” setup (more than one channel). The resolution for “remote conflict” is to have the Slingbox setup connected to a TV that isn’t the primary household TV.

OVER WI-FI: Reviews say, “Watching home TV over a Wi-Fi connection, the shows are actually quite good. The picture is sometimes pixelated, especially when the image is changing rapidly, but it's better than you probably think.”

OVER CELLULAR NETWORKS: Reviews say, “Works pretty well over cellular-wireless networks (with EV-DO support) …the screen is small and low resolution, but the picture was definitely viewable.”

DOES THIS REALLY WORK? If you're in a place with a real TV, you'll be happier watching that. But for places without real TVs, (Airports, hospital waiting rooms, and trains), SlingPlayer Mobile can keep you from losing your mind out of boredom. If you do a lot of traveling, it's better than watching nothing.

PROS: Easy to set up Cheap at $200 Pretty viewable results on handhelds and PCs

CONS: Quality limited by your home's broadband upstream bandwidth You must have an all-you-can-eat data plan on your phone One person at a time can access remotely (unless / Pro version) Who but road warriors and transient couch potatoes really need this thing?

COMPETITION: None really. The only other systems that offer placeshifting are iPod Video and TiVo-To-Go, which offer desktop software to send shows you’ve already recorded to a networked computer or to any wireless laptop, then encode them for a compatible handheld device. Lots of work compared to Slingbox.