Television On The Go
When I was growing up, the biggest thing in television was the ability to watch
The Slingbox is a device measuring 10.6 by 4 inches that more resembles a big piece of chocolate than a state of the art video streaming adapter. It will connect to almost any video player using coaxial, S-video and or composite RCA video inputs and it can work with over 5,000 different cable and satellite boxes. The Slingbox will support to three different video devices, however the S-Video and composite RCA video must share the same audio input. For example you can connect your cable satellite box and your DVD player so you can watch video from either source. If you have a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) you can even control it remotely to stop and start recording. The next connection is to your home network. The device requires at least 256Kbps upstream speed, however, the faster the better. Most homes do not have an Ethernet connection in the living room next to the television. Slingmedia has the solution. For a hundred dollars you can purchase a pair of the Slinglink adapters. These adapters turn your homes’ electrical wiring into an extension of your network. Plug one in the back the Slingbox’s RJ-45 connection then plug it in the electrical wall outlet. Plug the other adapter into a wall outlet next to your broadband router, then plug it into the router and presto, your Slingbox is connected to the internet.
Once the Slingbox is connected to your video source and to the internet, you are now ready to setup your desktop PC, Laptop, PDA or smartphone. Only one user can connect and watch the streaming video at a time, however you can download the Slingplayer software for free on as many PCs as you desire. SlingPlayer Mobile, software needed for PDAs and smart phones, is available for users to download as a beta version. If the SlingBox is purchased prior to 26 April 2006, users will be able to register it for free, after this date there will be a $29.99 charge. Mobile users can literally watch TV anywhere they have a network connection using their smart phone and high-speed cellular services such as WiFi.
How does it work? Let’s review; the SlingBox is connected to your video source(s), the internet, the Slingplayer software is installed and configured on your computer, we can now start watching television anywhere you have a high-speed internet connection. The software continuously monitors your remote network connection and optimizes the video playback to avoid choppiness. The Slingplayer software has a virtual remote on your computer allowing you to control everything, including turning on a device, changing a channel, to setting up the DVR for recording and playback of your favorite television show. If you don’t like what is on cable TV, the software allows the user to easily switch between the cable receiver, to another device, like a DVD player. Only one person can control the video source at time. If people are home, they will watch the same video that you will be streaming remotely. Slingbox: Watch and Control your TV…(n.d.)
The retail cost of the Slingbox is around $250.00, with no monthly access charges. Users will have the ability to take their home television programming on the road with them…literally anywhere. Slingmedia has taken full advantage of users growing desire to watch television, the advent broadband internet connections and the latest technology in portable computers. This new award winning gadget defiantly changes the way we watch television.
David Bourassa
Tags: computers, slingbox, Streaming Video
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