Slingbox Support for Apple TV [Archive]

MacRumors

Apr 11, 2007, 08:08 AM

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

CNet's Gadget blog (http://news.com.com/2061-10801_3-6174606.html) had previously reported that Sling Media was working to get their SlingBox working with the Apple TV. A Sling Media employee (http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-04/remote-apple-tv-via-slingbox/) confirms that this was accurate:

Yes, I can confirm this is accurate. (I work for Sling Media.) The Slingbox currently supports over 3,000 AV devices (cable boxes, DVRs, DVD players, etc) via IR and we’ve got many more in the pipeline. For Apple TV, you’d use the component pass-thru on a Slingbox Pro with HD Connect to remotely view, or listen, to your content. Our SlingPlayer software (computer and mobile) offers an audio-only mode, so we’re not just talking iTV video here… Select an iTunes playlist, switch to audio-only if you’d like (reducing bandwidth), and listen to your music anywhere you’ve got Internet.

SlingBox (http://us.slingmedia.com/page/products.html) is media box that allows users to watch and control their home TV, DVR, or home theatre setup on a Mac or PC over the internet. CNet's Gadget blog also notes that Sling Media has been offering the ability to stream content to your mobile phone and speculates that Apple's iPhone support could be in the works.

This functionality would allow you to have your entire iTunes library available to you on your internet enabled phone (iPhone or not) without directly syncing your entire library to your phone.

Macnoviz

Apr 11, 2007, 08:12 AM

nice, so is this something for Mac and PC?

xUKHCx

Apr 11, 2007, 08:12 AM

All sounds pretty cool, but at the moment i think a little too expensive to stream(?) the music to your mobile phone.

hob

Apr 11, 2007, 08:21 AM

job

Apr 11, 2007, 08:34 AM

They say the Japanese are 10 years ahead of us here in Europe... And they have WiFi everywhere in their streets... so one would hope that eventually mobile data rates will come down... all I know is that I've been sucked dry for wanting to have a little mobile internet for the past coupla years!

Any you guys in Europe are even farther along than we are. Even if this does pan out (it's a great idea!!) it's a shame that widespread WiFi isn't really available unless you live in the larger cities. I suppose it would be far too expensive to establish a nation-wide WiFi network, but it's nice to dream isn't it?:p

pauld

Apr 11, 2007, 08:38 AM

this is practically made for people on three UK's X-series (http://www.three.co.uk/xseries/what_is_x_series.omp)

coumerelli

Apr 11, 2007, 08:58 AM

one word: convergence :cool:

Aniej

Apr 11, 2007, 09:03 AM

Don't know if anyone saw this thread a couple of days ago, but figured it would be worth putting it out there in light of this article. Question to those who are thinking of getting a SlingCatcher. (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=294153)

syklee26

Apr 11, 2007, 09:05 AM

safe to say Korea has passed Japan as the tech mecca of the world...

the problem with US having low tech all over the place has little to do with the actual advancement in technology...it's just that there are so many organizations trying to stop us from doing anything significant, such as "nooo~ mobile phone antenna is bad for our health!", "nooo~ wi-fi on the street will increase traffic accidents!" "nooo~ we need to keep things as is to sustain nostalgic value!"

until that changes, we will be in awe with Razr while Koreans and Japanese will laugh at Americans while watching TV on their cells.

Macnoviz

Apr 11, 2007, 09:13 AM

Any you guys in Europe are even farther along than we are. Even if this does pan out (it's a great idea!!) it's a shame that widespread WiFi isn't really available unless you live in the larger cities. I suppose it would be far too expensive to establish a nation-wide WiFi network, but it's nice to dream isn't it?:p

Not over here in Flanders (Belgium) our population is very dense, and the Flemish governement is considering a nation-wide WiFi network

massiv

Apr 11, 2007, 09:25 AM

safe to say Korea has passed Japan as the tech mecca of the world...

the problem with US having low tech all over the place has little to do with the actual advancement in technology...it's just that there are so many organizations trying to stop us from doing anything significant, such as "nooo~ mobile phone antenna is bad for our health!", "nooo~ wi-fi on the street will increase traffic accidents!" "nooo~ we need to keep things as is to sustain nostalgic value!"

I think it has more to do with financial interests rather than health concerns. And we need to remember that the US is a huge country in comparison to a lot of these "advanced" countries. Much more of our population by % is spread out into rural areas. We will get there, it will just take some time and huge investments.

syklee26

Apr 11, 2007, 09:35 AM

I think it has more to do with financial interests rather than health concerns. And we need to remember that the US is a huge country in comparison to a lot of these "advanced" countries. Much more of our population by % is spread out into rural areas. We will get there, it will just take some time and huge investments.

i can see your point. however, Korea's tech advancement is mainly concentrated in Seoul, the capital and the biggest city of Korea. if you compare Seoul to, let's say, New York, the difference is pretty large. Also, Seoul is much bigger than New York sizewise.

DB2k

Apr 11, 2007, 10:00 AM

this is practically made for people on three UK's X-series (http://www.three.co.uk/xseries/what_is_x_series.omp)

Do any other networks even support it in the UK?
I work for a company which maintains and supports the 3UK network and I thought the sling stuff was pretty good when I had a play a few months ago.

princealfie

Apr 11, 2007, 10:01 AM

atszyman

Apr 11, 2007, 10:07 AM

All sounds pretty cool, but at the moment i think a little too expensive to stream(?) the music to your mobile phone.

What I'd really like to see is an inverse relationship as well. Allow the :apple: TV to control a Sling Box to distribute a DVR to other rooms in your house.

:apple: TV is cheap enough to be tempting if all you're trying to do is build a small multi-media PC to get DVR functionality into a room that does not currently have it. Combined with a Sling Box you can now use the living room TIVO as the DVR and the :apple: TV to access it in another room.

I know this ties up the TIVO to be watching what is being accessed remotely but for instances where only one person is watching but needs to be in a different room it opens up possibilities.

Howmanoid

Apr 11, 2007, 10:28 AM

nice, so is this something for Mac and PC?

This will work with any :apple:TV, regardless of whether a Mac or a PC is serving up content to it. All this is saying is that Sling is going to be able to take a video and audio feed from :apple:TV and then send IR control signals back to it via its IR blaster. This is exactly what Sling does today with other set top boxes. The only real :apple:TV news here is that they will be adding the IR codes for the :apple:TV (which you'd expect them to be doing for most new TV interface devices.

It's a nice to have but it's not any great integration or unusual commitment to Apple on their part.

twoodcc

Apr 11, 2007, 10:56 AM

glad to see others supporting :) the whole iPhone thing would be nice as well....but i probably wouldn't use this thing though

slffl

Apr 11, 2007, 11:32 AM

I was confused about this story at first. As it seems others are.

This isn't a Slingplayer client for the aTV. This is only a remote and IR codes for current Slingplayer clients.

Not surprising, and not very newsworthy IMO.

Di9it8

Apr 11, 2007, 11:33 AM

safe to say Korea has passed Japan as the tech mecca of the world...

What about any city in mainland China??:D

j26

Apr 11, 2007, 11:35 AM

Not over here in Flanders (Belgium) our population is very dense...
You should really put the money into education then ;)

donlphi

Apr 11, 2007, 12:12 PM

I am at the airport right now using my slingbox w/ my macbook pro and a connection with my Bluetooth enabled A900 (not EVDO rev. A). I cannot wait until they add the APPLE TV remote. It will be exactly what we (I) need.

Unfortunately, I don't see the iPHONE being able to use slingbox anytime soon (this is very sad). I would see them sooner try to develope their own iSLING or add a function to their APPLE TV.

I have seen Slingbox work on a MacBook Pro (intel), my office DELL, a treo running Windows or Palm OS and on a PPC-6700 (looks and sounds amazing).

There are two types of people in the world. People that OWN a Slingbox and people that WANT a Slingbox.

Here's a screenshot from the airport today. Now if we could just get internet in the air. Hmmmm...

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g137/donlphi/655b9ae5.jpg

derivativemusic

Apr 11, 2007, 12:49 PM

A couple of things.

First, what Slingbox does is stream whatever it's fed onto the internet, from where you can access it with their player software. They also have control software, although I'm confused how that would work if you're not using their tuner (i.e. if your tuner is in a satellite or cable box).

But it's also worth mentioning that we have high speed broadband access in the US right now. It's called EV-DO, also known as 3G, and Verizon and Sprint offer it. There's also slower internet access, offered by Cingular and others, called EDGE. That's the one the iPhone will use, of course, and it's the one that's used in Europe (on the edge of the GSM cell phone band they use; EV-DO is on the edge of the CDMA band we also have in the US).

So you don't need Wi-Fi for this.

Next, from what I can see, Slingbox' player software doesn't work on Mac OS X or Palm OS. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Hopefully so.

What I wonder is whether this is a good solution for watching TV on a 30" Cinema display, which only has dual-link DVI input. I've been looking for a solution for that.

matticus008

Apr 11, 2007, 01:05 PM

What I wonder is whether this is a good solution for watching TV on a 30" Cinema display, which only has dual-link DVI input. I've been looking for a solution for that.
Well, the AppleTV doesn't have dual-link output, so you'll be looking for quite a long time.

Aniej

Apr 11, 2007, 01:16 PM

Does anyone know what's up with the SlingCatcher in terms of availability and whether or not it will be able to stream anything from my laptop to the tv, i.e., the ability to show a word doc or web page I am on, or will it only send the same kind of digital media, i.e., music, movies, etc. as apple tv? The reason I am asking is earlier in a press release sling media had made it sound like it could send anything, now it sounds like it can only do apple tv type.

Next, from what I can see, Slingbox' player software doesn't work on Mac OS X or Palm OS. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Hopefully so.

Your hope came true. not only is Mac OS supported, they have an entire support section and FAQ (http://us.slingmedia.com/page/slingplayermacsupport.html) dedicated to apple.

Aniej

Apr 11, 2007, 01:35 PM

forget this company what a pain in the butt. I just got off the phone with support and they are completely changing the slingcatcher to the way I was hoping it would not go as described above. :(

looks like it is back to the old hook the mac mini up to my tv plan.

Di9it8

Apr 11, 2007, 02:07 PM

Here's a screenshot from the airport today. Now if we could just get internet in the air. Hmmmm...

If I am right Cathay Pacific are about to launch an on board internet service.
They already have laptop power in economy;)

Thanatoast

Apr 11, 2007, 02:37 PM

You know, iTunes itself used to have this capability back around version 4.x. It was removed at the behest of the majors, I recal< because people were actually using the feature. There's no reason Apple couldn't re-enable streaming over the internet. Heck, they could even have iTunes check with your device (iPhone) and the Store to see if you're allowed to play the files on your machine.

This would be a killer app.

atszyman

Apr 11, 2007, 03:31 PM

First, what Slingbox does is stream whatever it's fed onto the internet, from where you can access it with their player software. They also have control software, although I'm confused how that would work if you're not using their tuner (i.e. if your tuner is in a satellite or cable box).

The non-tuner Slingboxes (along with the tuner one if I'm not mistaken) have an IR interface that allows you to control your cable box, sattelite tuner or DVR and will take the output of that device (much like the tuner would take the antenna/cable signal) and stream it to the net.

donlphi

Apr 11, 2007, 04:39 PM

The non-tuner Slingboxes (along with the tuner one if I'm not mistaken) have an IR interface that allows you to control your cable box, sattelite tuner or DVR and will take the output of that device (much like the tuner would take the antenna/cable signal) and stream it to the net.

That IS what it does. There is an IR interface that literally sits in front of your cable box or whatever you are controlling and when you tell the slingbox you want to change channels, it does.

Not that complex at all.

I know I seem like the only Slingbox Fanboy on the planet right now, but somebody has to back me up on it's greatness. It is truly remarkable.

It has changed the way we can watch TV or anything. NO EXTRA FEE FOR USING IT, NO SUBSCRIPTION NECESSARY (or available). If you just have antenna, you can connect to your local stations (make sure you get the correct model for that). It's great.

I pay nearly $150 a month in cable bills and internet. There is no way I'm going to continue paying every time I want to watch an episode of a show. How many times are you going to watch it?

Ask anybody that owns one?

I'm now at my shotty hotel and I get about 4 stations PLUS my cable back home. THANK YOU SLINGBOX. YOU ARE THE BEST <WINK> <CHEESY SMILE>

:D

atszyman

Apr 11, 2007, 04:48 PM

I know I seem like the only Slingbox Fanboy on the planet right now, but somebody has to back me up on it's greatness. It is truly remarkable.

I'm sure I'd love it, and I do want one but the budget is a bit tight at the moment as we prepare to lose one income and add to our family. I think it would be worth it alone for the ability to remotely access/program our DirecTiVO (I wish I could get the TiVO to go updates for it). It would also be nice when we're out of town to watch shows on our own time rather than at either of our parents house where there are no DVRs.

That being said I'd love to see the :apple:TV add the inverse support so you could access your Slingbox remotely. Pack up the :apple:TV and you could plug it into any TV you're near and watch stuff off your home DVR/Cable wherever you are. And for $300 the :apple:TV is a bit cheaper (and much smaller) than building a small multimedia PC to do the same thing.

slffl

Apr 11, 2007, 04:50 PM

I will attest to Slingboxs' greatness. That's why in the iPhone forum thread about people's dream iPhone app, I said SLINGPLAYER! :)

I REALLY thought Apple was going to build this into the aTV. Man that would have been awesome.

japanime

Apr 11, 2007, 05:33 PM

Another Slingbox fan here. It allows me to watch my favorite major-league baseball team's telecasts live here in Japan (where NHK, the broadcaster that owns the rights to ALL public broadcasts of MLB games, only shows Yankees, Red Sox or Mariners games).

stompy

Apr 11, 2007, 05:35 PM

atszyman

Apr 11, 2007, 05:37 PM

Huh? "Not go as described above?"

I think he means that you can't use the SlingBox to take content from your computer and display it on the TV.

TheotherJoseph

Apr 11, 2007, 06:05 PM

scrambledwonder

Apr 11, 2007, 06:18 PM

They say the Japanese are 10 years ahead of us here in Europe... And they have WiFi everywhere in their streets... so one would hope that eventually mobile data rates will come down... all I know is that I've been sucked dry for wanting to have a little mobile internet for the past coupla years!

The Japanese may have WiFi for their cell phones, but they are seriously lacking WiFi hotspots for laptop access. I traveled in Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) recently and it was nearly impossible to find a WiFi connection anywhere. Compare that to, say, Seattle, where every coffee shop has free WiFi access.

And anyway, who wants to surf the internet on their phones? Ugh.

Thanatoast

Apr 11, 2007, 09:02 PM

The Japanese may have WiFi for their cell phones, but they are seriously lacking WiFi hotspots for laptop access. I traveled in Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) recently and it was nearly impossible to find a WiFi connection anywhere. Compare that to, say, Seattle, where every coffee shop has free WiFi access.

And anyway, who wants to surf the internet on their phones? Ugh.

People who don't carry laptops everywhere...

atszyman

Apr 11, 2007, 11:48 PM

Question for the slingbox owners....

Can this be used with basic cable without a cable box...

I would like to hook one of these up at my grandfathers house so I can watch my beloved colts instead of paying for Sunday ticket every year..

You need to get the tuner version but it could work if you plugged that into any basic cable socket. With the AV boxes (no tuner) you'd be hijacking his TV since the box takes control of the cable box/DVR and the TV would only be able to watch whatever the remote access person was watching. With a tuner box and basic cable you might be able to get around that. Since the Sling box has a tuner you could use an unused cable outlet and watch whatever channel you wanted.

Macnoviz

Apr 12, 2007, 03:46 AM

You should really put the money into education then ;)

I didn't even know that meaning of dense, maybe we should do that.
or, maybe not (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUMmTs0ZA) (read the description)

derivativemusic

Apr 12, 2007, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by derivativemusic
What I wonder is whether this is a good solution for watching TV on a 30" Cinema display, which only has dual-link DVI input. I've been looking for a solution for that."
Well, the AppleTV doesn't have dual-link output, so you'll be looking for quite a long time.

Except that we're not talking about AppleTV (presumably iTV?), we're talking about Slingback. My Rube Goldberg idea is for Slingback to broadcast the TV signal over the net to my computer, which does have a dual-link output.

The best alternative - affordable alternative, that is - is to capture the output of the satellite box over FireWire using my Canpus ADVC 100. That's also Rube Goldberg, of course.