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Is the Slingbox the way forward for TV on a Macbook Pro?

K

koops

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 18, 2007
169
0
London
Has anyone got a singbox for their macbook pro / macbook? I just have a couple of questions:

1) - what is the quality of TV like?

2) - has anyone linked it to a skyplus box?

3) - can you view another channel at home and whilst watching a differnet chanel on on the laptop?

anyone who can provide feedback on the slingbox would be much appreciated!

P.S: I didn't consider eyetv because i take it you would have to carry an aerial around with you and the recption would not be that good? please correct me if im wrong?
 
1) The quality is OK. It all depends on your home internet's upstream bandwidth. If that sucks than the picture is not so great.

2) No

3) Yes you can view another channel on the slingbox as opposed to the actual tv. Just hook up a splitter and have one cable go to the slingbox and one go to the tv.
 
Does slingbox work with a digital box? I have a Verizon FIOS HD stb/dvr and was wondering if I could view the stuff on my dvr through a slingbox.
 
Slinbox will work with hd content. HD streaming will require more upstream bandwidth but you I assume have fios internet as well which is a much larger pipe than I got with comcrap
 
odinsride said:
Does slingbox work with a digital box? I have a Verizon FIOS HD stb/dvr and was wondering if I could view the stuff on my dvr through a slingbox.
Click to expand...

I just bought the Slingbox AV for my digital box -- It's awesome, the quality is great -- well atleast as good as it can be --- remember NTSC is 640x480 so fullscreen mode on even a 17 inch iMac will look fuzzy when you are sitting upclose --- but when I sit back (3m with 17 inch iMac it doesn't look worse then it does on any other TV i've had this digital box connected to.

I have total control of the cable box from within the computer aswell so the box is tucked away.

My advice -- get a wireless keyboard/mouse --- so that you can operate from a comfortable sitting location --- NEXT Step for the company is a universal remote control set up -- but until then --- this is the best solution i've found
 
for HD content you will need the Slingbox PRO rather then AV

i didn't subscribe to HD so it wasn't worth the extra 100$ for the PRO
 
Thanks for the replies, am I right in thinkning there is a different version for the mac called the slingbox player? or is the pc version the same as the mac?
 
I love my slingbox, it is everything and more than what i expected. I have a miglia tv micro to record tv to my macbook when i am at home, and the slingbox to watch shows when i am on the road. Remember you need to make sure your internet speed is up to par for it though!!
 
Slingbox rules. I have been slinging since it came out in the states. My slingbox is connected to my Digital Cable in my apartment in NYC, so that I can watch NFL games in London. I don't know what I would do without it.

As far as the HD questions go... The only thing the HD box does is allow you to watch your HD content at home through the sling without losing your HD signal. It is IMPOSSIBLE to stream HD content. (at least at the moment... bring on the fibre optics)

You can watch one thing on your sling while somone at your home watches something else ONLY if you have dual tuners on your box.

B
 
i have Comcast digital cable with HD chanels. im thinking about getting a slingbox but i also have a couple of questions.

1. will comcast work with it?
2. will hd chanels broadcast?
3. whats dual tuners, because i need it to have me watching one chanel and the person at home watching another, is that hard to set up?
 
Can slingbox be used via local intranet? I would primarily only want to use it within my local network, and not from outside locations. Reason is so I can watch TV in my room from my MBP without actually having a TV in here.

I'd assume HD streaming would be no problem if local network streaming is allowed.
 
Dual tuners... or a cheap splitter through the sling box should work fine for viewing two different channels.

yes you can broadcast it over the intranet.. there is an option to use remote viewing as well, although I've never really used it, however I use it all the time on my computer while my parents are using the tv in the living room without any problem.

We have comcast at home. It works dandily. You can also watch Tivo content and comcast dvr content with it too.
 
odinsride said:
Can slingbox be used via local intranet? I would primarily only want to use it within my local network, and not from outside locations. Reason is so I can watch TV in my room from my MBP without actually having a TV in here.

I'd assume HD streaming would be no problem if local network streaming is allowed.
Click to expand...

Yes you can watch it locally. The quality is very good when doing so.

B
 
I have a slingbox pro setup in the US and I have been watching TV programs remotely in Japan for the past couple of weeks. The hotel I am staying in has a really fast internet connection. The picture quality is very good. Better than I originally expected. I have a pretty fast upload speed which really helps with remote viewing. As mentioned before, if your upload speed is really slow the picture quality for remote viewing will be really poor.

I am pretty impressed with Slingbox and wish it were around a few years back. I could have been watching US TV programs here in Japan a long time ago.
 
1- If I'm using digital cable, do you still need a splitter to watch different channels via slingox than other people are watching at home?

2- Can you access the on-screen guide?

3- Can you play recorded DVR (I've got Comcast DVR), or can you also record?
 
tpete said:
1- If I'm using digital cable, do you still need a splitter to watch different channels via slingox than other people are watching at home?

2- Can you access the on-screen guide?

3- Can you play recorded DVR (I've got Comcast DVR), or can you also record?
Click to expand...

1 - I don't think you can split a digital signal of any type. The way my DishTV 625 box works, I just get the 2 tuners.

2 - you see and control exactly what is on your TV. The slingbox comes with a wire that has IR emmiters on it, so its EXACTLY like using your remote.

3 - see 2

the slingbox is just like having a video camera pointed at your TV that you watch, and also a remote control that stretches across the world. ANYTHING your TV and remote does, the slingbox does. If you can do it from your real remote, you can do it from the virtual remote.

It's really that awesome. I just got one today, it works great on my LAN, and also I am using it at work. I can't believe it was only $129.
 
I will be getting one, but am waiting on the update that will have the HD dongle built in. That will save $50 and i believe it is smaller.
 
Is the HD tuner required if you want to use it with HD channels? There's no way that an HD signal is going to stream over the internet worth a crap.
 
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