Mac gurus...
I know little about Macs, but I know a bit about the Slingbox (and the SlingPlayer client software -- my company runs the SlingCommunity site -- the official community for the slingbox). Anyway, I stumbled upon a closed conversation about Mac and the slingbox with a number of unanswered questions in it re: the new SlingPlayer client for Mac, and wanted to try to offer some info...
Mac-Addict wrote: Can you record tv from your slingplayer?
SlingPlayer is a viewing tool. It's designed to allow you to stream your TV signal over the network (LAN or Internet) to a client device like a laptop or smartphone. It does not, however, have DVR functionality that allows you to record the signal once it gets decoded on the client side. Preferred architecture is that you hook your slingbox up to your DVR (TiVo or whatever). There's a decent blurb about this in this DVR accessories article on another of our sites.
alwaysaangle wrote: So you have to already have a TV/cable box and cable sbscription for this to work?
Yes. The slingbox is a little device that hooks to whatever other devices you already have. Best use is with a DVR (IMO), but some use it with security cameras, DVD players, direct connection to cable box, whatever. It takes whatever signal you plug into it, and pushes it across the network (with a patented compression algorithm designed to give you maximum performance for whatever bandwidth you have to work with). Fancy sounding algorithm works pretty well too, in my experience.
So, the bad news is that you have to continue to pay for your existing TV service. The good news is that there is NO monthly service fee with the slingbox. Buy it once and use it forever with no lingering fees. (That's my favorite feature, I have to say.)
I'll monitor this thread and am happy to answer other questions. Of course, I recommend posting questions like this in the forums on SlingCommunity.com (there's also a SlingPlayer for Mac forum specifically), as there are SO many experts there that blow my knowledge of both the Mac and the slingbox out of the water.
Have fun checking out the slingbox!
I know little about Macs, but I know a bit about the Slingbox (and the SlingPlayer client software -- my company runs the SlingCommunity site -- the official community for the slingbox). Anyway, I stumbled upon a closed conversation about Mac and the slingbox with a number of unanswered questions in it re: the new SlingPlayer client for Mac, and wanted to try to offer some info...
Mac-Addict wrote: Can you record tv from your slingplayer?
SlingPlayer is a viewing tool. It's designed to allow you to stream your TV signal over the network (LAN or Internet) to a client device like a laptop or smartphone. It does not, however, have DVR functionality that allows you to record the signal once it gets decoded on the client side. Preferred architecture is that you hook your slingbox up to your DVR (TiVo or whatever). There's a decent blurb about this in this DVR accessories article on another of our sites.
alwaysaangle wrote: So you have to already have a TV/cable box and cable sbscription for this to work?
Yes. The slingbox is a little device that hooks to whatever other devices you already have. Best use is with a DVR (IMO), but some use it with security cameras, DVD players, direct connection to cable box, whatever. It takes whatever signal you plug into it, and pushes it across the network (with a patented compression algorithm designed to give you maximum performance for whatever bandwidth you have to work with). Fancy sounding algorithm works pretty well too, in my experience.
So, the bad news is that you have to continue to pay for your existing TV service. The good news is that there is NO monthly service fee with the slingbox. Buy it once and use it forever with no lingering fees. (That's my favorite feature, I have to say.)
I'll monitor this thread and am happy to answer other questions. Of course, I recommend posting questions like this in the forums on SlingCommunity.com (there's also a SlingPlayer for Mac forum specifically), as there are SO many experts there that blow my knowledge of both the Mac and the slingbox out of the water.
Have fun checking out the slingbox!
