Slingbox for $150 (Possibly $100 after PM)

[govtcheez75]

The Slingbox is on sale this week at Best Buy for $150. I just bought one yesterday and must say that I don't know how I've gone this long without one. It's gotta be one of the greatest recent invesntions! It allows you to watch you cable channels from anywhere there's a broadband connection (i.e. WiFi or EVDO) using your laptop or phone! It works great on my PPC 6700 and I am looking forward to being able to watch college and pro football from the golf course this season!

The slingbox is also on sale this week at CompUSA for $200-$50 rebate. Some people have been able to successfully PM the $150 price from Best Buy AND getting the Rebate. Not sure if this works, so it's YMMV, but even at $150 (no rabates) from Best Buy...it's an awesome deal and a must have product in my opionion.

*edit* forgot to mention the best part: There is no hidden fees like subscription fees. To get it working with you mobile device (Mobile Windows or Smart Phones), you have to buy the mobile software for $30, but that's it.

 

[neovan]

How would it affect playback if you have a slow upload connection?

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: neovan
How would it affect playback if you have a slow upload connection?

Not sure...I think my upload is pretty slow (regular Comcast Broadband), and it works pretty well.

 

[Homerboy]

I've always been interested in devices like these... then I found www.orb.com for free
does everything the slingbox does pretty much

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I've always been interested in devices like these... then I found www.orb.com for free
does everything the slingbox does pretty much

interesting. Maybe I'll check it out and compare.

here are some shots of slingbox in action on my ppc 6700...the quality is not as bad as it seems in this picture. My camera does not take very good photos of close (macro) moving pictures...I doubt any other camera does either:
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
In Full Screen Mode

 

[cheapherk]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
I've always been interested in devices like these... then I found www.orb.com for free
does everything the slingbox does pretty much

You don't need a TV Tuner in your computer with Slingbox as you do with orb.com

Slingbox requirements: You must have...

* TV Source (antenna, cable, satellite, DVR, DVD, or video camera)
* Ethernet Connection from your Slingbox to your (wired or wireless) router via
o Ethernet cable or jack
o Wireless game adapter or bridge
o Powerline ethernet bridge
* Laptop or desktop PC with Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP
* Broadband Internet Connection (required for remote use only)

 

[imported_BS]

I really like the idea of this but not being on the road dont have much use for it.

 

[govtcheez75]

so I downloaded Orb and tried it out last night to compare to Slingbox. Here are my conclusions:
TV Stream functionality doesn't even compare. Watching TV with Orb is not an enjoyable experience. It streams to a MUCH smaller size (don't know if that's adjustable), the video quality is MUCH worse and you have to jump through hoops to change the channel....and it's very slow. It's controlled via a browser, so you have to go back into your browser and click on a link to change the channel rather than click on channel up, channel down, etc...

But...it's free (if you have a TV Tuner card that's compatible).

Orb also does other things that Slingbox cannot do, which is stream any other media (pictures, music, video clips, porn downloads, etc..) which is pretty cool...but again, it's limited to the smaller size and not-so-great feed quality.

All in all, I think they're both pretty cool. Another potential downside to Orb is that you have to have you computer at home (server/host) on at all time. I will keep Slingbox to watch TV on (I think it's well worth the $150 + $30), and keep Orb to access other things on my computer.

 

[Homerboy]

Encoding size and quality has to do with your CPU horsepower and upstream bandwidth. Orb calculates the best size/compression to use based on those things.
Technically I'm willing to be Orb was inititally designed for streaming the media on your HDD then as an afterthought/secondary function stream live TV. Personally, in most cases I'd rather stream my media then TV itself, so Orb works nicely. Honestly the picture quailty on the Orb playing my recorded media is pretty damned good overall I'd say for my measly 40K upload speed.

Obviously, Slingbox, a machine desinged SPECIFICALLY for streamng live media is going to have the upperhand in doing so... but Orb takes the lead when talking full media options.

 

[govtcheez75]

Originally posted by: Homerboy
Encoding size and quality has to do with your CPU horsepower and upstream bandwidth. Orb calculates the best size/compression to use based on those things.
Technically I'm willing to be Orb was inititally designed for streaming the media on your HDD then as an afterthought/secondary function stream live TV. Personally, in most cases I'd rather stream my media then TV itself, so Orb works nicely. Honestly the picture quailty on the Orb playing my recorded media is pretty damned good overall I'd say for my measly 40K upload speed.

Obviously, Slingbox, a machine desinged SPECIFICALLY for streamng live media is going to have the upperhand in doing so... but Orb takes the lead when talking full media options.

Yeah...I like Orb and it's a neat little program...and FREE. It's also cool that you can access it anywhere your have internet and a browser (so it may be ideal for those that go to those internet cafes and use public computers, or want to access their media from their friend's computer) and you don't have to install a seperate program as you do for Sling. I just like the Sling user interface and video quality MUCH better. I have very good upload and a fast processor, so those shouldn't really be a factor for me.

 

[kki000]

ORB <> Slingbox.

Its a great app, but it does not do the same thing. One of the best features of the sbox is its ability to simulate your actual remote control. This is critical if you have a set top box or a dvr. The abilty to interact with my tivo is a crucial element of how i use this thing. I believe you might be able to something similar with an ir blaster addon at least with some of the other free video stream apps, but it will not come close to the ease of use of the sbox.

With the prices of the sling coming down every few months, the price advantage of the "free" applications degrades. Orb requries a ~20-30 dollar video addin card, plus your computer cycles. For 150 the sbox wins each and ever time, imho.

Ive had a video capable htpc rig that would have let me run an orb like service for probably over 4 years, i never got around to setting it up. Took me all of 10 minutes to setup the sbox, and iI watch my own tivo wherever theres internet.

Wherever godforsaken destination my wife drags me to, whether its the inlaws or a stupid b and b, as long as theres internet access, i can relax to my family guy recordings on my tivo and watch my local mets games.

I would have gladly pay 5x the cost of this thing to do what it does. Watching the simpsons on the shitter... priceless.

 

[superHARD]

cool idea...but not for me

 

[amdskip]

So basically I could setup Orb on a computer at home with a tv tuner and then watch tv at work inside a web browser?

 

[V00D00]

edit

 

[kki000]

Originally posted by: amdskip
So basically I could setup Orb on a computer at home with a tv tuner and then watch tv at work inside a web browser?

If you dont have a cable or a satelite set top box, yer all set. Theres prob a plugin to install on the browser and firewalls/proxies might prevent some traffic at work.

Sling uses a standalone app and is blocked by firewall/prooxies as well.

 

[dquan97]

Originally posted by: kki000
ORB <> Slingbox.

Its a great app, but it does not do the same thing. One of the best features of the sbox is its ability to simulate your actual remote control. This is critical if you have a set top box or a dvr. The abilty to interact with my tivo is a crucial element of how i use this thing. I believe you might be able to something similar with an ir blaster addon at least with some of the other free video stream apps, but it will not come close to the ease of use of the sbox.

With the prices of the sling coming down every few months, the price advantage of the "free" applications degrades. Orb requries a ~20-30 dollar video addin card, plus your computer cycles. For 150 the sbox wins each and ever time, imho.

Ive had a video capable htpc rig that would have let me run an orb like service for probably over 4 years, i never got around to setting it up. Took me all of 10 minutes to setup the sbox, and iI watch my own tivo wherever theres internet.

Wherever godforsaken destination my wife drags me to, whether its the inlaws or a stupid b and b, as long as theres internet access, i can relax to my family guy recordings on my tivo and watch my local mets games.

I would have gladly pay 5x the cost of this thing to do what it does. Watching the simpsons on the shitter... priceless.

Isn't the point of a bed and breakfast is to enjoy time alone with the wifey?

 

[sat4fun]

It's available at Amazon for $150. Of course, no tax or shipping.

I love mine. I got it directly from Sling for about $165 a few weeks ago. I use it mainly for LAN viewing. I have DirecTV and do not want to pay for a receiver in each bedroom. The Slingbox will allow me to watch at home as well as anywhere else in the world.

 

[andypress]

*EDIT*My mistake, didn't see the date*

 

[Supafreak]

If I access my slingbox from the road would my family at home still be able to watch the tv or is the signal totally diverted?

-Freak

 

[HyTekJosh]

Slingbox FTW. I got one this summer for $140ish and I love it. It works great on my Pocket PC phone.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Supafreak
If I access my slingbox from the road would my family at home still be able to watch the tv or is the signal totally diverted?

-Freak

I'm quite sure they can still watch, but you'll have to agree on one channel.

 

[GloryField]

in otherwords, no playboy tv

 

[mikeford]

I really like the idea of the Slingbox, but wow, its been a couple years now, time for a upgrade. $149 is the lowest price, but it isn't rare.

 

[intogamer]

I'm going to wait until this mature a little more

Shouldn't be a problem for FIOS users

 

[mikeford]

Once you try it, placeshifting is as hot as timeshifting, but I want a more flexible media streamer, and don't want too many $150 half steps.