TECHNOLOGY
Slingbox lets you watch TV from anywhere in world

BY CRAIG CROSSMAN

ComputerAmerica.com, September 9, 2005 -- I clearly remember the day when I first learned about the VCR. Right then I knew it would change how the world watched television. I also remember the day I learned about the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) like the TiVo and ReplayTV. I knew it too would change how so many of us watch television.

Now I’ve learned about the Slingbox – and you know what? I’m getting the same feeling I had with those other two inventions. If you own a computer and like to watch television, this could really be big.

Basically, the Slingbox from Sling Media Inc. redirects, or “placeshifts” a single live TV stream from a cable box, satellite receiver or DVR to your computer. Whatever is being displayed on your TV set can now be seen on your networked computer anywhere in the house and you can even remotely change the channels. If your notebook has a wireless connection, you can watch your TV on that as well. But it gets even better.

If your network includes a broadband connection to the Internet, you can now watch anything being shown on your TV from anywhere in the world! So no matter if you’re at the office, in a hotel or somewhere in China, you can still watch your local news and whatever else you can see on your local TV set. Plus if you have a DVR as part of your TV system, you can watch anything you’ve recorded as the Slingbox lets you remotely control your DVR as well. You can even remotely control your DVR to record something new since the Slingbox gives you complete control over any video source that’s connected to your TV’s video setup.

Here’s how it all works. This begins, of course, by connecting the Slingbox to your television. From there, you also connect any video source such as your cable box, your satellite receiver or your DVR. Next you place the Slingbox ‘s wired infrared remote control emitter to the video source you wish to monitor and control. For example, you would place the emitter next to your connected cable box so that you could change the channels remotely. Finally, you connect the Slingbox to your computer’s router and that’s all you need to do as far as the hardware is concerned.

For software, you install the SlingRemote software. This is a virtual remote control that displays on the computer’s screen. Using it pretty much like any remote control, you can remotely operate and control the video source connected to the Slingbox. You also install the SlingPlayer application that controls all that you see and hear on your computer’s screen and speakers. A neat feature of the software is the SlingBar mode that lets you watch TV while using your computer for other functions.

The streaming video from a Slingbox uses a proprietary technology designed by Sling Media called SlingStream. It uses a compression technology that monitors the available bandwidth on your network and adjusts the amount of compression that’s applied to the video signal. This results in a smoother, more continuous streaming of the video signal.

Currently, the SlingPlayer application only works in the Windows environment. But according to the company, the SlingPlayer software will be available for select PDAs, smart phones and Macintosh computers, making them fully compatible with the Slingbox in the coming months.

So, no matter where you may find yourself, all you need is a Slingbox in your house and a computer with an Inter-net connection to see what’s playing at home. The Slingbox really can change the way you watch your TV.

The Slingbox sells for $249.99 and is available at Best Buy, CompUSA or at the Slingbox website.

Craig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. The Palm Beach resident also hosts the number one daily national computer radio talk show, Computer America, heard on both the Business TalkRadio Network and the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network, 10 p.m. to midnight ET. For more information, visit his Web site at www.computeramerica.com.

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