Thursday, February 5, 2009

SlingBox Pro-HD

I got myself a SlingBox Pro HD over the christmas break. During the break I tried to install it, and realized that:

1. the device does not support wifi, only Ethernet in.
2. I dont have an Ethernet drop in my living room (duh! Even the new Sony Bravia with Internet  suffers from the same issue. The reason that the Ninentendo Wiis have been so successful in getting users to connect online, is due to the fact that having wifi builtin makes it a snap connect to your home wireless network. Why do living room devices forget this simple fact?)

So I went ahead and ordered myself a LinkSys Ethernet Bridge  (a wireless bridge enables you to connect any Ethernet enabled device to your wireless network) and finally sat down to set up the whole damn thing today.

Setting up the bridge was simple and quick. I then started to connect all the A/V components from my cable box to the Slingbox. It was not too hard but it was painful to pull everything out from under the TV and sort through the zillions of component and audio wiring (where is that wireless HDMI technology that everyone talks about?). After connecting everything I downloaded and installed the Slingplayer on my PC - and viola! I could now watch my satellite TV on the PC - and I can do this no matter where I travel (as long as my PC is with me). Sling also supports viewing DVR and other sources of A/V content.
The quality was ok - not true HD (1080p) by any stretch of imagination. In addition, if you have your TV and the Slingplayer on at the same time you can notice a lag of a few seconds while the devices translates the AV and slings it over.  

Its a nifty product, but in the end, I believe if all content is moving online (Hulu.com, abc.com etc.) then why go through the hassle I just went through?



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