Getting Ready To Try Out Slingbox

[deadwrong03]

Im going to get some cable in my house but i was waiting to see if i was going to move but im going to get it now and im looking into slingbox now

with slingbox is there a monthly fee or anything and hows the video quality on slingbox using the tp2? you guys think its worth it?

i was looking on the webbsite which is the best slingbox to get?

slingcatcher? slingbox pro hd? slingbox solo?

whats the difference?

[stevedusa]

I personally uses a SlingBox Solo with my TP2, among with many other devices and such inside and outside the home, I am actually pretty happy with it.

Monthly fee? Doesn't exist. That's one of the hottest selling point of SlingBox. You don't pay any monthly fee except your existing broadband and TV services which SlingBox works BASED on. It's a one time fee (cost of the hardware), however the client software for Windows Mobile will cost you $30 instead of other platforms such as your PC or Mac comes free.

As for which box to get? Well, depends on what outputs does your cable box offers and how often and where (what platform) do you watch them the most often. Generally speaking, if you want to watch HD signal then you might want to go with the Pro HD model. HOWEVER keep in mind that due to HDCP problem the HD Pro box does NOT take HDMI input, but the component instead. But if your cable box only has regular composite output? Then Solo is your best option. The Solo DOES accept component input but not in HD res.

Another thing you need to consider is your Internet connection's upstream speed. Keep in mind that in the States most residential Internet service are asymmetrical, which means the download speed is not the same as the upload speed. Since your are uploading your Slingbox's data through your ISP, you should make sure you have a minimum of 512kbps upstream speed, otherwise it doesn't matter what signal you feed your box, it'll look like bad VHS tapes outside your home network. Inside your home network is a different story.

Quality? Well on the WM it's acceptable. Since it only displays it at QVGA res, and depending on your connection speed at BOTH end, it varies. Another big thing is that the video performance on the TP2 is crippled thanks to HTC which is too cheap to pay Qualcomm for a better processor with video enhancement, do use a little application called GFXBoost which can be found on XDA, and uses the GDI rendering option in the Sling Mobile Player on your WM. You will see some improvement in terms of frame rate and less jiggering problem.

Just my 2 cents.

[enyce9]

Wirelessly posted (touch pro 2: Opera/9.7 (WindowsMobile; PPC; Opera Mobi/35267; U; en; Presto/2.1.1))

ive had a slingbox for years now works well on my tp2, touch pro b4 that and 6700. video quality decent. one thing to know tho, the pro hd model does not stream hd over the web only on local networks

[jmorton10]

I have a SB Pro (the HD model was not available when I bought it)

One nice thing about my model is it has an internal analog tuner which allows me to watch a different channel than the home TV is on. I only get basic cable from the analog tuner (no HBO etc) but it sure does come in handy at times.

~John

[jmorton10]

By the way, I do not use GFX boost as I found it slowed down mp4 (h.264) PB in CorePlayer tremendously.

~John

[stevedusa]

Originally Posted by jmorton10

By the way, I do not use GFX boost as I found it slowed down mp4 (h.264) PB in CorePlayer tremendously.

~John

That it does, what's why I always turn GFXBoost off when I use CorePlayer.