I didn’t see the Slingbox ($249.99 USD) at CES 2005 but did see it yesterday at the local Megastore. The Slingbox comes via Slingmedia and is a little silver box that sits between your TV and the signal and broadcasts the signal to you through the network and over the internet. An IR remote gives you the ability to control your TV — including powering off, changing stations, watching premium cable (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc) — right from your computer!

That’s right, no need to route the signal through your computer and use external or internal TV cards, no need to buy an overly expensive media center setup (although you will get a better picture with a direct feed), because Slingbox sends the signal right through the internet and/or LAN to you. All you need is your user-defined password, the Slingbox software and an internet connection with enough juice (broadband) to carry the signal.

Some things learned about the Slingbox in the first 24 hours of ownership:
- works with Windows 2000 or Windows XP
- no HDTV composite connectivity and no plans to manufacture a Slingbox with HDTV composite connectivity at this time. This information came via the 1-877-go-sling support line customer service representative. He said the bandwidth required for HDTV streaming over the web would be more than most people have. Makes sense. Users can still stream non-HD from an HDTV setup (that’s what we’re doing). There is an S-Video connection.
- Finding the right IR codes for the device (DVD player, cable box, etc) can be a real chore. Not all IR codes are available. I couldn’t get one of our two cable boxes working at all.
- You can watch OnDemand with Comcast through your computer! I tested this out by choosing an OnDemand HBO movie right through the Tablet PC Slingbox software.
- make sure to plugin the A/V cables very securely or you might only get sound in one side of the speaker. I learned about this from my one support call.
- Watch and set recordings for PVR’d programs remotely. Basically anything that can be done with the remote in front of your TV, can done with Slingbox and your Windows PC.

The outputs and inputs on the back of the Slingbox.

Provided with the Slingbox are everything you need to connect to your TV with the basic connection including a single connector to red-white-yellow composite cable (both in and out). A single S-Video cord is provided, so you’ll need another S-Video cord if you want to connect that way.

The size of the Slingbox sitting above the cable box. The “n” in Slingbox turns fire red when powered on. The cord lengths are long enough to keep away from the cable/satellite box.

Cords snaking out from behind the Slingbox.

Configuring the Slingbox via the M1400 Tablet PC slate.

And now, after configuration, time to kick back and watch TV on the tablet. Note the Little League World Series being broadcast live to the Motion M1400 Tablet. While the Slingbox isn’t ink-enabled for the Tablet, it works great on the M1400.

Overall impression
Too bad they don’t make the Slingbox so they can stack easier as you’ll need more than one for multiple devices (Cable/Satellite TV, DVD players, etc), which at $249 USD each could become spendy. No more than buying Media extenders for a Media Center and then you stil can’t get the signal outside your LAN like you can with the Slingbox. If the goal is to get the best picture on your local connection then the Slingbox isn’t the answer, but if you want to be able to control and/or watch your TV from another computer with no monthly fees (did I mention that) the Slingbox is the bomb! Grade: A

What others are writing about Slingbox
Phillip Liu wonders: “Does anyone own a Slingbox?”
Deane is concerned about intellectual property issues
Washington Post article complaining about the Ethernet connection (why not WiFi?), no pause or rewind, and setup/install frustrations
potpoi wonders if Slingbox will upgrade their player for anamorphic stretch (turning it into a 16:9 monitor)
PC World: “Although aspects of its software interface are inelegant, I nonetheless found the Slingbox nifty. It does what it sets out to do–enabling access to live TV, a DVR, or a DVD player remotely–with reasonable ease and success.”
Terry Maxon for The Dallas Morning News and NWCN.com (subscription required, sorry) writes: “Slingbox’s seller, San Mateo, Calif.-based Sling Media Inc., says that it plans to expand the Slingbox to work with Macs, smart cellphones and personal digital assistants in coming months, but it hasn’t announced release dates.”
Engadget Slingmedia interview: “Over time there could be additional features and applications we could add to a Slingbox for incremental revenue. It’s hard to tell. After people start buying our boxes, we’ll make a bunch of other products, some hardware, some software, some service.”
CompHobby.org: “Couldn’t resist this purchase I’ve been intrigued by this device ever since I heard about it.”

tags: slingbox, TV, remote TV, PC, Slingmedia

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