This post is part of our Hottest Products of 2007 feature. Also check out our other Hottest Products of 2007 posts and let us know which product you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The '00s have become the decade of convergence and convenience. No longer will we tolerate being off-line, out of telephone contact, or more than an inch away from entertainment. One of this year's most striking C&C devices is the Slingbox.
Sling Media's device will take your cable television, satellite or DVR output and convert it into a signal that can be received by your computer's wireless card, allowing you to watch your shows on your PC wherever you may be, in the range of your wireless network. At last, I can lounge by my (imaginary) pool drinking my (imaginary) Cuba Libre and still watch the Browns trounce Pittsburgh (imaginary).
Even better (i.e., worse, if you are a broadcaster), the signal could be routed via the internet to my PC anywhere in the world. The company also offers a product that will route the signal to your cell phone.
To mollify content providers who fear the unbridled distribution of their products, the Slingbox will stream content to only one PC at a time. Nonetheless, it represents a step forward in the "placeshifting" aspect of convergence, and is therefore one of our Hottest Products of the year.
If you've had some experience with this product, let us know about it. Or if you know of something else that you think is one of the Hottest Products of 2007, feel free to tell us about that as well.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-27-2007 @ 9:07AM
Joan said...
I would like to know if you could e-mail the information the slingbox has put into your pc from your tv? For example if I watch OPRA and want my daughter to see it and she is at work and can't. Could the slingbox help me?
1-02-2008 @ 10:17PM
ababbitt said...
maybe, maybe not... many corporate networks have a firewall or other mechanisms that prevent you from accessing slingbox signals... I have the Slingbox Pro and love it... the good news is I work from home... the bad news is whenever I have to connect to my company's VPN (which I only need to access our mail server) either at home or on the road... I cannot access Slingbox... hope that helps
11-27-2007 @ 10:52AM
Marty said...
I was thinking of my Best Friend serving in Afganistan for the next year... What are the possibilities there? if any...
11-28-2007 @ 8:46AM
Cathy said...
Marty - We just hooked this up for our daughter and son-in-law in Germany and they are thrilled. Thank goodness there is a six hour difference though since the only drawback is, when we are both on the TV we have to watch the same channel. BEST thing to happen since "sliced bread!"
11-27-2007 @ 11:13AM
damckeon1 said...
HI it would be much easier to explain it to you on the phone you can call us at 1888 898 cell. we are authorized dealers for sling box.
Thank you Monte
11-27-2007 @ 1:21PM
aJ said...
I think this article posted by Tom Barlow is very confusing. I still don't quite get what the Slingbox actual capabilities are. And apartently by looking at the other reader comments. I was glad to see the other posted questions so I don't feel like the only one.
11-27-2007 @ 1:21PM
jacque said...
The Browns trouncing Pittsburgh might not be just your imagine after our loss to a 1-8 team last week! Have a blessed Christmas!
11-27-2007 @ 1:37PM
Joan said...
We've had Slingbox for almost a year. We've used it while traveling in Japan and Singapore. My husband spends almost 1/2 the year out of the country so we bought it for him. It took us a long time to get it set up but once we figured it out, it is amazing. You can even watch recorded shows on your dvr, operating a virtual remote control exactly like the one at home. It is just like watching TV at home.
11-28-2007 @ 11:31AM
Sherry Wallace said...
My husband keeps wanting this to use on our boat. Will it work on my laptop while traveling? Does it work like the internet on my laptop by picking up any wireless signal?
11-28-2007 @ 12:50PM
Jerry said...
I have had the slingbox for 3 years now. It is awesome. If you don't want to watch the same thing at home, hook it up to its own seperate cable. Yes you can watch tv anywhere. The quality of the picture is based on the speed of your connection. I even got the program for my new phone (works with most smartphones with windows mobile 5 or above) and it is awesome too. The most important thing is though only one computer can pick up the slingplayer at a time. You can not download the program on several computers for multiple viewers in the same session. I have the program on 2 computers but can not watch them at the same time. I would be willing to answer questions if people have them. This product is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I use it all the time.
11-28-2007 @ 2:25PM
Sandra said...
I have the slingbox and love it, however, I have a bit of trouble with the picture not being great and the response time of the remote control being slow. What upload/download speed do you reccomend for ease of use?
There are several levels of slingbox products. Do you reccomend one over the other?
Thanks!
Sandra
11-30-2007 @ 10:34AM
Lauri said...
Hey Jerry,
I have moved to India, and have pretty slow internet. Would it work if I downloaded to shows I want to watch overnight, and watch them later. Most live streams do not work over there because of the speed.
11-30-2007 @ 11:36AM
Marty said...
Hey, Jerry,
I've never heard of this product, but think I'd really love to own it. How much does it cost and where do I buy it? Is it large, or palm-sized? Easy to hook up? Easy to use? Transportable?
Are there any other questions I should be asking?
Thank you for offering help and advice--I really do appreciate it!
Marty
11-28-2007 @ 2:35PM
Jerry said...
I have the original slinbox and it works fine for me since I don't have a dvr anyways. When I get a poor internet connection sometimes my slingbox doesnt even work. The best picture is when it can stream 900 kbps and above.
11-28-2007 @ 7:36PM
Tim said...
Sounds awesome!
11-30-2007 @ 11:56PM
Jerry said...
Hey Lauri,
Unfortunately slingbox only operates with a live stream. you can not download items to watch later. Even if you have it hooked up to your dvr, when watching it on a receiving computer, it is a live stream. If the makers of the slingbox were thinking of improvements that would be my first suggestion.
12-02-2007 @ 4:10PM
Jerry said...
Hey Marty,
THis product is not too difficult to find. Circuit City and Best Buy carry it. You can even order it online. THere are a few versions though, so depending on the version that you buy is what the cost will be. The original should cost you around $150. Circuit City has it for $129 right now. This version applies for most consumers....does not have any dvr or hd special functions. It is for people with basic cable.
This is what you need at home for this to work; cable and high speed internet and (of course) a computer. The unit is about the size of an average size cable box. I had mine hooked up and working in 20 minutes. Slingbox has tech support if you have problems though.
You asked if it is transportable? Well that is the whole idea of the product. Here are some examples. I watch my slingbox on my laptop all around my house. I do have wireless internet. I have watched tv on my laptop in other cities with an internet connection. I have even watched tv on my laptop on the beach with my laptop tethered to my cell phone 3g connection.
I have taken my laptop to my brother's house and watched tv.Now here are some surprizing thinks. I took the disc and download the program on his computer and watched my tv on his computer. You need to enter codes and passwords but it worked. Remember this, if he was actively using it, I wouldnt be able to. You can not share this product, it limits you. Let them get their own.
Also, what ever cable box you have it hooked up to at home is the one it controls. If you change channel on the tv away from home it does exactly that. If someone is watching that tv at home it changes the channel. If you hook it up to its own seperate tv cable it is on its own. It just won't have the functions of you cable box.
Wow confusing huh? maybe this will clear it up. I have my unit hooked up to my cable box. MY cable box has a pay per view feature with comcast. When Im at a friends with my laptop and him having high speed internet, I can watch pay per view. The slingbox has these infared readers that connect to you cable box at home and operate it. If you just hook it up to a cable line you will just get regular cable but still get tv everywhere there is internet.
I do not work for any of the companies above. I am a consumer who found a product I love that works for me in my life. Everytime I show it to someone new, they are totally amazed. The most important thing is, though, It works the best with a high speed connection. Picture is choppy and breaks up, if the connection is slow. In some cases it doesnt work.
Want to hear something crazy. I just bought a at&t tilt phone (pda phone). I purchased a 1 time only program from slingplayer and I have tv on my phone. The program was $25. You do need to have a unlimited data plan with your cell phone provider. I travel alot and this keeps me busy in downtime. Good luck to you.
12-02-2007 @ 4:16PM
Jerry said...
For anyone interested in this product and wants to know more....go to slingmedia.com
12-07-2007 @ 11:57AM
jim said...
Hi Jerry,
Can our daughter hook this up to her cable line in LA and watch her in our lap top here in FL during their morning news? Thanks.
12-18-2007 @ 10:13PM
meandmypupp said...
You know, this would be a good idea, but unfortunately there are a few thing about this product that you are missing. There are several videos throughout google, electronic-store-sites, and basically the whole internet that talk about slingbox, i was even very interested in it myself. However after watching some videos that was made by the company themselfes, there is something that i didn't realise: Sure the slingbox DOES take the video from your tv and put it in your computer but you haveto have it connected to your router, modem, or gameing card at home. Meaning that you would only be able to see the tv shows or whatever is on, if you WERE CONNECTED TO YOUR HOME NETWORK.
Yes, you could connect to your tv in China... If your router was in China. Or you could watch tv in Germany... If your gameing card was in Germany. The point it, if you want to watch tv from your computer then you haveto be with in range of your home network.
"Is there a way around this?" There is, but unfortunately it's going to cost you about 200$ and then another 20$ a month. "How?" Only if you chose to buy, in lea-mans-terms, a signal from a satelite. And quite honestly, i don't think most people are willing to spend that amount of money, on something like this.
If you need proof that you need to be connected to your home network, follow this link to a video made my the company and circuit city:
http://syndicate.sellpoint.net/Sling_Media_2239/31134/5828-CQWVW2-24-player-T1_MP/MPPlayer/__MPPlayer.html?r=1198037500624&ParentUrl=http%3A//www.circuitcity.com//ssm/Sling-Media-Slingbox-AV-SLINGBOXAV/sem/rpsm/oid/161903/catOid/-12987/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do%3FWT.mc_n%3D199873%26WT.mc_t%3DU%26cm_ven%3DPAID%2520SEARCH%26cm_cat%3DADVERTISING.COM%26cm_pla%3DCATEGORY%2520-%2520P*S*T-%3ECLASS%2520-%2520NETWORKING%26cm_ite%3D68420%2520PURCHASED%2520KEYWORD-SLINGBOX%26cm_keycode%3D199873