We went out looking for a Slingbox, and when they were sold out, we begrudgingly paid $100 more for the Sony unit. No where on the box does it explain you need to PURCHASE additional copies of the software in order to get it to work on multiple computers, nor does it state the price. But even more annoying than this, there is no easy way to purchase a serial online, as you would with most other software products. No, you need to actually wait for them to ship you another copy of the software, in order to get it to work on multiple computers.

So after discovering it was going to cost us more than twice the cost of Slingbox, we returned it. Sony sucks.

by BlueEyedMonster (See profile) - February 11, 2007 11:02 AM PST

why not HDMI?

by alvinmc (See profile) - February 10, 2007 9:34 AM PST

To attach a client to the LocationFree base station you have to be physically in the same room as the base station. Sony, for some inexplicable reason, forces you to push a button on the base station to get it into setup mode.

This means even though you could set up your laptop before you left on your trip to Bora Bora, if anything happens to your laptop you're out of luck. You will NOT be able to reattach to the LocationFree base station from another computer without flying back to press a silly little button.

by Cirbirus (See profile) - January 18, 2007 6:23 AM PST

Is this the only solution if I just want to be able to view my DVR/PVR on another TV in my house?

I have DirecTv... and a DVR leased from them... but I have a TV in the basement that I pretty much only watch when I'm on the tred mill. I'd much rather watch something I've recorded than the morning news. Is this Sony hardware the only solution that will do that?

by ddpiotter (See profile) - October 23, 2006 12:52 PM PDT

Apple will likely get it right and I have no need for wanna-bes.
You wrote "Both new Base Stations equal the Slingbox's ability to.... that are connected via composite or S-Video inputs."
Did you mean COMPONENT video? or am I behind the times on a new (more to come) wiring type?
Steve

by sdhart (See profile) - September 29, 2006 11:15 AM PDT

by sdhart (See profile) - September 29, 2006 11:10 AM PDT

Location free Player, I maybe wrong, but what I think that sony is planing on doing with is that, you may also be able to send A video to you'r psp, if this slingbox also has A dvd option for it that you can send, and use you'r dvd's, and beable to send to you'r psp. I would like to beable to do that with out rebuying my dvd colection, they just need to make shure that it has A wide range on that wifi, so I can go for A walk around the block and still work, sony can make A wifi that only works on sony, but still picks up standerd wifi.

by thelittlen (See profile) - September 12, 2006 8:12 AM PDT

An example for "home bus": HomeSIP
http://www.enseirb.fr/cosynux/HomeSIP/

Look at the integration scheme: this is waht users want: all devices integrated, supporting live synchronous contents, unicast/OnDemand and Multicast contents and dynamic routing across all currently connected devices (for example when transfering a mobile phone call to another device at home or to several ones), with all devices being hot-pluggable and removable at any time, and pluggable to another location at home, possibly with another connection technology (CPL to WiFi transition, ...).

Now make this integrable independantly of the physical layer (WiFi, CPL, BlueTooth, Infra-Red, Ethernet) and amke all devices identifiable and have their capabilities described in the protocol; make all this technology neutral, and allow transporting audio/video, and controling them remotely from any device that has some input capability (including mobile phones).
Secure the all so that the home network is fully integrated but secured from external access; integrate media-servers and sorage servers to the network; make simpler PCs and Macs that connect to it transparently, but don't use protocols that require too many PC technologies that can't be integrated in small appliances. The core protocol must be small enough that it allows remote control and standard function descriptors for each device class.

And make the protocol completely neutral of the OS used on PCs: it MUST work on open-sourced OSes without restricting licences like Linux, so that it will be integrable in other OSes including Windows and MacOS.

Don't make a standard that requires Internet connection; The integration to Internet must be performed only on a router fully secured within the home network. the home network will work as a mesh of interconnections creating a home-only internet with management of topology and internal routing; and for this, IPv6 will offer the best interconnection standard that allows simple configuration for the Internet access, without requiring users to set complex address translation schemes.

by verdyp (See profile) - September 9, 2006 5:22 AM PDT

there are now very cheap MPEG decoders with an Ethernet interface that connects to a CPL adapter, or that integrate the CPL adapter directly into the electric plug on the wall.
This is much more efficient than Wi-Fi for that kind of application (who really wants to move a TV set?... when it already needs to be plugged, and users want large screens, that are basically difficult to move around).

Keep Wi-Fi (802.11g or 11n, forget now 11a and 11b) for small appliances (Hi-Fi audio, radio, VoIP phones...), or for a notebook. wi-Fi will be perfect for your garden, terrace, ...

Remember that CPL is now even cheaper than WiFi and much easier to install anywhere in a home, without requiring new Ethernet wires. It is also very efficient for adding a computer in the bedroom for your children, without changing the place of your Internet router.

(Note: I'm in France, and more than 80% of internet users at home are connected now with broadband, and most of them, more than 85%, use Internet routers provided by their Internet access provider for free or for very small monthly fee.)

The integration network is Ethernet based, and CPL is perfect to offer the interconnection, acting as an additional Ethernet hub that you connect to your DSL/cable modem/router with a simple Ethernet wire with a very cheap CPL/Ethernet adapter (now below 30 euros).

The good question to ask now is not whever we need complex TV boxes. What we need is to be able to separate the analog converter from the digital signal, transport it on a home network, and have large TV screens with a MPEG decoder connectable to the home CPL or WiFi network. Let's forget the complex installation of wires at home for antennas or cable; users want smaller devices, and more freedom to place their appliances as they want, and when they change the way they live inside or outside (depending on seasons: the furniture moves, interior walls and access doors will be changing; the simpler the wires the best; the only wires that people will want to keep is the electrical network); Wi-Fi is not a panacea and has many technical problems that CPL does not have (especially the distribution of signal power over space, and the signal/noise ratio in cities.

Note that CPL is also much more secure than Wi-Fi, and your home network will not be disturbed by your neightbours or Wi-Fi users in the street or in cars. Additionally the cPL technology is faster than most WiFi installation (theoretically, WiFi reaches 54Mbps, but when the signal power drops in the house, the effective speed gets much slower; don't forget that WiFi is half-duplex, and this means that transporting a encoded high-quality video will completely exhaust the available WiFi bandwidth; a problem that never occurs with CPL)

So give users the choice of networking technologies. Make devices that integrate a Ethernet plug for connecting a small CPL adapter, or a USB plug for connecting a CPL adapter or a WiFi adapter, or integrate both CPL and WiFi in your device. Make devices that have upgradable firmwares.

And please, create interoperable standards for connecting TV and HiFi appliances without requiring a computer. Stop making specific connectors, or communication protocols that don't allow choosing the kind of device and its virtual design.

Also stop making devices with their own ugly AC/DC adapter on the electricity plug: adopt a standard DC voltage and connector, to make those adapters interoperable and even to allow homes to be wired directly with a single 12volts DC source without such ugly adaptors. Even computers and notebooks should be pluggable to this universal DC source, with much less "spaghetti wires" beside the home furniture.

Also create home appliances that can be integrated like professional models in standard racks, that integrate the DC source and the Ethernet hub for interconnecting them. Make the rack format small enough that it can be placed either in a small piece of furniture or on the wall.

Create also a true standard for remote controls (the current nightmare of TV and HiFi users!), using a universal infra-red or WiFi protocol to connect to very small receivers anywhere in the house. I know that there exists "universal" remote controls, but the truth is that these controls never support all the functions of the original RC (especially the functions are are needed to tune a device, or use advanced functions).

We do need simpler remote controls, with a screen and very few buttons. Advanced functions should all be on universale functions keys just around the screen that display their function; a good remote control will just have a keyboard like a mobile phone, and even your existing mobile phone should be usable as a remote control for anythin in your home (don't forget that most mobile phones have bluetooth and/or infrared, some recent models also have WiFi)

The home should become like the PCI bus in PCs, ... (Read more)

by verdyp (See profile) - September 9, 2006 4:42 AM PDT

My daughter found out her college didn't offer cable in the dorm rooms and TV reception is extremely poor. I took CNET's advice and purchased the slingbox for $149.00 at amazon.

It took 20 minutes to connect it to my cable box and TiVo. I connected it to my network, the slingbox updated its firmware, downloaded the newest software, asked me what TiVo version I had and presto!

Her laptop was displaying the TiVo's remote and TV screen. My daughter returned to college, connected to the network/internet, took control of her TiVo at home and is now forever indebted to her father.

Slingbox is impressive. I am going to use it too when I travel to watch my local sports teams.

I would have been reluctant to purchase the Sony due to its high price and set-up difficulties. The mobile phone software is currently no charge with the purchase of a slingbox.

Slingbox is quicker and easier to set up then TiVo. With both TiVo and Slingbox you release your TV viewing experience from being anchored by time and place to watching whenever and wherever you are.

by Number_6 (See profile) - September 7, 2006 3:45 AM PDT