From TV to the Web to Your Phone

[dfergie]

By BRAD STONE

TECHNOLOGY evangelists and television aficionados want all their TV on the Web, and they are tired of waiting for Internet companies and content owners to make it happen.








The Slingbox Pro-HD, top, and the Sling-Loaded ViP 922, above, a digital video recorder that Dish Network will offer as a set-top box.



But such an entertainment nirvana already exists — at least for owners of a silver and black gadget called the Slingbox.

Source & More: NYTimes.com

 

[Koilvr]

Do not forget about Monsoon's HAVA player. The picture quality is way way Better then Sling Pro-HD player.

 

[TheKrell]

Do not forget about Monsoon's HAVA player. The picture quality is way way Better then Sling Pro-HD player.

Now wait a minute here! I own a Hava Platinum HD, so I would agree with you on comparisons to the Sling SD units. (No current Hava place-shifting device has HD output.) But the Slingbox Pro HD is supposed to have HD output, as well as input. I sure hope that's superior to any SD device.

 

[DodgerKing]

Do not forget about Monsoon's HAVA player. The picture quality is way way Better then Sling Pro-HD player.

Purchased a new HAVA Platinum HD for $60 off of Woot and the PQ over the home network is much better than Slings PQ. Also, Hava lets you stream to 3 to 4 sources at once on your own network, while Sling only alows one stream at a time. Slings PQ over the internet is slightly better than Hava's.

Here is a screen shot of me watching my DirecTV on my PC through Hava.

Keep in mind that I am watching a classic game from 1980, so it is not in HD, even though it is being shown on an HD channel.

 

[DodgerKing]

Now wait a minute here! I own a Hava Platinum HD, so I would agree with you on comparisons to the Sling SD units. (No current Hava place-shifting device has HD output.) But the Slingbox Pro HD is supposed to have HD output, as well as input. I sure hope that's superior to any SD device.

Not true. It has both Component input and output. I can tell you that the HD PQ on the PC through Hava while on your own network is better than Sling. Sling just has the advantage in PQ while streaming over the internet.

Attached is a picture of the back of the wireless version (I could not find a decent picture of the back of the Platinum HD). As you can see, it is not true that, "No current Hava place-shifting device has HD output". One of the two is for input and the other is for output.

 

[Koilvr]

PQ over the net depends ON your upload speed & download speed. Mostly Upload is what will get you a better quality. I have a better PQ on my Hava then my Sling Pro HD Over the NET. Both Sling and Hava you can only have 1 person watch your HAVA & Sling Pro HD over the NET. CAn not wait for the Iphone app from Hava

Sling & hava Can not as of right now stream in HD. Hava does have HD output or pass throu

 

[Koilvr]

Now wait a minute here! I own a Hava Platinum HD, so I would agree with you on comparisons to the Sling SD units. (No current Hava place-shifting device has HD output.) But the Slingbox Pro HD is supposed to have HD output, as well as input. I sure hope that's superior to any SD device.

If you have the Hava Platinum HD you would know it did Have HD output, Just not streaming. Sling pro HD does not have streaming either

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

What do you mean the Sling Pro HD does not do HD streaming?

Here is Wall E on Starz HD.

 

[TheKrell]

If you have the Hava Platinum HD you would know it did Have HD output, Just not streaming. Sling pro HD does not have streaming either

I am sorry, but neither of you guys (or gals) are correct. The component "output" is just a passthrough to your TV from the component input. Indeed that is HD if your source device is HD. But really that has nothing to do with the Hava output data stream, which is what I thought we were talking about.

Internally the Hava downsamples to 720X480 and then compresses the digital data for network streaming. The local stream is indeed pretty darn good; it is equivalent to a DVD, but not to a Blu-Ray HD disk! If you doubt my word, just record a few seconds and run Media Info against the mpg file. It will be 720X480. Sometimes this is called Extended Definition, particularly when it's 480p. But it sure ain't HD by anybody's definition.

The Sling Pro HD, on the other hand, can stream HD of some variety, according to what I have read. This is also true of the forthcoming Dish 922 Slingloaded receiver. Speaking of which, does anybody know the res on Sling HD video?

 

[Koilvr]

I am sorry, but neither of you guys (or gals) are correct. The component "output" is just a passthrough to your TV from the component input. Indeed that is HD if your source device is HD. But really that has nothing to do with the Hava output data stream, which is what I thought we were talking about.

Internally the Hava downsamples to 720X480 and then compresses the digital data for network streaming. The local stream is indeed pretty darn good; it is equivalent to a DVD, but not to a Blu-Ray HD disk! If you doubt my word, just record a few seconds and run Media Info against the mpg file. It will be 720X480. Sometimes this is called Extended Definition, particularly when it's 480p. But it sure ain't HD by anybody's definition.

The Sling Pro HD, on the other hand, can stream HD of some variety, according to what I have read. This is also true of the forthcoming Dish 922 Slingloaded receiver. Speaking of which, does anybody know the res on Sling HD video?

Thats what I meant pass through, Did not know that Sling pro HD Can Stream in HD. I still think Hava has a better PQ over the net.

 

[Koilvr]

This is what I get @work from home.

 

[DodgerKing]

PQ over the net depends ON your upload speed & download speed. Mostly Upload is what will get you a better quality. I have a better PQ on my Hava then my Sling Pro HD Over the NET. Both Sling and Hava you can only have 1 person watch your HAVA & Sling Pro HD over the NET. CAn not wait for the Iphone app from Hava

Sling & hava Can not as of right now stream in HD. Hava does have HD output or pass throu

The HAVA does not give you true HD over the internet. It downrezes to 480, then upconverts back to 720. So you are basically watching an upconverted SD signal (it becomes SD due to downrezing).

 

[Koilvr]

The HAVA does not give you true HD over the internet. It downrezes to 480, then upconverts back to 720. So you are basically watching an upconverted SD signal (it becomes SD due to downrezing).

I know that you do not get HD over the net.

 

[TheKrell]

The HAVA does not give you true HD over the internet. It downrezes to 480, then upconverts back to 720. So you are basically watching an upconverted SD signal (it becomes SD due to downrezing).

You are still seriously confused about these video resolutions. Why don't you try the test I suggested above?

OK, then I'll do it myself since you won't. I just recorded two segments off my Platinum "HD"; one is from the local stream, and the other is from the remote stream. (This is selectable from the Hava PC Player, even though my laptop was on my local LAN while recording both segments.) Then I used MediaInfo to tell me what the files were. As stated earlier, the local LAN stream is indeed 720X480 mpeg2, while the remote stream is mpeg4 at only 320X240. I would not call that "SD".

Edit1: if anybody knows these figures for the Sling products, I'd be very interested to learn what they are. Most people claim the video is a little (some claim a lot) better on the Hava than it is on the SD Sling products. I'd also like to know what the Sling Pro HD can do. I find that odd-ball wireless Slingcatcher integrated into a tiny LCD HDTV very curious. Is the HD so lame that it doesn't look good on a larger set?

Edit2: OK, I found on ProductWiki for the Slingbox:

• Local streaming at 640x480 resolution
• Internet streaming at 320x240 resolution

and for the Pro HD operating against the upgraded Slingcatcher (from a post to the Sling Community): 1280x540