Slingbox picture quality question.

[putzer22]

I am considering the option of using a slingbox to remotely access my VIP 722. My situation is: cabin in a remote area that has cable internet 1.5M/.5M the cable co. doesn't offer much of a channel selection. The cabin is in a condo association, and I don't really want to go through the hassle of installing a dish there.

I am wondering about using the slingbox to view SD programming from the 722 at my home, the home has cable internet with 1.5M-2M upload speeds. From what I can tell, the Solo would be as good of option as any, since I don't have adequate bandwith to stream HD.

Can anyone tell me how the picture quality of this type of set up is? If I output from my laptop to a 37 inch lcd tv, will it be comparable to a cable SD picture?

Is this a feasable option.......other suggestions? I'm not too thrilled about spending $$ only to be disappointed in the quality.

 

[TheKrell]

If I output from my laptop to a 37 inch lcd tv, will it be comparable to a cable SD picture?

Doubtful.

Reviewers panned it for viewing on an HDTV with it's LAN resolution, which IIRC is 640X480. The remote stream is a paltry 320 X 280, so I don't think you would find that acceptable. Maybe it would be OK if you view the TV through the window while outside in the woods!

Caveat: I do not own a Slingbox Solo, though I do own a Hava Platinum which is very similar.

 

[empiretc]

with those speeds, it should be ok. you will be able to adjust resolutions and buffers of the slingmedia application to optimize your viewing experience. the real quality factor will be the connection between your laptop and the tv.

a slingcatcher would be best, but they are crazy expensive these days since you can no longer get them.

 

[digiblur]

Get the slingbox HD since you have those high upload speeds at home.

 

[TheKrell]

Get the slingbox HD since you have those high upload speeds at home.

I agree with this. If empiretc can get more than 320 X 280 out of a Slingbox Solo remote stream, he's doing better than I!

 

[harshness]

Doubtful.

Reviewers panned it for viewing on an HDTV with it's LAN resolution, which IIRC is 640X480. The remote stream is a paltry 320 X 280, so I don't think you would find that acceptable. Maybe it would be OK if you view the TV through the window while outside in the woods!

Caveat: I do not own a Slingbox Solo, though I do own a Hava Platinum which is very similar.

I don't have any experience with a Hava box, but I do use a Slingbox Solo and the output is entirely dependent on your pipe. It doesn't appear to be a fixed resolution as your reading suggests.

In the end, the assessment is probably the same (doubtful) as applied to a notebook computer connected to a mid-size display from a not-very-fast uplink at home. I used my Solo extensively from across the country (Salem, Oregon to Salem, New Hampshire) about a year ago and on the 12" 4:3 computer display it was something you had to get used to. There's only so much that can be done with on-the-fly compression.

 

[empiretc]

I agree with this. If empiretc can get more than 320 X 280 out of a Slingbox Solo remote stream, he's doing better than I!

Mine is based on results with the Slingbox HD. I agree 100% with 'The Uplink Report Dude' that he should get the HD model to take full advantage of the speeds he has.

 

[putzer22]

Thanks for the replys guys.

If I am understanding properly, it might be possible to obtain acceptable results because it is possible to change some of the settings to optimize results. However, I should be looking at the HD box to get the most out of the upload speed at the source and this would allow streaming at higher than the 320x280 resolution....do I have this correct? Does it seem like I might be able to get at least a 480 resolution with this set up?

On another perhaps related note: I was playing with netflix at the remote location today, and it seems like the results with the online stream aren't too bad. I have the laptop connected via HDMI. NF apparently doesn't allow users to tweak any of the resolution options but runs a test to determine what it sends. Personally, I'd rather let the thing buffer for a while at a higher resolution and get a bit more quality but that doesn't seem like an option. Is there a way to see what the actual resolution I am receiving from NF to know what I am dealing with here?

 

[TheKrell]

I don't have any experience with a Hava box, but I do use a Slingbox Solo and the output is entirely dependent on your pipe. It doesn't appear to be a fixed resolution as your reading suggests.

Just record the local and remote streams and run MediaInfo on the resulting files and you will see what resolution you are getting. I do this on my Hava recordings all the time.

BTW - a Hava local LAN stream is a very credible DVD quality (SD) picture: 720X480. Furthermore, you can stream to at least 5 local LAN clients simultaneously. The remote stream is singular, just like Sling. I bought my Platinum HD for LAN playback and recording, not the placeshifting stuff at all. 320 X 280... Bah! That works on my Android phone, but I wouldn't display it on a TV.