Slingbox suggestion

[tsduke]

I've been considering the purchase of Slingbox for some time. What unit do those who have used them suggest?

I have the 622 but don't know that I would necesarily need the HD part of the pro. Does HDMI and component work at the same time? It would need to for HD Slingbox to be of any use, right?

 

[hook'em]

I have the slingbox classic, got it a couple years ago, and I love it. I couldn't say how the HD works with the slingbox pro, but I have hdmi going to my TV and s-video going to the slingbox. It works like a champ, especially around the house. If you are in a hotel or anywhere away from home, the quality is not as good, so I don't believe you would get any benefit of the HD unless you were just on a laptop around the house.

 

[Rlanham]

I 2nd the vote on the classic. I was one of the early adopter and it has performed flawlessly. The faster your broadband upstream is, the bigger the picture you can get when viewing remotely.
Even though it is not something I use everyday, it does come in handy and since their are no fees after the initial investment, it is cost effective also. You can also hookup up a security camera. I picked up a cheap $30 A/V security camera at sams club and it works great.

 

[tsduke]

The Classic must be disco'd. There's Tuner, AV and Pro from what I see.

 

[obermi]

I have the Slingbox Pro and I love it. I use it on my Treo mobile phone the most! I also have video cams in my home so I can check up on my animals during the day! The Slingbox Pro can handle a lot more input devices!

 

[abricko]

i have the pro, with the HD connect, works fine. I have hdmi running into my tv and component running into the sligbox, clean clear picture. only complaint is that there is no way to control tv2 (yet).

 

[shanewalker]

I have 2 classics. Work like champs. I have the S-Video out of my bedroom 622 feeding one, and a Sony DVD jukebox feeding the other (also through S-Video)...w/ the latest software it's decent-looking 16:9 on all fronts. I agree w/ the sentiments above...great around the house, but you really need a fast connect for 100% solid full-screen off-site viewing. We have DSL and the upload speeds probably don't cut it for optimum frame-rates/fluidity. But I've used it in hotels hundreds of miles from my Chicago home as well as when visiting relatives...like all the best tech solutions, it just works.

If I were to buy a new one, I'd spring for the Pro. It doesn't buy you as much as you'd think over the Classic, but who's to say what functionality they may unveil down the line...

 

[cclement]

I have th SB AV. I didn't want the pro, since the 622 already down rezzes HD to SD. I have the SB AV hooked via the S-Video and looks great.

 

[AJF]

I'm holding out for SlingCatcher :

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/sling-medias-new-slingcatcher/

It connects directly to a remote TV (no computer needed) and supposedly will have a hard drive to record media . In beta now, release said to be mid-year .

 

[DISH_NC]

The slingbox AV will view and control up to 2 devices (S-Video or Composite) but the audio would only come from one device.

Currently, I have the composite and audio coming from my 508 DVR and S-video from my 622 so I can program it remotely if I need to. In theory, you could connect one audio (L) from one receiver and one audio (R) from the other receiver but then you have mono sound but if you are mostly watching remotely, then it doesn't really matter.

HD is not really a concern for me since the upstream bandwidth of your broadband connect is the limiting factor in quality and even at 512k upstream, SD looks okay at 320x240 resolution.