[Slingbox] Is it worth it?

no...

 

Orb does basically the same thing for free. I do, however, really like the Squeezebox.

 

without a doubt ... yes

It's especially good for someone like me who lives out of town and has a slingbox installed with someone in Houston so I can watch all the local sports

Edit: I also use Orb from my house and it is good, but the interface is not near as nice and I get better performance from Slingbox. Orb also requires your computer to be on. It's good features are that you can record with it. It's a good cheaper alternative though if you already have a TV tuner.

 

Thumbs up to Slingbox. Like satellite radio, it's one of those things you can't believe you lived without.

I wonder if the people who don't like it have too high expectations. If you want a crystal clear picture, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a serviceable device to watch out of market TV, go for it.

I bought the tuner for $170 (I don't need the advanced one). In a few months it will pay for itself as I got rid of my cable TV. The picture is no worse than the TVU Player. Best of all no lags, buffering, etc...the only time there is a delay is when you change the channel for a couple of seconds.

The thing that surprised me is the audio is really good.

 

So, can someone explain to the technology-challenged how this works? If a friend in Texas has a Slingbox, does that mean I can watch local Rockets games from Oregon? And how do I do that?

 

Don't you need cable to get teh chanels on slingbox???

 

Key word my. You only need broadband internet. You borrow someone else's cable

 

Yes, but only one person can watch one slingbox at a time.

How do you do that? You buy a slingbox. Have your friend hook it up (they need to have cable and broadband). Install the software on your PC and have it recognize the slingbox (you need to have broadband). Next thing you're watching the Rockets.

PS - I don't know how to do a remote install. I did mine when the slingbox was connected to the same network.