SlingBox: Revolutionizing Your TV

"Couch potato" and "on the go". These two terms were once considered to be an oxymoron. Now, a network add on from a new company called Sling Media , called the Slingbox, allows anyone to take their TV, DVD player, satellite TV receiver or personal media recording device with them without actually lugging it around, allowing you to view your shows through almost any medium and have them essentially hosted online. The set up is very straight forward and logical. When I first got mine a month ago, the Slingbox just set up to my T.V. with the usual RCA cables (the red, white and yellow ones) and then I ran an Ethernet cable to into my wireless router. I then left it sitting behind my TV and haven't moved it since.

Set up on the computer is straight forward. The Slingbox installation kit comes with an install wizard that makes set up easy for the most computer illiterate person. The controls are as straightforward as the set up, Once everything was hooked up I opened the Slingbox control program and up popped a video screen, much like a QuickTime movie but with controls to change channels, volume and menu features. The video resolution was fairly decent even when I connected to the Slingbox through my laptop with a wifi connection. If you've connected the Slingbox to a TiVo, ReplayTV, a cable or satellite box with a built-in DVR, or even a DVD recorder, you'll also get video controls like fast forward, playback and the like.

The SlingPlayer software automatically optimizes your viewing quality with a signal strength indicator on the bottom of the screen. The Slingbox is compatible with Macintosh, Windows 2000/XP operating systems and the company plans on releasing software upgrades to make it compatible with windows mobile soon. One thing you have to keep in mind when experiencing your Slingbox in full functionality is that you're really just streaming videos online, so the resolution would be a little better then the best You Tube videos out there. All in all this product is certainly worth purchasing for the T.V. connoisseur in your life who cant live without his favorite TV shows. Priced at an agreeable $200.00, with no monthly charges is also an added plus. If you can't live without your favorite shows, the Sling Media Slingbox is the best way to beam them to any broadband-connected PC or Windows Mobile device in the world.