Job Discussion Forums

[Chris21]

I was wondering if anyone out there has used a Slingbox in Japan? For those that are unfamiliar, a Slingbox is a small transmitter that can be hooked up to a TV. It sends the TV signal to an Internet router, and then the TV signal can be directed to any computer with an Internet connection.

So conceivably, you can hook a Slinbox up to your parents'/friend's TV in Canada (or wherever you're from) and receive a signal on your computer in Tokyo. You can even change channels from 10,000 kilometers away.

I was just wondering if anyone had any positive or negative reviews? Are there any unforeseen obstacles to uising one in Japan?

I've read the reviews on Amazon... hopefully someone has some more Japan-specific info though...

[JimDunlop2]

Haha. You're not the first person to ask. The last time it was mentioned, it was a dead-end thread.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=34407&highlight=slingbox

But who knows, maybe since then some people have played with it. I know that since that last thread I at least have become familiar with the device and the concept of it...

Personally, I can't fathom having that thing. And I can give 2 big reasons why not.

1. A HUGE burden and hassle on my family or friends back home. They have to have the hardware set up on a working CATV system in order for me to watch any of it here.

2. Time shift. The last time I read about Slingbox, there was no recording capability available. And unless you want to watch crappy morning shows or middle-of-the-night infomercials, North American prime-time TV is not prime-time in Japan.

[bshabu]

[Chris21]

Yeah, I think it can be used with TiVo (at least according to some of the reviewers on Amazon). I'm not sure how much of a burden it would be to people back home... the product write-up seemed to suggest that it was pretty easy (but then again, who knows?).

It would be great being able to catch sports. Even with the time difference, most sports would start at about 9am or 10am Japan-time... I could roll out of bed and catch a baseball game while eating my breakfast!

With so many popular TV shows available for downloading, sports and obscure TV are probably the biggest advantages.

[JimDunlop2]

If anything, I sometimes use Sopcast (from China) to watch some of the sports I can't see here in Japan. Quality/reliability aren't great, but hey, whadaya want for free?

[Andru]

I just used my Slingbox when I visited Japan back in March, and it worked fine (I've also used it while traveling in the US). I have a Slingbox Pro which has multiple inputs. I primarily viewed my Panasonic DVD/HDD (hard disk drive) recorder which is programmed to record my favorite shows, but since the Slingbox Pro also has a TV tuner built-in, I also have it connected directly to my cable TV, although I usually watched live cable TV through the tuner in the DVD/HDD recorder.

In order for it to work well, you need a good high-speed internet connection on both ends (and the faster the better). Whenever I've had problems with reception, or losing the connection, it ALWAYS turned out to be on the receiving end (although the error messages you get make you think your Slingbox or router has gone haywire). On the Slingbox end, there is the potential problem of a power outage and either the Slingbox or the router needing to be reset/rebooted. So the ideal Slingbox "host" would be someone who is a bit technical-minded and can do that for you. You might also consider having everything plugged into an uninterruptable power supply to minimize those situations (most power outages are short in duration). Of course, you can't do anything about the occasional cable TV or ISP outages.

Also, unfortunately the remote control in the Slingbox software does not control every function on every device. For example, on my DVD/HDD recorder I cannot bring up the list of programs recorded on the HDD and scan through them (something I use frequently at home). However, I can blindly skip backward and forward, as well as jump to a particular number in the list of recorded shows. Fortunately, I was very familiar with what was recorded on the HDD so I could navigate well enough to watch whatever I wanted to during my 2-week visit. I could also erase shows that I was finished viewing. However, the most important thing missing for me was not being able to program the timer remotely. So, if your "host" was technical enough to do that for you too, that would be perfect. Oh, another downside is that you do not have the info which normally shows on the LED display on the front of the device, like the number of the recorded program, the amount of time elapsed, and the amount remaining, so I mounted a tiny camera pointed at the front of my DVD/HDD recorder and had that connected to another input on the Slingbox!

The main downside for your "host" is that, while you are remotely viewing your cable box, satellite box, Tivo, DVD recorder, or whatever device you might have hooked up to the Slingbox, he/she can not/should not control that device at the same time. If you change something remotely, it'll change for them too, and vice versa. Note that, if your host normally has the TV connected directly to cable TV, then it is only a problem if he/she wants to watch one of the other devices. However, if you split the main cable and have all separate devices, then you wouldn't interfere with each others viewing.

Note that, the Slingbox is intended for access by only one computer/one user, and to be legal, you yourself should be the subscriber to the cable or satellite TV service and not your friend, as that is why Slingbox has not been shut down by TV broadcasters yet. So far they are buying the argument that it is the equivalent to the "fair use" of time-shifting on your home video recorder, i.e., you are simply "place-shifting." However, the day when there are dozens or hundreds of Slingboxes that anyone can access over the internet (maybe with each one tuned to a particular channel), it will be shut down, or at least the servers of SlingMedia, the company behind the Slingbox, will be.

Meanwhile, for those who are interested, but who don't know anyone who can be their Slingbox "host," there is a company that supposedly will do that for you too, although your local channels will be limited to the Los Angeles area:

http://www.a2btv.com

Oh, also, for more information, go to the SlingMedia website and find your way to the Sling Community discussion forums. I remember reading a few posts there by Slingbox users residing in Japan.

[Chris21]

Andru... thanks! That was a great post - everything that I ever wanted to know about the Slingbox! I was wondering about who had channel control when both the sender and the receiver were using the TV (I'll have to set it up on the secondary satellite receiver at home, to avoid conflicts over channels). And thanks for that link to the LA Slingbox service provider.

I think I'm going to take the plunge and pick one up.