Maybe A Late Christmas Present? Birthday?

SlingBox allows you to send your
home's cable signal to anyplace on
earth by internet.

SlingCatcher gets the signal from
SlingBox, and will play it on any
television on earth.Sling Media has been putting out their gadgets for 3 years now, but recently they have added some pretty nifty upgrades.

So, what is Sling Media? If you live overseas, this is pure gold: Watch TV from back home... the exact same TV — including the commercials from Joe's Fish Shack on Bridge Street, and the nightly local news roundup — on any television, computer monitor, or internet-equipped mobile phone, live as it's being broadcast, anywhere in the world.

What do you need? First, you need SlingBox, which goes in your (mother's) home back wherever it is you come from. If you purchase the entry-level SlingBox, you'll need to connect it to a cable box; however SlingBox Pro ($300) has a cable box built in, and can even receive HDTV. Plug Slingbox into the cable, then plug it into the internet. That's it. All set. No fees. No need to think about SlingBox ever again. (If you own a TIVO or DVR, you can control and program that through your SlingBox as well.)

Next, you need SlingCatcher ($300) which goes in your house out in the jungle. Plug one end into the internet, and another one into the back of your television, and that's it. All set: There is WELM's signal from Elmira, New York, broadcasting live to your house in The Philippines (at 640 x 480 resolution), as well as every other channel your (mother's) cable package in New York receives. SlingCatcher's remote control will send commands over the internet from The Philippines to the SlingBox in New York to change the channel.

For free, you can put the SlingMedia Player on any computer and watch the same broadcast on your laptop (one version open at a time though... can't have more than one signal per SlingBox) or Mobile phone ($30). Seriously though: How cool would you be walking through Bangkok Airport watching The Daily Show live on your Nokia?

For an upload speed (i.e. your mother's house), you should have at least 256 Kbps upload speed (going out of your house to the internet), with 512 Kbps seriously recommended. For a download speed... well, obviously at least as fast as the upload speed, as this is a live non-buffering feed. That means that basically there is no place to store the signal. If your (mom's) SlingBox back home is sending out 8 frames per second of television, and your jungle SlingCatcher is able to download only 2 frames per second, then 1 out of 4 of those frames are lost. However, apparently the machines do communicate, and the SlingBox will adjust to accommodate the SlingCatcher's speed. (I've noted that a website called MReplay.com claims to be able to record and store and allow you to download your SlingBox signal to your computer's hard drive. That's obviously another review for another time.)

Anyway, I'm moving out to Jasaan soon, and there is no cable television out there. This is definitely on my wish list.

Here are some links to reviews. Some of the reviews are of the previous generation of Sling Media gadgets, and some of the complaints (such as wireless router support) have been addressed, and some of the products (like SlingCatcher) did not yet exist. Nonetheless:

CNet review, March 2006.

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.

Terry White, January 2008.

If you not only want to watch TV on your schedule, but also in the location of your choosing, then there is no better solution that Slingbox! For me it was a no brainer and it works as advertised. I would have gotten one of these a year ago if I had seen it in action. Sling Media, you need better marketing!

Lordpercy.com (UK), July 2006.

Overall the Slingbox is one hell of a gadget, it combines an in home remote sender with full DVR control and then layers on uber cool remote access enabling you to keep up without your favourite shows anywhere in the world. It works like a treat too, as long as you aren't expecting HD pictures a quarter screen Slingbox client will both keep you happy and impress all who see it.

Stuff.tv (UK), October 2006.

The beauty of the Slingbox is its simple operation. Anywhere you have broadband access, you can access your home telly. Picture and sound are surprisingly good, while the internal digital TV tuner is a real bonus. Easy PC, and soon to be easy Mac, too. Slingbox, we salute you.

VNUNet.com (UK), September 2006.

For a £180 one-off fee, Slingbox offers excellent value for money, especially considering how much Sony is charging for its LocationFree player and registration.