Slingbox user watches USA -TV programs

[Mekong Bob]

Slingbox system enables me to watch and record programs from my cable box and DVR in Pennsylvania.

In Chiang Mai, I have a virtual tv remote on my desktop computer screen to control channels, access DVR.

Streaming has been good, but erratic, from 3BB (Fiber) bandwidth.

 

Looking for a better, more reliable system here in Chiang Mai to watch USA-TV programs.

 

Will appreciate your recommendations.

 

[from the home of CC]

vpn with ustvgo

[treetops]

If your fibre speed is good here it's probably the connection in the USA that's slowing things down.  Do you have anyone that can check it or even just reboot it?

[Mekong Bob]

Sling Media (Slingbox) will be shutting down in a few months.

 

Overtaken by advancing technology.

 

 

[KannikaP]

28 minutes ago, treetops said:

If your fibre speed is good here it's probably the connection in the USA that's slowing things down.  Do you have anyone that can check it or even just reboot it?

Just boot it out. That thing is 20 years old, much better ways to watch 'foreign' TV these days.

[KannikaP]

24 minutes ago, Mekong Bob said:

Sling Media (Slingbox) will be shutting down in a few months.

 

Overtaken by advancing technology.

 

 

It worked reasonably well 20 years ago. Oh the days of SCART plugs etc.   LOL

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If you have a U.S.. cable TV account and credentials that you plans to be keeping, you can use a very cheap add on service like Channels DVR. Or, if you plan to ditch your cable TV subscription, you possibly can use a combination of the Stremium/Locast services as an alternative...

 

I use both, which both allow live viewing and recorded/time shifted viewing, and work very well and reliably. (Because of the time difference between the U.S. and TH, IMO, having a recording capability for US TV content is pretty essential).

 

https://getchannels.com/plus/

 

Channels DVR requires you to install their server software on a PC or other device that's part of your home network. And then you can watch live TV or recorded content via their free apps on various devices. Channels relies on the TV Everywhere supported channels and cable TV credentials (log-in and password) you may already have to provide remote viewing. It runs $8 a month, I believe.

 

Or.... you can go with Locast and Stremium as an alternative that doesn't require an existing U.S. cable TV account subscription, and would cost $10 a month in total, $5 a month for each.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitzytv.android&hl=en_US&gl=US

 

https://www.stremium.com/

 

If you have the ability to show a browser IP address from one of the supported Locast markets below, paying a $5 a month donation to their service will give you live access to the major OTA broadcast channels and lesser OTA channels in that market.

 

https://www.locast.org/

 

 

 

Then, if you pair the Locast service with $5 a month Stremium cloud DVR service and its apps, Stremium gives you the ability to cloud record and time/shift your viewing of the broadcast content coming via Locast, which Locast itself does not do.

 

 

At present, Stremium will allow you to view live broadcast content or cloud record content from the following U.S. services: Locast, Sling TV, Vidgo, Philo and CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount+).

 

SlingTV and Vidgo are also U.S. cable TV type OTT services that cost between $30 and $50 a month, but those would only suit someone who didn't already have a U.S. cable TV subscription but wanted to view cable TV channel content.

[treetops]

47 minutes ago, Mekong Bob said:

Sling Media (Slingbox) will be shutting down in a few months.

 

Overtaken by advancing technology.

 

November 2022, so still 21 months of use if it can be made to work.

[ChakaKhan]

Mobdro apk downloaded onto my Android phone......

 

I have an older chromecast Im using --Install "HOME" app on android(google app)

 

can then "cast" Mobdro app from phone to TV(HDMI) port with Chromecast running

 

Could also work with screen mirroring with newer phones and compatible tv or Roku or C.cast works

 

Only issue is no guide so I use a tv guide app to see whats coming on...decent wifi needed to have smooth streaming

 

 

[mtls2005]

Amazed Slingbox is still "on"? Maybe time to toss it in with the old rotary phone?

 

Another alternative, which does require a VPN, but if any family or friends have cable/streaming services, those usually allow for multilpe log-ons, which you can use here. I use a family member's Xfinity account, as they created an email (@comcast.net) and PW for me. These also allow you to stream most other content directly (say from msnbc.com) if it's part of the associated package.

 

Xfinity uses 2FA, which works with my Google Voice number.

 

 

[KhunHeineken]

OP, what's your upload speed like where the Slingbox is based?

 

No one was more disappointed at Slingbox's shut down than me.  

 

They, I have two, have served me well over many years.  No geo blocking headaches, and a dedicated stream for yourself.  Also, no VPN needed. 

 

It would also smooth out slow internet speeds to stream to you, which was great in airports and in poorer countries.  I will definitely miss my Slingboxes come November 2022. 

 

I know the Foxtel Go app out of Australia will not stream with a VPN.  The app has a way of detecting a VPN is being used.   I have brought this up with my VPN company and their tech guys are still working on it.  How long before other companies get onto the same technology? 

 

Is there any other alternate hardware to achieve what the Slingbox does?   

 

Mods, perhaps this thread should be moved to the IT Forum as I know quite a few guys in Thailand using Slingboxes.  

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Amazed Slingbox is still "on"? Maybe time to toss it in with the old rotary phone?

 

Another alternative, which does require a VPN, but if any family or friends have cable/streaming services, those usually allow for multilpe log-ons, which you can use here. I use a family member's Xfinity account, as they created an email (@comcast.net) and PW for me. These also allow you to stream most other content directly (say from msnbc.com) if it's part of the associated package.

 

Xfinity uses 2FA, which works with my Google Voice number.

 

 

Most of the paid U.S. cable TV services participate in something called TV Everywhere, which allows people with paid U.S. cable TV credentials to use those to log into and watch the individual streaming apps or websites of supported TV channels when they're away from home (or even when they're home).

 

What exact TV networks are enabled for TV Everywhere depends somewhat on the particular cable TV service. But for example, even if you couldn't directly view your U.S. cable TV service content while in Thailand, you might well be able to use the log in and password for your cable TV account to log into and view the live streams of ESPN, NBC, History Channel, etc etc via their individual apps and websites. (Doing so is going to require you to access those with a U.S. VPN / IP address).

 

The individual cable TV providers in the U.S. typically have a list somewhere within their support websites of what particular networks/channels they support for TV Everywhere access.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

Then beyond that, some services like the Channels DVR Plus app and service I mentioned above package all the TV Everywhere channels you're entitled to view into a single unified interface much like a regular cable TV guide and interface, so the access is all in one app... instead of having to go from app to app if accessing directly via TV Everywhere.

 

The paid Channels DVR service and app for $8 a month also includes the ability to record and save as Mpg video files on your PC where you install their server software anything you can watch from the various supported channels, either to watch at a more convenient time or just to save as a recording you want to keep.

 

This is what the Channels DVR Plus interface looks like on an Android TV, showing content enabled by the Locast service and TV Everywhere channels from a cable TV subscription:

 

On Now view

 

Channel Guide view

 

 

 

[KhunHeineken]

In early preparation for the cut off, I looked at some Slingbox alternatives.  

 

Found Monsoon Multimedia Vulkano, and Sony Location Free.

 

Also read about using a HDHomerun box with Plex, but I believe that requires having some type of server running, and will only do Free To Air channels because they are not encrypted.  

 

Does anyone know of any other Slingbox alternatives?   

 

[treetops]

4 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Does anyone know of any other Slingbox alternatives?

 

https://lifehacker.com/the-best-alternatives-to-your-discontinued-slingbox-1845647106

 

https://intotomorrow.com/place-shifting-over-the-air-tv/

 

[canthai55]

Watching broadcast TV makes you dumber

https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/07/junky-tv-is-actually-making-people-dumber-and-more-likely-to-support-populist-politicians/

[KhunHeineken]

On 2/11/2021 at 10:04 PM, canthai55 said:

Watching broadcast TV makes you dumber

https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/07/junky-tv-is-actually-making-people-dumber-and-more-likely-to-support-populist-politicians/

 

I mainly use my Slingbox for watching live sports from my home country.   

[KhunHeineken]

On 2/11/2021 at 9:30 PM, treetops said:

 

https://lifehacker.com/the-best-alternatives-to-your-discontinued-slingbox-1845647106

 

https://intotomorrow.com/place-shifting-over-the-air-tv/

 

 

These do the free over the air TV, not a paid satellite set top box.  

[treetops]

5 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

These do the free over the air TV, not a paid satellite set top box.  

 

That's why they are alternatives, not Slingboxes.

 

FWIW, my Slingbox is connected to a free satellite set top box which gets many channels that are broadcast on a regular OTA signal too, so these could be a good fit.

[flare]

On 2/11/2021 at 1:27 PM, KhunHeineken said:

In early preparation for the cut off, I looked at some Slingbox alternatives.  

 

Found Monsoon Multimedia Vulkano, and Sony Location Free.

 

Also read about using a HDHomerun box with Plex, but I believe that requires having some type of server running, and will only do Free To Air channels because they are not encrypted.  

 

Does anyone know of any other Slingbox alternatives?   

 

I used a Vulkano unit for a couple years (it allowed recording, unlike the Slingbox at that time)- in 2018, without warning, they went under, making all their hardware useless.  I had mostly moved on from it by then, but I had signed a contract for an extra satellite box in my mom's house in NY (where the Vulkano was based and sending programs to wherever I was), which I had to cancel.  It was annoying.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon_Multimedia

 

 

 

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/7/2021 at 6:32 PM, treetops said:

 

That's why they are alternatives, not Slingboxes.

 

FWIW, my Slingbox is connected to a free satellite set top box which gets many channels that are broadcast on a regular OTA signal too, so these could be a good fit.

 

There's quite  lot of sport that you have to pay to watch.  I can only see that trend continuing.  

 

I've been researching the use of a modulator that will converter a HDMI satellite set top box signal into an RF signal and then I may be able to use an OTA device to watch from anywhere in the world.  

 

 

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/8/2021 at 8:17 AM, flare said:

I used a Vulkano unit for a couple years (it allowed recording, unlike the Slingbox at that time)- in 2018, without warning, they went under, making all their hardware useless.  I had mostly moved on from it by then, but I had signed a contract for an extra satellite box in my mom's house in NY (where the Vulkano was based and sending programs to wherever I was), which I had to cancel.  It was annoying.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon_Multimedia

 

 

 

 

I would actually pay a small yearly subscription to keep the Sling Media servers online, and my Slingbox working.  

 

I have since bought a Sony Location Free TV unit, so towards the end of next year, I'll be setting it up.  

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/7/2021 at 6:32 PM, treetops said:

 

That's why they are alternatives, not Slingboxes.

 

FWIW, my Slingbox is connected to a free satellite set top box which gets many channels that are broadcast on a regular OTA signal too, so these could be a good fit.

 

Not the best alternative though, is it?  You don't get all the channels, just the FTA channels.