Slingbox Users- Any Feedback On Current Use

[Gulfstream]

Planning to use Slingbox from USA to TH (Pattaya). Looking for info and advice from current users.

Want to know what internet speed in TH is needed, what port is USA is best, and any internet providers here blocking?

How is picture/reception quality?

Any additional advice & experience appreciated.

[jambla]

I sling from Canada to Bangkok. I have a true 12mbps connection and it is usually just fast enough to stream at ok quality but nothing great. With the new slingbox upgrade they allow buffering which improves quality.

[ericthai]

I used my sling box in Bangkok for several years. I have the slingbox setup in Tampa, Fl. Quality is ok, not great.

If the internet in Thailand very gets better then the slingbox will be great, for right now I have to run it on low resolution, otherwise it keeps stopping to buffer. My slingbox is old maybe 3-4 years possibly more so maybe the new ones might have better compression not sure. I'm happy with it as It allows me to watch some football, but again the resolution is not great, its bearable, if you are not a video junkie.

[Gulfstream]

I sling from Canada to Bangkok. I have a true 12mbps connection and it is usually just fast enough to stream at ok quality but nothing great. With the new slingbox upgrade they allow buffering which improves quality.

Thanks jambla, my connection in Pattaya is not as fast but will give it a try- sounds like it's better than no US programs.

[Gulfstream]

I used my sling box in Bangkok for several years. I have the slingbox setup in Tampa, Fl. Quality is ok, not great.

If the internet in Thailand very gets better then the slingbox will be great, for right now I have to run it on low resolution, otherwise it keeps stopping to buffer. My slingbox is old maybe 3-4 years possibly more so maybe the new ones might have better compression not sure. I'm happy with it as It allows me to watch some football, but again the resolution is not great, its bearable, if you are not a video junkie.

Thanks ericthai, I understand the newer units are better at streaming and the new software really helps, I'll try it.

[paulfr]

How much does this slingbox cost ?

Where do you buy it ?

Just need a TV and interent connection in the home country like US ?

I guess you need aomeone to reboot the computer if it goes offline

or restarts ?

[ericthai]

You can buy the slingbox from bestbuy, think they have a website too. It does not need to be connected to a computer, just needs to be connected to the cable or satellite and then connected to a router. Not sure what the cost is now, I bought mine 3 or 4 years ago and got the standard box, now they have a few different choices. Thing the cheapest one is a little over $100 and the go up to $200 or $300, not sure. goolge it

[Gulfstream]

You can buy the slingbox from bestbuy, think they have a website too. It does not need to be connected to a computer, just needs to be connected to the cable or satellite and then connected to a router. Not sure what the cost is now, I bought mine 3 or 4 years ago and got the standard box, now they have a few different choices. Thing the cheapest one is a little over $100 and the go up to $200 or $300, not sure. goolge it

Got it, Thanks. Went for the good model with all the "bells and whistles"

[ScubaBuddha]

I just set up a Slingbox SOLO with HD capability in the US over Christmas. (120usd used on Ebay) It works most the time via laptop here in Thailand as long as sling.com's "watch" feature isn't returning a "502 gateway error" message which has happened a couple time for several hours at a time. The picture occasionally hangs for a few seconds, but that is usually when am controlling it (scrolling the guide, etc) and the connection speed drops drastically as it re-optimizes. It usually streams at 1000 to 1500kbps. I am fairly impressed with the picture quality, especially with the HD channels.

I have a 4mb down/1mb up with Maxnet/BBB which I pay 2500 baht (75usd) a month for. At the slingbox location in the US I have a 30mb down/10mb up cable line with Comcast which I pay 60USD (2000 baht) for. (Yes, US internet is cheaper and 8 times faster and way more reliable. Welcome to Thailand)

Everything stateside was pretty much plug and play, which is good because this was the first time I have ever tried to set up a home network without someone helping me. I was a little worried when my new Comcast DVR cable box wasn't listed on sling's list during setup. I believe this was just to configure the remote control. After trying a couple similar Comcast boxes, I found one with the same remote and it seems to have all the same buttons.

So before I left the states I got everything working well there, including the Slingcatcher (which plays directly on my TV here.) Now, here in Thailand I cannot get the Slingcatcher to work. It appears to connect with sling servers since I am able to sign in and see my Slingbox in the US listed on it, but when I try to connect to the Slingbox in the US it says I cannot due to a "network error". It seems there are many people having this problem. I have searched the sling community and other places on the internets and thus far have found some possible solutions, such as opening port 5001, port forwarding, and changing the stream type from SNATT to RELAY or TCP, which I think all require me to be at the Slingbox location and probably have technical skills beyond those I currently possess. As suggested by some, I tried alt-shift-i while streaming in Firefox using the Slingplayer software to see what type of stream I was getting (TCP, RELAY or SNATT) but all that happened is the info bar on the cable box briefly opened at the bottom of the screen. I think all I can do from here to try to solve this problem is have someone reset the Slingbox in the states, which I will try to do when I get a chance.

I am really disappointed in this Slingcatcher. It seems Sling released it before it was finished beta-testing it. Any help would be appreciated.

[astral]

At this stage in the game looking for HD capability does sound like a good move.

[ScubaBuddha]

At this stage in the game looking for HD capability does sound like a good move.

I agree. Even though you won't get a "real" HD picture by the time it gets you your TV here (even Sling admits that) having the signal start out HD gives you a great chance of keeping the picture clear, as long as you have the bandwidth.

I just figured out how to screen capture when it is on full screen on my laptop. Iy appears Snagit reduces the size a bit. This is from Spike and SciFi channels which are HD. Click at the top of each to see larger size: