Stream your TV Content to PC
Products described in this section are an important element of setting up your home network. They enable you to connect various network components in your house, and to access multimedia content when you are away from your house. Please read through the article as, like with every solution, there are a few limitations. Depending on what you want to accomplish with your network, you may want to explore other alteranives which you’ll learn about in other sections in our website.
Slingbox is a great product that enables to wirelessly stream video content from a satellite receiver, cable box, or personal video 
recorder to the PC or compatible smart phone as long as it’s connected to the high speed internet. Please note that one slingbox can only stream to one device at a time. There are a few versions available on the market that range anywhere between $150-$350. Slingbox can get pricy, since in order to fully utilize it in your network, you may also need to purchase other equipment. This depends whether your router is located in the same room as your TV.
- If your Router is in the same room with your TV, then you don’t need any other equipment, just use an Ethernet cable to connect Slinbox to the router.
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If router is in a different room then your TV, and assuming you don’t want to wire your house with an Ethernet cable, you’ll have to purchase either:
- Slinglink which lets you connect to a router via an Ethernet wire. Slinglink is sold in pairs. You will plug one to your Slingbox in one room, and other one to your router in other room. Slinglink sells between $110-150
- Sling Ethernet bridge, which let you connect slimbox to your router wirelessly. It sells for about $80.
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In any case, you’ll need to purchase sling media connect cable to connect slingbox to the TV. It sells between $30-50. In addition, software to install on your PC is for free, however sling media charges a one-time fee of $29.99 for each device license of the SlingPlayer Mobile software
Although, market is still small, there are other cheaper alternatives for people who are always on the go, and have a need to access their live and pre-recorded local TV channels. One of the competing 
devices is Hava, which sells in a range between $110-$200.Other product is Sony Location Free Base Station, which sells between $130-170. Both of these perform the same functions as Slingbox. One of advantages of Hava and Sony Base Location over Slingbox is that it can stream live TV and other video content through a home network, so you don't have to be conected to the internet like Slingbox. For instance, Sony base stations LF B-20 and LF V-30 has built-in 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN technology that streams up to 100 feet in the house. Click here to learn more about any of these products.
For people who need to have access to TV from different locations, there are other cheaper alternatives. One is to purchase TV tuner for your PC and connect your cable directly to your PC. The cheapest alternative is to buy TV on PC service for a small one time fee, thus eliminating to purchase any euipment and eliminating pricey cable bill. Directing your TV content directly to your PC is the most optimal solution when setting-up your home network. We’ll cover them in the content management section of our website. Click here to learn more.
Comment on this article
Comments to date: 1. Page 1 of 1. Average Rating: 
Pete USA | 9:33am on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 |
Does anyone have any experience with Sony product? Can't decide is Slingbox is better then others. | |
