Tech Spotlight

Slingbox, app allow TV signal to go anywhere

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA L. JONES
The Slingbox M1 works with the Slingplayer, an app for smartphone or tablet that allows users to access their cable or satellite receiver and watch shows on their mobile device. The Slingplayer can even access the receiver’s DVR list and display recordings from it.
Special to the Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA L. JONES The Slingbox M1 works with the Slingplayer, an app for smartphone or tablet that allows users to access their cable or satellite receiver and watch shows on their mobile device. The Slingplayer can even access the receiver’s DVR list and display recordings from it.

I recently bit the bullet: I got back onto cable.

I've enjoyed antenna-only programming for a long time -- along with the lack of a $90 cable bill. However, I recently got a chance to test a product that requires cable or satellite to function. So, for you, my dear readers, I made the sacrifice.

where it’s @

The Slingbox M1 requires a cable or satellite receiver signal. It also requires the Slingplayer app for the iPhone, iPad, Android phone or Android tablet. The app retails for $15 for each platform. The M1 retails for $149. More information is available at slingbox.com.

Receiving a heck of a deal didn't hurt.

This time, however, I couldn't bring myself to pay for two receivers for two televisions, since I barely watch the television in my bedroom. I wasn't sure, though, if I would miss it.

I don't have to worry about it.

Slingbox provided a simple solution with its new Slingbox M1 receiver. This device takes the signal from a cable or satellite receiver and transmits it via Wi-Fi to a mobile device. Those mobile devices then can be used to transmit the signal to another television via a Roku, AppleTV or Amazon FireStick.

The Slingbox is a small box that connects to your cable or satellite receiver through component and composite RCA cables, so it's very easy to set up.

The Slingbox requires an app to work with the iPhone or Android phone. Unfortunately, the Slingplayer app is $15, a bit high for my taste on top of the $150 for the Slingbox itself. That's $15 per app, too. So if you have an iPhone and iPad, or an Android phone and tablet, you would pay $15 for the app for each device. I did find the iPhone app works on the iPad, but because it isn't made for the iPad's larger screen, the resolution isn't as good.

That said, the app is easy to set up and fairly easy to use, once you figure out where everything is. It first must be set up with a Slingbox account, which can be created in the app or online at Slingbox.

Once you have created a Slingbox account, the app will help finish setting up the Slingbox by locating the cable signal. It does this by asking the name of your cable or satellite provider. It claims to be compatible with all cable and satellite providers. It didn't have a problem finding mine, but it's a rather large company.

Once the provider is named, the app searches for the signal and uses an interface that closely matches the controls for my cable receiver.

The Slingplayer app has a remote control divided into the digital pad, keypad and "all", which provides several screens of buttons that can be scrolled through sideways. The buttons are meant to coincide with the buttons on the receiver's actual remote, although there were a few buttons missing and a few on the Slingplayer remote that didn't coincide with the real remote. For the most part, though, the necessary buttons were available.

The key to the Slingbox M1 is that, unlike those "watch TV anywhere" apps from the cable companies, this takes the signal directly from the receiver, so all of the channels are available for streaming. A while back, I had service from one of the satellite companies, and I tried its "TV anywhere" app. It barely worked, and most of the channels weren't available. The Slingbox doesn't work that way, thank goodness. I was able to view any channel, either by dialing it in on the keypad screen or using the directional buttons.

There is a third way to change channels in the app. It includes a guide similar to the one found on the cable receiver. In the case of the Slingplayer app, touching the show on the guide will pull the show up on the screen. There is a delay between the time the show's listing is touched and the channel actually being changed, but that can be expected. It's only a few seconds, though.

One thing to note with the Slingbox and its app: This isn't a good product to use if you have a slow Internet connection. Because it's transmitting a video signal and receiving commands from the app constantly, it needs a pretty fast signal to function well. Otherwise, you'll see a lot of that little spinning wheel.

I tested the Slingbox and Slingplayer at home and away from home, and it performed each time. I also tested it with my Roku, which it recognized immediately. The app sent a signal to the Roku to download the Slingplayer app, which it did. I was then able to transmit my Slingplayer signal from my phone to the Roku and view the video on my television. It worked a little differently for the AppleTV. In that case, it relied on the Airplay feature on the iPhone and iPad to send the Slingplayer video to the AppleTV, rather than requiring another app.

I was even able to call up shows recorded to my cable receiver's DVR and watch them using a combination of the controls in the Slingplayer and in the cable receiver. I stopped the show on my phone and was able to pick it up where it left off once I returned home.

The Slingbox M1 is pretty straightforward. It's easy to set up, and it works as advertised. It takes a bit of practice to find where everything is in the Slingplayer app, but the app works well and offers the bonus of projecting the video to other television sets via a Roku or Amazon Firestick. For those with iPhones or iPads, the native Airplay feature can be used to send the Slingplayer's signal to a television via AppleTV.

It opens up a lot of possibilities for those who need a way to watch that extra television, or who might be away from a TV altogether.

Yes, it made it worth getting cable again. HGTV and SyFy wherever I go. How can I argue with that?

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.

SundayMonday Business on 04/06/2015

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