Looks like we'll be able to soon whatch live British TV in the USA for a one time $250 fee http://www.slingmedia.com/slingbox/

This could be very interesting. This devicebox is called slingbox.

You connect it up in your house to your network and cable box/DVR etc., and then, from your PC, anywhere in the world, you can watch the same TV programs, live, you could in your house.

I'm thinking of getting one to plug into my sisters house in the UK. You can change channels. It works without a TV (since it has a tuner built in) and therefore can just sit on her home network.

They won't have PAL format until early next year for a UK version but it's an interesting really simple concept.

I'd have a cheap PC here in the USA, connected to my PLASMA that would be connected all the time to the slingbox in the UK. So then, in theory for a one time flat fee of $250, I'll be able to watch live UK TV from my living room, or more importantly set my replaytv (TIVO) to record anything since the time difference will mean live isn't the best.

Why would i do this? Cause I'm a gadget freak

noticed this in best buy last week - looks interesting!! Would it need to be PAL if its coming from the PC, I guess it uses a tuner in the UK - ok answered my own question there!

I've been watching news of Slingshot's development for some time. If you decide to go for it and set one up in your sister's house, please do post here and tell us how it goes...

...or I may just take the plunge myself once the PAL version is out

Ah, all of Slingbox's shortcomings have suddenly come flooding back!

The Slingbox actually controls the remote satalite/cable/TiVo using a small IR repeater which you place so that it can send IR signals to change the channel, etc.

What that means is that if someone changes channel in the UK, it will change what the Slingbox is sending you, and vice versa.

The solution is to have a separate TV tuner/cable box/TiVo in the UK for use only with Slingbox, but that seems like it could get pretty expensive pretty quickly.

There's good coverage of Slingbox on Engadget if you do a search of the site. Their interview with the Slingbox CEO is here.

Ok, forgive me for being dense but is this the way it works...?

You buy one and have it sent to someone you know in the UK. They plug it into their TV and it sends those signals to you, on your computer. Presumably they need to have a broadband connection at their end as well... do they have to pay extra to do this?

You are forced to watch whatever they are watching because if they change the channel their end, it changes the channel at your end.

Does it work even if the TV is turned off? If so, presumably it is then stuck on whatever channel they were watching before they switched off.

Seems like a strange idea to me.

Everthing Winter said above goes for me as well.

Sounds pretty good to me. Now, if they just figure out how to beam the UK over here......

The idea behind the product is to stream TV from your own home television to yourself when you are away from home. Putting it to use by installing it in a friend or relative's home in the UK to stream TV to you in the US is not its intended purpose, and is probably not 100% legal (but then what is when it comes to digital media?).

If the location where the Slingbox is has cable or satellite, then it should work fine with the TV turned off, because the signals are still coming from the cable/satellite box, and you can still change channel on the cable/satellite system even when the TV itself is off.

However, you're right that if there is only one cable/satellite box at the Slingbox location then you're at the whim of whoever is watching TV there. The only workable solution seems to be to have a second tuner box (most cable/satellite companies can provide as many tuner boxes as you want, for a fee) which is used exclusively for the Slingbox. That tuner doesn't even need a TV attached.

Yes, your friend or relative needs broadband. No, there is no additional fee. The faster their broadband upload speed is, the better the picture quality will be.

It's not an ideal solution, but it's on of the first attempts at "location-free TV", and if the TV copyright owners don't kill it in the courts, it may get better and more popular. Sony are already having some success in Japan and here with a similar product actually called Location-Free-TV (but that uses a remote screen, and is total crap according to reviews).

Sure, Slingbox is a Geek toy, but I'm a geek, so I'm keen to try it out

ROFL!

So when they go away on holiday and leave the satellite system set up to change channels to record specific programs, you can totally screw with it

I think it's a nice idea but way too much trouble and expense to bother with.

Hold on, hold on hold on just a moment everyone? Take a step back clam down and think for a minute. You went to all the effort for some reason or another to change your lives, move, emmigrate to the USA to the land of bigger and better and opportunity. And now you're here all you crave is the pointless drivel that UK TV has to offer. I mean come on let's face it, if you want to tune in to Premiership soccer, that's available here anyway via US channels and I'm sure other specialist sports etc. My question is why change your life and then decide that you can't bear to miss out on Emmerdale three or four times a week. You've alreadly made that step to make someting of your lives now go out there and use this great opportunity! .........By the way did you know that Sharon is leaving Eastenders? .......

At least it has fewer commercials than the pointless drivel on US TV.

But British drivel is infinitely superior to American drivel.

Oh I get, we have to TOTALLY give up EVERYTHING we ever knew from before we moved then eh? Lose the English culture/ sense of humor, stop cooking ANY type of food we may have had in the UK, maybe start talking with a Yank accent too.

It pisses me right off when people assume you're not doing enough to settle in just because of one post on a forum.
Have you any idea what Wintersong has done over here or who she is even?
No. So stop jumping to conclusions.

Most of the decent tv is on discovery/nat geographic anyway..Top gear. Rough Science, etc etc.