mediaguru

I was just going to ask if anyone had hooked up a Slingbox (www.slingmedia.com) to a Freeview box to watch UK TV in the US over broadband when I realized that there'd be an NTSC/PAL problem. So I looked around on the Internet and it looks pretty certain that Slingmedia's going to be announcing a PAL Slingbox at CES this week (http://www.i4u.com/article4496.html). I'm not sure about you but I'd be inclided to buy one of these when they come out and have it hooked up to my Mum & Dad's broadband connection and it's own freeview box.
Personally, I couldn't care less about watching US TV when I'm on the road - the US product's value proposition - but watching unlimited UK TV sounds a lot better. I suppose that if you could couple it with a PVR at home you could even avoid the time difference by delaying the programmes.
Comments?

Owdhamer

Got the same idea as you mediaguru, seems a pretty impressive piece of kit. To be able to watch UK TV live, instead of the tripe on American TV would be a godsend!

I've read online that some Brits living here in the U.S. have sent an NTSC version of the Slingbox to their family back home & that it works fine, even though it is hooked up to a PAL signal back home.

Apparently, if hooked up to a Sky+ box in the UK, you can actually change the channel on the Sky+ box in the UK from your PC in the U.S. Quite remarkable!

Think I'm going to hang on for the PAL version to come out all the same - CANT F'ING wait!!!!

franc11s

We are on the same page. They announced the PAL Slingbox as beta about 3-4 months ago. I tried to get on it. To be honest, UKNova seems to suit most of what we need. The problem with Slingbox is THIS... the time difference... You will be 5 hours behind so at 7pm, when you are having your tea, it'll be crap UK Midnight TV in the UK. prime time (7-10pm) would mean you having to watch TV in the USA at 2pm to 5pm Not practical if you work !!

Hopefully, they will have a "record" to disk option so you can record what you want.

Do remember, the quality WILL NOT BE GREAT - it cannot be. The UK Broadband will be 250k upload max. And even that is NOT reliable. A full 30 min program even at the reduced UK Nova quality would take 8+ hours at that speed. (Thankfully, UKNova uses peer to peer so it's only about 30 mins).. that means, the quality and picture size WILL suffer. Now if you know someone who owns 2MBS DSL in the UK - awesome..

BUT because it's a gadget and techno, I HAVE TO HAVE IT AT ALL COSTS as well. I hope it'll work with my XBOX 360

Paul S

I thought about doing this, but to be honest with a mate in the UK who encodes stuff i want and chucks them up on his website and the really great uknova i cant see the point

I'm mostly chucking stuff from uknova onto a dvd+rw via intervideo windvd creator and playing them directly through me elcheapo dvd player that converts the pal to ntsc, works fer me