Laptop Tv

garman351

Expert Expediter
(SLINGBOX PRO)
$200 To $250 for HD connections.
No monthly fee
Watch TV any where in the world from your Laptop computer when connected to the SLINGBOX PRO . As long as your in a good wireless reception area of course?

(Here is how it works)
Buy the Slingbox Pro, download software onto your laptop and connect to the Slingbox Pro
and connect to the internet and make the connection than watch crystal clear TV in your
truck or where ever you can receive good wireless reception.

It is a virtual version of your home TV on any Window 2000 based operating system on your Laptop. It works with your home TiVO and DVR as well. My understanding is what ever you have at home can be emulated on your Laptop. I'm not sure of other compatable operating systems that will work on this Slingbox? "I just heard about this system just today while watching the Dr. Phill show on Tv.

This is very exciting news for drivers. We could not afford a very expensive roof top satellite unit at $2,000 or more and we are sick & tired of buying Dvd's all the time for our truck. Imagine you can go from wanting to blow your head off just sitting for a couple of days to relaxing and watching TV almost like being at home to better pass the long hours we have to wait for a load offer. No monthly fees to pay either! This is great for trucks that has no Tv's or room for one.

Garman
 

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I hope Leo (LDB) will respond to your post. I think he has been using Slingbox longer than any one.

If high speed up link is required from home , I would be out of luck due to the slow dial-up.
As far as the down-link my Verizon Wireless data plan is blazing fast in some areas,and slower than Dial up in others.

Leo jump in here we all have a lot to learn about Slingbox.
 

ihamner

Expert Expediter
We are loving our slingbox! We are set up on an extra TV at our son's home in Richmond. We bring up a controller on the laptop screen (as though we are sitting in the living room) and scroll through the programs on TV. We really enjoyed it during the football season when we were sitting on weekends. We have a clear connection on our laptop where ever we are located. We attached a small outside phone antenna to our truck so we always have a good connection.

We highly recommend this way of watching TV when there is no TV reception in the area where we are sitting. It was frustrating to us to try to pick up anything on TV unless we happened to be in a large city (like Atlanta or Chicago).
 

rmctt2

Seasoned Expediter
What kind of stations can you get ?
HBO? CNN? Local channels ? Fox, etc...
Football, can you get NFL Package like Direct TV.
??
I am going to get Direct TV on my TV in my Sprinter.
I have it at home and I have an extra box.. Just have to get the dish...
Only costs an extra $5.00...
 
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ihamner

Expert Expediter
We can pick up anything the TV at home can pick up. If you have Dish Network or Direct TV at home then you can watch anything just like you are at home. You can also add a Replay box and record your favorite shows to watch when you aren't running in the middle of the night.

We debated about adding a satellite dish to the truck and we did some pricing but we decided this is a better way to go for us. Trying to adjust those satellite dishes can be a real problem.
 

garman351

Expert Expediter
Hi Guy's:
I understand the concept I just need some clarification on this Slingbox?

I did not know you needed high speed at the house first off? Ok Slingbox
has to be connected to your comptuer, Satellite dish some how has to be
connected to your computer, download software at both computers I'm sure
so they both can communicate. Does your home computer have to be turned on
all the time at home to make this thing work? Also does it effect watching TV at
home while somebody is on the road at the same time, trying to watch two
different channels at the same time?

It kinda sounds comfusing, the whole thing to me how it all comes together.

Garman
 

bernieh48

Veteran Expediter
What about if you don't have a home? We have a directv dish on the truck with us but would love to be able to watch tv on my laptop while hubby watches it. How would that work if at all? Thanks
 

ihamner

Expert Expediter
Okay, first of all, I am no expert technician or anything but here is a link about Slingbox.
Sling Media - Slingbox

I think it will answer your questions better than I can answer them. You do not connect to your computer at home to watch TV on your laptop in the truck. You will connect to your TV connection at home. If you have satellite TV or Direct TV or Dish or whatever that is what you will connect to with your laptop in the truck. If you have someone at home watching TV then you will see whatever is ON that TV. That is the reason we connect to an EXTRA TV at our son's home so we can change the channels and it won't affect what they are watching. I can only watch so much Bob the Builder. :)

If you don't have a home base then you can talk with anyone in your family or circle of friends to find someone willing to let you connect to their system at home.
 
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RLENT

Veteran Expediter
You do not connect to your computer at home to watch TV on your laptop in the truck. You will connect to your TV connection at home.

The above is slightly misleading, although probably not intentionally - your Slingbox at home needs to be connected to the internet via broadband - either via a router, cable modem, DSL, etc. - or via a computer that is functioning as a router (software router)
 

ihamner

Expert Expediter
Oh, you are correct. As I mentioned earlier, I am not a tech support person for Slingbox and my son and husband set it up. I believe we connect through a wireless router on the home network. Sorry! Didn't mean to give you bad info. I just knew we didn't have a computer sitting beside the TV at home that we use.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
India,

Yeah - I knew you weren't (trying to give bad info) - it was just that the wording was a little unclear and I wanted to try and clear it up and make sure that folks knew they needed a broadband connection at the house to make it fly. ;)

I have broadband and Direct TV at home myself - it's good to know that Slingbox could be a solution to getting TV in the truck and that folks are happy with it. :D
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
Are we to assume the TV and computer must remain on at all times?

BTW The first I heard of this was from Leo, and yes, the wife mentioned it after watching Dr. Phil.

I was surprised he would have been talking about slingboxes. Wife said they were prizes or something for his 1000th show?
 
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RLENT

Veteran Expediter
From what I quickly read:

TV: no. But if you have Direct TV or Dish that receiver would have to be on.

You do need to have an always on connection to the internet - most folks that have this probably have a device (cable modem/router, dsl modem/router, satellite modem/router) that has a built-in router allowing them to connect multiple computers (or other devices - like the Slingbox) to the internet.

Computer: no - unless you are using the computer as a software router. (As an example on our home network I have one computer that is connected to the internet via a DSL modem via ethernet. The computer also has a second ethernet card in it that connects it to our local LAN here in the house. I run the software built into the OS that allows that computer to serve up internet connections to all computers or devices on our local LAN, functioning as a software router. In my case I would have to leave the computer with the primary connection to the internet via the dsl modem on all the time - which is no biggie for me - it's always on anyways)
 

greywolf184

Seasoned Expediter
Driver
So if you do not have a home it can be ran from another persons tv. How does it affect the person at home, or does it? Do you get all stations that the person has, or just locals?
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
how does that work if you do not have cable or a dish? can i get the fuzzy bunny ear channels? never mind i will just watch whatever i have dl on my ipod.
 

tblount

Seasoned Expediter
how does that work if you do not have cable or a dish? can i get the fuzzy bunny ear channels? never mind i will just watch whatever i have dl on my ipod.

It's simply sending whatever your cable or satellite reciever is picking up ... out through the internet.. then you pick it up from anywhere you can get internet access.

Just think of it as if you had a computer set up at home with a camera that is focused on your tv. Anywhere on earth that you could get high speed internet you could connect and view whatever the camera is pointed at (and sending out over the internet).

It's a little more advanced because this allows you to change channels from wherever you are viewing... so you obviously don't want to use it on your main tv at home or your wife will be unhappy when you start flipping through channels and lock in on the girls gone wild ads.
 

tblount

Seasoned Expediter
Flying J had a petition that I signed to help them get fcc authroity to offer tv through the intenet... but I can't find that petition now.... only the "thank you for signing" page comes up when I do a search of the flying j site.
 
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