Sling into action… The new Slingbox Pro and Slingbox Solo mean you can take Australian TV with you when you travel – virtually, of course.

Ever since it became available in the US in 2005, it was clear that Slingbox was going to make a huge impact locally. Now, the devices are finally making a much awaited appearance in retail stores and already the signs are positive for a fully fledged mainstream roll out.

Slingbox is a set-top box that connects to your TV (or any other video output device) and streams the signal to another machine (home computer, laptop or mobile phone) in real time via the internet. Two models are available in Australia – Slingbox Pro and Slingbox Solo. The Solo is smaller and more compact than the Pro but is equipped with a single input compared with the Pro’s four SD sources.

There are no subscription fees, just a one-off purchase price for the Slingbox and associated software.

The genius lies in its ability to ‘sling’ content from your home TV to anywhere in the world – signalling an end to missing your favourite program while overseas or flipping through an endless cycle of CNN and MTV in your hotel room.

“Slingbox sits with your home entertainment system and enables users to remotely view their home’s free-to-air, pay TV or PVR programming,” says Jai Kemp of Digital Products Group, an Australian distributor of the product.

“A TV, pay TV box or PVR is connected to the Slingbox. It takes that content and uses a technology called SlingStream to compress and put the content out over the air so you can access it in your own house or anywhere in the world.”

Slingbox accepts HD content, but it converts the signal into SD format before streaming it to your laptop or mobile phone. So whether you’re sitting with your laptop in a Parisian café, New York hotel room or – surprisingly, one of the more popular options – in the room next door, you can change the channel on your home TV, fast forward through programs on your PVR and adjust the contrast of your TV picture.

Control is via remote control, of course, but this remote is virtual and appears on your screen in 3D format. Thousands of remote control codes are built into the operating system so you can choose a model that looks just like the remote sitting on your coffee table.

Signals from your virtual remote control are then sent over the internet to the Slingbox in your lounge room. Set-up is a two-pronged approach: connect the device to your existing AV equipment and download the SlingPlayer software.

1. Connect your TV/video source to the Slingbox
2. Connect the Slingbox to your network/router
3. Connect the Slingbox to a power outlet
4. Install the SlingPlayer software on your PC, Mac or compatible mobile phone
5. Sit back, relax and watch your TV anywhere

To adequately stream content while abroad a reasonably fast internet connection is a must, Jai says. “In Australia, because our broadband is still catching up with the rest of the world, you will generally need an ADSL2 or 2+ plan that supports more than 256KB/s upload speeds to access your Slingbox remotely.”

You can install the SlingPlayer software on as many devices as you like – laptop, home computer and mobile phone – or use your online account to access multiple Slingboxes. However, only one user can access any given Slingbox at a time.

As Slingbox uses ‘place-shifting’ technology – taking a television signal and sending it anywhere in the world – there is a concern with copyright infringement and nervous TV networks who fear viewers are going to be able to watch their product for free – for example, a pay TV subscriber passing their access code onto friends – and worry about the wider issue of infringing on regional rights for certain programs.

The creators of Slingbox argue that it is a one-to-one transmission device and therefore observes copyright and digital media laws, and that users are prohibited from broadcasting a program to a wider network.

Only time will tell whether the TV industry will accept placeshifting technology, but in the meantime Slingbox has enormous potential make remote viewing accessible to the masses.