It sounds like I may need to get a Slingbox at some point. I'm a transplanted Philadelphian, living far from my beloved (and cursed) Phillies down here in Virginia. To watch them play, I've subscribed (at considerable expense) to DirecTV's Extra Innings package, XM Radio for the car, and MLB.com's MLB TV Internet package. (Yes, I have a problem. The first step is admitting it.) And yet it's still a roll of the dice whether I'll get to watch the Phils' home broadcast; more often than not I am forced to watch the other team's telecast, which is fine but not ideal. After all, you want your own crew calling the game, right?
A buddy of mine in a similar predicament got a Slingbox. They're around $150 (AOL Shopping) and have no service charges or other fees; all you need is a broadband Internet connection and a cable or satellite box. My friend lives in Florida, but his brother lives in Philadelphia. So the brother put a Slingbox in his basement, attached it to an unused cable outlet, connected it to his high-speed Internet connection and voila -- Phillies games, with the Phillies' hometown broadcasters, live on the Internet in South Florida -- or anywhere. And not just the games, but everything else -- the pregame shows, postgame shows, and everything else you can't get on DirecTV, XM or MLB.com. What a country. All I'd need to do is convince my parents (who still live near Philly) to attach one to an open cable line in their house, and I can watch their TV anywhere I am.
A buddy of mine in a similar predicament got a Slingbox. They're around $150 (AOL Shopping) and have no service charges or other fees; all you need is a broadband Internet connection and a cable or satellite box. My friend lives in Florida, but his brother lives in Philadelphia. So the brother put a Slingbox in his basement, attached it to an unused cable outlet, connected it to his high-speed Internet connection and voila -- Phillies games, with the Phillies' hometown broadcasters, live on the Internet in South Florida -- or anywhere. And not just the games, but everything else -- the pregame shows, postgame shows, and everything else you can't get on DirecTV, XM or MLB.com. What a country. All I'd need to do is convince my parents (who still live near Philly) to attach one to an open cable line in their house, and I can watch their TV anywhere I am.
By the way, Slingbox is also getting into the home-networking business. They're coming out with a new device that runs a computer network through your home's power lines, rather than using a wi-fi signal. They say the connection will be faster and more reliable than a wireless one, though admittedly the setup is significantly more expensive. Switched.com speculates that prices on the box may drop later in the year -- it could be worth keeping an eye on: Slingbox Over Your Power Lines.
