Slingbox Classic - Placeshifting made easy.

I bought my Slingbox classic just before the 2006 FIFA world cup as I wanted to be able to watch the matches live when I was away from home.

I liked the simple look and design of the device but wished it was a little heavier so that the weight of the attached cables did not keep dragging it down from the entertainment tower.

Connecting the Slingbox to my DishNet box was a breeze. I used the S-Video cables (for better picture quality), the audio and the IR cables to connect the satellite box to the Slingbox. The network port was connected to the router and I was all set for the next step, which was installing the SlingPlayer software that makes it possible to view the contents of the satellite box on the computer. The setup started automatically on inserting the installation disk into the laptop. It was very easy following the onscreen steps to complete the setup. For Audio/Video setup you have to make sure you select the correct cable that you used for connecting the Slingbox. In my case it was the s-video cable. Select the device for the remote from list of available devices. For remote viewing setup, the installation was able to configure the router on my Microsoft MN-500 Wireless access point successfully.

Video quality in window mode was not bad at all when I was using SlingPlayer from inside my home network. Full screen mode did make the picture more pixilated then it would appear on a TV. Response while changing channels was extremely good.

The only problem I have found so far with my Slingbox classic version is that the video output to the TV turns black and white every now and then and the Slingbox needs to be reset to bring back the colors.

I would love to buy the new Slingbox Pro as it supports connectivity for up to 4 inputs. The HD option is good as it would allow me to watch the HD channels in their original aspect ratio of 16:9.
It is the SlingCatcher that I am more interested in buying as it would allow me to watch all the video sources I have in my house on any of my TV sets without having to buy individual devices like HD tuners, DVD changers etc for every TV in my house.

I like the article on the Sling Community website about The Top 10 most wanted features in SlingPlayer which can be found at http://www.slingcommunity.com/article/22888/The-Top-10-Most-Wanted-SlingPlayer-Features

iPhone 2 weeks later.

Now that the initial hype and hoopla over the release of Apple iPhone is over. A couple of things have emerged.
Those who have already bought the iPhone seem to be pretty happy with the features provided.
The rest seem to be in two camps, those that want the iPhone to be unlocked so they can use it with any network of their choice or those like me who simply want to use the multimedia features of the iPhone.
The problem I see with the unlocked phone seems to be the amount of customization required by the network provider to support the features unique to the iPhone, I don't hear anyone who talks about the unlocked iPhone talk about whether they are willing to live without the features that only AT&T is capable of providing on the iPhone.
Where I am concerned, I would be content with a iPod only version of iPhone that provides me with the following features of the iPhone.

• nice big and bright 3 inch screen to watch movies
• ability to change display orientation while browsing my photo collection
• listen to my music collection, though I would require at least 60GB to store it
• play the limited amount of games currently available on the iPod using finger touch.
• a wi-fi connection with Internet browsing capability would be a nice addition.

Sony PSP - PSP1001

Read an article today about the new slimmer and lighter PSP to be released by Sony in September 2007. Though these 2 changes are definitely welcome, I wish Sony would also implement a few other changes that would make the PSP a more welcome media player to carry around.

• A brighter screen (similar or better than the 5th generation iPod).
• An improved game load time (some games seem to take forever to load, not sure if this is a hardware or software problem)
• Available in different brighter colors. (that seems to be the prevalent theme these days, even dell seems to have got into the act with 8 new colors for their laptops - my favourite color is green, hint, hint.)
• A built-in microphone for voice chat during network games.
• An internal hard disk or at least a small amount of flash memory to store bookmarks related to position of movie being watched, music last listened to, etc.
• An improved battery life.
• A faster battery charger. (The current battery charger seems to take forever to finish charging the unit)
• or a USB charger that can be connected to a computer or the PS3 would be a much better option.
• A better analog controller for moving around in games.

Other things Sony could do to popularize the PSP would be to

• Offer the PSP Media Manager software for free (they probably need to get rid of SonicStage and use the Media Manager for all their media players)
• Introduce UMD recorders similar to the Mini-Disc which never took off but I do love the 3 that I own.
• Reduce the prices of UMD movies to under $10
• Reduce the prices of their memory stick products (if Sandisk and other companies can afford to sell them cheaper, I am sure Sony can too)

Panasonic Plasma Display TH-50PHD8UK

After waiting for a few years for the flat screen prices to become reasonable. I finally took the plunge and decided to buy the Panasonic Plasma display TH-50PHD8UK last year. After watching HD content and playing PS3 games on it for the past few months I have to agree with the majority of the reviewers who have rated this display as excellent.
Since this is professional series HD display meant for commercial users, it probably does not fit the needs of most consumers. I had to add a DVI-D terminal board and use a 5 channel HDMI switcher to connect my HDTV Tuner, Apple mac-mini and the PS3 to it.
While playing blu-ray DVDs the color literally pops out of the screen. The contrast is really good and the black does appear deep black.