Could Slingbox for Xbox One be its killer app?

[blakjedi]

So now that Slingbox supports windows phone, Windows 8, and all other major platforms, could HDMI in plus Slingbox be MS' killer app? internet, television, video and gaming all meet up in silicon inside XB1; fast switching was a holy grail they sought. Unfortunately play to is ham handed and theres no media center capability as of yet... Could slingbox fill the void of remote access to every type of media that Xbox can intake and output?

I was laying in bed and turned off my TV because it fills the room with light... but I still wanted to watch my late night fix (diners, drive-ins, and dives)... then slingbox came to mind. of course its not the only alternative, I could download the Comcast or DirecTV apps to my tablet, but the Xbox could be an all in one solution to this problem. Allow the slingbox app to interface with smartglass and voilà... gaikai, slingbox and Xbox one... all in one.

 

[DrJay24]

For live TV or DVR? Either way sound like a small and shrinking group of users. People who have not cut the wire and are tech savvy. I find everyone I know who still has cable, can't figure out computers or streaming (aka old people) while those who have just use Hulu, Chromecast, Netflix, Roku, etc.

 

[Brodda Thep]

I find chromecast very useful. I have that plugged into the HDMI in. This way I can use plex to play videos from my library on the xbox one. It's also a better way to run youtube on the xbox one. Netflix is also nice.

 

[joker454]

For live TV or DVR? Either way sound like a small and shrinking group of users. People who have not cut the wire and are tech savvy. I find everyone I know who still has cable, can't figure out computers or streaming (aka old people) while those who have just use Hulu, Chromecast, Netflix, Roku, etc.

I find you're "can't figure out computers" comment hilarious given how scared console gamers are to play games on computer because they are "too complicated". Or do you think all console games are old and not tech savvy? I guess that would explain their fear of computers.

We use slingbox because it lets us watch all our recordings from any dvr in the house anywhere. To watch those shows that are not available on any of the devices you mention, and to be able to watch them in decent quality when at home. Sorry but we've tried Netflix, etc and the quality is shit. Even my wife was saying "This isn't HD!" when she tried Netflix's so called HD streaming because it looked so soft and over compressed. Some people can stomach the low quality of video that streaming services provide, some people like us can't, to each their own. We're happy paying for Directv for decent picture quality and being able to watch the shows we want many of which aren't even available on said streaming services, and Slingbox lets us watch them anywhere.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I find you're "can't figure out computers" comment hilarious given how scared console gamers are to play games on computer because they are "too complicated". Or do you think all console games are old and not tech savvy? I guess that would explain their fear of computers.

You genuinely think consoles gamers are "scared" to play games on a computer!?!

I have a packed Steam library but for a lot of games, I don't want to sit upright at my computer, I just want to crash on the sofa, pick up a controller and play on a big screen. I don't want to update the OS or update Steam again. The UI, control, immediacy and lack of patching and other considerations on Xbox One and PS4 is pretty good and it'll get better on PS4 when Sony actually deliver on sleep/resume so I can be in games in seconds rather than a minute.

 

[joker454]

You genuinely think consoles gamers are "scared" to play games on a computer!?!

It's roughly as valid as saying people that haven't cut the cord are scared of computers and/or old. Existing streaming services simply don't provide adequate picture quality for me and others, hence why we don't use them and stick to other providers like DirecTV. Slingbox is cool because it lets us use that service anytime anywhere so long as we have a good enough internet connection, hence why we've been using it for years. Heck my wife has even used it in the car to not miss important football games when we have to drive somewhere, do Netflix and Hulu let you stream live sports anywhere for free?

I have a packed Steam library but for a lot of games, I don't want to sit upright at my computer, I just want to crash on the sofa, pick up a controller and play on a big screen.

Same here, been doing that for years with pc gaming. Not sure what you are getting at...

 

[Deleted member 11852]

It's roughly as valid as saying people that haven't cut the cord are scared of computers and/or old.

I've never encountered a single person, even on the internet full of lunatics, who have expressed being "scared" of playing games on a PC.

Same here, been doing that for years with pc gaming. Not sure what you are getting at...

I want the gaming experience without the overhead of baggage to worry about updating Windows and Steam. Valve update the Steam client more often that Sony deployed PS3 firmware patches and that's saying something. And, subjective I know, Steams big screen mode is pretty clunky. I've not tried for a couple of years but on the many times I've tried setting up a controller-only experience on a PC connected to a TV, going back to WindowsXP running MediaPortal, I've had to keep a keyboard and mouse handy.

What I want is for it to just work without me having to have to care for it like a desktop operating system.

 

[joker454]

I've never encountered a single person, even on the internet full of lunatics, who have expressed being "scared" of playing games on a PC.

Right...both statements are silly, that was my point

I want the gaming experience without the overhead of baggage to worry about updating Windows and Steam.

I still don't understand what you mean. Wake machine, resume game in 2 seconds, play from couch, sleep machine, I don't notice any baggage. It's all seamless and simple for me. I guess I just don't follow what you mean, I'm not seeing it on my end but in any case it's not the right thread for this.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Right...both statements are silly, that was my point

Ah I see. Sorry, long day, went over my head!

I still don't understand what you mean. Wake machine, resume game in 2 seconds, play from couch, sleep machine, I don't notice any baggage. It's all seamless and simple for me. I guess I just don't follow what you mean, I'm not seeing it on my end but in any case it's not the right thread for this.

How do you handle Windows security updates and other patches? I couldn't get this seamless, hence needing to keep a keyboard and mouse handy.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

How do you handle Windows security updates and other patches? I couldn't get this seamless, hence needing to keep a keyboard and mouse handy.

Same way you handle console updates. Switch on your machine (PC or console), connect to internet, get an update. Reboot. Connect to internet. Update network service (PSN or Steam or whatever). Restart. Load up your game. Download an update. Restart and finally get around to playing.

Point being, PCs are no worse than consoles in this regard. Updates are automatic. You just follow the machine's prompts as needed.

 

[blakjedi]

i like live television. I don't really ever see myself "cutting the cable" I run XBMC over all of my devices and its great for canned TV material or shows you are willing to watch later...

I really hate when people assume cable cutting is all the rage and/or people are stupid for not having done so.. its not. people still have cable or satellite or fiber TV.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Point being, PCs are no worse than consoles in this regard. Updates are automatic. You just follow the machine's prompts as needed.

I can't recall many Windows update that I could run through without a keyboard/mouse and as I said in my first post, I don't want to have to keep a keyboard and mouse around. There are times where I need to manually deselect some updates because I already know they are problematic for my setup. How easy it is to control Windows 7 with just a controller? Not very in my experience but I'm happy to be corrected or instructed by joker454 if he knows a trick or two to get this working like a console.

 

[joker454]

My updates happen automatically, I don't do anything unless an update happens to need a reboot. In any case I don't want to pollute the thread, if having a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo nearby for the 1% of the time it's needed (or for web browsing, etc) is a deal breaker then just stick to console. I keep mine in the table along with a wireless headset, remote controls, gamepads, etc. I'm using it right now to type this from my couch, then I'll put it back in the table before I go play with Mame for a bit and then Far Cry 3.

 

[Phil]

How about a mod moves these posts over into a new topic named "To what extend can/could the PC mirror the console experience" (or something along these lines)? Maybe then, we could clear up a few things to the extend that Joker no longer feels console gamers are scared of using a PC or maybe in the process will understand why for many happy console gamers, a PC is not wanted in the livingroom, hence why many of us prefer the slightly compromised yet more convinient "idiot proof" console experience.

At the very least, it would be an eye-opener to some of us console gamers to perhaps see how convinient the PC experience can be if done right, and on the other side, why it still might not be enough due to different preferences, money budget or gaming requirements.

 

[joker454]

How about a mod moves these posts over into a new topic named "To what extend can/could the PC mirror the console experience" (or something along these lines)? Maybe then, we could clear up a few things to the extend that Joker no longer feels console gamers are scared of using a PC or maybe in the process will understand why for many happy console gamers, a PC is not wanted in the livingroom, hence why many of us prefer the slightly compromised yet more convinient "idiot proof" console experience.

Someone posted this:

For live TV or DVR? Either way sound like a small and shrinking group of users. People who have not cut the wire and are tech savvy. I find everyone I know who still has cable, can't figure out computers or streaming (aka old people) while those who have just use Hulu, Chromecast, Netflix, Roku, etc.

To which I replied this:

I find you're "can't figure out computers" comment hilarious given how scared console gamers are to play games on computer because they are "too complicated". Or do you think all console games are old and not tech savvy? I guess that would explain their fear of computers.

....basically mocking the idea that you must be scared of computers if you don't cut the cord using the equally silly console gamers being also scared argument as sarcasm, following with an explanation of why people don't cut the cord and why slingbox is actually really useful (the thread topic), which led to someone posting this:

You genuinely think consoles gamers are "scared" to play games on a computer!?!

I have a packed Steam library but for a lot of games, I don't want to sit upright at my computer, I just want to crash on the sofa, pick up a controller and play on a big screen. I don't want to update the OS or update Steam again. The UI, control, immediacy and lack of patching and other considerations on Xbox One and PS4 is pretty good and it'll get better on PS4 when Sony actually deliver on sleep/resume so I can be in games in seconds rather than a minute.

...which is what I replied to. I have no interested in trying to convert people to play games on pc. People can believe whatever they want regarding pc gaming, I really don't care, they can play pong forever for all I care. But I was asked as question and replied, that's as far as I want to take it. So just stick to playing on your console, I honestly don't care to convert you or anyone.

 

[Phil]

Sorry, I didn't mean to mock you and truthfully, I didn't get that you were fighting sarcasm with sarcasm. Perhaps I was a bit led by the discussions we had on the topic about the PC vs console experience in past topics. I don't get the feeling you want to convert people either. I still think a seperate topic would be great, and I freely admit, I might be one of those that could learn one or two things about how close you could get a PC to match the console plug & play experience. Among those people arguing this, I think you are one of the most qualified, since you are one that has such a set-up. I'd be happy to learn a few things, though I remain doubtful that I would actually go the step to start gaming on the PC (due to livingroom constraints).

So... no offence intended.

 

[wco81]

I think place-shifting is useful but not a killer feature.

Sling has alienated a lot of people because their boxes break down (cheap capacitors) and they charge $30 for mobile apps.

My Tivo has streaming both in and out of house. Out of house works in a pinch but the quality isn't that great, even though I have 5-6 Mbps up.

I don't use the feature as much as I thought I would.

I have used the streaming in house, like if I'm in the kitchen or some part of the house which doesn't have a TV.

Is it a killer feature, that would make people buy the device? How big are Sling sales?

I think it's something every DVR should have now and that was a part of the reason I bought the Tivo Roamio.

 

[blakjedi]

Good points wco81 (is that short for west coast offense???) I think place shifting any content from your console to any other device is exactly where Sony is going with making ps4 playable through Vita. I think that smartglass extends this same functionality to all devices equipped with a smart glass app. Place shifting everything displayable on Xbox would be nifty... Of course you lose DVR shifting... Is that even possible? I know of no devices that can place shift DVR material.

 

[Cyan]

I had never heard of Slingbox, but that sounds amazing if possible. I wonder how country dependent it is, because it could be more useful in some countries than others. If it's universal then...

As for Media Center support, you can have that on the Xbox One.

There are awesome features mentioned in this video, like Miracast, Windows Media Center, etc.

 

[joker454]

Sling has alienated a lot of people because their boxes break down (cheap capacitors) and they charge $30 for mobile apps.

My Tivo has streaming both in and out of house. Out of house works in a pinch but the quality isn't that great, even though I have 5-6 Mbps up.

Is it maybe the new slingboxes that break? Ours is the original hd one, it's many years old and still grinding away. Their $30 app pricing is kinda ridiculous though. The quality isn't great even with my 35mbps upstream but then again people seem content with crappy netflix type quality anyways so that may not be an issue. It's more about convenience anyways, to be able to tap into anything stored on all the dvr's in your house and watch them anywhere anytime.

I had never heard of Slingbox, but that sounds amazing if possible. I wonder how country dependent it is, because it could be more useful in some countries than others. If it's universal then...

It should be universal. All you do is plug a video output to it, it can be old school rf, composite or s-video or even component video hd. It compresses it realtime and sends the feed to wherever you are. You can use their free browser plugin to watch it on your pc, and they have overpriced apps for tablets and phones to do the same. We don't use it a lot but it's one of those things that when you need it you are really glad to have it.