If you have nothing plugged into your swisscom modem wireless router, then you must get Swiss TV through a different provider. You're not using the modem to get Swiss digital TV? Right?

What plugs into the modem box if it's near my TV (my modem is near my TV)? The sling catcher?

Sorry for the stupid questions but I'm struggling doing this in the abstract. Maybe once the hardware is here I will understand how it works.

The most important questions are answered and that is whether having a modem/wireless router that also gives us digital Swiss TV is going to be a problem (answer is no).

Thanks for your help. I'll probably be back to ask more questions once I get the Sling Catcher here (after the summer).

Max resolution on the sling player is 640x480. You can test this out by setting your laptop display to vga resolution and then stream anything (say youtube, etc.) to your tv via the laptop. Then you'll have a sense of video quality. If you're in love with HD, you'll not be satisfied; if you're thrilled just to be able to watch a Canadian broadcast now and then, then you'll be satisfied.

One rub though...both Bell and Rogers cap throughput (monthly and depends on the plan...will be in the contract) and they both throttle traffic. That is, they will not hesitate to cutoff connections that they consider potential torrent or file sharing threats...whether they're P2P or not. And unfortunately, sling streaming shows up on that radar. Workarounds include occasionally changing the slingbox TCP port assignment on the host side and/or regulating how much sling viewing you do on a monthly basis (i.e. don't expect to be able to run it for hours on end on a daily basis). You'll know when you've been cutoff when your bitrate on the player won't go beyond 100kbps.

Swisscom TV and Swisscom DSL are two different services. Your internet high speed service at home does not use the same wire as the service that plugs into your TV.

Ditto. Thanks,

Is that true even though there is a wire that plugs into my modem box that runs to my TV box? Both are ethernet ports.

Thanks for your patience!

I would be using Telus or Shaw internet. I've heard of Bell capping internet usage. I don't know about Telus or Shaw but I will bring this up to my relative in Canada and see what he says. I don't need HD. I would just be happy to see my Canadian/American TV? (Oprah's only here for 2 more years and then her show is over. I haven't watched her for 5 years since I left Canada and I would like to see a few more shows before she goes! I was disappointed I couldn't see any news coverage about what else was happening in Canada surrounding the olympics. I saw the gold hockey game where Canada won but BBC cut off early and I couldn't even see the medals handed out or hear the anthem. I had to switch to Eurosport for that. That wasn't really a big problem but I oh so wanted to see the partying in the streets and the rest of the hoopla, interviews etc. and couldn't see any of that through BBC or elsewhere. That was the big push for me to look in Slingbox.)

Thanks for everybody's help.

I don't have DSL so I'm not familiar with the connections coming out of the DSL modem. I suspect that there's one that runs to your TV box and a separate one that serves up your WLAN access. What's more important here is that they won't run along the same wire...TV and internet are mutually exclusive services from swisscom tv. Given that you mentioned wireless access, you already have some sort of router already setup. Your sling will max out anywhere between 900kbps and 1.5Mbps - should be fine to run over wireless (given bandwidth for 'g' for ex is 54Mbps)...provided that your wi-fi is stable. not sure about whether sligncatcher supports wi-fi.

I always streamed at 1200 kbps and for the past few weeks, it's like 300 and almost unwatchable...anyone know how to fix this?

Hmm...do you mean that you used to watch Sling Box at 1200 kbps and now it is at 300? Could be an ISP issue or perhaps a lot of activity/increased activity in yoru apt building with the internet is causing the SLingbox to slow down....

The max we could ever get from our local cable company in SC was 574 kbps. Then, our friend who is also an expat who lives in Hamburg came to visit and showed us that he gets, routinely!, over 1500 kbps from his cable provider in Ohio or Illinois or one of those vowel states.

So, hubby called around and is switching to AT&T in SC which has a similar capacity. Call your cable company. They might can just reset it and you'll be right back up to previous speed. Takes about 3 minutes.

Jealous, max I can get is 852 kpbs and I have quickest cablecom option going. Damn Quebec speed on the other side

just checked mine and working normal, assume it is just traffic. Mine does freeze sometimes, and I ask my brother in law to unplug from his end. That usually solves all my problems..

Thanks guys...I had my mother unplug the slingbox and re power it, but no good result...my internet speed seems as normal in other usages, so I don't think it is a cablecom issue. Will continue to research

Hi,

Interesting, but I seem to be maxing out at 736 rather than normal 852. Did you resolve your problem Steve?

Well, I decided to spend some money and found a service where I rent a dedicated Slingbox and high-speed uplink in NYC. I get Directv with all sports packages (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB).

I get connected at around 3000kbs, which gives me almost full HDTV (you need 4000kbs for full hd). I stream at 1440x560 and use a VGA cable to connect to my 52" LCD. It works fantastic! Even, better, it has DVR included so I recorded all Red Sox and basketball playoff games overnight and watch them the next evening without commercials.

The key is you need good uplink in USA/Canada, this is the limiting factor.

PM me if you want more info...

Suggest you check the following:
1) Slingplayer settings. specifically the Video and Encoding tabs in the options windows. within the Encoding tab, you can manually adjust the video bitrate. Check to make sure that "Enable Slingstream optimization..." button is checked and set it to "High action" in the drop down. In the Video tab, make sure all the optimizations are enabled (automatic buffer and max the video quality setting)
2) Check to make sure that your bandwidth is not being managed by the router where the slingbox is on the other side of the pond. prioritization settings on the router could be limiting your throughput.
3) Check your ISP contract on the slingbox end. you may have exceeded your monthly allowable download capacity (i.e. #MB/month) or the max bandwidth has been changed. if not, then your ISP may be throttling your slingbox traffic. you can check this by changing the TCP port assignment setting in both the slingbox as well as your router (default is 5001 I think). restart both and then turn on the slingplayer. if you're back up to previous bitrates, then your ISP is managing your traffic.

Typically my flat faces in the opposite direction to all available satellites, so I am investigating alternative options. The Slingbox comes up as a decent solution. Does anybody have experience with hosting a Slingbox in a friends house and sticking in an extra Sky box (even multiroom should work i imagine), and then a slingcatcher connected to your TV.

What is the quality like, how hard is it to set up, how good an internet connection is required in the UK etc etc

Look at the bottom of this page for such threads that might have answered your query.

we are looking at setting up a slingbox system with someone back home in Canada, and just wondering what company folks using a slingbox use for their internet connection? We will be using the slingbox quite a bit especially at first as my husband will be at home over the winter until he can find a job at a golf course in the spring, so here's what I'm hoping to learn before we decide who to set things up with next week when we arrive...

1) What company do you use for your internet connection?
2) What plan are you on with them?
3) Approx how many hours per day or week do you use your slingbox for?

Thanks!