Why drag a TV around the country with you when you can watch the one you have at home from any truck stop Wi-Fi hotspot? Devices like Sling Media's Slingbox, Sony's LocationFree TV and a new entry from Pinnacle, the PCTV ToGo HD Wireless make it possible for you to stream all your home video sources, including cable and satellite boxes or TiVos and DVD players, over the Internet for viewing from literally anywhere you've got a High-Speed Internet connection.
Slingbox
Sling Media's Slingbox family is designed to do one thing: make your
home TV video sources available over the Internet. Meaning you can watch your home TV from any location that has a high-speed Internet connection; including truck stop Wi-Fi
hotspots or even 3G smartphones. The Slingbox itself is connected directly to your TV or other video source; like a DVR, VCR, cable or satellite box. Once that connection's made the Slingbox can then be connected to the Internet via various devices including the SlingLink Turbo, Wi-Fi-to-Ethernet Bridge, or direct Ethernet connection. (It should be noted that, at home, you'll need a broadband Internet connection and a router.)
At the receiving end your laptop, PDA or 3G capable phone will need to be connected through any Wi-Fi hotspot or 3G broadband cellular network; and your device will have to have SlingPlayer screen interface software installed. You can install SlingPlayer on all the laptops, Macs and PDAs your little heart desires; but only one at a time can be connected to the Slingbox. The SlingPlayer includes a virtual remote control so you don't need to leave your TV or other video sources powered up but the virtual remote control brings up another issue: If you're on the road and your spouse is at home you'd better check with the home-front before changing channels. They'll be watching what you're watching. (Unless, of course, you've got two TVs and only one is connected to the Slingbox.)
The Slingbox family includes three set-top devices: the Pro, AV and
Tuner. They differ primarily in the types of video sources you can connect
to them. The Slingbox AV is for TiVos, VCRs and DVD players, the Slingbox Tuner is for cable or satellite boxes, and Slingbox Pro, which can have up to four video sources connected to it, supports them all.
LocationFree
Sony's LocationFree Base Stations are available in two models, the LF-B10 and the LF-B20, with the primary difference between them being the way they connect to the Internet. Both units, in the words of Sony, "connect easily to your home network and can stream live television and
other video content, with excellent picture quality, through a home
network or across the Internet to remote devices. Featuring NetAV
streaming and the ability to connect to Sony PSP®, Windows® and Mac OS X computers, TVs, and Windows® Mobile cellular phones.
The LF-B10 connects to your home network via Ethernet, however, while the LF-B20 can make the connection via Wi-Fi. Knowing how fickle my home Wi-Fi router can be I don't think I'd want to rely on that connection unless my wife was at home and available to reboot the router. Without someone around to accomplish that little task I might be left without a way to watch 24. Heaven forbid!
The basic connections between video sources and the Internet are similar to those for the Slingbox and you'll need to install the LocationFree Player on your laptop or any other device you'd like to use for viewing. LocationFree allows you connect and control up to three video sources including you TV, DVD Player, DVR or VCR. You can instantly and easily switch between these sources bringing, Sony hopes, that "just like home" feeling to your over-the-road lifestyle.
PCTV To Go HD Wireless
A third entry into the remote TV viewing arena comes from Pinnacle: the PCTV To Go HD Wireless. It has built-in Wi-Fi, like the LocationFree LF-B20, and has a complete set of composite, component and S-video input and output ports allowing it to act as a pass-through between your video source and TV. It also, as the name indicates, supports HD sources. Video output is streamed as MPEG-2 (DVD quality) within your local network or as MPEG-4 over the Internet. One significant difference between the Pinnacle and the other devices, however, is the ability to record video to hard disk for later viewing, or even burning to DVD, something neither the Slingbox nor LocationFree currently support.
Conclusion:
Even though the Sony LocationFree and Pinnacle PCTV To Go devices are attractive and competitively priced; I think I'll stick with the Slingbox. Sling Media has created a product and accessories that work perfectly in my situation. I don't have to worry about my Wi-Fi connection being lost; SlingLink does away with the hassle of stringing oodles of Ethernet cable around the house, and the SlingPlayer works like a charm. But that's just me. You should take a good look at all three and soon, hopefully, I'll do an in-depth look at these devices at theCyberTruckStop.com.
Eventually, I'll post the transcripts for all the podcasts but, for now, I'm starting with the most recent. There may be minor deviations between the written and spoken words; due to the fact that transcription software isn't always 100% accurate. I did proofread the final version but, still, there are bound to be some small differences. 
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