If you have to travel away from home on business, vacation, visiting relatives, or for any other matter it might be nice to know you can enjoy your television from home through your laptop. All you need is your laptop computer, an internet source and an accessory such as Slingbox or a subscription to MobiTV. If you are a sports fan, MLB.TV, MILB.TV, or the NHL’s Center Ice Online program subscriptions may work best for you.
Slingbox currently offers three models for laptops, the Slingbox AV, the Slingbox SOLO, and the Slingbox PRO. Slingbox is a product of Sling Media which formed in 2004. According to their webpage “The Slingbox turns any Internet-connected PC or laptop, Mac, or smartphone into your home television. That means you can watch TV virtually anywhere in the world.” The Slingboxes vary in price and abilities. The SOLO can be connected to one device at your home, which you can watch on your laptop. While with the Slingbox PRO “means you can virtually take your entire home theater with you, including your DVR, digital cable, satellite receiver, and DVD player.” With the Slingbox programs you can “watch and control your TV and its programming on your compatible cell phone, PDA, laptop or desktop with no monthly subscription fee.” Which is important when you’re away from your television set you can still enjoy the cable or satellites programming you are already paying to watch at home.
Mobitv is yet another way you can access television with your laptop. Again you will need an internet connection. “MobiTV powers AT&T; Broadband TV.” With MobiTV’s AT&T; Broadband TV you “access approximately 30 channels of live streaming TV including The Weather Channel, Fox News, Fox Sports, A&E; Mobile and Bloomberg.” One advantage with MobiTV products is there is no additional software or hardware to install. MobiTV operates through a subscription program so there would be a monthly fee. A disadvantage to MobiTV is that some of the channels are not the full channels.
If you are a baseball fan, MLB.TV may be for you. You can see major league baseball games all season long. You can watch most teams play, which is great if you’re a fan of a team in a different part of the country then you live. MLB.TV like MobiTV runs on a subscription plan. You do have to download a program to watch it. The drawbacks to MLB.TV are they do have blackout areas for some teams. Also the playoffs are blackout. However, you can still watch these games; you just can not watch them live. If you are a diehard baseball fan there is MILB.TV, where you can subscribe to watch minor league baseball games all season long. Both of these products will work on your laptop if you have access to an internet connection.
If your a hockey fan, there is “NHL CENTER ICE Online is the streamed version of the NHL CENTER ICE out-of-market television package that lets you access up to 40 live NHL games a week from outside your local viewing area on your computer. ” This is very similar to MLB.TV and both programs have the options to watch four games at once using the mosaic programs.
Slingbox sounds like the best product to use if you want to access the television products you already have in your home. If you’re in another room, or away on travel Slingbox has the products to allow you to watch the same programming you have in your house. MobiTV product looks good if you are just looking for some entertainment, weather, news or sports highlights. MLB.TV and MILB.TV same best if you are a die hard baseball fan, or if you live far away from your favorite team and you want to follow them. NHL Center Ice Online sounds great if you’re a hockey fan and want to follow your favorite team in a different city.
Sources:
slingmedia.com
mobitv.com
http://www.nhl.com/nhlhq/centerice_online.html
