Slingbox!

This looks cool! One of my colleagues has this hooked up to his parents TV in Minnesota and can watch their cable programs from his PC.

http://www.slingmedia.com/uk/ 

Introducing the Slingbox™ — a groundbreaking piece of hardwired ingenuity that will literally transform the way you watch television. The Slingbox enables you to watch your TV programming from wherever you are by turning virtually any Internet-connected PC into your personal TV. Whether you’re in another room or in another city, you’ll always have access to your television.

Just out of curiousity, who actually has control over the tv? This sounds pretty awesome and might look into having my parents in the states hook this up to their tv. But my wonder is, what happens if they want to use their tv? Would it be a battle over who watches what? Or would I and my parents be able to use it simultaneously and watch different programs?

Sorry for the delay in responding. With the weather and all I was away from my PC. My colleague can turn on the tv from here,change channels and record and watch through the box in his parents house. But if his parents are watching something then he can only watch what they are. He uses it for sports mostly and with the time difference he hasnt had a problem yet. 

there is another discussion on this topic here:  http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=22466.0

I have just ordered one of these, so I am curious of those that have it, are you watching a little youtube sized box on your computer or is it good resolution full screen on your computer?

I also wonder if I will be able to watch from both my desktop and my laptop when I am out in the road.

I am thinking that if I get rid of my TV's altogether, I wont have to pay the exhorbitant TV tax here in Sweden anymore.

I am thinking that I can get a projector and make it a large screen on my wall.

One thing I wonder though, is the time difference, since mine will be hooked up in California which has a 9 hour time difference, will I be able to hook up one of those dvd recorders with it?

You can make the picture full screen.  You can also run it from any computer, including Windows Mobile.  Sling Boxes are very cool.

Carolyn

My son gave us a Slingbox for Christmas. We paid for him to add another DVR and the Slingbox is hooked up to a TV in a bedroom that no one uses. We control the TV in that room and can record or watch live TV. It is way cool! Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Heroes, Boston Legal...we record then watch whenever we want from the any of our pcs or macs.
We also opened a Vonage account before leaving the states, so we have an Austin, TX phone number. Family and friends dial the Austin number and the phone rings in our house in Teddington.
We have an Austin phone number, video conference regularly with my sons & daughter (Sydney, Australia), and can watch the few favorite TV shows that we (I) would have missed. The world in indeed small and technology is great.
We love living in the UK! So much history and culture, places to go & visit; some things just help close the distance from our family and friends.
Now if we could just find a good frozen margarita. 

Love the Sling Box and Vonage.  Webcamming too.  Technology makes the ex-pat life much more enjoyable.

Carolyn