# Tivo Mini & Slingbox... can it work?



## tbielowicz

I know this was asked by other community members before release, but I have not seen any updates. I liked the idea that you were not hijacking the main Tivo unit and instead a mini.

Let me know if this worked for anyone and if there were any limitations.


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## HarperVision

I have a Vulkano I may hook it up to. I'll report how it goes if I do.


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## Gaidin43

I know you have to use the break out cables and just like the Slingbox on the main TiVo box I believe you need a powered splitter / receiver / TV on the end of the HDMI if you don't just through put the component cables to your tv.


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## magnus

tbielowicz said:


> I know this was asked by other community members before release, but I have not seen any updates. I liked the idea that you were not hijacking the main Tivo unit and instead a mini.
> 
> Let me know if this worked for anyone and if there were any limitations.


I suppose it would work. You could have the HDMI to the TV and the component to the Slingbox. This assumes that the Tivo would output to both HDMI and Component at the same time (Like the Premiere does).


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## rainwater

It works fine with component out from the Mini to the SB. And the component out from the SB going to the TV.


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## tivoboy

So will it work with the HDMI out, or not? and also, does anyone know if the mini work with BOTH the HDMI and the component breakout cable?


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## k2ue

tivoboy said:


> So will it work with the HDMI out, or not? and also, does anyone know if the mini work with BOTH the HDMI and the component breakout cable?


The Slingbox ALWAYS needs component, because of HDCP issues. The Slingbox 500 will ask if the exact same signal is present on the HDMI, apparently so it can use that if HDCP allows at a given time.


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## HarperVision

tivoboy said:


> So will it work with the HDMI out, or not? and also, does anyone know if the mini work with BOTH the HDMI and the component breakout cable?


Yes it does, just did it yesterday. :up:

(Both at same time)


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## tivoboy

k2ue said:


> The Slingbox ALWAYS needs component, because of HDCP issues. The Slingbox 500 will ask if the exact same signal is present on the HDMI, apparently so it can use that if HDCP allows at a given time.


yes, I just use a 500 with HDMI only, but don't stream things like HBO which is one of the only things it pukes on. I have the component setup as well, for when I travel and want HBO streaming (But most things are on hbogo) but if the mini WILL do both, component AND HDMI at the same time, then that is great, I'll probably just setup one premier or mini and try and have that do the one slingbox


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## HarperVision

It will, I did, it does!


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## Bigg

tivoboy said:


> yes, I just use a 500 with HDMI only, but don't stream things like HBO which is one of the only things it pukes on. I have the component setup as well, for when I travel and want HBO streaming (But most things are on hbogo) but if the mini WILL do both, component AND HDMI at the same time, then that is great, I'll probably just setup one premier or mini and try and have that do the one slingbox


Nice, sounds like it's following the copy once for HDCP on the HDMI side.


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## MisterTWo

I have a Tivo Mini and and Slingbox 350, I ran into an issue with the following configuration:

Tivo Mini:
HDMI - to av receiver
Component - to Slingbox 350

Viewing content over the Slingbox works but displays a message floating on top of the content that says "HDMI connection not permitted, press select for more information". All Tivo menu's, recorded, and live TV work but I see that message floating over all video content. I've tried to make it go away but it pops back up right away.

As a workaround I'm using the component outputs only and everything works as expected. Hopefully they will disable the error message in a software upgrade as I'd rather use HDMI to get surround sound from the Mini.


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## tivoboy

I'm having the same issue with a XL4 and the 500 slingbox. Not really sure if it is an issue with the HDMI in on the TV from the SB or something else, but yes I just use the component connection for slinging and it works fine. HDMI straight from the TIVO to the TV and that works fine too.


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## k2ue

MisterTWo said:


> I have a Tivo Mini and and Slingbox 350, I ran into an issue with the following configuration:
> 
> Tivo Mini:
> HDMI - to av receiver
> Component - to Slingbox 350
> 
> Viewing content over the Slingbox works but displays a message floating on top of the content that says "HDMI connection not permitted, press select for more information". All Tivo menu's, recorded, and live TV work but I see that message floating over all video content. I've tried to make it go away but it pops back up right away.
> 
> As a workaround I'm using the component outputs only and everything works as expected. Hopefully they will disable the error message in a software upgrade as I'd rather use HDMI to get surround sound from the Mini.


The problem is usually that the HDMI destination is not handshaking when it is in "off" or "standby". It is is a receiver, they can be tricked into staying active by turning the HDMI Control mode to ON, which keeps it listening, and therefore HDMI stays active.


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## MisterTWo

k2ue said:


> The problem is usually that the HDMI destination is not handshaking when it is in "off" or "standby". It is is a receiver, they can be tricked into staying active by turning the HDMI Control mode to ON, which keeps it listening, and therefore HDMI stays active.


Thank you! I turned on RIHD mode on my Onkyo which is their version of HDMI control and everything is working as expected even with the receiver turned off!


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## tivoboy

What were the slingbox 500 settings people used for the mini?


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## tivoboy

Should the HDMI audio come over regular WAN streaming? I'm getting the dreaded HDMI not supported error on a Tivo Mini connected via HDMI to a SB 500, then to a samsung 46" HDCP compliant TV.. but no audio on WAN streaming..

Does one ALSO need the component connection just to get audio?


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## eboydog

tivoboy said:


> yes, I just use a 500 with HDMI only, but don't stream things like HBO which is one of the only things it pukes on. I have the component setup as well, for when I travel and want HBO streaming (But most things are on hbogo) but if the mini WILL do both, component AND HDMI at the same time, then that is great, I'll probably just setup one premier or mini and try and have that do the one slingbox


If you are having HDCP issues with the 500, you might want to pick up a ViewHD hdmi splitter off Amazon. For $20, they work wonders, I use one of them with a Black Magic HDMI Intensity Pro card in my PC and it has never let me down, there's no reason it wouldn't work the same with a Slingbox 500....


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## ellinj

eboydog said:


> If you are having HDCP issues with the 500, you might want to pick up a ViewHD hdmi splitter off Amazon. For $20, they work wonders, I use one of them with a Black Magic HDMI Intensity Pro card in my PC and it has never let me down, there's no reason it wouldn't work the same with a Slingbox 500....


Can you provide a link? I am not seeing anything in that price range on Amazon.


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## eboydog

ellinj said:


> Can you provide a link? I am not seeing anything in that price range on Amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004F...200_QL40&qid=1404516899&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1


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## tivoboy

Yes, I'm still having the issue with HDMI only. I can't stream anything outside the LAN to WAN with just HDMI connected. Even when the SB 500 and mini are on and connected to the TV and the TV is on (I'm assuming it is doing some sort of handshake) I get the pop-up about HDMI not supported, both at the remote slingplayer app and on the TV..

Why even have the HDMI connection then?


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## aaronwt

That was the reason I never even considered the Slingbox 500. In everything I read, they mentioned there could be an issue with HDMI because of the protection.


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## SrLANGuy

I just upgraded from the Slingbox Pro HD to the newer Slingbox 350. I avoided the Slingbox 500 because the HDMI is useless in many cases, so why even bother.

I purchased the A/V Breakout Cable Kit when I purchased my TiVo Mini just so I could hookup my Slingbox. So I have HDMI from the Mini to my TV and I have Component Video + Audio from the Mini to my Slingbox. It works great!

NOTE: TiVo software 20.4.1 introduced a bug which could cause the Component Video to go out. This has been fixed with the Summer Update (20.4.2) which started rolling out today. Everyone should have the newer software very soon.


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## tivoboy

So, what is the AV breakout cable, is it just the mini plug to component, or is there a red/white composite as well? Must be I guess..

Also, without HDMI from the slingbox to the TV directly, can one still do things like dish and blockbuster? I thought there were some functions on the slingbox that required the HDMI HDCP handshake with the TV to work?


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## Diana Collins

tivoboy said:


> So, what is the AV breakout cable, is it just the mini plug to component, or is there a red/white composite as well? Must be I guess..


There are two sets of wires in the breakout kit...one is component video (RGB) and the other is composite video and analog audio (red/white/yellow). You need both.

BTW, the WD Live breakout cables are compatible with the Mini and cost about half as much on eBay. They are shorter, but for Slingbox use I consider that a benefit. We have two Slingbox Pros, each connected to Minis, one with Tivo cables and one with WD cables...both work perfectly.

RGB component cable for $4 on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-WD...187?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a80237f63
Composite/Audio cable for $4 on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-WD-...053?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56666abe6d

Total $12 (including shipping - less if the seller will ship both together)

Breakout kit on Tivo.com: https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/av-cable

Total: $25.71 (including tax and shipping)


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## aaronwt

tivoboy said:


> So, what is the AV breakout cable, is it just the mini plug to component, or is there a red/white composite as well? Must be I guess..
> 
> Also, without HDMI from the slingbox to the TV directly, can one still do things like dish and blockbuster? I thought there were some functions on the slingbox that required the HDMI HDCP handshake with the TV to work?


You need two breakout cables for the Mini if you plan to use component out. One breakout cable is for component RGB. The second breakout cables has composite and L/R audio. So you use L/R audio and component to the SlingBox.

And yes it is just a mini plug to the regular RCA connectors.

Here is a link to the Breakout cable on the TiVo web store

https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/av-cable

I bought a couple of sets of these last year to use with my Minis.


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## ellinj

Another option if you have amazon prime,

http://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Mini-Com...405516872&sr=8-1&keywords=tivo+breakout+cable

Still not as cheap as eBay but it's a lot less hassle.


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## tivoboy

ellinj said:


> Another option if you have amazon prime,
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Mini-Com...405516872&sr=8-1&keywords=tivo+breakout+cable
> 
> Still not as cheap as eBay but it's a lot less hassle.


thanks, yes I found the WD cables for about 10$ shipped combined on ebay. Figure it's worth a try.

I might prefer to do the HDMI splitter route though, since that apparently would allow the HDMI to work fine AND not require all these extra cables? Can anyone comment on signal degradation on the HDMI splitters?


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## Diana Collins

I have not found any signal quality issues with HDMI splitters, but make sure you get one that does HDCP on its own, unless you are sure that the TV will do HDCP acknowledgement when turned off (some do, but most don't). Otherwise, you won't be able to stream any copy protected content if the TV is off.


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## aaronwt

The picture from an active HDMI splitter will be identical to the output of the device. There is no difference.


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## kalexan9

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I am having trouble using my Tivo Mini with a Slingbox Pro-HD. I had some breakout cables lying around so I used the "AV Out" and "Component Out" to "Component In" and "Audio In" on back of the Slingbox Pro-HD. I then went out from the Slingbox Pro with component and audio, to the corresponding inputs on the TV, but when I go thru Slingbox setup, I get no audio or video. What am I doing wrong? The breakout cables I am using should work, right? Or should I buy some of the breakout cables listed in this thread. BTW, when I moved the Slingbox Pro to my Roamio Plus and used component OUT from the Roamio to the component IN on back of the Slingbox Pro, I got a picture in the Sling web setup? I could really use some help. Thanks.


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## ellinj

have you tried hooking your breakout cables to the tv to see if it works? There is no standard for break out cables so the ones you have may or may not work.


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## HarperVision

kalexan9 said:


> Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I am having trouble using my Tivo Mini with a Slingbox Pro-HD. I had some breakout cables lying around so I used the "AV Out" and "Component Out" to "Component In" and "Audio In" on back of the Slingbox Pro-HD. I then went out from the Slingbox Pro with component and audio, to the corresponding inputs on the TV, but when I go thru Slingbox setup, I get no audio or video. What am I doing wrong? The breakout cables I am using should work, right? Or should I buy some of the breakout cables listed in this thread. BTW, when I moved the Slingbox Pro to my Roamio Plus and used component OUT from the Roamio to the component IN on back of the Slingbox Pro, I got a picture in the Sling web setup? I could really use some help. Thanks.


Just try swapping each of the RCA connectors of the breakout cables around until you find the one that has the right video signal for each corresponding jack. Each TRS (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) to RCA breakout has a different pin out configuration and the one you're using must not match the one TiVo designed the mini for. For example the red may be actually the blue video channel, green may be red, etc. Do the same for the composite AV breakout to get the proper audio channels as well. If you hear a loud buzzing with those, then that is the composite video being run into an audio jack.


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## kalexan9

Thanks guys. I will play around with the cables.


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## BlondAngel

There is a new mini that is RF-based. Can the slingbox work with that?

Or it works only with the older mini that is IR-based?


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## HarperVision

BlondAngel said:


> There is a new mini that is RF-based. Can the slingbox work with that? Or it works only with the older mini that is IR-based?


Slingbox works with anything that has video outputs like composite, S-Video (some models), component and HDMI (some models). It works best with ones that it has IR code base for it so you can control it remotely. If you're asking if the IR will work while RF is working then the answer is yes.


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## Jim1348

I have been considering another SlingBox. I was just looking at a SlingBox 500. What is typically HDCP protected on OTA television? I gather that the HDMI cable is essentially useless still.


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