# slingbox is being discontinued, any viable alternatives?



## tivoknucklehead

Slingbox Manufacturing Halted... In Favor Of Video Production Ecosystem

I have used slingboxes for many years and always use mine when I travel, and use it weekly to stream from my TV to my PC in another room. The M2 works great using the Amazon Fire TV app. Any other viable solutions out there for watching your Tivo outside the home?. The Amazon Fire Tv Tivo app is pretty awful
I know I'll be fine for awhile, but I fear the slingbox will turn into a useless Boxee Box one day in the future


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## Mikeguy

Sigh.


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## osu1991

I'll have to start looking at replacements too if something happens to sling access anytime soon. I have one Las Vegas and one in Tulsa and use them a lot especially when in Las Vegas.


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## Dan203

I've never used one, but there is another box called a Vulkano that does the same thing as a Slingbox. Not sure how well they work though.


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## Series3Sub

Sling Media will no longer manufacture any new Slingboxes. However, they will continue to provide so that Slingboxes and apps continue to function today and into the indeterminate future. However, I glean that support for future OS's seems likely _over._ So, there is no need for any panic at this point, but if you need it to work on Win10 or perhaps, Nuget and forward, then one can begin a calm search for replacement. HOWEVER . . .

With every cable and sat offering its own built-in streaming content you pay for solution in DVR's or otherwise (and TiVo App for its boxes), and with the new OTT MVPD's (SlingTV, SonyVue, etc.) that stream via internet to begin with, the use of a Slingbox for most is redundent and not necessary (Almost no one I've known even knew Slingboxes existed), and I think that is what contributed to Sling Media's poor Slingbox sales for more than the last few years (not that many total ever sold, either) and thta's even before the recent ad revenue controversy, which was a last ditch attempt to pay for the support costs of Slingbox/apps. In light of that, and mostly the last moment ad revenue attempt, I had been anticipating Sling Media's decision to no longer manufacture new Slingboxes.

Now, for the even smaller number of people who place shift overseas or for access to local OTA, nothing is going to be quite as straghtforward as a Slingbox (Tablo and a others can solve the OTA part), and NONE are going to have Sling Media's propriatary encoding that can provide for GOOD to VERY GOOD PQ in even slow bandwidth situations (of course, Sling Media tech is and will continue to be built-in to Dish DVR's and also used for the new AirTV product by Dish DBS Corp for the "cord cutter" market), so Sling Media tech will not be going away and will be built-in to future products such as those for cord cutters, etc., just no more Slingboxes nor support nor support for SlngApps for next gen OS's is how I read the press release. And, Frankly, my Slingboxes are more reliable than even Dish's more complex Dish Anywhere (with Sling Media tech built-in) and even FAR, FAR, FAR more reliable than TiVo Stream's utter uselessness for OOH streaming and even show transfers and the never ending "Sing In" requirement to watch transferred show when we have no internet acess. TiVo Stream does work well enough on my LAN, but nothing is as good, reliable, or with uniformly GOOD to EXCELLENT PQ in even slow bandwidth situations as Slingbox.

I guess we will have to hang on to our current FireTV's, Roku's, Marshmellow phones and tablets and Win7 for as long as possible if we still want use of our Slingboxes .


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## obeythelaw2004

Is Slingbox and SlingTV (the streaming service) the same company? Maybe they are getting out of the hardware business to focus on software/Streaming?


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## Dan203

They're all owned by Dish now. SlingBox was a standalone company, but they were bought by Dish a few years ago. They then used the name to launch SlingTV.


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## Series3Sub

Under Dish DBS L.L.C. is Sling Media, a seperate company, and under Sling Media is both the Slingbox product and the SlingTV OTT MVPD service. Sling Media is no longer producing any more Slingboxes because they are redundant and don't attract buyers because the vast majority of people access their content via their cable or sat cos. App. And services like SlingTV, Sony Vue, and DirecTV Now already stream from device. So, today, there is just no need for a Slingbox for the vast majority of people who view their content in home or OOH, including TiVo users who use the TiVo app.

The only people for whom this is bad news are for those who placeshift overseas or prefer the Slingbox simplicity. Sling Media will continue to provide the means so that all Slingboxes continue to function for quite some time in the future. What will NOT be supported, most likely, are SlingPlayer apps that need to run on major new Os's like, perhaps, Nuget and subsequent Android OS nor any new gen mobile iOS, and there seems to be a question about Windows 10 and Apple's Sierra. I would not hold out hope that Sling Media will incur the costs to have the SlingPlayer work well with Win10 or Sierra. Everything else previous to that, still works including Roku and FireTV. So, hold on to those Marshmellow and earlier mobile devices or forked current or earlier Amazon tablets because that may be the only way we can still use our Slingboxes. BTW, KitKat is, by far, the most used Android OS by a VERY wide margin. SlingPlayers apps still work on Marshmellow, so consider that when upgrading to a new phone or tablet.


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## sfhub

Series3Sub said:


> What will NOT be supported, most likely, are SlingPlayer apps that need to run on major new Os's like, perhaps, Nuget and subsequent Android OS nor any new gen mobile iOS, and there seems to be a question about Windows 10 and Apple's Sierra. I would not hold out hope that Sling Media will incur the costs to have the SlingPlayer work well with Win10 or Sierra.


I wouldn't say they are optimized for these OSs, but I'm using Slingplayer app on Nougat (Android 7.1.1) and old Slingplayer 1.5 on Win10. They work well enough.


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## Series3Sub

sfhub said:


> I wouldn't say they are optimized for these OSs, but I'm using Slingplayer app on Nougat (Android 7.1.1) and old Slingplayer 1.5 on Win10. They work well enough.


Thank you for the clarification on Nougat. The last I heard a few weeks ago was SlingPlayers were not playing well, if at all on Windows 10 nor Sierra, so I'm glad you are able to view using Win1, and glad to know that at least Nougut is covered.

I have two Slingboxes, so I don't think I will need anymore, but it is sure a shame that before long we won't be able to any Slingboxes except used ones at Craig's List or ebay.


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## sfhub

Series3Sub said:


> Thank you for the clarification on Nougat. The last I heard a few weeks ago was SlingPlayers were not playing well, if at all on Windows 10 nor Sierra, so I'm glad you are able to view using Win1, and glad to know that at least Nougut is covered.
> 
> I have two Slingboxes, so I don't think I will need anymore, but it is sure a shame that before long we won't be able to any Slingboxes except used ones at Craig's List or ebay.


I have a couple of the old Slingbox Pros (the long flat red ones) which haven't been "supported" for ages and my experience is with those so I can't speak for the newer units.

The Slingplayer App (I am not using the latest either) works pretty well on Nougat. The only thing I don't like is that the page up/down map to thumbs up/down instead of actually doing page up/down. Also there is no button labeled TiVo, instead you use the Setup button. Other than that it is working fine. The minor issues I mentioned were introduced in the Slingplayer app way before Nougat and are generic issues rather than issues with the new OS.

My old Slingplayer program that I run on Windows works on Win10. The only two minor issues are that the video is maybe 1 second faster than the audio which was initially a little annoying but not prohibitively so. I think somehow the "advanced" audio processing on my box is causing the audio to get out of sync from video.

Also it seems win10 is virtualizing the video in the sense that in the old days video went from the app into a section of the screen, but with win10, it seems the video gets re-encoded then gets displayed by generic windows interfaces. The reason I say that is when I'm controling tivo using the menus, sometimes the previous menu/curson position will flash for .5 to 1 second before the new framebuffer shows up. I don't think the slingplayer is storing the previous frames and displaying it, so I assume Win10 is doing it. During normal playback I won't notice but during menu operations it is a little annoying, but not prohibitively so, I can still easily get what I need done.

Actually I used to curse my old Slingbox Pros because the video ended up being choppy over time and the remote control would not be reliable, but then I realized that the problem was the voltage regulators commonly failed on these old units. Once I replaced the failing ones (there are 4 in the Pros) the performance went back to being very good.


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## Series3Sub

sfhub said:


> I have a couple of the old Slingbox Pros (the long flat red ones) which haven't been "supported" for ages and my experience is with those so I can't speak for the newer units.
> 
> The Slingplayer App (I am not using the latest either) works pretty well on Nougat. The only thing I don't like is that the page up/down map to thumbs up/down instead of actually doing page up/down. Also there is no button labeled TiVo, instead you use the Setup button. Other than that it is working fine. The minor issues I mentioned were introduced in the Slingplayer app way before Nougat and are generic issues rather than issues with the new OS.
> 
> My old Slingplayer program that I run on Windows works on Win10. The only two minor issues are that the video is maybe 1 second faster than the audio which was initially a little annoying but not prohibitively so. I think somehow the "advanced" audio processing on my box is causing the audio to get out of sync from video.
> 
> Also it seems win10 is virtualizing the video in the sense that in the old days video went from the app into a section of the screen, but with win10, it seems the video gets re-encoded then gets displayed by generic windows interfaces. The reason I say that is when I'm controling tivo using the menus, sometimes the previous menu/curson position will flash for .5 to 1 second before the new framebuffer shows up. I don't think the slingplayer is storing the previous frames and displaying it, so I assume Win10 is doing it. During normal playback I won't notice but during menu operations it is a little annoying, but not prohibitively so, I can still easily get what I need done.
> 
> Actually I used to curse my old Slingbox Pros because the video ended up being choppy over time and the remote control would not be reliable, but then I realized that the problem was the voltage regulators commonly failed on these old units. Once I replaced the failing ones (there are 4 in the Pros) the performance went back to being very good.


And I suppose we should not hold out hope that Sling Media will every produce multiple remote codes for Roamio (and Bolts?), at least they didn't last I checked some months ago. I have an S3-648 and a Roamio in the same room. The Roamio vitrual remote is for code 0 only. In fact, I seem to remember that any virtual remote above S3 is remote code 0. So, my workaround solution has been to use the S3 virtual remote using a differnt code than the real S3 in the same room. Of course, this means I lost color button functionality and a few buttons placed in different places. Using the S3 virtual remote for Roamio works well enough, but I do resent it. I shall miss offering to others the recommendation of Slingbox. There just won't be any boxes left.


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## Series3Sub

I made an error, so here is the clarification: SlingTV is Under Dish DBS L.L.C; *Sling Media* (including Slingbox products) is under *Echostar*. Echostar is Dish's sister company who designs hardware and software (and holder of patents), mostly for Dish, but other companies, as well, including the Channel Master DVR+


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## davezatz

Dan203 said:


> I've never used one, but there is another box called a Vulkano that does the same thing as a Slingbox. Not sure how well they work though.


You can't buy their hardware anymore as Sling Media had sales shut down a few years back. A Twitter buddy of mine still has one in service. Who knows how long that will last.

Sling Prevails; Monsoon Placeshifters Barred From US Shores


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## Johnny Danger

I gave slingbox 1 star on amazon because I could not get it setup. 

They refused to have a advance setup ability but rather had a wizard that made it impossible to setup from a PC computer regardless of how many times I tried. 

I eventually found out the issue was with the fact that it required to be setup on a laptop or smart phone with its own wireless connection which my PC does not have. 

This was a very bad setup wizard along with charging you for a android app which should have been free. These are the 2 biggest negatives that I have noticed. However they should not be out of business rather just address the issues. 

Why exact is the reason they are giving for being discontinued?


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## Mikeguy

The explanation I read was, Slingbox just was overtaken by the march of technology progress and direction.


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## Jim1348

I have a Slingbox PRO-HD and use it everyday. I hope the service keeps going for a long time in the future.


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## sfhub

Johnny Danger said:


> I gave slingbox 1 star on amazon because I could not get it setup.
> 
> They refused to have a advance setup ability but rather had a wizard that made it impossible to setup from a PC computer regardless of how many times I tried.
> 
> I eventually found out the issue was with the fact that it required to be setup on a laptop or smart phone with its own wireless connection which my PC does not have.
> 
> This was a very bad setup wizard along with charging you for a android app which should have been free. These are the 2 biggest negatives that I have noticed. However they should not be out of business rather just address the issues.
> 
> Why exact is the reason they are giving for being discontinued?


If you install the older sling software (I am using 1.5.x) it doesn't use the sling account to pick up the available slingboxes and thus doesn't need the net connection. You can thus use it on a private network with no internet connection available. Not sure if that is something you were looking for.


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## sfhub

Series3Sub said:


> And I suppose we should not hold out hope that Sling Media will every produce multiple remote codes for Roamio (and Bolts?), at least they didn't last I checked some months ago. I have an S3-648 and a Roamio in the same room. The Roamio vitrual remote is for code 0 only. In fact, I seem to remember that any virtual remote above S3 is remote code 0. So, my workaround solution has been to use the S3 virtual remote using a differnt code than the real S3 in the same room. Of course, this means I lost color button functionality and a few buttons placed in different places. Using the S3 virtual remote for Roamio works well enough, but I do resent it. I shall miss offering to others the recommendation of Slingbox. There just won't be any boxes left.


Well, I wrote one of the custom S3 remote .bin with unit IDs 1-6 for Slingbox Pro. If the Roamio remote on the newer slingboxes is using the same technology, you can go to the JP1 forums and download some tools to create your own .bin. I think it was RemoteMaster but I forget now, it has been over a decade.

I don't really need the colored buttons, so currently I have Roamio Pro, Roamio OTA, and 2 S3 OLEDs in the same room using code 1-4 that I wrote ages ago and it works fine (minus the color button functionality) I think Sling only gave Code 1 and Code 2 support in their software. The reason I wrote my own IIRC was because I didn't like the way the buttons were mapped to TiVo buttons (TiVo has different versions of the TiVo button, and probably other mappings I forget now)

I went and looked at the JP1 file download section and it looks like one of the main guys over there wrote a .bin file for Roamio Plus which you might like better. I didn't look at the details, but usually if someone creates a .bin file it is to address some deficiency in the standard file.

JP1 Remotes :: File Section

Between that and the ones I wrote for S3 OLED units 1-6 below

JP1 Remotes :: File Section

You can probably figure out what to do to add non-default unit IDs.


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## mdavej

Yep, with Remote Maser, you can easily make any remote and pick any Tivo address you want. You need an account to download our files. But it's a great community and great resource for slingbox users.

When you get there, be sure to read Alan Richey's great tutorial about customizing slingbox remotes. You can literally build any remote for any IR device on the planet.

JP1 Remotes :: View topic - How to Install a Custom Remote onto the Slingbox


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## Jim1348

Does anybody know if there is a way to watch Slingbox on a computer without downloading their software. I really like how Sony PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now allowing viewing on a computer by just going to a URL. When I try that with Slingbox it states that I must download software. While that is okay at home, it is a hassle at a library or somewhere that you can't download software.


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## mdavej

Try this:
Slingbox Player

Kind of odd watching your slingbox at the library, but whatever floats your boat...


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## aaronwt

Dan203 said:


> I've never used one, but there is another box called a Vulkano that does the same thing as a Slingbox. Not sure how well they work though.


Years ago I used the Vulkano. But I dropped it in favor of the Slingbox. Since at the time the Sling did HD while the Vulkano didn't. I probably still have it sitting around somewhere. But I also haven't used my Sling in awhile. I only use it now for a recording that is restricted from streaming directly from my TiVos.


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## aaronwt

Series3Sub said:


> And I suppose we should not hold out hope that Sling Media will every produce multiple remote codes for Roamio (and Bolts?), at least they didn't last I checked some months ago. I have an S3-648 and a Roamio in the same room. The Roamio vitrual remote is for code 0 only. In fact, I seem to remember that any virtual remote above S3 is remote code 0. So, my workaround solution has been to use the S3 virtual remote using a differnt code than the real S3 in the same room. Of course, this means I lost color button functionality and a few buttons placed in different places. Using the S3 virtual remote for Roamio works well enough, but I do resent it. I shall miss offering to others the recommendation of Slingbox. There just won't be any boxes left.


I put my Slingbox in a closet, connected to a Mini. So I wouldn't have any issues with the IR affecting my other TiVos.


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## Jim1348

mdavej said:


> Try this:
> Slingbox Player
> 
> Kind of odd watching your slingbox at the library, but whatever floats your boat...


I was trying to connect today using the embedded Slingplayer Slingbox Player on a desktop computer running Microsoft Windows 7. I tried both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. I got the following message:

"There's a problem starting video stream.

Unable to connect to Slingbox. Please check that your box is on and connected to network."

The Slingbox definitely was on and connected to the network because I was able to connect using an Android smartphone. Is there anything else that I should be trying when I get the above message?


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## mdavej

Port is probably blocked on the library network. Not much you can do about it.


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## timbracken

Comcast's Xfinity app works pretty good on Roku. This would be a good replacement for my slingcatcher when it dies, though I'm curious what Comcast will charge once it's out of beta.


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## hytekjosh

sfhub said:


> If you install the older sling software (I am using 1.5.x) it doesn't use the sling account to pick up the available slingboxes and thus doesn't need the net connection. You can thus use it on a private network with no internet connection available. Not sure if that is something you were looking for.


Is there a breakdown as to which older versions are good? I have to comb through my downloads folder...


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## mdavej

Not sure which versions are the best, but you can download some old ones here:
SlingPlayer Downloads - Place Shifting Enthusiasts


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## sfhub

hytekjosh said:


> Is there a breakdown as to which older versions are good? I have to comb through my downloads folder...


I use 1.5.x because it doesn't depend on sling for anything, I can manually enter IP address/port. I believe the 2.x version require slingbox account just like the mobile versions, which makes you dependent on sling. Not necessarily a major issue now, but if sling starts to let services lag, it might get annoying.


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## alexb

As someone who just bought an M2 after seeing this thread i would say stick with it until it become non-functional (e.g. iOS update breaks the app).


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## alexb

sfhub said:


> I use 1.5.x because it doesn't depend on sling for anything,


How do i find the password for the box? i don't ever recall setting a box password on the M2?


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## moyekj

alexb said:


> How do i find the password for the box? i don't ever recall setting a box password on the M2?


I cannot get 1.5x Sling software to work with more recent versions of Sling boxes such as my 350 or later. So AFAIK you have to use the Sling account for the later versions unfortunately. Perhaps someone has a workaround.


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## alexb

@moyekj thanks, that will stop me from banging my head against that wall  the web player works for me and really i bought this for my ipad so all is good.


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## tymiles

Good day. The best solution right now is to build your self a plex server and then use: Consumer - Silicon Dust The HD Home Run Prime Box. This is what I am using now and I got rid of my TiVo boxes sad to say. I have the following:

1. Plex server installed on a 2015 Mac Mini. 
2. 2 HD Home Run Prime boxes (These take TV tuner cards) Each box has 3 tuners. 
3. For recording I have a 10 TB drive connected to the Mac Mini (But I started with 4TB) 
4. I use the Plex DVR function to schedule my recordings. 
5. To watch Live TV I use the Plex channel app HD Grand Slam which is supported by Silicondust and then I watch Live TV from my Roku boxes on my TV's or through the plex site at work or the Plex apps on my mobile devices. I use a Roku stick when I travel that works great.

The cost for me is $10 a month ($5 a month each tuner card) This gives me access to almost all my channels anywhere on earth in SD or HD depending on how powerful your plex server is.

I bought the 2 prime boxes for $85 each refurbished from Silicondust.

Hit me up here if you have any questions. I have been using Plex since 2012 but just built out this solution late last year. Its not perfect but it works great.


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## mdavej

@tymiles

You've posted a good alternative to Tivo OTA. Problem is, I got tired of the complexity and lack of DRM, so I dropped my similar 6 tuner PC/Mac based system in favor of Tivo. So I went the opposite direction. If my slingbox disappeared tomorrow, I'd just switch over to DirecTV NOW and Play On and get rid of all my tuner and DVR hardware. I've already done this for my parents, and it works great for them.


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## brentsg

I guess I don't feel that it's as redundant as some. Every time I try to stream TiVo away from home, I'm reminded that I can't do so on cellular. I took my iPad to a family member's home and tried to stream a "recording" one evening after everyone had gone to bed. PS Vue simply told me that it detected I wasn't in my home and it wouldn't let me watch of the channels I cared about.

Ugh, will miss Sling.


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## hytekjosh

my sling is still working great. are they shutting down on a certain date?


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## aaronwt

For now existing boxes will work like they have. But I'm guessing at some point in the future that could end.


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## tampa8

hytekjosh said:


> my sling is still working great. are they shutting down on a certain date?


Not for quite sometime in fact they are still selling boxes. Betting not for several years.


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## hytekjosh

I take that back. Setup a new Surface Book 2 and their "new" web player has non-stop flickering. I dont have flickering on my phone or the old embedded web player. I tried older versions of the sling software for PC but it asks for a password and I think that won't work if the 350 is tied to a sling log-in. Wish they kept a functioning PC version but the old embedded web version is better than nothing.


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## sfhub

hytekjosh said:


> I tried older versions of the sling software for PC but it asks for a password and I think that won't work if the 350 is tied to a sling log-in.


I don't have newer sling stuff so might not be accurately looking at your situation.

On my older slingbox pro, the sling login is basically for the players to look up the IP address and password for a sling identifier. The box itself still has a local password. On my very old PC software that doesn't require sling login, I can just enter the IP address manually, then enter the password I had set up locally. On mobile software, I need to give it my sling login at which point it'll populate all the sling identifier nicknames, IP addresses, and optionally stored local passwords. It might be different on newer boxes than the slingbox pro. So I have both a sling login account password, and in the directory for each slingbox, it optionally stores the local password for that unit. I'm thinking you can use that local password with the PC software.

I am actually still using the 1.5 slingplayer (from way back before they had sling accounts) on windows 10 and it works ok. There is slight .5 sec audio delay, but nothing super bothersome.


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## brimorga

hytekjosh said:


> I take that back. Setup a new Surface Book 2 and their "new" web player has non-stop flickering. I dont have flickering on my phone or the old embedded web player. I tried older versions of the sling software for PC but it asks for a password and I think that won't work if the 350 is tied to a sling log-in. Wish they kept a functioning PC version but the old embedded web version is better than nothing.


I have found performance varies by browser. I get the best performance from mozilla firefox surprisingly. Might want to try a different browser and see if it gets better. Also, mess with the quality settings.


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## sweez

It's official. Slingbox servers have an end date.

https://www.slingbox.com/discontinued

_Q: How long will my Slingbox continue to work?
A: Slingbox servers will be permanently taken offline 24 months after the discontinued announcement date (November 9, 2020), at which point ALL Slingbox devices and services will become inoperable.

Until then, most Slingbox models will continue to work normally, but the number of supported devices for viewing will steadily decrease as versions of the SlingPlayer apps become outdated and/or lose compatibility.

See SOFTWARE & APPS section below for additional details._​


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## blacknoi

Very sad as I actually used my one slingbox classic hooked up to a cheap analog camera, and would use it as free real-time security monitoring (well with whatever lag is introduced due to the sling hardware encoding).

My Slingbox 500 however is still hooked up to my tivo mini. But since I subscribed to AT&T TV Now about 2 years back, I hardly use the slingbox. It was always a nice backup for when AT&T messed up a channel (like the YES network not showing the local NYC feed ...the region where I live).


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## MikeekiM

Oh well... I was planning on doing some cost recovery and selling my Slingbox on eBay... But this announcement pretty much drops the resale value to close to nothing (not that it was much higher than that before the announcement)!

I guess I could list it and see if I get any bites from people who don't know any better, but I just don't feel right doing that to someone... Do unto others...right?

Anyway...end of a legacy... Slingbox was a great place shifting technology that just no longer has a place in today's environment... Or at least not a mainstream one...


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## ItsOnlyTV

Any good alternative to Slingbox? I use it with KMTTG for transfers, since every single non-air channel is flagged by Spectrum (bastards) as non-transferable.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## HappieMartyr

Does anyone know of a viable replacement that will work the same way? I use mine to watch my Tivo on my PC and, I still can use my remote to control it since i don't have to be line of sight... so i dont have to be reaching for my mouse. I also like watching programs 30% faster and Tivo does not allow that with their app currently.


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## tivoknucklehead

so bummed I've been a loyal slingbox user for many years and am shocked there are still no alternatives on the market that do what it does. I guess the closest is to use the tivo app. anyone know if you can cast from the tivo app to a TV set?

and I forgot I made this thread 3 years ago


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## blacknoi

I remember "vulkano flow" was a competitor to the slingbox a few years ago, but googling seems to reveal that Slingbox sued them out of existence?


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## sweez

the software and hardware have been pretty much unsupported the past few years. a few months ago, i was looking into the ddns option that slingboxes have, so it wouldnt matter about the slingbox servers being taken down. once in a while those servers would be down and wouldnt be able to connect to my slingbox. with a deadline set, i now i have incentive/motivation to try it. has anyone done this successfully?

https://www.slingbox.com/help/KB/KB-1000138
https://www.slingbox.com/help/KB/KB-1000328
https://www.slingbox.com/help/KB/KB-1000224


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## Walt56

I switched to Slingbox because their previous competitor shut down their servers. So, for me, it is "here we go again".

Personally, I don't know why they even need servers. All the server do, is serve (a pun?) as a way to connect the App to the Box. If the App allowed us to enter our Slingbox's IP address directly, the servers would become unnecessary.

I wish they do just that. Release one last App update, and add a way to enter (in Setup) our Slingbox's IP. Yes, if our home's non-static IP address changes over time, we'll have to update the App's Setup, but that is far better than it stop working all together.


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## Walt56

blacknoi said:


> I remember "vulkano flow" was a competitor to the slingbox a few years ago, but googling seems to reveal that Slingbox sued them out of existence?


For me, it was Belkin's @TV. Though, Belkin kept their @TV servers running until the last possible moment (I think toward the very end, someone was running these servers from their basement).


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## powrcow

sweez said:


> It's official. Slingbox servers have an end date.
> 
> https://www.slingbox.com/discontinued
> 
> _Q: How long will my Slingbox continue to work?
> A: Slingbox servers will be permanently taken offline 24 months after the discontinued announcement date (November 9, 2020), at which point ALL Slingbox devices and services will become inoperable.
> 
> Until then, most Slingbox models will continue to work normally, but the number of supported devices for viewing will steadily decrease as versions of the SlingPlayer apps become outdated and/or lose compatibility.
> 
> See SOFTWARE & APPS section below for additional details._​


Are they being intentionally funny here?
Q: Why is Slingbox being discontinued?
A: We've had to make room for new innovative products so that we can continue to serve our customers in the best way possible.
Q: Will Slingbox be releasing any new products?
A: No.​


----------



## aaronwt

blacknoi said:


> I remember "vulkano flow" was a competitor to the slingbox a few years ago, but googling seems to reveal that Slingbox sued them out of existence?


WOW!! I forgot about Vulkano. I have one of those gathering dust in my closet along with a Slingbox. I'll need to fire up my Slingbox one day to see if it still works. I used to have a TiVo mini dedicated to it. But now if I were going to watch something remotely I would just use the built in capabilities of my Bolts or use the TiVo Steam with my ROamio TiVos. And watch using the TiVo app or a web browser.


----------



## mmmm_beer

aaronwt said:


> But now if I were going to watch something remotely I would just use the built in capabilities of my Bolts or use the TiVo Steam with my ROamio TiVos. And watch using the TiVo app or a web browser.


That is fine if all you want to watch are OTA channels. But most cable companies today enable the protected flag on all other channels preventing you from downloading or streaming non-OTA channels off your home network. That was my reasoning for getting the Slingbox. I guess I still have 2 more years until I own another paperweight.


----------



## aaronwt

mmmm_beer said:


> That is fine if all you want to watch are OTA channels. But most cable companies today enable the protected flag on all other channels preventing you from downloading or streaming non-OTA channels off your home network. That was my reasoning for getting the Slingbox. I guess I still have 2 more years until I own another paperweight.


On FiOS, the vast majority of cable channels are not blocked. It's still only the previously owned Fox channels and HBO/Cinemax.


----------



## tommiet

When I had a Slingbox pro, I skipped their servers and connected directly to my Slingbox at home. Worked fine. Not sure if the newer ones have changed where you can't do this. 

Streaming and remote access to almost any service killed Slingbox. But even old, it probably worked better than TiVo's remote access.


----------



## Jim1348

I didn't see the e-mail, but it might be in my spam folder. I have both a Slingbox PRO HD and Slingbox 500. If I recall correctly, I bought both of them at fairly reasonable prices. I can't say that any of this is unexpected. There should be some people that are able to make this work without Slingboxes help.

I have other ways to view the content for the most part. The thing that I will miss the most is the ability to select Audio Only mode. That allows me to listen to certain things when I don't need to see the video. That also means less demand on the smartphone battery and data plan.


----------



## trailmix

tommiet said:


> When I had a Slingbox pro, I skipped their servers and connected directly to my Slingbox at home. Worked fine. Not sure if the newer ones have changed where you can't do this.
> 
> Streaming and remote access to almost any service killed Slingbox. But even old, it probably worked better than TiVo's remote access.


Yes that is my question. They are saying the servers will be shutdown and all devices will be inoperable, but if we're using the device locally only for in-home streaming I assume it would still work as long as the hardware functions?


----------



## trailmix

HappieMartyr said:


> Does anyone know of a viable replacement that will work the same way? I use mine to watch my Tivo on my PC and, I still can use my remote to control it since i don't have to be line of sight... so i dont have to be reaching for my mouse. I also like watching programs 30% faster and Tivo does not allow that with their app currently.


ZJBox was the closest thing I found although people hated on it. Yes the remote control option is poor, but if you use it in conjunction with something like Logitech Harmony it works fine. They never developed a PC app unfortunately (Android/iOS only), and apparently already discontinued anyway although there is one left on eBay where the price is rising quickly (I watched the Buy it Now options get snapped up shortly after the Slingbox announcement this week). Amazon.com Seller Profile: ZJBOX-US ZJBOX MyTV H8 Shared Set Top Box - BRAND NEW - 6970924270060 | eBay

As for increasing the speed, if you use online.tivo.com you can increase the Desktop speed with Take Control of Your Time With MySpeed - Enounce

Also in case you missed it you can adjust beyond 30% QuickMode by following the instructions here Adjusting QuickMode speed via SPS codes


----------



## blacknoi

I recall the older version of the thick client slingplayer for windows, allowed for IP address connection to the slingbox CLASSIC. EDIT: Not so sure anymore what models it actually is compatible with.

My Slingbox 500 has no such option that I'm aware of.


----------



## mmmm_beer

I was looking for a port to connect to, and the only ports I see open on my slingbox (M2) are ports 22 and 8888. Port 22 is ssh, not sure what is on 8888 since nothing I did would give me an answer. Perhaps it needs a special handshake to return anything and I have no idea what that is. Maybe if I find some free time, I will sniff the traffic to see what it is doing on that port.


----------



## tommiet

trailmix said:


> Yes that is my question. They are saying the servers will be shutdown and all devices will be inoperable, but if we're using the device locally only for in-home streaming I assume it would still work as long as the hardware functions?


I would say it will work fine... As long as you don't need to change hardware as they will not provide any firmware updates. So a new TV could put your Slingbox out of commission.


----------



## Jim1348

This popped up on my computer. The part about the Palm Pre cracked me up!


----------



## BadMouth

I remember Hauppage tuner cards having a stream to option at some point. I don't know anything about it, but it's something to look into.

I made a backup of the apk for my android devices. Servers will be around another two years, so I'll worry about the rest later.


----------



## BadMouth

Looking into this a bit further....
The app I have installed on windows (which may be an old version) has the option to direct connect to the slingbox without logging into the slingbox servers.
The android apps on my tablet and phone have no such option (nor do they work with my older Slingbox AV).

Anyone know if the Fire TV app has the direct connect option? Some old version of the Android app?


----------



## Jetspeedz

I thought i was the only one still using the slingbox. I use two of them still b/c the Tivo app on android is horrible. 

Not sure if it is just me but the max volume on the android app is very low. I've tried on multiple devices and it is the same so I just use the slingbox app to stream anything and get around the streaming blocks on some shows. 

Very sad when I got that email. I even stayed on the phone on hold for an hour before talking to someone at Sling who said they have no idea if there will be a replacement in the future but likely not. 

Looking at the Desktop app when launching it, it does some handshaking with the Slingserver, I assume this is to authenticate your account so the slingbox directory pops up. But in the desktop app there is an option to enter an IP, still not sure this would work without the server portion doing the pre authentication, i could test this but I'm more concerned with the phone app not working and not having this option.


----------



## commander

mmmm_beer said:


> I was looking for a port to connect to, and the only ports I see open on my slingbox (M2) are ports 22 and 8888. Port 22 is ssh, not sure what is on 8888 since nothing I did would give me an answer. Perhaps it needs a special handshake to return anything and I have no idea what that is. Maybe if I find some free time, I will sniff the traffic to see what it is doing on that port.


Try ports 5200 and 5201 and/or 5002


----------



## tommiet

Sling was actually nice providing a 2 year warning. Bet TiVo won't be that nice when the time comes.


----------



## blacknoi

Its a slow "walk the plank" for sure.

Will use my slingbox500 till it stops working


----------



## Jim1348

I am interested in hearing what devices people use to view Slingbox these days. I still have luck with Android. May I still use a Windows 10 computer to watch Slingbox?


----------



## tivoknucklehead

Jim1348 said:


> I am interested in hearing what devices people use to view Slingbox these days. I still have luck with Android. May I still use a Windows 10 computer to watch Slingbox?


works fine on Windows 7 and 10 and iphone and ipad and fire tv


----------



## Jetspeedz

All the software and apps work for now.

They need to as suggested provide an IP option for those of us with ddns even better


----------



## BadMouth

Jim1348 said:


> I am interested in hearing what devices people use to view Slingbox these days. I still have luck with Android. May I still use a Windows 10 computer to watch Slingbox?


Mostly an android tablet in the kitchen to watch the local news while making dinner.

Sometimes on my desktop pc to watch football in a small window while doing other things on the computer. I use some old archaic version on the PC, not the newer web based player.

Used it a LOT on my phone to see the Tivo signal meter while experimenting with different antennas, then re-aiming them due to seasonal changes. Finally got around to installing a short linear actuator. Hopefully it holds up.

I don't use it much outside the home network, but it's nice to have the option.


----------



## commander

I'm working on a tivo-specific solution that would use some off-the-self hardware and an android app I am thinking of developing that would allow you to watch and control your tivo remotely from any android phone or a Fire TV stick (because it runs android).

It's one thing to develop it for myself, but it takes a huge more effort to make it usable for others. So, please reply if you are interested in such a solution so I can gauge the interest.

The best part is that it will run without relying on any third-party service (might need a DynDns service of your choice) - so there is nothing that will "expire". It will be a direct connection from my app to your tivo.


----------



## Jetspeedz

Anything is better than the existing tivo app. Dismal support on android platform.

I would be more interested if you can develop a slingbox app to allow a DDNS or direct IP address to keep it working without the sling servers


----------



## LI-SVT

commander said:


> I'm working on a tivo-specific solution that would use some off-the-self hardware and an android app I am thinking of developing that would allow you to watch and control your tivo remotely from any android phone or a Fire TV stick (because it runs android).
> 
> It's one thing to develop it for myself, but it takes a huge more effort to make it usable for others. So, please reply if you are interested in such a solution so I can gauge the interest.
> 
> The best part is that it will run without relying on any third-party service (might need a DynDns service of your choice) - so there is nothing that will "expire". It will be a direct connection from my app to your tivo.


I am interested. Maybe we should start a new thread on this?


----------



## Jim1348

I am interested.


----------



## RobertKo

best alternative is VBox Communication which is placeshifting for a over the air (ATSC) stream or DVB-T/C/S. VBox Communications
it doesnt offer the features that ZJBox does. Sadly SlingBox has no direct replacement, just a compromise.


----------



## Jetspeedz

RobertKo said:


> best alternative is VBox Communication which is placeshifting for a over the air (ATSC) stream or DVB-T/C/S. VBox Communications
> it doesnt offer the features that ZJBox does. Sadly SlingBox has no direct replacement, just a compromise.


Never heard of this ,what can't this do that slingbox does?


----------



## wizwor

BadMouth said:


> Mostly an android tablet in the kitchen to watch the local news while making dinner.


I have a Recast and Echo Shows all over my home. One is a 10" Show on my kitchen counter. Besides watching OTA via the Recast, I can ask for substitutes, recipes, and answer phone calls hands free. I can also add things to my shopping list.


BadMouth said:


> Sometimes on my desktop pc to watch football in a small window while doing other things on the computer. I use some old archaic version on the PC, not the newer web based player.


I have a 10" show on my desk as well. That is my alarm, phone, and sometimes television.



BadMouth said:


> Used it a LOT on my phone to see the Tivo signal meter while experimenting with different antennas, then re-aiming them due to seasonal changes. Finally got around to installing a short linear actuator. Hopefully it holds up.


I use an HDHomeRun for this. Run the app on a laptop right at the antenna.



BadMouth said:


> I don't use it much outside the home network, but it's nice to have the option.


Outside my home, I watch my OTA via an AirTV Anywhere DVR.


----------



## mikemaheno

Jetspeedz said:


> Anything is better than the existing tivo app. Dismal support on android platform.
> 
> I would be more interested if you can develop a slingbox app to allow a DDNS or direct IP address to keep it working without the sling servers


Am very interested, but I would prefer to continue to use Slingbox, if there was a way.
Have been using for more than 15 years. Since the first weekend it was introduced. I use it mostly traveling, which is often. It is almost flawless.


----------



## Jetspeedz

You and me both, but this means someone has to decompile the APK, use Smali to edit it which is not easy and not legal under the license agreement. Unless sling opens up the source which i doubt it will come to an end sadly.


----------



## Jim1348

mikemaheno said:


> Am very interested, but I would prefer to continue to use Slingbox, if there was a way.
> Have been using for more than 15 years. Since the first weekend it was introduced. I use it mostly traveling, which is often. It is almost flawless.


Which Slingbox do you have?


----------



## Jetspeedz

Slingbox Pro HD


----------



## tiv0 newbie

Commander, I am interested in exactly something like this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## commander

I created a slingbox alternative using just two components available on Amazon for around $250.

All the details can be found here:

Slingbox Replacement/Alternative DIY


----------



## tiv0 newbie

Thanks Commander!!! That looks very promising!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Jetspeedz

commander said:


> _Luckily, being a developer...._


You are better off asking Sling for permission to modify the app to bypass their servers and use ddns or static ip for owners to direct connect.


----------



## commander

Jetspeedz said:


> You are better off asking Sling for permission to modify the app to bypass their servers and use ddns or static ip for owners to direct connect.


They will most probably never offer support or even permission to modify any of their apps 

But being a developer I can create an app that would run on both android devices and on an Amazon Firestick and Android TV. And I can add custom features like a single button press will send six 30 sec skip commands to skip over most commercial breaks (for shows that don't have "skip" feature), etc.

I have complete control without any worries of some company going out of business and bringing everything to a stop.


----------



## Jetspeedz

I assume you mean developing an app for Uray or some other hardware and not Slingbox.

Getting a little ahead of myself here, even if Sling gives you the source to the App, you would need the API to the Slingbox HW firmware as well because it does not matter what changes you make to the app if the Firmware in the HW is looking for some handshake from the Sling servers going offline. You would need to rewrite the firmware for the HW and that is another feat.

That said, the same for what you are proposing for what ever hardware you are trying to develop an app to. If you are talking about using rtsp from VLC that is one way but than the level of integration between multiple devices is not as seamless. still better than nothing. I just don't have the time to dig into this right now. Preferably I would like to work solely on the sling app assuming the HW is not looking for some authentication or handshake and possible reroute via local firewall or some other intricate re-route but that is down the road. I digress, anyway good luck


----------



## commander

Yes, like I said I am developing an "Android" app that will replace the slingplayer app (and will not use a slingbox at all) and it can receive an HLS video stream and display/play it. The Uray encoder can output multiple formats such as RTSP and HLS and TS. The app will also directly communicate (no cloud service needed) with an IR blaster at my house to send the commands to control my Tivo from the same custom android app.

It's my opinion that sling will never release its source or help in any way to modify their app or firmware to work without their servers. Their interface is proprietary so it would be a huge effort to reverse-engineer. I remember when sling apps could directly connect to slingboxes, that there was an "admin" and "viewer" password and you would use a windows app to setup and assign those passwords to the box. But when sling changed the connection to go through their cloud servers, I don't know what changes they made to the login protocol to get into the box itself. So that would be another headache to figure out.

My solution uses well-known and established standards and protocols, so it can be adapted to different display devices much more easily without having to reverse-engineer anything.


----------



## Jetspeedz

My slingboxes still have those options to setup Admin and Viewer accounts and I can still use the desktop player to connect to them. It depends on the model not so much a system change across sling devices. the Classic and HD-PRO use the old method and still work fine. When they went the way of HDMI with the new devices that is when those device setup changed. When they sunset i might just release something on github if i get permission from sling for the older devices.


----------



## commander

I got the impression from some post I read a while back that the "new" way how sling's servers access my boxes is with a "device ID" and that's it - no password.

And that there is currently a way to find out the device id of each of my boxes now while the sling servers are working. But once the sling servers go down, it may be impossible to find out a box's ID number.

Then in theory using my above assumptions, you could modify a sling player app to access a box directly using it's ID (if you know it).

Maybe someone could find and post the steps required to figure out your box's ID (because I forgot where I saw this) so that it might come in handy when slings server's are turned off.


----------



## Jetspeedz

You can find the sligh ID using the desktop PC app right now. At least I can view it for my devices.


----------



## JoeM09

I used this article to build a replacement for my failed slingbox 500.
A Slingbox On Steroids - Streaming Your Entire Home Theater Anywhere In Real Time - Parsec | Blog
Notes:
I skipped step 4, it is for online gammers. 
The 1x2 splitter is used to defeat (bypass) the HDCP in the HDMI signal if it is used by the cable company.
Connected TV to pc HDMI instead of splitter which adds the Call Clerk caller ID pop up to the TV without any external servers now that IFTTT is no longer supported.
Might be able to use Team Viewer instead of Parsec to use on IOS/Android clients.
I was able to use a Core I3 series 10xxx CPU.


----------



## mikemaheno

commander said:


> Here is my findings of a pretty fully functional Slingbox alternative:
> 
> Ever since Slingbox sent the email saying in two years that my slingbox will stop working, I decided to create my own alternative solution.
> 
> NOTE: This method does require some technical knowledge, but it's far from rocket science, and once you set it up, you will be very pleased with the results.
> 
> My final working solution consisted of two components:
> 
> Uray H.265 Encoder - https://amzn.to/2MzTstO ($228 amazon)
> 
> Broadlink IR Controller/Blaster - https://amzn.to/3oAJwhj ($24 amazon)
> 
> TechFlow made a video that is decent overall explanation of how the systems works. However, with my setup, instead of having a separate HDMI splitter, Capture Device and Computer, the above Uray encoder *does the work of all three of those items*:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _(you can ignore a lot of this video that talks about setting up the encoder on the PC because the URay encoder does all of that for you)_
> 
> Whats also nice about the Uray encoder is that:
> 
> 
> It supports H.265 encoding, which can provide the same video quality of H.264, but using HALF the bitrate.
> 
> It provides FOUR simultaneous video stream outputs. This will allow you to setup different streams that use different bitrates/quality for various connection qualities of the viewing app. Each stream also has a stream type url suffix. As in the below example, we will be using the RSTP url suffix of "/0".
> Basically:
> 
> 
> *Part one of the Slingbox replacement equation* is to setup the encoder. The HDMI converter connects "in series" (no splitter needed) between your video source (Tivo/Sat/Cable box) and your HDMI TV. It converts the HDMI signal into a streaming format out onto your home network.
> 
> The encoder connects to your house network using a wired Ethernet connection. It is then assigned a fixed IP address - usually 192.168.1.168. (port 80)
> 
> Your home internet connection is also assigned a particular IP address on the internet. To find out your home's IP address, just go to What Is My IP? - See your real public IP address - IPv4 - IPv6. This IP address typically stays the same for broadband users, but can change, especially when you reboot your modem. Write down your home's IP address. For the example below, we will use "34.178.28.12"
> 
> In order for someone (you) on the internet to connect into the streaming output of the encoder, you need to setup a "port forwarding" rule in your home's router that will route an incoming stream request to the encoder's IP address and Port (80) on your home network. So, for example, you could setup a port forwarding rule that would route any connection requests on port 10000 to internal network ip 192.168.1.168 port 80. This way, when a viewing app wants to connect to your stream it would use the internet address of *rtsp://34.178.28.12/0:10000* (notice the RTSP stream type url suffix of */0* followed by the incoming port number of *10000* - separated with a colon)
> 
> A lot of the encoder settings you can leave as is. However, I would make one change to the audio setting - change it from the default sample rate of 41000 to 48000. It will just give you clearer high-end "sibilance" (the "S" sound in words like "*S*pecial") with hardly any increase in stream bitrate.
> 
> *Part two of the slingbox replacement equation* is how to view the stream. This is easily accomplished with the VLC app as shown in the video. Many platforms (Windows/iOS/Android/Amazon Fire Stick, etc) have a version of the VLC player app in it's store. Just select "Open Network Stream" from within VLC and type in the above network address to your home's encoder to view the stream.
> 
> *The final part of the slingbox replacement equation* is how do you remotely control your Tivo/Cable/Sat box to change channels, Play/Pause/Rew/FF, etc). This is easily accomplished with a remote IR controller/blaster such as the BroadLink RM4. Basically, you place the circular broadlink device in front of your Tivo/Cable/Sat box and it will transmit the desired IR codes to your box to perform the various requested functions remotely. You would then install the Broadlink app on your device and configure it to your Box's make and model so it will know the correct codes to send to your box.
> You will then end up with this resulting setup:
> 
> A) The encoder will be streaming whatever video is coming out of your Tivo/Cable/Sat box 24/7.
> 
> B) You would then run a VLC player app on a device like a Fire stick using your stream URL to view the stream.
> 
> C) You would then control your box using the Broadlink app. Keep in mind, depending on the stream type you use, there can be a multiple-second delay between when you press a button in the broadlink app to when you "see" the response of the button on the video stream - this is due to streaming buffering.
> 
> There are some gotchas:
> 
> 
> When you want to watch the stream on your android or iOS device, and since the viewing app (VLC) is running on the same device as the Broadlink IR app, you will have to keep switching back and forth to manage your box and view the stream.
> 
> The whole reason we are here today is because our slingboxes need to use a cloud server to work, and it is being shut down. The broadlink device (and just about any other internet connected device) also needs a cloud server to work. So, the remote-control part of this alternative solution could also stop working if Broadlink goes out of business. However, there are other companies that offer a remote IR control product, so switching to another device should be painless.
> 
> If your home's IP address ever changes, you will have to change the stream URL accordingly. Advanced Tip: You could use a DDNS service like dnydns.org and configure your router to it so that you would always have a fixed ip alias like "myhome.dyndns.org" that will stay the same regardless if your home network IP address every changes.
> _Luckily, being a developer, I am currently creating a custom Android app that will allow me to both play the video and control my Tivo from the same app using a different IR blaster that doesn't require a cloud server, so I won't have to switch back and forth between apps and don't have to worry anymore about "surprises" from a company shutting down._


----------



## mikemaheno

With only 1-1/2 years left to use Slingbox, I was happy to see a viable option from Commander. I am going to order the components and give it a go.
I was wondering if any improvements have been made on the app side. Or, has anyone come up with another way?
We still have a little time and there must be a few ways to get a replacement Slingbox up and running.
As a user, since the first weekend, the first couple of years with Slingbox were a bit iffy. Mainly, because of internet speeds. But for the last 13 years, the boxes have been working almost flawlessly. Having to replace a power supply , on occasion.
Have 5 boxes running, just in case. Use it on 3 TV's at another location.
I am anxious to get a replacement up and running.
Am grateful to all who are trying.


----------



## mikemaheno

Commander,

I hope you are well.

Have you made headway on your app for Android?
My devices are all Android based and over the last 5 years have been using Firesticks and the Slingbox app.
It would be great to have an app to use with Firestick and avoid using the VLC app. If developed, would you be willing to share?
It would be nice to have a dedicated app.

I'm not a developer but would be willing to help in any way you may need assistance.

Also, what ir blaster will you be using?

Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## commander

I created a slingbox alternative using just two components available on Amazon for around $250.

All the details can be found here:

Slingbox Alternative/Replacement DIY


----------



## slowbiscuit

Thanks for your work on this, couple of questions - a lot of folks are bagging on the new v4 Broadlink because it uses cloud servers (really dumb for a simple remote IR blaster), and is that why there a 5-7 sec. delay for button presses? That is very excessive when doing 6-8 skips for commercial breaks. Does the older v3 Broadlink with a 3rd party remote app work better?

I think this would be a great solution if the skips could be 1-2 sec at most.

Forgot to add, another option is using kmttg's Tivo remote control feature via remote desktop to any server you have running on your home network. kmttg also has a web server (with remote control feature) which could be port forwarded but this is completely unsecure AFAIK. No need to buy and mess with IR blasting.


----------



## JoeM09

commander said:


> I created a slingbox alternative using just two components available on Amazon for around $250.
> 
> All the details can be found here:
> 
> Slingbox Alternative/Replacement DIY


Thanks for your work on this, any additional tips for direct streaming out of home to VLC media player clients. I can see the stream locally on my home network but cannot see it outside of my home network. I set up and enabled the port forwarding in my router for all of the ports discovered on a scan of open ports of the encoder (21,23,80,554,1935,8086,8554) from an outside network. I can ping my router from an outside network when ping response is enabled in the router. I also set the router to reserve the ip address of encoder. The network setting for the Encoder RTSP port is set to 8554. I receive this message for all of the ports identified above:

(actual ip address has been disguised)

Connection failed:

VLC could not connect to "123.45.67.890:554".
Your input can't be opened:
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'rtsp://123.45.67.890/0:8554'. Check the log for details.

Thanks in advance for any/all tips.


----------



## commander

JoeM09 said:


> Thanks for your work on this, any additional tips for direct streaming out of home to VLC media player clients.


I am using the HLS protocol and I setup a port forward rule in my router to go from port 6000 (internet side) to port 80 (local lan side) of the encoder.

So from in VLC you would use http://123.45.67.890:6000


----------



## SingDog

trailmix said:


> low volume


I have had that same problem on two different android devices. Both started off okay, but most recently, when I launched in split screen mode with the volume down, the Slingplayer app stopped playing at full volume and I can't figure out a way to restore it to the louder maximum volume without reinstalling the app.


----------



## commander

slowbiscuit said:


> Thanks for your work on this, couple of questions - a lot of folks are bagging on the new v4 Broadlink because it uses cloud servers (really dumb for a simple remote IR blaster), and is that why there a 5-7 sec. delay for button presses? That is very excessive when doing 6-8 skips for commercial breaks. Does the older v3 Broadlink with a 3rd party remote app work better?
> 
> I think this would be a great solution if the skips could be 1-2 sec at most.
> 
> Forgot to add, another option is using kmttg's Tivo remote control feature via remote desktop to any server you have running on your home network. kmttg also has a web server (with remote control feature) which could be port forwarded but this is completely unsecure AFAIK. No need to buy and mess with IR blasting.


If you use the "TS" streaming protocol, it has a 1-2 second response 

I also updated the article to list other IR blasters that might work better (and can be a backup blaster if Broadlink's cloud shuts down)


----------



## Jetspeedz

Got another email from Slingbox, looks like time is coming to an end for this device  

Commander how is your solution working so far? I need to read it up on it.


----------



## JoeM09

Jetspeedz said:


> Got another email from Slingbox, looks like time is coming to an end for this device
> 
> Commander how is your solution working so far? I need to read it up on it.


I have been using the commander's solution since late last year when my Slingbox gave up the ghost. It seems to be the simplest and least costly solution of the ones I came across that works fine for what we are trying to do. I use both IOS Ipad's and Windows PC's running VLC as a client viewer. Seperately, I also use an IPhone running the apps both the "Peanut" or IR blaster for the remote control. At times, I have also experienced excessive button delays with either the Peanut and IR blaster, suspect it is just a condition of the internet traffic. I think I even experienced button delay when using a vpn connection directly to my home router. 

The commander has updated the solution (link in post 101) several times with updates. Read entire solution and use his pro tips. I do not see any advantage in using an IR blaster, the IOS app seems to work just as well. Also start out by setting up and testing your client viewer on your local network

Setup steps for IOS users using the Peanut app:
1) Initial setup of the app should be for local control (search network button) , just to capture the local ip address and port number of the Tivo, my port was 31339.
2) Set up a static ip address in your router for your TIVO.
3) Set up port forwarding in router for port identified in step 1. May want to change the port number in the app and redirect it like it is suggested for the encoder.
4) Select the apps “I” button, then manual and enter your ddns address and redirected port number(if used).


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## JoeM09

For followers that still have a working Slingbox, may want to explore this solution:
GitHub - GerryDazoo/Slinger: Reuse SlingBox hardware without SlingBox Servers


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## Jetspeedz

Thanks Joe, the second option seems appealing. I'm trying to avoid having to buy more equipment to make what i have work. need to read up on both to see how changing channels work b/c having to switch between a browser and VLC is not ideal.


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## azitnay

GerryDazoo's code is working well for me with a TiVo Mini and a Slingbox SOLO. I never got the remote working, but I didn't try very hard because the "DVR Commander for TiVo" Android app is a better solution anyway.

If your phone supports split-screen mode (my Pixel 5 does), having VLC in one half and the remote in the other is a workable solution. Using two phones at once (or better yet, a laptop and a phone) is a better solution.


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## commander

Keep in mind that the DVR Commander for Tivo app (and maybe even the peanut app) uses a certificate that will expire in a year or so and then the app will stop working.

So just be prepared for that (by having a backup method to control your Tivo).


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## azitnay

Damn, that sucks. Your post did inspire me to get the GerryDazoo remote working, so at least I have that.


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## Jetspeedz

I've looked at the stuff Gerry made and it works but if your phone does not support dual/split screen changing the channel is just a pain. 

Really this would be moot if there was a way to get the tivo app to stream everything with copyright protection. 

I created a post but nothing to get around this. It would be a much more viable option but I'm not sure if there is such a work around so far. 









Work around option > Streaming this show is...


With Slingbox sun setting soon their servers the ability to stream what i pay for monthly out of the house is getting more difficult. I tried VPN and it made no difference, was hoping the app would think I'm on the local LAN, not sure if it is checking for some wifi flag but it is quite...




www.tivocommunity.com


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## JoeM09

One of the discussions on Gerry Dazoo's page is looking into modifying the Desktop app to point to Gerry's server. Hopefully it would include the PIP remote control.
Reuse Slingplayer Desktop after shutdown · Discussion #92 · GerryDazoo/Slinger (github.com)
In case they succeed, and before the servers are shutdown you may want to capture and your account information at:
https://newwatchsecure.slingbox.com/watch/slingAccounts/account_boxes_js 
I was able to revive my SB by doing a reset to factory defaults
How to reset your Slingbox


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## RichrdY

JoeM09 said:


> One of the discussions on Gerry Dazoo's page is looking into modifying the Desktop app to point to Gerry's server. Hopefully it would include the PIP remote control.
> Reuse Slingplayer Desktop after shutdown · Discussion #92 · GerryDazoo/Slinger (github.com)
> In case they succeed, and before the servers are shutdown you may want to capture and your account information at:
> https://newwatchsecure.slingbox.com/watch/slingAccounts/account_boxes_js
> I was able to revive my SB by doing a reset to factory defaults
> How to reset your Slingbox


I went through the steps described above to use Gerry's program but ended up with a VLC error just trying to run it using the local network (not the internet)

Your input can't be opened: 
VLC is unable to open the MRL 

A few questions
in the config.ini - should the password be adminPassword or userPassword?
for VLC - should the port be what the slingbox reports (5213) or 8080?
is it possible that a firewall is blocking access?

I have tried all combinations


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## JoeM09

Did you review the Readme files on the home page. The readme file has this link to get your account info, with encrypted pw's from Slingbox's servers. May want to keep this info after the server's are shutdown. Slingbox - Country Selector.


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## JoeM09

Are you shure you are using the correct local IP address? 1234.ddns.net is a redacted external address I have. Use you local SB local address (192.168.1.61). Except for different Win OS they look identical down to * Debug mode: off line. Use http://192.168.1.61:8080/slingbox in VLC network stream. Below the Debug mode: off line is the log when VLC connects.

My server's console log

Version : 3.08d Running on Windows-10-10.0.22000-SP0 pid= 19028
Using config file config.ini
Connection Manager Running on port 8080 with 10 max streams using URL slingbox.
Streamer Running: 10 config.ini SLINGBOX 8080 8080 8388608
starting up on port 8080 8388608
Checking for slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
('1234.ddns.net', 5201) OK
8080 Using slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
Reading Custom Remote definition from C:\SlingBox1\TIVORemoteCh.html
* Serving Flask app 'slingbox_server' (lazy loading)
* Environment: production
WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment.
Use a production WSGI server instead.
* Debug mode: off
11/04/2022, 17:42:13.675 Streaming request from ('192.168.1.1', 63632)

Slinginfo "350/500/M1/M2" 12 30 1234.ddns.net 5201 3072 10
8080 Starting Stream for 192.168.1.1:63632
Connecting... ('1234.ddns.net', 5201) Control
8080 Selecting Video Source 2
Keycodes= [4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 50, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 74, 75, 76, 77]
VideoParameters: Resolution= 12 FrameRate= 30 VideoBandwidth= 2000 VideoSmoothness= 63 IframeRate= 5 AudioBitRate= 64
Connecting... ('1234.ddns.net', 5201) Stream
8080 Stream started at 11/04/2022, 17:42:17.060 744 0

config file (not part of server console log). Again 1234.ddns.net is my external IP address. Use you local SB local address.

[SLINGBOX]

sbtype="350/500/M1/M2"
;sbtype="Solo/Pro/ProHD"
;sbtype="240"
password= (from link in Readme file)
; uncomment the next lines ipaddress and port with your local network info
; if you don't want the server to automatically find your 
; slingbox on the local network. Needed if server and slingbox are
; not on the same LAN segment. Also removes requirement for the netifaces module 
;ipaddress=192.168.1.171
;port=5201

ipaddress=1234.ddns.net
port=5201

; Repace with your finderid, If and only if you need remote access and don't 
;have a static ip and you plan on using my service to access you server remotely. 
; Please read the release notes. Most people don't need this.
;finderid=(from link in Readme file)


;If you've got more than one slingbox set name. THe server will use this when generating 
; logs to make it easier to see what's going on. 
;name=something

; Following are the default values
; Default resolution when server starts. You can change this and reconnect without having to restart the server
; valid range = 1..15
;Resolution=12

; Valid Values 1, 6, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60 depending on resolution
;FrameRate=30

;Min 50 Max 8000
;VideoBandwidth=2000

; Min 0 (auto) max 63
;VideoSmoothness=63

; Send Iframe every n seconds Max 30
;IframeRate=5

; Audio Bit Rate. Valid Options 16, 20, 32, 40, 48, 64, 96 Default 32
;AudioBitRate=32

; Video Source 0, 1, 2, 3 depending on your hardware corrosponds to one of
;Composite, Component, HDMI or Tuner.
;ProHD 0=Tuner, 1=composite 2=svideo 3=component
;Solo, M1 0=composite 1=Svideo 2=component
;500 0=composite, 1=component, 2=HDMI
; If you don't set this the code will use the last configired input
; I recommend setting this value. If not set correctly you'll often only see a black screen. 
VideoSource = 2

[SERVER]
; local port number for the server to listen on for connections
port=8080
maxstreams=10
enableremote=yes

[REMOTE]
; see release notes for changing this if your remote doesn't work, But as a start make it 
;the same as your configured VideoSource 0-3. See above.
code=2
; path to an external remote control definitions file, if the defaults
; aren't working for you or you want to change the format of the web page.
; use the supplied remote.txt as a starting point.
;include=remote.txt 
;include=C:\SlingBox1\Tivo.Bolt.Remote.txt
;include=C:\SlingBox1\Tivo.Premiere.Remote.txt
include=C:\SlingBox1\TIVORemoteCh.html


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## JoeM09

Looks like the server will not work with win 7. See Starting slingbox-server.exe on Windows 7 gives missing dll error · Discussion #213 · GerryDazoo/Slinger (github.com)


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## JoeM09

JoeM09 said:


> Looks like the server will not work with win 7. See Starting slingbox-server.exe on Windows 7 gives missing dll error · Discussion #213 · GerryDazoo/Slinger (github.com)


See Windows 7 issues with slingox_server.exe · Discussion #240 · GerryDazoo/Slinger (github.com) for new information for using on Win 7.


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## MikeekiM

For giggles, I decided to go out to see if there were any completed auctions or purchases on eBay for Slingboxes, and to my surprise, there are!

Aren't the boxes basically paperweights without the cloud service? Are people "rolling their own" and leveraging the hardware to hook up to a home-baked server? Why would anyone buy a Slingbox today?


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## JoeM09

May want to look at this. They already have a personal server that can access the SB hardware and serve it out to media viewers. Start reading posts from #109 in this discussion. 
GerryDazoo/Slinger: Reuse SlingBox hardware without SlingBox Servers (github.com)


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## davezatz

JoeM09 said:


> May want to look at this. They already have a personal server that can access the SB hardware and serve it out to media viewers. Start reading posts from #109 in this discussion.
> GerryDazoo/Slinger: Reuse SlingBox hardware without SlingBox Servers (github.com)


I had a phone call with the developer on Friday. He's pretty confident he'll ultimately be able to trigger a device password reset, potentially opening the door for a secondary market. Would also have to come up with a way to load IR button mapping. I think he's also hopeful some insiders might point him in the right direction.


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## RichrdY

JoeM09 said:


> Are you shure you are using the correct local IP address? 1234.ddns.net is a redacted external address I have. Use you local SB local address (192.168.1.61). Except for different Win OS they look identical down to * Debug mode: off line. Use http://192.168.1.61:8080/slingbox in VLC network stream. Below the Debug mode: off line is the log when VLC connects.
> 
> My server's console log
> 
> Version : 3.08d Running on Windows-10-10.0.22000-SP0 pid= 19028
> Using config file config.ini
> Connection Manager Running on port 8080 with 10 max streams using URL slingbox.
> Streamer Running: 10 config.ini SLINGBOX 8080 8080 8388608
> starting up on port 8080 8388608
> Checking for slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
> ('1234.ddns.net', 5201) OK
> 8080 Using slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
> Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
> Reading Custom Remote definition from C:\SlingBox1\TIVORemoteCh.html
> 
> Serving Flask app 'slingbox_server' (lazy loading)
> Environment: production
> WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment.
> Use a production WSGI server instead.
> * Debug mode: off
> 
> Yes, I read the readme file and followed it as best I could.
> 
> I used https://newwatchsecure.slingbox.com/watch/slingAccounts/account_boxes_js to get the admin and user passwords
> 
> My slinger output looks similar to the above with the exception of the address (mine is '192.168.1.61, 5213'). The port is based on the output from running the program to download the passwords. However, I do not get the console log as you show probably because the connection cannot be made. I am running windows 11 Pro but it failed also on another laptop running windows 11,
> 
> In the console log
> 11/04/2022, 17:42:13.675 Streaming request from ('192.168.1.1', 63632)
> what does the 63632 refer to?


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## JoeM09

I do not get a port number in the data when I connect to the above web page link. I am using Win 11 and a SB 500. Where did you get the port number (5213)? I think 5201 is the standard number in the config file and should not be changed. I am not sure what 63632 is in the streaming request line. It is a different number every time I open a streaming request. I suspect it is some kind of record number in the router, it is a higher number every time I connect to the server.


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## RichrdY

JoeM09 said:


> Are you shure you are using the correct local IP address? 1234.ddns.net is a redacted external address I have. Use you local SB local address (192.168.1.61). Except for different Win OS they look identical down to * Debug mode: off line. Use http://192.168.1.61:8080/slingbox in VLC network stream. Below the Debug mode: off line is the log when VLC connects.
> 
> My server's console log
> 
> Version : 3.08d Running on Windows-10-10.0.22000-SP0 pid= 19028
> Using config file config.ini
> Connection Manager Running on port 8080 with 10 max streams using URL slingbox.
> Streamer Running: 10 config.ini SLINGBOX 8080 8080 8388608
> starting up on port 8080 8388608
> Checking for slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
> ('1234.ddns.net', 5201) OK
> 8080 Using slingbox at ('1234.ddns.net', 5201)
> Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
> Reading Custom Remote definition from C:\SlingBox1\TIVORemoteCh.html
> 
> Serving Flask app 'slingbox_server' (lazy loading)
> Environment: production
> WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment.
> Use a production WSGI server instead.
> * Debug mode: off
> 
> Yes, I read the readme file and followed it as best I could. Now, I have a connection but I got an error that I was using the wrong admin password. I ran the java script and got both the admin and user passwords. Entered the admin password without the quote marks and got a connection. However, the log then reported an error reading the video stream (using VLC-latest version). I have the Slingbox 500 connected to Xfinity cable box using an HDMI splitter to remove HDCP.


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## JoeM09

I am also using a HDMI splitter to remove the HDCP. Sometimes with VLC I have to try several times before I can connect. I am still trying to figure out how to clear the VLC cache when I have trouble connecting.


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## tivoknucklehead

I know the iphone and ipad tivo apps will stream from a tivo but I don't know if you can cast to your tv from them


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## RichrdY

This is what I get when I try to connect to my slingbox. Picture flashes for a second or two and then nothing. Anything wrong in the Keycodes or other parameters?

Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
11/09/2022, 18:28:46.147 Streaming request from ('127.0.0.1', 52016)

Slinginfo "500" 12 30 192.168.1.66 5213 3072 10
8080 Starting Stream for 127.0.0.1:52016
Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Control
8080 Selecting Video Source 2
Keycodes= [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81]
VideoParameters: Resolution= 12 FrameRate= 30 VideoBandwidth= 2000 VideoSmoothness= 63 IframeRate= 5 AudioBitRate= 64
Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Stream
8080 Stream started at 11/09/2022, 18:28:48.687 744 0
Error Reading video stream
11/09/2022, 18:28:59.512 8080 Stream Stopped Unexpectly. Kicked Off?
8080 Shutting down connections
8080 Logging Out
Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
Picture


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## JoeM09

I have the same problem were the pictures flashes momentarily and I get an error 10053 in the log. I am running the sling server, VLC and SMPlayer on a win 11 pc using an external ddns address. Would need to see the top part of the log to see if the server has started with no errors. Sometimes mine will connect after starting VLC multiple times before it will connect. I have been more successful using the SMPlayer app. Sometimes when it connects the stream stops momentarily and then continues using both VLC and SMPlayer on the pc and VLC on an Ipad. I suspect that the SB is failing when I have problems connecting and the momentarily video freeze. Try removing the power to the SB for 1-2 hours and restart. I stopped using the SB 2 years ago when I had trouble connecting to the SB with the desktop and browser apps. I used the Commander's HDMI encoder system almost daily last summer without any issues. I was just exploring the server option system in the event they may be able to modify the SB desktop and browser apps with the PIP remote control.


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## RichrdY

JoeM09 said:


> I have the same problem were the pictures flashes momentarily and I get an error 10053 in the log. I am running the sling server, VLC and SMPlayer on a win 11 pc using an external ddns address. Would need to see the top part of the log to see if the server has started with no errors. Sometimes mine will connect after starting VLC multiple times before it will connect. I have been more successful using the SMPlayer app. Sometimes when it connects the stream stops momentarily and then continues using both VLC and SMPlayer on the pc and VLC on an Ipad. I suspect that the SB is failing when I have problems connecting and the momentarily video freeze. Try removing the power to the SB for 1-2 hours and restart. I stopped using the SB 2 years ago when I had trouble connecting to the SB with the desktop and browser apps. I used the Commander's HDMI encoder system almost daily last summer without any issues. I was just exploring the server option system in the event they may be able to modify the SB desktop and browser apps with the PIP remote control.


Here is the full log. This time, I had a picture for a few seconds but it ultimately ceased. I'll try SMPlayer.

Using config file config.ini
Connection Manager Running on port 8080 with 10 max streams using URL slingbox.
starting up on port 8080 8388608
Streamer Running: 10 config.ini SLINGBOX 8080 8080 8388608
Checking for slingbox at ('192.168.1.66', 5213)
('192.168.1.66', 5213) OK
8080 Using slingbox at ('192.168.1.66', 5213)
Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
* Serving Flask app 'slingbox_server' (lazy loading)
* Environment: production
WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment.
Use a production WSGI server instead.
* Debug mode: off
11/10/2022, 10:59:48.399 Streaming request from ('127.0.0.1', 54471)

Slinginfo "500" 12 30 192.168.1.66 5213 3072 10
8080 Starting Stream for 127.0.0.1:54471
Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Control
8080 Selecting Video Source 2
Keycodes= [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81]
VideoParameters: Resolution= 12 FrameRate= 30 VideoBandwidth= 2000 VideoSmoothness= 63 IframeRate= 5 AudioBitRate= 64
Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Stream
8080 Stream started at 11/10/2022, 10:59:51.396 744 0
..11/10/2022, 11:00:15.149 8080 Stream Terminated for 127.0.0.1:54471 [WinError 10053] An established connection was aborted by the software in your host machine
8080 Shutting down connections
8080 Logging Out


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## JoeM09

RichrdY said:


> Here is the full log. This time, I had a picture for a few seconds but it ultimately ceased. I'll try SMPlayer.
> 
> Using config file config.ini
> Connection Manager Running on port 8080 with 10 max streams using URL slingbox.
> starting up on port 8080 8388608
> Streamer Running: 10 config.ini SLINGBOX 8080 8080 8388608
> Checking for slingbox at ('192.168.1.66', 5213)
> ('192.168.1.66', 5213) OK
> 8080 Using slingbox at ('192.168.1.66', 5213)
> Streamer: 8080 Waiting for first stream, flushing any IR requests that arrive while not connected to slingbox
> 
> Serving Flask app 'slingbox_server' (lazy loading)
> Environment: production
> WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment.
> Use a production WSGI server instead.
> * Debug mode: off
> 11/10/2022, 10:59:48.399 Streaming request from ('127.0.0.1', 54471)
> 
> Slinginfo "500" 12 30 192.168.1.66 5213 3072 10
> 8080 Starting Stream for 127.0.0.1:54471
> Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Control
> 8080 Selecting Video Source 2
> Keycodes= [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81]
> VideoParameters: Resolution= 12 FrameRate= 30 VideoBandwidth= 2000 VideoSmoothness= 63 IframeRate= 5 AudioBitRate= 64
> Connecting... ('192.168.1.66', 5213) Stream
> 8080 Stream started at 11/10/2022, 10:59:51.396 744 0
> ..11/10/2022, 11:00:15.149 8080 Stream Terminated for 127.0.0.1:54471 [WinError 10053] An established connection was aborted by the software in your host machine
> 8080 Shutting down connections
> 8080 Logging Out


May want to pull the power connection and internet access ASAP to the SB. I have seen reports that the older SB's are being disabled by the Slingbox servers.


----------

