| Device | Info | What is it? | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slingmedia Slingbox | http://www.slingbox.com/ | Some have a built in tuner, other just have analogue in. It encodes the input and streams it over the internet. It has a wide range of virtual remote controls, and if you have a compatible device (maybe a PVR) then the virtual remote will send the commands to the sling box, which uses a set of IR LEDs to send then to a connected box. I have a Slingbox Solo with a Sagem PVR62160T. (Used to have the Slingbox classic with DVB-T tuner) |
Easy to set up Good software support Software adjusts picture quality depending on bandwidth available Cheap (around £100) |
Picture quality isn't great for live sports (often drops to 320x240 even with 800Kbps) Needs a PVR connected if you're in a different time zone |
| Dream Media | http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.de/en | A range of Satellite/Cable and DVB tuners and PVRs with open source Linux software and an ethernet port I have the dm600-t (See my set-up guide). |
Good software software support Great functionality Best picture quality for non-live viewing |
Need to be an expert to set-up Only single tuner (unless you pay a lot more) Expensive (£175 + HDD) |
| A proxy server | http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=507202 | Accessing the various TV company download services via a UK IP address I use my Dreambox as a proxy server |
BBC Easy to set up Cheap (Buy a box for around £100 or pay £20 per year) Live and Catch up service |
Other channels hard to set up Live streaming often struggles Often a lag between program broadcast and availibility |