Woot Off today 03/27/08

[Blancofan1]

just started with a gps system

[berniebrewer4life]

Ugh, just as i was about to go to bed too. Thanks woot!

[giffted1]

Shouldn't there be more punctuation? Something like...

 

OMG!!!!!!!!WOOT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marleyboo]

I'm predicting a "What is a WOOTOFF" question at 9:34 this morning.

[bjkrautk]

...that power inverter is somewhat tempting.

 

The woot off has reminded me of a question I've been meaning to ask: how easy / expensive are map updates for GPS navigation units? I'd assume that it varies by company. (I have a relative paranoia about missing a court hearing out in the country because I took a wrong turn.) Given the way that the roads in parts of the state are changing (e.g. Marquette Interchange), I know that I'd want to update the maps in a year or two....so I know updates are a factor in my decision.

[jazzytrav]

Man, I'm still trying to figure out my remote control helicopter from the last woot-off. And the wireless keyboard I got kinda sucked. But I'll still probably buy something. Ugh.

[PlayerHader]

Thank you for not using all the annoying caps and punctuation that for whatever reason is allowed when announcing a woot off but for nothing else.

[jazzytrav]

This is a really bad woot-off. Anyone buy anything yet?

[Bent Wookies]

a 2-day woot off?

[ttsather]

a 2-day woot off?

Yep - and it looks like the site is down right now.

All I've gotten is a couple disposable power packs for my iphone. Good for car emergencies.

[Blancofan1]

So far after almost 40 hours of wooting I've gotten 2 of the bluetooh headseats and 3 of the 2GB memory cards. Almost pulled the trigger on the 42 inch flat screen but it was gone (probably a good thing)

[pitchleague]

yeah, I totally missed both 42" LCD tvs. Though, they were refurbs, $700 wasn't that bad of a deal.

[lcbj68c]

Ok, so I wont ask what a Woot Off is, because I can google it myself and save the embarrasment. Having now done so, is this for real? What are the hidden charges or catches?

[pitchleague]

no hidden charges or catch. Truly legit.

 

Now, sure, some items are reburbished so the warranty isn't anything to write home about, but most of the stuff is one heck of a deal.

[jazzytrav]

All over, and I didn't buy a thing. I'm almost proud of myself.

[pitchleague]

although I did score a slingbox on tonight's woot. Nice price and it's new, not a refurb. I didn't need the super-deluxe version so this should suit me perfectly.

[chowyo123]

although I did score a slingbox on tonight's woot. Nice price and it's new, not a refurb. I didn't need the super-deluxe version so this should suit me perfectly.

I've never totally looked into seeing what the slingbox actually does until reading about it a few minutes ago, and am partially interested in it. I guess I don't understand exactly what it does/how it works. It allows you to watch TV from a cable box, basic, etc. on a computer/laptop/mobile device, right? It would be convenient to watch some baseball on my desktop, rather than being in my TV room. Does the slingbox have a limited distance to which it can transmit my TV channels to? Is there decreased quality? If anyone could answer some of my questions or give a little overview on how they use theirs, that'd be awesome.

 

[pitchleague]

I can't say how I use mine, since mine is still being in the process of being shipped, etc.

 

However, the thing that I am most excited about is the fact that I can watch my television from wherever I want with an internet connection. Say, I'm in Tucamcari, NM at a hotel for the night. As long as I'm at a hotel with an internet connection, I can watch my Phoenix television stations, the Brewer game on the Extra Innings package or even something recorded on my tivo that is in my house all the way IN MY HOTEL ROOM on my laptop. I can't wait! No more crappy hotel television programming.

 

To answer your question, this means that, yes, you should be able to watch something on your desktop computer instead of having to sit in front of the actual television.

[Raw Biz]

I looked into getting the Slingbox Classic as well but decided against it. The main reason is because it is the first slingbox that was produced and it is no longer on the market in the U.S. (except with things like this). If your DVR/Tivo is on a separate system than your cable/satellite (i.e. different signals), then you will have to choose one or the other to hook up to the Slingbox. The Classic only allows one system to be used. If you wanted to hook up a bunch of systems (up to 4), then the Slingbox Pro is the way to go (except it's also the most expensive, i believe close to $200). Another problem with the Classic is that the cheapest Slingbox still being produced in the U.S. is actually cheaper than the classic and has a 400% better picture. Now I realize this is Woot and the price is cheaper than the market price but from what I saw, you can get the cheapest Slingbox for around 80 bucks market price (compared to the 70 for the classic on Woot). And another problem is if you want HD, you won't be able to get it. The Classic doesn't get HD. I really wanted to get it but I did some research and figured it would be better to pay an extra 40 bucks or so to get the HD and better overall quality.

[bjkrautk]

My parents bought a slingbox (Solo?) so that my mother can watch Brewers games on the road, since her job requires a good deal of travel. (As an added bonus, it means that I get access to a few channels that I can't get on my cable...and as long as they're in the Milwaukee area, I don't have to worry about missing a Packers game because it's on NFL Network.)

 

I'd say it works perfectly...but for whatever reason, the adhesive that's supposed to keep the IR sensor in place (to change channels on the cable box) isn't doing a very good job. And, since I'm the one who does tech support for all their A/V products....I can't fix it until the next time(s) I visit.

 

One word of warning: since the Slingbox requires an internet connection to work its magic, you need to have a way to send the connect the box to the network. I don't remember whether they make a Wi-Fi bridge for the device; I know my parents bought power-line networking (also made by Sling Media) in order to bridge the gap to their router.

[chowyo123]

Thanks guys for the advice/tips. I'll probably end up waiting a week or two to buy one, but it definitely looks worthwhile purchase for me to look into.

 

One word of warning: since the Slingbox requires an internet connection to work its magic, you need to have a way to send the connect the box to the network.

Well, the high-speed internet isn't a problem for me, but is it really necessary to purchase the $149.99 "power-line networking" accessory? The desktop that I would like it on is hooked up with Wi-Fi, and I think I could connect the slingbox with a wired connection if needed.

[bjkrautk]

Well, the high-speed internet isn't a problem for me, but is it really necessary to purchase the $149.99 "power-line networking" accessory? The desktop that I would like it on is hooked up with Wi-Fi, and I think I could connect the slingbox with a wired connection if needed.

Powerline netwroking isn't necessary, if you have another means of connecting the slingbox to the network. If you can string an ethernet cable into the box, you're good to go. I'd assume that you can configure a Wi-Fi bridge as well, but I've never done it. (The slingbox my parent bought doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi; I don't believe any of them do.)

 

[chowyo123]

Powerline netwroking isn't necessary, if you have another means of connecting the slingbox to the network. If you can string an ethernet cable into the box, you're good to go. I'd assume that you can configure a Wi-Fi bridge as well, but I've never done it. (The slingbox my parent bought doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi; I don't believe any of them do.)

 

Nice, thanks... just what I was hoping for.