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Slinging DVDs into your Home
This fall, Langsdale is piloting a new service that will allow you to watch DVDs from the comfort of your own home. We are making use of a tool called a SlingBox, which can send a signal from a television to a computer or a handheld device like a Treo. It is designed for home use, but we have adapted it so that UB students and faculty can watch DVDs that have been put on reserve from any place with a high-speed Internet connection.
Since this is a product designed for personal use, it does take a little bit of time to set it up and get it to work. Complete instructions will be available when you use the service, but in short you will need to do the following:
- Download and install free software from the Slingmedia Website (available for Windows and Mac only);
- click on a link that allows off-campus access to the SlingBox and DVD player;
- call Langsdale and let us know what DVD you would like to watch;
- use the Slingplayer software to connect to the DVD player;
- Watch the DVD.
The SlingPlayer software includes a remote control that will allow you to operate the DVD from home.
Admittedly, there are limitations to this service. First of all, only one person or group can watch any given DVD at a time. It's not a streaming service like YouTube, but instead requires that the selected DVD actually be in a DVD player before you can see the movie. Basically, this is a one-customer-at-a-time service. While this is a bit of drawback, it is also necessary limitation given copyright laws. Because Langsdale is not a theater, it can not screen films for multiple users except in a strict educational setting. In addition, we only have two DVD players available for this service. So, we have restricted the service to DVDs that are on reserve and are required viewing for a class.
While it is not as great as being able to watch any DVD we own, anywhere and anytime, if you do need to see a DVD for your class, this service will allow you to do so without having to stay in Langsdale. Furthermore, if you contact us ahead of time, we can set up the DVD so you can watch it at a remote location even after the Library has closed.
Instructions for how to use Langsdale’s Slingboxes will be included in the course reserve pages for classes that have DVDs on reserve. If you have further questions about the service, please contact Michael Shochet at mshochet@ubalt.edu.