Internet TV on my laptop. Anyone got a good "How To"????

[Mike]

Originally Posted by VernM

It can be a blessing to get away from the TV too. I just use my computer and the great little device and program called WinTV to get news or something special if necessary. It comes with a little portable digital antenna good for 25 miles or so sitting on the 'fridge or microwave.

I've seen these things mentioned on here over and over again, internet TV access, using various
types of hardware and software, some free, some you have to buy software with a card or adapter.
Has anyone got a step by step "how to" convert or update a laptop to a source of TV entertainment,
or as you've suggested, to get news updates (or in my case I'd like to get market updates, preferably
in real time)?
It might help some of us who can often get wifi access in places where there isn't an OTA TV signal
(or it's only PBS and the theology channels) or it's not practical to set up a satellite dish.

Who has the best software/hardware combo, for the lowest price, that would run off free wifi like
Starbucks or McDonalds, and not cost the same as a mobile satellite rooftop aiming system.
I know I could Google this, but I'm looking to tap the experience and expertise of those of you
techie folks with laptop TV.
Maybe this question/topic should be a separate thread, so I'll create one and place it here in the
General folder and also in the Intenet and Tech stuff.

[markopolo]

My understanding of this is that you can get OTA TV if you have a (a)TV tuner to use with your laptop and if you don't have that then you have to (b)stream content off the internet.

With (a) - it is the same as standalone TV.

With (b) - it is all about the available bandwidth. You can view the shows etc. fullscreen and, if you have a small laptop, connect it to your larger TV and enjoy the bigger screen.

You can watch full episodes on sites like these in Canada:
http://www.tvtropolis.com/video/
http://www.cbc.ca/video/
http://www.google.ca/

This stuff changes all the time so I'm interested in hearing about other options also.

[markopolo]

I moved this topic back to the General forum so that more members see it.

[Mike]

I was hoping to find websites where I can connect for free, and watch streaming real time TV.
I'm guessing it would be TV piracy for most channels, unless they were already being transmitted
free as OTA channels, and then captured and routed through a website to online users. So I'm
guessing that's not likely, unless someone has done it, to get advertising sponsors (flash and popup
ads at the TV website) to support their website financially. I could put up with a popup or two if
it simplified watching TV online at internet cafes and free wifi hotspots.
Vern's Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q is a good answer if you don't already have a TV and antenna
system installed in your van. I do, so it's not a great option for me.

I think I was probably looking for something more like this........
http://www.ovguide.com/browse_sites?c=live+tv&ci=87
It has links to external websites that actually point you to sites that stream live TV to your laptop
just by clicking the correct links. All you need is an internet connection like a wifi hotspot at an
internet cafe like McDonalds or Starbucks. There are quite a few "channels" so if you decide to try this,
bookmark it first, as it takes a while to sift through the ones that work, and have content you're
interested in, and those that don't work or aren't particularly to your taste.
Bon appetit...... ..

[g1g]

On my last job thewre was a kid who had Tv on his laptop. He said it was either a card or application in the computer. That's all I can say about it

[Davydd]

I watch quite a bit of TV streaming on an Apple iPad at home through wifi. ABC is the best but is also the network I least desire to watch. On the road finding a good wifi internet stream source is very difficult and costly too now that most plans have gigabyte limits that make it unfeasible.

[markopolo]

Internet TV may be the way of the future. It all seems to be heading that way.

HD streaming uses 3500 kbit/s bandwidth and standard viewing would need 500 kbit/s to 1500 kbit/s. 1gb to 1.5gb downloaded per hour should give you an uninterrupted standard stream to view (not HD).

That is the problem right now for mobile and hotspot users. Most home connections can handle it. (at least for one TV)

For over-the-air TV I have a ATI TV Wonder HD 650 Combo USB that I use with my laptop. It worked ok with the Winegard antenna on my Class C RV. It doesn't work well with a simple dipole antenna inside my van. I can't recommend the ATI TV Wonder HD 650 because it has separate antenna input for digital and analogue and it takes forever to scan for channels.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Mike

.....................something more like this........ http://www.ovguide.com/browse_sites?c=live+tv&ci=87
It has links to external websites that actually point you to sites that stream live TV to your laptop..........

Thanks for the link. Bookmarked!

[Mike]

I went through most of them last night, and some didn't work at all, some pointed you to some ppv
websites where you had to sign up for a subscription, some look more like webcams, and some just
died trying to open the channels. That said, some of my results might have been time of day related.

I was able to find a short list of channels that seemed to be real time live. One looked like FoxNews
live, but turned out to be recorded a day or two earlier. I found some reasonable newscasts that might
give me what I need as far as up to date world and market news and financials.
I also use a website called MarketWatch, and it does update regularly, althought the quotes are slightly
delayed. But it's useful enough, with that in mind.

So I'm reasonably happy. I don't see a need to subscribe to a ppv site at this time, as the ones I visited
last night, didn't look any better or more reliable than the majority of free ones that are listed there as well.

Some findings from last night......
WEBCASTR didn't work, says website is being redesigned.
CHANNELZAPPER website timed out connecting several times, so I gave up. It may be working today.
1STCALLONLINE also can't open most North American channels but opened the UK ones.
MYEASYTV and CHOOSEANDWATCH redirect you to PPV sites.
LIVEONLINETV.COM is mostly videos so there isn't much live TV.
STARTYOURCHANNEL I simply couldn't figure out. If it isn't intuitively functional, it's a waste of time.
123WEBTV appears to be exclusively UK channels.
TVWEB360 had access to BNN (Business News Network Canada) videos only, so not much use.
HSN beware of this channel, especially if you like shopping, and have credit cards handy.
Most of the rest have some (one or two) live real time channels available.
The trick is figuring out which ones are which.

[lightspeed]

their is still many "free" internet tv shows you can watch on laptops or pc's , on my pc i have nbc , cbs, abc channels all so far is free to watch old shows full episodes all legal . just google it and you will find them , also theirs hulu and others .

[Mike]

I was looking mostly for live stuff, but it's pretty rare, unless they want it on Youtube or some other
streaming site. I watched the GOP debate live (almost, there was some brief delay) the other night
at live.foxnews.com. It doesn't always work, but to increase viewership, I think some feed their live
audio/video to their online channels for "important" stuff.
Thanks for the input.

[TinyoneRV]

Internet TV works fine at home if you have unlimited service; however, most campgrounds I've visited have a limit on the bytes you can download over their wifi connection. If you use your cell phone network you would need unlimited gigabyte service or it could get expensive but at least you wouldn't be limited. You also would probably need at least a 3G connection and 4G would be better.

We elected to get the Dish Network pay-as-you-go plan. With this plan you buy the antenna and receiver and open a dish account. You pay for a month of service at a time but that can be turned on and off as needed. Need 10 days, they only charge for 10 days and you bank the other 20 for future use. Only problem we've found is in tree-shaded campgrounds.

[Mike]

I have Shaw Direct, and they allow us to add a second dish which can be used with one of our 2 home
receivers when we travel. Our issue is, setup and tear down between stops. Shaw Direct (formerly Star
Choice) uses a different type of transmission wave and that limits the mobile dish options available.
Bell XVu, DirectTV and Dish Network all use similar wave formats so they can use the more plentiful
portable dish options, like VuQube,and Winegard Carry Outs. I've gotten pretty good at setting up my
manual full sized dish rig, but it does require a bit of fiddling to aim it. There are one or two portable
systems available, but then price gets in the way. The amount of use it would get doesn't justify the
cost of the mobile dish (yet). I'm sort of waiting for the price of these things t come down over time.
Then I may get one, probably the Winegard Carry Out for Shaw systems. I asked about coverage in
the lower 48 States, and then answer wasn't encouraging. Winegard said the "paddle" inside might be
too small to get signal down south, so that's another potential show stopper. I could switch to Bell
I suppose, but they don't approve of using their systems in the USA, so another impediment.
It's not easy being Canadian.

[gd540]

Maybe not, but you have healthcare and you don't pick fights with other countries!

[Mike]

Originally Posted by gd540

Maybe not, but you have healthcare and you don't pick fights with other countries!

Hmmm, since you're sort of asking me to comment, I'll give it a go. Normally I'd just let it go, but I'm having one
of "those" days.
Awww maybe I better not. This one really gets me going.

Regarding government run anything (health care included), be careful what you wish for.

[markopolo]

Anyone here use Boxee? http://www.boxee.tv/ I downloaded the PC version today. I'm trying to figure out if I can queue shows to be downloaded now and watched later if my laptop is offline.

[Mike]

Any luck figuring out Boxee? I had a quick look and I think I might be better off with my TV and Roadtrek
antenna watching local OTA channels. It looks awkward and might be more for home TV watching rather
than mobile.
On the same subject, I think some OTA transmitters have increased their output power, as we get far more
channels than we used to, when the USA first went digital OTA. In the same areas we travel through regularly.
I wish more specialty channels broadcast OTA some how.
I wish automatic fixed rooftop satellite dishes were cheaper.

[markopolo]

I gave up on it. It's ok but it wasn't what I thought. I hoped it would download and let me watch movies and shows offline later but it turned out to be streaming. I can do that without Boxee. Some movies were $3.00 each to rent but they are on Netflix already for $8 per month unlimited viewing...........

I do have a few free shows and movies queued up and will watch them sometime.

[Mike]

I saw somewhere on the faqs they were going to have a live "Boxee stick" next year for live TV, but I
don't really want TV on the road badly enough to pay for it. It would have been a "nice to have" thing
for traveling. I may be able to use Bloomberg online to see how things are going in the markets. I think
it's free and LIVE. Time will tell. I can also ask the hosts at the local McDonalds to switch their TVs to
CNBC while I eat breakfast. Might work?

[markopolo]

Watched a pretty good movie last weekend streamed in off Crackle. http://www.crackle.com/

The movies and shows on their site are free.Their revenue comes from inserting the occasional ad in a movie. The movie I watched didn't have many ads at all.
It streamed in without interruption. Movies comes in on my laptop but are viewed on my TV when at home via a HDMI cable connecting the laptop to the TV.