Streaming tv

Thespoofer

I've just realised how behind in technology I am in regards to streaming tv at home etc.

Would I be wrong in saying that home entertainment is heading that way in regards to tv shows, films, foreign stations etc ?
What is the best place to learn about connecting up my tv ( if possible ) to enable it to accept streaming , I've a pain in my head trying to get my head around the whole concept of it.
Thanks

emmetlego

I'd be interested in this also… If anyone can help.

Thanks in advance.

NakQuada

Thespoofer wrote: »

I've just realised how behind in technology I am in regards to streaming tv at home etc.

Would I be wrong in saying that home entertainment is heading that way in regards to tv shows, films, foreign stations etc ?
What is the best place to learn about connecting up my tv ( if possible ) to enable it to accept streaming , I've a pain in my head trying to get my head around the whole concept of it.
Thanks

Not entirely sure what you want to achieve?
Do you mean hooking up a HTPC to your TV and then get channels via the internet rather than paying seperately for a Sky package, etc?

Thespoofer

NakQuada wrote: »

Not entirely sure what you want to achieve?
Do you mean hooking up a HTPC to your TV and then get channels via the internet rather than paying seperately for a Sky package, etc?

Yes that sounds about right. A friend of mine bought an android box and was able to what all the channels ( sky included ) without subscription, just via his wifi.
Not sure what a HTPC is though..

emmetlego

Sooo… Bump please. Any hints?

bazzz

What kind of money are you guys looking to spend?There are plenty of options out there,I'm not going to suggest one because I'll have a brigade of money savers come attack me.So I'll list a couple of options:

1 : Build your own HTPC and run a Generic build of OpenELEC on it.
2 : This is for the scrimpers....Buy a barebones HTPC from China,you might save
a few bob.But also stand a good chance of getting done by customs.
3 : Buy one locally and pay a bit extra for it.....which is worth it in some cases.If anything goes wrong or you need support it's all close by.

A half decent HTPC can handle nearly anything you throw at it,from tripple boots,to PCIE devices(DVB-T/S Cards),gaming,Kodi etc,etc.
Hope that helps,if you have any questions and I can answer them....I will;)

emmetlego

bazzz wrote: »

What kind of money are you guys looking to spend?There are plenty of options out there,I'm not going to suggest one because I'll have a brigade of money savers come attack me.So I'll list a couple of options:

1 : Build your own HTPC and run a Generic build of OpenELEC on it.
2 : This is for the scrimpers....Buy a barebones HTPC from China,you might save
a few bob.But also stand a good chance of getting done by customs.
3 : Buy one locally and pay a bit extra for it.....which is worth it in some cases.If anything goes wrong or you need support it's all close by.

A half decent HTPC can handle nearly anything you throw at it,from tripple boots,to PCIE devices(DVB-T/S Cards),gaming,Kodi etc,etc.
Hope that helps,if you have any questions and I can answer them....I will;)

I feel like yer man off the tele "I don't know what a tracker mortgage is" except it's "I don't know what a HTPC is" with me…


I have only heard about this, and am not very technically minded… Is there any webpage you can direct me to? Sort of a HTPC for Dummies kind of thing?

bazzz

Yes sure have a look HERE,if that's what you are asking me.

emmetlego

Many thanks. I have some learning to do!

Johnboy1951

Thespoofer wrote: »

I've just realised how behind in technology I am in regards to streaming tv at home etc.

Would I be wrong in saying that home entertainment is heading that way in regards to tv shows, films, foreign stations etc ?
What is the best place to learn about connecting up my tv ( if possible ) to enable it to accept streaming , I've a pain in my head trying to get my head around the whole concept of it.
Thanks

IMO, your best course of action would be to connect a PC or laptop to the TV via whatever type cable the TV will take ..... HDMI or VGA ..... and then experiment with software on the PC to get what you want. Maybe even set up a dual boot operating system especially for the testing.

Streaming will depend a lot on your broadband connection speed.

Most of the 'free' streams I have accessed have been less than worthwhile, due to low resolution, especially for sports.
Subscription services provide a much better user experience.

Anyway ..... experiment on a PC, even if it is not connected to the TV, and that should allow you to gauge whether it is worth your time and money to set up a dedicated box as a HTPC.

emmetlego

Fantastic advice. Is there any way you could guide me in the right direction re pay/free streaming sites. Via PM if necessary? Thanks again, appreciate the time!

Johnboy1951

emmetlego wrote: »

Fantastic advice. Is there any way you could guide me in the right direction re pay/free streaming sites. Via PM if necessary? Thanks again, appreciate the time!

Not much I can tell you, TBH, as any free streaming sites I tried were just not good enough and I gave up eventually.

What I would suggest is that you install Kodi on your PC and read all you can about how it works and the available plugins for it. This is a good place to start IMO

http://kodi.tv/

There is so much available that most people have only scratched the surface having found something that suits their needs.

Of course there is always the likes of Netflix which is a paid service and is very well rated from what I read.
A number of people prefer the US version but some hoops need to be jumped through to access that as opposed to the Irish service.

It is daunting at first, but there is great content out there that can be easily accessed with the right set up.
To inform yourself and get comfortable enough to be able to make decisions for yourself will require some effort .... mostly reading stuff you have only a vague idea about initially.
Don't let it throw you ..... read on and absorb the stuff that makes sense and it will fall together in a short time.

Have fun on this journey