Thread: Online television

Get a tv capture card, then you can watch digital tv as well as schedule it to record shows directly to your drive which you can edit later. Very handy for the bikes as they are at hours when a lot of us are in bed.

Thanks John.
Where do I get one of these capture cards from ?
Thanks.

i brought a usb one of ebay for 60 dollars but i cant pick up a signal in my house

olbod,

Having tortured myself for 2 years with a media centre PC I offer these sage words of advice:

If you just want digital TV, buy a set top box for $60.
If you want to do the computer thing, buy a dual tuner card so you can record two shows simultaneously, or watch one show and record another.
Sign up for and research on Australian Media Center Community

Finally, if your current reception is iffy, don't bother with tuner cards 'cause they're nowhere near as sensitive as an STB.

Having said that, your question was about online TV, not digital TV, so we may be talking about different things. When I read you post I googled online TV and got heaps of hits.

Back to my first comment, I did build a HTPC and though its been a major pain, me and mine could not live without it these days. If you go down the digital tuner road, get a copy of XP MCE, not Vista (it's an even bigger pain than MCE).

Cheers.

I have a MCE laptop with a TV tuner card. Only get 7 & SBS. Would be pretty good if I got the full serve.

I looked into online Tv & paid a once only fee $20bucks from memory only used it a few times becuase the stream via broadband was to small. ie the screen size was to small. When I went full screen res the picture was all blurry. I only have 512K broadband.

If you've got a super fast link then you may get better results than I did.

Thanks for the reply's People'
I only have 512k broadband at moment also, so I wont be rushing into anything but will continue to investigate.
I am thinking along the lines of a small satelite unit hooked to a pc or laptop, that I could use at home or when travelling with the van.
When on the road I want satelite broadband internet, so I would like too
also have online tv as well.
I'm not interested in connecting to our commercial networks or Fox and so on.
I am seeing some online sites advertising heaps of movies and 24hr sport from around the world etc.
Be nice to camp out to buggery somewhere and watch a Superbike race
without being involved with Austar or that sort of humbug !
Cheers.

Originally Posted by olbod

Thanks John.
Where do I get one of these capture cards from ?
Thanks.

Any computer shop will sell you a PCI or USB set up for about 60 to 80 dollars.
You do need an outdoor antenna, indoor bunny ears will not cut it.
I use a "boating and caravaning" antenna on an aluminium pole fastened to the shed roof.
With digital, you either get it, or you get a blank blue screen, not a windows crash, just no bloody signal from the TV station.

Originally Posted by dullbird

i brought a usb one of ebay for 60 dollars but i cant pick up a signal in my house

Please read above.

As for on-line TV, I point my browser to DW-TV, Aljezeera-English, any where a Google search will take me. But they are more like a scrolling news-paper.
I just don't see the value unless you have a really fast connection.