I’ve been toying with the idea of ditching my cable TV from Comcast for awhile now and beefing up my internet connection with higher speeds. I’d STILL pay less for just the internet, but I’d be able to stream almost anything quickly and efficiently.
That said, I’m looking to stream from my PC to my TV. Preferably wirelessly (I’ve heard a blu-ray player does this, Xbox, etc.) It can be wired, but that’d require a bit of shifting and an annoying HDMI cable dangling about, but that doesn’t bother me.
A few questions:
What is the cheapest and most practical way to do this? I don’t mind a monthly fee if it’s something like Hulu/etc. Is Hulu the way to go to get most of the stations I watched before? Keep in mind that I have a good package from Comcast and probably only watch 10-15 channels tops. I don’t even venture into the 100’s and beyond. I watch the movie channels and the usual favorites (USA, FX, TBS, TNT, etc).
What hardware would it require? I have a laptop with an HDMI out, as well as a video card on my PC with HDMI capability. My TV is a 32" LCD by Dynex, which naturally has HDMI connections. Keep in mind that if this is possible to do wirelessly, I’d love to go that route (obviously that means something has to be connected to the TV, but I’m not sure what).
I recently did exactly what you are thinking about doing. IMHO the best route is to hook up a console (I used my PS3) to your TV and subscribe to netflix. You can stream pretty much any movie you want with no wait or buffering times and it only costs less than ten bucks a month. You can also connect your computer to your TV, in which case the only equipment you will need will be an HDMI cable, but I find that to be a pain to constantly connect and disconnect unless your computer is a spare and it will remain at your TV constantly.
AFAIK, there are no wireless methods of getting an HD video signal from a computer to a TV.
You probably want something like this, but it only does 720p and 1600x1200 resolution. That’s technically HD, but normally I think people mean full 1080p.
There are a few similar devices like this one, but it is listed in a different category, so you have to use your search terms wisely to make sure you capture as many devices as possible. This one says it does 1080p at 60hz and Asus is a good brand in general - although they are known for their motherboards.
Re: Netflix. I’ve used Netflix in the past. I can even stream it using my Wii and it works beautifully. It even removes the need for a middleman (see: HDMI cable), but it’s not quite what I’m looking for. I love watching movies, and it’s great that it has TV shows, but I was looking for something that still allows you to “surf” the common channels. FX, USA, TNT, TBS, local stations, etc. Obviously, I don’t expect a full-blown service that would replicate Comcast for a fraction of the price, but I was looking for something that could some SOMEWHAT close and allow me to transfer the picture to the TV.
I’m not even sure if this is possible. Netflix is great. I won’t deny that. I just figured there was some sort of internet-based TV service that had stations like that. Looks like ultra-convenience is still just hittin’ the clicker and browsing the TV guide. Doesn’t seem like it can be replicated online.
@DZero: That seems like a great solution to address the hardware concerns, but I’d still be interested in finding some sort of “replacement” to cable service which isn’t just TV episodes/movies. I’m beginning to doubt that it exists.
Once you have a your PC hooked up to your TV either remotely, or directly (as in an HTPC), you can use media center to tune to over the air HD channels, stream netflix, and watch other online content. I have it setup so that I can also use Amazon on Demand, youtube, stream video podcasts, and HULU, as well as stream Blu-Ray movies from my NAS.
Before you do this, be sure to find out how much Comcast charges for an internet connection without accompanying cable or phone service.
It turns out they charge a fair bit more for internet if you’re doing internet only. Not that they bother to tell you this in any clear way until you’re actually setting things up with the sales rep… :rolleyes:
I also doubt that what you’re describing exists. Between Hulu and the networks’ own websites, you can stream many, but not all shows via the internet. And I don’t know of anything that will let you stream local stations, aside from these programs. There are things like the Slingbox that let you stream everything, but it requires you to have a cable or satellite connection that you’d control remotely. So one answer might be for a friend to get a second cable connection in their house, and for you to put a Slingbox system in their house.
What you are looking for does not exist. Hulu is probably the closest example of what you are looking for. For most stations you have to go to their individual websites, and hope they have the episodes available, many don’t.
In terms of ditching cable, I think the best setup is to get a dedicated home theater pc. They are not power hungry, so you can build one on the cheap. Get a TV tuner and antenna and your htpc becomes a DVR for OTA local channels. I believe you can setup a remote system (although not wireless) by installing windows media center (depending on your version of windows this is included in your operating system) on your remote computer and then getting an extender for your TV itself. I think xbox360 will act as an extender.
Yeah, it IS cheaper, but not insanely cheaper. I think it’s $50-60 for internet all by itself, whereas I’d be paying $110 for both. A pretty significant savings.
I guess when all is considered, it’s probably better just to stick with cable. I do a lot of “idle tv.” Meaning I watch whatever is on at the time while using the computer.
If you’re going to look at all of your options, then also check out Google-tv which just came out in October I think. The only devices I know of that have it are Sony’s internet tv’s (that’s Sony’s moniker for them) and the Logitech Revue set top box. It’s a lot more expensive than Roku or Apple TV, but you can surf the web and watch all sorts of content with almost no restrictions - just like having an HTPC.
Hulu Plus either just became available or will be available in 3 . . . 2 . . . or something like that. I don’t remember which studios are hooking up with Hulu for this new paid service ($9/month I think), but it’s a bunch of them. With that, you should be able to watch broadcasts within a day or 2 of airing.
Lastly, note that Netflix is raising their fees - substantially at the high end - but are also introducing a streaming-only option - like Hulu.
All of these services get many more channels than you probably realize. I think there are at least several dozen on Roku if you go to the top menu and select the “Channel Store”. Content is a little sparse for most but I’m sure that will improve presently. For example, they have all of the Khan lectures on one of the channels. The audio sucked, but just as a concept I thought that was pretty groovy.
There’s an almost infinite amount of video out on the Internet, but the vast majority of it isn’t of the sort where you just tune in, lean back and watch whatever’s on. For better or worse, most Internet video is set up more in a mode where you specify what you want to watch, watch it, and then it waits for you to specify the next thing. This is true whether it’s watching YouTube videos, programs on Hulu, or movies from Netflix.
But if you can shift over to that mindset, you end up with the freedom to watch pretty much anything you want at any time. Here’s a somewhat outdated list of websites that you can stream video from:
You could also use a site like Clicker.tv, which is a site that acts like a guide to other content.
If you just want to watch normal TV channels, you can always use an over-the-air antenna. Coverage may vary based on your physical location, but you can usually get at least the main networks. There are sites that will tell you what channels you’re likely to be able to get. www.tvfool.com is one.
There are also sites that will give you full live TV over the Internet. The legality of these are in question. ivi.tv, for example, will charge you $5 a month to get all of the major networks. All they’re doing is taking normal feeds from the networks and patching them into the Internet, under the legal cover that they’re just like a cable provider, and don’t need to get permission to do this as long as they pay the appropriate fees. Needless to say, the networks don’t exactly agree with this and have filed suit to stop them. So caveat emptor.
If you decide to go with a PC hooked up to your TV, I’d also recommend looking at Kylo, which is a simplified web browser designed for that purpose. You can use any browser, but Kylo has a couple of features that make it easier to use when you’re sitting ten feet away from your screen. (www.kylo.tv)
We had Comcast TV, not too much higher than basic – just enough to get Comedy Central and History International. Over the weekend I switched to Basic. Basic costs $7, the old TV service was $63. If I completely removed all TV then our Comcast internet service would have gone up $15. So it’s cheaper (where I live) to keep the $7 Basic service if you also have internet with them.
I also got a Roku box and just hooked it up. I think I’m going to like it very much. I was disappointed that I cannot get Comedy Central on it, but I have a netbook and I am getting cables so I can hook that up to my TV. Then I can watch Comedy Central programming via their web site.
And it’s just the sort of thing where you get one working and then you find out that the other doesn’t. Sometimes it’s that you need to run a wire, sometimes it’s that you’re missing the software, sometimes the software doesn’t even exist.
Some stuff that I needed that I didn’t anticipate (partly overlooked, partly ignorance):
[ul]
[li]Wireless keyboard (logitech dinovo mini, in my case… it sucks, don’t believe the hype)[/li][li]a specific IR receiver that allows the system to be controlled by universal remote (but that doesn’t work if Windows Media Center is somehow not the active app)[/li][li]Software to play Blu-Ray titles[/li][li]A video card or sound card that has an HDCP protected audio path[/li][li]Various free plug-ins to integrate some outliers (Boxee, Hulu)[/li][li]BitTorrent client to illegally download shows (more of a pain in the ass than it’s worth)[/li][li]still waiting on the Ceton Infinitv 4-tuner CableCARD tuner… the only way to get FiOS or cable channels into the system. I ordered it in October, and I might have it sometime in January.[/li][/ul]
I started with a low-power, HP slimline $300 PC that I was going to make fit the bill. So far it’s cost me about $1500 in parts and the only thing that still is from that PC is the processor… and I may have to upgrade that if the tuner card proves too much to handle.
Everything is nearly working. I’ve got one big, giant problem though… DVDs stopped playing with WMC (though they work with Total Media Theatre 3 and the requisite plug-in). I’m not sure what happened, but it smells like a codec is missing… and that’s a can of worms I’ve been avoiding. I know the configuration of codecs is somehow different in WMC than it is for the rest of your PC.
It’s a nightmare, and this is all just for media on a single box. Once that’s “working,” I’m going to setup a Windows Home Server box and attempt to share recordings to other TVs.
Unless you’re really interested in making Windows Media Center work, I’d recommend sticking with cable and the crappy boxes they overcharge you for.
I would add that unless you know what you’re doing don’t just go buying a $300 PC and expect it to just work.
Just like anything else, if you don’t know what you’re doing ask.
A simple question on this forum, or over at the green button.com could have saved you money and headaches.
I’m not saying it’s as simple as plugin a cable DVR, but I’ll tell you this: I’ll never go back to one.
No blu-ray, no games, crappy, uncustomizable, sluggish interface, no netflix, limited amount of recordings, limited in the way I can use those recordings, no HULU, no Amazon on demand, no nothing.
The only issue with HTPC’s are the current state of cable HD recording. Right now Ceton is the only player (I got one of their tuners), but that will change next year with entries from two different companies.
Still beats having 5 different, ugly boxes all doing inferior jobs.