Internet TV receiver?

colind3782

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The Admiral likes to watch UK TV on board through the internet but that ties up my laptop. I know that there is a gadget that can be plugged into the TV as a freestanding internet TV receiver but I don't know what it's called? Any recommendations so I can have my laptop back?

Edit: I see a google for "internet TV box" brings up the things I'm looking for. Would still be interested in recommendations. The boat TV is standard, not "smart".
 
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laika

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Two of the more popular options would be amazon's firestick and google's chromecast. I have a firestick which I have no complaints with. I believe both will allow you to watch iplayer, netflix etc. You don't need an amazon prime account with the firestick, although if you do obviously it gives you easy access to that content. TV doesn't need to be "smart": The main purpose of these devices is to give Internet capabilities to "dumb" TVs.
 

newtothis

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Plus 1 for Chromecast. If the Admiral has an Android phone, she can 'cast' whatever she likes straight from the phone, and if she doesn't, you'll have to cast it from the laptop and then get on with whatever you're doing.
But it does require a router so will depend on how you're accessing t'internet in the first place.
 

colind3782

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At the moment we have free wifi from the marina and, for UK region specific stuff, I use my phone as a hotspot (I have 50gb with my contract) we don't have a router but would my Android phone work as one? Spain is officially closed. All bars and restaurants are closed and the only businesses open here are supermarkets and pharmacies. It's going to get boring quite soon!
 

Clancy Moped

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At the moment we have free wifi from the marina and, for UK region specific stuff, I use my phone as a hotspot (I have 50gb with my contract) we don't have a router but would my Android phone work as one? Spain is officially closed. All bars and restaurants are closed and the only businesses open here are supermarkets and pharmacies. It's going to get boring quite soon!
If you can play tv on your phone you can get a free TV mirror app that will let you view the the content on the TV...
 

lw395

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If you can play tv on your phone you can get a free TV mirror app that will let you view the the content on the TV...
If you can get TV on your tablet, you can use an HDMI cable to display it on the TV. Doesn't require the TV to have wifi.
I found that a lot easier to use than the remote which came with the Amazon Firestick.
 

Clancy Moped

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If you can get TV on your tablet, you can use an HDMI cable to display it on the TV. Doesn't require the TV to have wifi.
I found that a lot easier to use than the remote which came with the Amazon Firestick.
That's another option, I forget what you need but it's not just a regular HDMI lead..
 

colind3782

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If you can get TV on your tablet, you can use an HDMI cable to display it on the TV. Doesn't require the TV to have wifi.
I found that a lot easier to use than the remote which came with the Amazon Firestick.
I don't have a tablet and I wanted to free up my laptop so the Admiral can watch her TV while I get on with the important stuff of arguing with people on social media! :)
 

lw395

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I don't have a tablet and I wanted to free up my laptop so the Admiral can watch her TV while I get on with the important stuff of arguing with people on social media! :)
I got my Firestick as a freebie, but I think they cost about half what I paid for my tablet?
You can of course just watch TV on the Tablet, if it's just one person.

We all seem to accumulate gadgets with overlapping functions.
The Firestick is gathering dust somewhere and I think the Hudl was last seen in the workshop pretending to be an MP3 player, driving some old HiFi.
Recently bought a new TV, which also does about half of what we used the set top satellite box for.
And I hardly watch TV.
 

langstonelayabout

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What works for me is an Amazon firestick and a PC monitor that has built in sound. Remember it also needs to work off of 12v.

But I've always found the boat is a great escape from rubbish TV, but then there is a price to pay for the missus being on board and being happy.
 

mjcoon

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Not all are equal, you need 1.5m HDMI Cable - Samsung UK Accessories I never found cheap adapters that said they would do the job worked with my Samsung tablet.

While on the subject of my Samsung tablet, it has given some accidental amusement. It came with merely a link to an HTML manual on their web site. I thought this inadequate and that I should have an off-line manual on the device, so enquired. I was told there was none but they would send me a paper manual for free. When it arrived it turned out to be for a Samsung washing machine; but not the same model that I have! Separately I found that there is a genuine tablet PDF manual that I could download...

Mike.
 
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