Sat TV onboard

[Lightwave395]

Does anyone have experience of a decent setup for a TV and portable satellite system for use on a boat ?

Now that we're back in the UK I'm looking at what reasonable cost dish / LNB to fit, I have a TV with inbuilt receiver

 

[wonkywinch]

You're probably going to be better off getting TV through the internet with a 4G/5G modem. This is the route I'm going down. Just bought a Poynting puck antenna to improve LTE reception into the router which is mounted in a cupboard down below. Any TV with an HDMI can be "upgraded" using a Firestick or equivalent.

 

[lustyd]

The days of satelite TV are numbered I would say. Starlink and a set top box would be a better option if you're willing to pay the price. We have a Nebula projector on board which has all the main apps to stream content and means we can have a huge screen indoors our out without having a big TV in the way

 

[B27]

Satellite TV dishes generally need to be aimed within a degree or two.
If your boat's afloat you'd be wanting specialist kit.

 

[Refueler]

IPTV ..... surely is a better way to go ?

 

[Bilgediver]

Deleted

 

[rogerthebodger]

We have had sat TV on board for some time now.

We found the better is to have the dish located on the fixed location by the access with a coax cable along the jetty to the boat

We use a 600mm dish but the bigger the better

 

[Bilgediver]

We have had sat TV on board for some time now.

We found the better is to have the dish located on the fixed location by the access with a coax cable along the jetty to the boat

We use a 600mm dish but the bigger the better

This is what I have seen also. I agree that bigger is better and if north of the border a
1 metre dish should be considered.

 

[Ray Purchase]

IPTV ..... surely is a better way to go ?

I agree.

 

[ashtead]

Tell us more of IPTV ? Does it work in France ? Starlink seems overpriced for most unless a Utuber I guess?

 

[Refueler]

Tell us more of IPTV ? Does it work in France ? Starlink seems overpriced for most unless a Utuber I guess?

Basically you subscribe to an online site that gives you a playlist of TV channels ... there are hundreds online to choose from.

You install a viewer on your Internet box or enabled TV .. Tablet ... Phone ... PC or whatever ... then you have at your finger tips literally a world of TV channels .... most sites restrict to only one viewer active at any one time. Unless you pay multiple subs.

You do need a good Internet connection though to avoid 'buffering' where video stops while downloading more to the buffer .. but UK is generally good for it.

 

[wonkywinch]

Tell us more of IPTV ? Does it work in France ? Starlink seems overpriced for most unless a Utuber I guess?

Most IPTV services are working outside of the law. I went through a phase of trying them but suppliers came and went. There was too much buffering when popular events were shown (server overloaded).

Many of the movies were poor quality copies with appalling sound (recorded by someone with a camcorder in a cinema) or stolen from a copy intended for local language dubbing (riddled with closed captions of dialogue and sound effects).

I use standard TV apps, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney etc and watch through a 4G internet connection using a £100 router and Poynting puck antenna when 4G signal is weak.

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/33092-tp-link-tl-mr6400/

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/44389-poynting-a-puck-0002-v1-01-w/

For data, a Lebara sim (uses Vodaphone network) costing £2 a month for 15gn data and/or an O2 sim with 80gb data costing me £8 a month.

 

[Refueler]

Most IPTV services are working outside of the law. I went through a phase of trying them but suppliers came and went. There was too much buffering when popular events were shown (server overloaded).

Many of the movies were poor quality copies with appalling sound (recorded by someone with a camcorder in a cinema) or stolen from a copy intended for local language dubbing (riddled with closed captions of dialogue and sound effects).

I use standard TV apps, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney etc and watch through a 4G internet connection using a £100 router and Poynting puck antenna when 4G signal is weak.

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/33092-tp-link-tl-mr6400/

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/44389-poynting-a-puck-0002-v1-01-w/

For data, a Lebara sim (uses Vodaphone network) costing £2 a month for 15gn data and/or an O2 sim with 80gb data costing me £8 a month.

Poor quality ?

Given that majority of IPTV ch's are actual TV ch's and not some amateur video recording - I have to question your post. I agree that the legality is questionable - but lets see ..

Ch's common on IPTV :

Sky sport Ch's
BBC
ITV
RTA
etc etc

Basically proper TV ch's rec'd from near all countries - coded and streamed out. Depending on your Internet Provider - you may need to enable a VPN to avoid blocking.
Yes you can choose Movie / Current Affairs / News etc packages ... but most people I know choose the max packages giving most choice.

Then of course there's Netflix .. Amazon Prime ... etc.

Buffering is usually a result of your Internet Connection .. yes number of subscribers accessing can do it.

 

[wonkywinch]

Just sharing my own experience that it was crap. I don't watch BBC or any live TV as I choose not to have a licence and not bothered about baking or dancing on ice.

Never had an issue with internet speeds.. currently..

 

[ashtead]

Thanks that small puck looks useful to boost pick up without a massive cost . Currently I tend to watch /browse pairing with phone sim but maybe this gives a better range .

 

[wonkywinch]

Thanks that small puck looks useful to boost pick up without a massive cost . Currently I tend to watch /browse pairing with phone sim but maybe this gives a better range .

The puck will need the router as well, for a lower cost approach, you could try a mini router like the Huawei products. Since these are designed for the purpose rather than phone tethering which is a compromise, then a more compact & portable option is one of these. You'll immediately notice the difference in signal even side by side as the antenna in the mifi dongle is more suited.

I've had one of these for years and often send it up the mast in a grab bag for extending the range but the puck is a more permanent solution for the wifi system I have installed on our own boat.

https://amzn.to/4f2ZU5A

 

[Lightwave395]

Most helpful input from all and a lot to think about, thanks !

 

[GEM43]

We now use a simple Amazon Firestick (£40) and a 4/5g router. (Unlimited data £13/month EE) Rarely is the signal insufficient to provide excellent reception & streaming.

 

[Parabordi]

We now use a simple Amazon Firestick (£40) and a 4/5g router. (Unlimited data £13/month EE) Rarely is the signal insufficient to provide excellent reception & streaming.

Ditto

 

[GEM43]

As an aside, I’m surprised by the number of residential satellite dishes still in evidence. I’ve never had satellite tv but am I right to assume these services are now available over FTTP? That being the case wouldn’t one bin the satellite dish?