Telly on a laptop?

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Nick2

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Not content with watching Tweenies DVDs my girls now want to watch telly on board.

I have heard that TV cards are available for laptops and if so are they any good and worth the trouble?

Funny how my no telly on the boat rule is failing after less than a year.....

Nick

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Yup, tiss possible, also you can get freeview thingu now as well. Saw a TV card jobby thing that plugs into the BUS port. It was at Morgan Computers in Oxford street. Not sure what the price was but ti wasn't that expensive.

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Hauppauge WIN TV programme/card available from PC World or Misco , not worth it IMHO , picture quality not that clever and speech lags behind vision like a badly dubbed film!! Nauticalia do a good quality duo voltage portable TV available with built in VCR or DVD good picture and good quality.
Ian

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Agree, TV on laptop not that wonderful, I tried a Hauppauge WIN TV USB. Ended up buying a Flatron LCD TV, much better. Getting a good signal is the porblem. Great in Newtown Creek, about 1 mile line of sight from 50Kw IOW transmitter.

<hr width=100% size=1>Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'
 
laptop tele, waste of time, sound rotten and too fragile
Flat screen with a digi box is the answer
tried terestrial and satelite and IMHO flatron and digi the best
PhilF

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watched TV on a regular for over a year, with few problems. (Hauppage wintv card)

You need something fast with good graphics card. Spund quiality issues can be fixed with extra speakers or plugging into a hifi.

Reception problems can be overcome by using a freeview based system.

At Limehouse in London signal is so bounced that regular TV is unwatchable with a masttop aerial.

On the digibox its is crystal clea apart from an occassional stutter.



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We have a flat screen and sky box - it's great. We have one of those small portable sky dishes which works remarkably well, even in bad weather

<hr width=100% size=1>Pxx

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Not certain it is worth going down that road. Safeways are advertising a 14inch TV with DVD built in at £115. Don't know if it is 12 volts in but worth checking.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dave

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Don't bother with terriestrial TV full stop in Hythe, the reception is crap. As others have said, digital is best - Freeview. Sky dish is OK, but only if you never go out and move the boat - pain to line up dish. Freeview is brill, you may need to re-wire your arial with digi insulated co-ax. Also, buy a TV with a scart socket - much easier to use Freeview box. Box is about £80, no subscription.

Hope that helps!

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It's easy to line up the dish Marky Mark, you just need a satellite finding device (makes a cool sound) and a Sam.

<hr width=100% size=1>Pxx

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not in the rain its not, and not when its windy and you need the room to stand and the arms to reach where it is mounted.

You must get MR B to do it!

Phil

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Excuse my complete lack of knowledge here but where does the "digibox" get its signal? Does the normal boaty type antenna pull in the signal or do you need a special one. Then with the portable sky dish, does it hold the signal as the boat moves around a little on the moorings. I have the boaty antenna on the radar arch but still trying to work out what to put on the other end!
Flat screen seems best. The store up the road has the Sharp Aquos LC13S1E for £449.They say reception in Brighton is terrible, hence the interest in digibox or skydish.

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Had sat finder - squeeky thing. As I said, a pain unless you don't move much - as Phil said, crap in the rain and cold. Freeview is also cheaper, only one thing to buy, no dish. Sky only good if you want the movie chans and sport, which you may want as living on boat, but not necessay for the odd dreary weekend on boat.

M

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Re: Win TV

Agreed
we've had no real probs over the lat year but you do NEED a powerful laptop with good graphics. Sometimes the signal is poor but we've been too mean to install a proper arial. Laptop runs the DVDs as well and better picture than 14 in TV 'cause it's 1600 x 1200

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I tried the Hauphaug USB card and had loads of problems with screen freezes and system lockups. Tried downloading the latest drivers etc but still had problems. While it was working it was good, sometimes for 2 or 3 hours then it would lock up just as you were going to find out who dunnit. Eventually got a refund!

We now have a 15" LCD flatscreen (Bush from Argos about £349) which is multistandard so works in France etc as well. It will work directly from 12v or via an inverter or from 220v AC. Check the specs carefully, not all LCD TVs are multistandard, not all will run directly from 12v (and need an inverter therefore). Sharp say even though the Aquos runs on 12v you MUST use an inverter or the warranty is invalid. We got lucky as I discovered that Argos take Nectar points so those funny things I thought were not worth much bought our TV!

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