Looking for info on watching TV via my laptop....

[Ryan Schaecher]

One solution to a "slower" pc (i.e. somthing under save 2.0 GHz and not dual core) is to have a card that does all or most of the encoding onboard. I have one for my PC that encodes to MP4 and even at full screen it doesn't get close to maxing out my processor.



Most of the USB type are limited from when I remember. But with a laptop you are also limited to either USB or PCMCIA, maybe IEEE1394 (FireWire) now as well.

 

[Doctor CAD]

Try TVU or Sopcast or TVants for internet TV watching.

Try Orb for watching TV connected to your home computer when you are away, similar to a slingbox but totally free.

I have all 4 programs to watch the Steelers play when they aren't on regular TV.











Oh, and just so you know, Sopcast sometimes had oriental porn with sub-titles, if you happen to stumble on it by accident...

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Coastie, your specs seem just like hers, she has 2gb ram also. The antenna is small enough to stow in a standard laptop bag (typical antenna like on a boom box except has a coax and a magnetic mount). Not sure about in the air, but theoretically, it would work, you just may have to change channels a lot.



As for choppy, the video just lags the audio sometimes. If it doesn't work for ya, you can always return it.



Gerry

 

[Kevin Palmer]

cruzrtwdgt, bought it today...



Came home, loaded it up and can not get a single channel.



After MUCH research, with Windows Vista you MUST disable the antiviris and things to that nature or it will not load the channel scanner, thus, no channels.



Soooo, un-installed it all, disabled the antiviris, loaded it all back in and I do get channels.



Not much here at my home, hopefully it will be better in the areas I will be traveling which will be city's and things to that nature...



If not, then I will go the slingbox way. I would have today, but the only had the type in stock that takes the RCA jacks. And in my case, my cable stuff that supports RCA jacks is NO WHERE NEAR my Internet.



They will order the cable type in for me if this does not do what I want.



Thanks all...

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Coastie,



I think after trying over-the-air for a while, you'll quickly remember why you pay for cable in the first place. For me, there is nothing that can beat the slingbox.