I'm the one that brought up using a router. You said you could use a smartphone, tablet, or PC. I don't recall you saying to use a router
*with* the smartphone and/or tablet.So, if you stream a video with a smartphone using your 3G/4G connection it isn't using any bandwidth?
Well, since the smartphone is just used to start the video then using your cellular connection should be just fine, right?
Follow the thread. No one ever suggested using a smartphone to stream video. The suggestion was made that she could use *Chromecast* or a similar device. You use a smartphone, tablet, or PC to *control* the Chromecast, select what you want to view, and start it. The streaming video doesn't go through the phone,tablet or PC. The streaming video goes from internet cloud, to your wifi router, to the Chromecast. That is how that and similar devices work.
Again, see the above and look at what Chromecast is and how it works.
No because the smartphone needs to be communicating with the Chromecast device on your local wifi network. Cellular data connection has no relevance.
irrelevant
Gotcha. I didn't know exactly how it worked but you have cleared that up.
Also, my brother was supposed to mail (he lives in another state) his Chromecast to me but never did. So I guess it is sitting in a junk drawer. :(
t programs on TV. (I gave up cable; too expensive and too few channels tha t interest me. I tried OTA with an internal antenna & got a lot of stations , but what crap!
b. Does it need to have the equivalent of the TV? Or...?
in computing power. Plus they don't accept as many cards as laptops. I'd look for a regular pc. It doesn't have to be brand new but reasonably rece nt. Also look for one with hdmi or dvi output. Hdmi with sound is best. A properly configured hdmi connection to a decent tv will also let you view "protected" content. Get a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo and then you can put the computer somewhere out of sight.
You start trying to run hidef through it and you'll see it's not up to the task.
As others have suggested the op is probably better off with something curre nt for streaming like chromecast or a half decent blu-ray player than an ol d laptop.
Sigh Have to look up all those terms, Am I getting an education!
[,,,snip..] >the floor -- that I ruled out this option.
(Smacks forehead.) Right! Discouraged by Best Buy splice cable experience, didn't think to check on-line.
I do not understand this resolution thing. I thought the sharper the better. Even went to Wikipedia article on TV resolution and now understand even less.
OK, I'm an idiot; the video card goes in computer.
Desktop no; not in same room as TV. Notebook maybe not bad idea, if not expensive. Sole purpose is to watch Internet programs on TV. So if low-end laptop is cheaper than notebook...
Thanks
HB
The issue Ron was talking about was some new TVs don't have a 15 pin VGA port, making it harder to find a PC that would direct connect. This converter will do the job.
I don't use wireless to my TV either. The old Compaq d600 is on an ethernet cable from the router (as were the 2 other PCs before it)
Why not a low profile desktop that is only for the TV? These days you can probably find one with XP on it virtually for free. They sell a USB dongle that get into your WiFi network and if your TV doesn't have VGA input, get that converter I posted yesterday.
OK, I just read that you have a router.
I don't know what kind of desktop you have, what operating system or internet speed, but If you can watch streaming video on your desktop w/o any problems you can buy a USB wifi adapter and a Chromecast dongle then you can stream video from your desktop to your TV.
You will have to get the router up and working, then get a connection from the router to the wifi adapter and then follow the instructions for the Chromecast.
Chromecast less expensive and can use the existing desktop.
It is not cheaper than a free XP machine and I bet you can find one these days pretty easy. The problem with any of these Roku, Chromecast, Amazon dongles is they are proprietary and not nearly as versatile as just having a PC there. Once you get used to having a PC and everything it will do, you will wonder why you never did it before.
The higher the resolution, the more detail that is maintained. So, you have it right. That assumes that the resolution is maintained, ie if you take a high resolution source, eg blueray and display it on a low resolution TV, you're not going to see it. It also makes more difference on a larger display than a smaller one. Put a moderate resolution image on a 70" display and it's going to look worse than it will on a 17"
Did you look at Chromecast and similar, as others have recommended? I'm no expert, but that is the direction the world is moving, ie streaming video directly to the TV either with an internet interface in the TV or using a Chromecast or similar device. One advantage the notebook would have is that it can also serve as a DVR, ie it can record video. There are also many DVR solutions out there that have HD tuners plus the ability to view internet content. That's a constantly changing area, IDK which ones allow viewing what internet content, but I think it's worth checking out.
On 04/09/2014 09:08 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:.
The idea is that you buy another desktop and put it by the TV.
Jon
BTW, where can I find a free XP machine?
Commercial customers are throwing them away all the time and they have created such a "Y2K" sort of hype that I bet you can find one sitting on the curb. My wife is the IT person at the HOA she manages and she has had quite a few residents who say they are afraid to even turn their XP system on.
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