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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: tigers_gonads on 14 January 2018, 13:38:06

Title: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tigers_gonads on 14 January 2018, 13:38:06
My parents have discovered the wonders of catch-up TV / iPlayer on the pc and want to watch the stuff on various TV's around the house.

Running a HDMI cable is really a non starter due to the logistics of it and the Wi-Fi signal will not be the greatest at its furthest point due to solid walls / shitty router so we are only looking at SD pictures here.

I'm thinking a fire stick or similar  :-\

What are you lot using  ?
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: STEMO on 14 January 2018, 13:42:13
My parents have discovered the wonders of catch-up TV / iPlayer on the pc and want to watch the stuff on various TV's around the house.

Running a HDMI cable is really a non starter due to the logistics of it and the Wi-Fi signal will not be the greatest at its furthest point due to solid walls / shitty router so we are only looking at SD pictures here.

I'm thinking a fire stick or similar  :-\

What are you lot using  ?
A Sky box.
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: TD on 14 January 2018, 14:08:05
I have a 3x powerline adaptors. One connected to a pc, one connected to my router and one connected to a tv. The tv streams from the pc in HD mode  :y
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: zirk on 14 January 2018, 17:20:01
Assuming theve got WiFi and its just bog standard freebie stuff like you say 'catch-up TV / iPlayer' then a cheapo NowTV box will do the trick and will give them 720p via an HDMI from each Box, cant remember if you need a NowTV Account to watch the Free stuff but if you do then you can have up to 4 Devices per account which is all free once set up.
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Shackeng on 14 January 2018, 17:37:57
I use a wifi extender in my lounge as the powerline signal is not great. Serves the purpose you want. :y
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tigers_gonads on 14 January 2018, 20:30:58
All the TV's in the house are of the non smart variety so a plug in box of some kind is needed  :y

After having a look in the Argos book, these seem to be options .............

Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa.
Google Chromecast contraption.
Roku Express HD streaming stick.
Now TV Box.
Google Chromecast.

All for around 30 to 40 quid and all should do the same ish job once setup.

Any preferences out there in OOF land ??
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: zirk on 14 January 2018, 21:00:08
You can pick up NowTV boxes off the Bay for under a tenner and normally in new condition, reason being NowTV do Bundle Promotions via, Argos, Currys etc, ie, Box and x Months of Movies / Entertainment Passes, Folk buy the Box for the Pass because its cheaper than buying the Pass on its own and sell the unwanted Box on the Bay.  ;)

Or send a PM to Tunnie, he works for them  :-X ;)
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tigers_gonads on 15 January 2018, 09:40:57
You can pick up NowTV boxes off the Bay for under a tenner and normally in new condition, reason being NowTV do Bundle Promotions via, Argos, Currys etc, ie, Box and x Months of Movies / Entertainment Passes, Folk buy the Box for the Pass because its cheaper than buying the Pass on its own and sell the unwanted Box on the Bay.  ;)

Or send a PM to Tunnie, he works for them  :-X ;)



I'll have a word with the parents later and pass all that lot on.

Thanks for the heads up on Tunnie  ::)
Goes to show how much notice I take on here sometimes  :-X :-[ :-[
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tunnie on 15 January 2018, 11:24:29
Might be getting offers for NOW TV passes soon, introduce a friend is in the works, I did offer some cheap passes on here some time ago, no one was interested though.  :)

I'd probably go Powerline for network access through the house, if solid walls block WiFi, you could also go WiFi Extenders. Either way, get the house networked  :y

I'd then fit Chromecast's to the TV's, they are small, cheap, tucked behind and work well. You can then get adaptors to wired network (Ethernet) if you go the power line route, or just connect them to WiFi if you use extenders.

Then you can use mobile apps from BBC iPlayer, ITV, 4OD, NOW TV etc, to 'cast' from the phones to the TV's..... (*NOW TV iPhones only)
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tigers_gonads on 15 January 2018, 14:02:24
Might be getting offers for NOW TV passes soon, introduce a friend is in the works, I did offer some cheap passes on here some time ago, no one was interested though.  :)

I'd probably go Powerline for network access through the house, if solid walls block WiFi, you could also go WiFi Extenders. Either way, get the house networked  :y

I'd then fit Chromecast's to the TV's, they are small, cheap, tucked behind and work well. You can then get adaptors to wired network (Ethernet) if you go the power line route, or just connect them to WiFi if you use extenders.

Then you can use mobile apps from BBC iPlayer, ITV, 4OD, NOW TV etc, to 'cast' from the phones to the TV's..... (*NOW TV iPhones only)


Knowing my parents (who are well into there 70's and only ever got internet fitted to keep the grand kids quite  ;D)  it will be the easiest / cheapest way forward  ::)

I'll pass all that on when I get rid of this friggin Aussie Flu and i'm allowed through there door again  ;D

Cheers   :)

Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: TheBoy on 15 January 2018, 19:49:15
Be aware many of those crap devices like firestick and chromecast are wifi only, so if your wifi is shite..... ;)

Chromecast (inc Google Voice etc) also currently has a massive flaw that *WILL* kill your network if you leave it in standby too long.  Google seem to be knuckle dragging about fixing it.


Amazon sell an Ethernet adapter for firestick, but its about £15 :o
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Kevin Wood on 16 January 2018, 16:56:02
Chromecast (inc Google Voice etc) also currently has a massive flaw that *WILL* kill your network if you leave it in standby too long. 

.. if your router is prone to being DOS'ed by a flood of packets. ;)
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: tunnie on 16 January 2018, 16:57:44
Be aware many of those crap devices like firestick and chromecast are wifi only, so if your wifi is shite..... ;)

Chromecast (inc Google Voice etc) also currently has a massive flaw that *WILL* kill your network if you leave it in standby too long.  Google seem to be knuckle dragging about fixing it.


Amazon sell an Ethernet adapter for firestick, but its about £15 :o

Not so  :y

https://store.google.com/product/ethernet_adapter_for_chromecast (https://store.google.com/product/ethernet_adapter_for_chromecast)
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 January 2018, 09:01:40
Chromecast (inc Google Voice etc) also currently has a massive flaw that *WILL* kill your network if you leave it in standby too long. 

.. if your router is prone to being DOS'ed by a flood of packets. ;)

Have they pissed up the standard Broadcom chip pause packet issue........you know, the one that's been around for years!
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Kevin Wood on 17 January 2018, 09:18:40
Chromecast (inc Google Voice etc) also currently has a massive flaw that *WILL* kill your network if you leave it in standby too long. 

.. if your router is prone to being DOS'ed by a flood of packets. ;)

Have they pissed up the standard Broadcom chip pause packet issue........you know, the one that's been around for years!

The loop that sends an MDNS broadcast every 20 seconds doesn't handle the fact that the device has been "sleeping" so tries to "catch up"  when it powers up again. ;D
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 January 2018, 10:25:52
The one I was thinking about was the issue where it didn't correctly sleep like the processor and the packet buffer filled up....then it broadcast pause packets......constantly  :D
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Kevin Wood on 17 January 2018, 10:38:24
The combination of the 2 bugs sounds a great way to DOS your own network, then. ;D
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 January 2018, 10:42:41
The combination of the 2 bugs sounds a great way to DOS your own network, then. ;D

Its particularly interesting on a ship control network which has no managed switches in the system..... :-X :-[ (drift off.......loss of control....)
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Kevin Wood on 17 January 2018, 12:52:01
The combination of the 2 bugs sounds a great way to DOS your own network, then. ;D

Its particularly interesting on a ship control network which has no managed switches in the system..... :-X :-[ (drift off.......loss of control....)

Well, it's like this, your honour. To save energy (in this ship that's powered by a 3 storey diesel engine), we power down the network adaptors when they're bored, and... ;D
Title: Re: Whats the easiest / cheapest way to transmit video
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 January 2018, 15:06:01
Think more pause packets hitting a dum switch which doe not recognise the MAC address as a reserved one and has no reference to it in the MAC tables.

It then multicasts to every controller.....who then cant service the interrupts from the MAC/PHY so also transmit Pause packets.....then they crash......and the thruster and steering gear has a wobble so shuts down.....  ;D :D ;)