USB TV CARD..help/recommend one?

Benny24

We want to use our lap top as a tv for when we are away in our caravan, as it's leightweight, and can't face buying another tv!

The van has one of those round saucer shaped arieal thingy's on the roof, called a status omin-directional areial, so we just need some sort of USB stick tv card things? Is that right?
Can someone tell me if I have this right and can they recommend one that is easy to install for a non techie!!! :rolleyes:

espresso

I have no experience of what you want to do while travelling but there is one available here. The problem is that these devices work great if they are provided with enough signal. With digital, it either works or it doesn't, so signal strength is important. Your built in aerial may work but the only way to find out is to try it at different locations. If it doesn't provide enough signal, you could perhaps rig up another temporary aerial to point to the nearest transmitter which can be found here.

HTH

debs626

For best results, for what you want, I would sugest getting an analogue tv adapter for your laptop. It will pick up even the weekest signals.

A Digital adapter needs to have a good strong signal just to store the channels. One way around this is to plug the adapter in to an areal that u know picks up a good strong signal (your roof top ariel) then, once it has stored all the channels, try viewing the channels via you caravan ariel. You may or may not be able to view channels depending upon the signal strength.

My mum has the same problem only she uses a portable dvd player with av inputs to which she plugs in a digi box, at home on her roof top ariel it works perfect but out in the caravan its not so good.

The only drawback with the analoge adapter is that your limited to the 5 channels and in the future there are no longer going to transmit analogue.

As for instalation, its very easy, just plug in the adapter and following the onscreen step by step instructions.

Benny24

I have a Dell Inspiron 1300 with an Intel Celeron M processor 370 (1.50 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 400 MHzFSB) and 256MB plus an extra 256MB memory added.

IS this enough to operate what I wanna do?

espresso

Benny24 wrote:

I have a Dell Inspiron 1300 with an Intel Celeron M processor 370 (1.50 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 400 MHzFSB) and 256MB plus an extra 256MB memory added.

IS this enough to operate what I wanna do?

Did you click on the first link in post #2?

:rolleyes:

Benny24

Yes I did thank you for that, but it is only a digital tv receiver, as we will be camping/caravanning in out of the way places it may be that we can't receive digital all the time, and one that does both at a reaonable cost may be more benificial?

Would you agree?

espresso

Well analogue broadcasts will be phased out soon and I'm fairly sure that the digital ones need a more powerfully processor to decode the digital signal rather than simply demodulate it, so that should give you a good guide. If you can find one that does both it will give the required system spec.

espresso

A hybrid adaptor will cost you a lot more money and I personally would rather use that money to buy a better aerial.

Benny24

Thanks, There is an areial on the caravan that's all rigged in. After a bit of though, we have gone for your first suggestion. Will see how it goes and at £18, it won't completely break the bank!

espresso

Hope that it works for you but don't be surprised if you need to buy another aerial that you can point in the right direction. Have a look at maplin.co.uk if you need an aerial.

Benny24

Right oh ....it's never ending!