I want to watch DVDs...

coldstreamalways

But am having a bit of a mental block. I'm sorry if this is a really dull question and in the worng place but please bear with me.

I am going to Afghanistan this year and would like to take something with me so I can watch some films. I'd like to take something like series 1-8 of a tv show like House etc. I won't be able to take physical DVDs so I would need to put them onto whatever I take.

I think I'd like an IPad however they are really expensive and I worry about the amount of sand/dust and how much storage space they have.

I'm thinking of a laptop but I don't need all singing all dancing even in my normal life; just office (or equivalent) & something to watch programs on + the internet.

Is there an alternative?

Does anyone have any recommendations? I kind of need to get it sorted this month as it has to be approved & PAT tested before I can take it.

Thank you very much.

Notmyrealname

Get on Ebay. Buy a Thinkpad T61. They're built like a tank, are pretty much squaddie proof and under £200. Get some software to rip the DVDs you want onto the hard drive. A typical DVD film uses about 1GB on a hard drive.

coldstreamalways

Is ripping the DVDs difficult? If 1xfilm = 1GB, that's about two-three episodes, so an external hard drive might be a good idea. Is this all fairly straightforward stuff for me to do? Is the software expensive?

I'm not stupid, I promise! I just struggle with these things. I really appreciate your help.

S0litaire

you can pick up software to Rip DVD's easily for free...

I'd suggest HandBreak http://handbrake.fr (other software is available others may suggest alternatives)

It's easy to use and it may take a bit of time but you can use your current PC to rip and shrink the episodes and then transfer them onto your laptop one it's all sorted ^_^

Lifeforms

It all depends on quality, as to what file size they are too, but realistically you wont want perfect quality on something like a tablet, or even ipad to be honest. With an ipad it is a very expensive thing to break over there plus there is an absolute limit to memory.
I'm assuming you would get mail, so there is potential with something that can take a micro sd card/normal SD card to have things posted over on that, most android tablets can; like more episodes of other programs for example. Might be worth considering that aspect.

ada1988

using some software for you to rip DVD to videos.then you can watch DVD on a laptop.
http://www.leawo.com/dvd-ripper/
then,the problem of buying a laptop,you can look for one on Ebay or newegg or amazon.
with your Budget and search for the one you need.

[Deleted User]

ok, if you want lots of storage, how about one of these:
http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Portable-Hard-Drives/Buffalo/Buffalo-1TB-MiniStation-Portable-USB-Hard-Drive

and to watch the films, you could get one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-D257-10-1-Netbook/dp/B006TYAO7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331117662&sr=1-1

TakeThis

ada1988 wrote: »

using some software for you to rip DVD to videos.then you can watch DVD on a laptop.
http://www*********/
then,the problem of buying a laptop,you can look for one on Ebay or newegg or amazon.
with your Budget and search for the one you need.

You really have to stop this. Reported as SPAM.