Need Satellite/Freeview on Laptop

tommie1shunt

We have a caravan (please, no abuse!!!!) and we want to use our laptop to watch TV and any kit must work via usb or 12 volts. We do have a FTA satellite box (Comag) and we used to connect this to our now defunct TV via scart. Is it possible to buy a scart to usb adaptor? I know about the usb dongles for Freeview, but we could do with satellite as we venture to wilder parts of Scotland, and even to the land of the surrender monkeys France!!!!
Ideally would like a all in one box you shove in a usb port, then connect the appropriate aerial in. Have looked on the Internet, seems the phrase "video capture" keeps coming up enabling you to "record video to your hard drive" no mention if you can watch it live!!!!! Last question, is this kind of technology reliable, the thought of East enders being replaced by a blue screen of death sends ice thru my veins!!!!
Laptop is an Advent 7088 specs as follows
CPUAMD Sempron Mobile 2800+BIOSAward BIOS. Press DEL to enterChipsetATI Radeon Xpress 200Memory512MB 200pin DDR-333 SODIMM (2 memory slots. Max 2GB)Hard Drive60GBCD DriveDVD±RWScreen15.4" widescreen TFT (native resolution 1280x800)Video CardATI Radeon Xpress 200M IGP (128mb) **Sound CardRealtek AC'97 audioNetwork CardRealtek 8139/810X (onboard)
Marvell Wireless Card (possibly the Libertas 802.11g/b) *ModemAgere systems AC'97 modemPC CardNonePorts4x USB 2.0
1x LAN
1x Modem
1x Headphone
1x Microphone
1x S-Video
1x VGA
1x Kensington LockTouchpadSynaptics TouchpadPower SupplyLite-On PA-1700-02BatterySole Energy Corp. Either a EM-320L2S (battery life approx 1hr) or a EM-G330L2 (approx 2hrs)
Thanks for any input.

Conor_3

SCART to USB is out as USB devices use the computer to do the processing.

The USB dongles you can buy all do live viewing BUT you do need a good aerial and reception.

One option though would be to get a very cheap USB analogue or combined analogue/DVB-T tuner and hook it up to the aerial socket of the FTA satellite box you have and tune it into that, basically turning the laptop into a TV.

brodev

The only Sky Digibox that I know of that was made to work off 12volts is the Pace 1000 or Javelin. These are no longer in production but can be bought second hand on Ebay, but they sell for a premium in relation to other 2nd hand boxes as they are also very good with low signals. Ideal for a caravan. There was an old analogue Pace MSS1000, do not confuse them. The following is an ebay link to one as it has a picture.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PACE-1000-SKY-MINIBOX-SMALLEST-ON-THE-MARKET_W0QQitemZ190202752847QQihZ009QQcategoryZ96970QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

brianadams

get a 12 volt dc-240v AC inverter!