:helpneededsign:
Apologies if this is in the wrong section, but I want to buy a computer to connect a TV socket. Where do I start?!
Currently I'm using a MacBook from 2010 which needs to be replaced by a computer with a larger display, about 24" seems to be about right.
I don't necessarily need to stick to macOSx (unable to upgrade beyond v10.13.6) and I want to run MythTV to record TV programmes.
Does anybody know what PCs I could consider, and what input socket(s) it would need to have please. A desktop PC would be preferable.
It's not an area I've had to deal with before. :-[
:thankyousign:
So you want to connect a PC to an aerial input to watch TV on the PC, basically?
You'll need a TV tuner card in the PC. Why would you not then just use a TV as the 'monitor'? A 32"+ TV will be far cheaper than an equivalent size monitor, and if you're watching TV the higher resolution and refresh rates of a monitor are unlikely to be hugely advantageous.
If you're using a Mac, this article covers the current options for TV tuner/recording devices.. https://machow2.com/best-tv-tuner-for-mac/ As you're using an older 2010 MacBook, any of the older Elgato eyeTV TV tuners is a really good option.
Displaying on a TV is pretty straightforward too. A display port -> HDMI adaptor will let you connect directly to a TV to use it as a 2nd display (or mirror the first one) or you can plug an AppleTV into the TV and use AirPlay to wirelessly mirror the screen (and or any iPhones or iPads you want) to the TV.
Thanks Guys,
I don't have a TV, and urgently need to replace the MacBook as it can't be upgraded.
I'd rather have a Windows machine now as it's of more use for layout planning software alternatives. Also, the Mac's Safari browser doesn't run Netflix.
My desk is only going to be about 5' or 6' long so it's a bit tight for space, which is why I've decided about 28" is the right size.
This is supported by my experience using an even-older iMac which now can't run YouTube or iPlayer.
Resolution doesn't seem to be a problem, based on my experience with the MacBook, it's just that a 13½" screen is too small now, especially as I don't need to fit it in an overnight bag any more (can't travel abroad due to medical problems).
In actual fact, my current interest would mostly be watching Talking Pictures, most of which is monochrome anyway. As well as public and railway information films from the Forties and Fifties, some of the old British films they show seem to be much more entertaining than today's offerings.
Quote from: zwilnik on November 25, 2019, 11:09:48 PM
Displaying on a TV is pretty straightforward too. A display port -> HDMI adaptor will let you connect directly to a TV to use it as a 2nd display (or mirror the first one) or you can plug an AppleTV into the TV and use AirPlay to wirelessly mirror the screen (and or any iPhones or iPads you want) to the TV.
You can, or could last time I bought one, get combined TV/monitors with both an antenna input (with freeview tuner) and an RGB input.
Quote from: ten0G on November 26, 2019, 09:37:26 AM
Also, the Mac's Safari browser doesn't run Netflix.
chrome and Firefox both run Netflix on macs ( well on my 2018 Imac) - there are oder versions of the browsers available on the Web
Quote from: Railwaygun on November 26, 2019, 10:25:58 AM
Quote from: ten0G on November 26, 2019, 09:37:26 AM
Also, the Mac's Safari browser doesn't run Netflix.
chrome and Firefox both run Netflix on macs ( well on my 2018 Imac) - there are oder versions of the browsers available on the Web
Safari runs Netflix fine on my iMac too. If you're running a much older version though, it's unlikely to be supported by Netflix.
iMac's Safari can't be upgraded beyond v5.0.6 (pre-2013) - it's a pre-2009 model. :-[
Also doesn't run Firefox or Chrome :(
MacBook seems to have issues with browsers not garbage-collecting to free-up memory. Often grinds to a halt necessitating a restart, especially with Netflix and Youtube.
Other unwanted issues as well are encouraging me to switch back to Windows. :'(
Quote from: njee20 on November 25, 2019, 10:36:20 PM
So you want to connect a PC to an aerial input to watch TV on the PC, basically?
You'll need a TV tuner card in the PC.
So there would be no external TV tuner card options.
In that case, what connection plug(s) will I need at the other end of the co-ax cable please?
How easy is it to source PCs which include a tuner card option?
Ideally, I'd be looking for something similar to an iMac & keyboard where everything is integral so I'd be grateful for any pointers regards brands/models, thanks.
QuoteSo there would be no external TV tuner card options.
Theres plenty that use the usb port ,either cheep ebay specials or from decent respected brands like http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/ (http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/) there 1590 would be my choice as its 2 tuners,watch one channel whilst recording another or watch 2 different channels at the same time
QuoteI'd be looking for something similar to an iMac & keyboard where everything is integral so I'd be grateful for any pointers regards brands/models, thanks.
An all in one pc is the common name for such beasts,ive never had any isuse with lennova ,installed a few over the last year or 2,there touch screen,but take the abuse of controlling lighting in a club and often left running 24/7
Assume you mean Lenovo? For ease of Googling.
Most seem to need a spare PCI slot, which isn't a given, particularly in an all-in-one PC where space is inherently more limited. A standard tower may be more likely.
The trouble you have is that this use case is, frankly, unusual! So most computers simply won't accommodate it off the shelf. I had a PC with a TV card in it, bought in 1997, not seen one since!
@njee20 (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=1147) yeah me too, I used to run a TV tuner card back in the late 90s, and I think the last thing I used was a Hauppauge USB digital TV stick.
I gave them up a decade ago, just as I have given up with PVR boxes etc. now that we have on-demand iPlayer etc. plus youtube, netflix etc.
You will need to have a TV licence if you plug an aerial into a tuner card or stick for the PC.
@ten0G (https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=932) Seriously, you're better off getting a decent flat screen TV which will double up as a PC monitor. That's the way I've worked for a very long time now in my hobby room, using picture-in-picture to have the TV programme in a corner of the PC desktop if I'm working on stuff and just want the TV in the background.
Wwe
Quote from: ten0G on November 26, 2019, 11:58:02 AM
iMac's Safari can't be upgraded beyond v5.0.6 (pre-2013) - it's a pre-2009 model. :-[
Also doesn't run Firefox or Chrome :(
MacBook seems to have issues with browsers not garbage-collecting to free-up memory. Often grinds to a halt necessitating a restart, especially with Netflix and Youtube.
Other unwanted issues as well are encouraging me to switch back to Windows. :'(
Well, they are 10 year old machines (and a system re-install will probably clear up the MacBook). So a new computer sounds a plan. If you do a bit of a system clean up on them there's still some 2nd hand value in them.
Quote from: zwilnik on November 26, 2019, 07:32:33 PM
Well, they are 10 year old machines (and a system re-install will probably clear up the MacBook). So a new computer sounds a plan. If you do a bit of a system clean up on them there's still some 2nd hand value in them.
Thanks, probably not worth the effort though as the MacBook's touchpad doesn't function properly so I use a mouse, also it's a Japanese keyboard with a US-style layout.
Not sure I can do a reinstall, can't properly remember setting it up. :-[
Don't recall where the system discs for the iMac are either at present. :confused2:
Quote from: ten0G on December 01, 2019, 03:17:57 PM
Quote from: zwilnik on November 26, 2019, 07:32:33 PM
Well, they are 10 year old machines (and a system re-install will probably clear up the MacBook). So a new computer sounds a plan. If you do a bit of a system clean up on them there's still some 2nd hand value in them.
Thanks, probably not worth the effort though as the MacBook's touchpad doesn't function properly so I use a mouse, also it's a Japanese keyboard with a US-style layout.
Not sure I can do a reinstall, can't properly remember setting it up. :-[
Don't recall where the system discs for the iMac are either at present. :confused2:
Assuming it's been updated during its lifetime then the install disks would be fairly pointless anyway as they'd be a lower version of the OS than is set in the firmware. Normally you just download the latest compatible version from the App Store and install it via USB stick. (there's instructions online for how to change the update images into standalone bootable USB installation sticks). Maybe a cosmetic clean up, secure hard disk wipe and sell on as-is :)
:confusedsign:
Hi,
I've spent quite a time today looking for Cyber Monday deals on 24" TVs (there seem to be few that are smaller).
I can't find any with a resolution higher than 720p, but YouTube at least now features videos of 1080p resolution.
While I'm not so bothered about the monochrome railway recordings from the Fifties and before, I wonder whether 720p will be adequate for the other materials I watch, especially on YouTube and Netflix. :confused1:
I'm also puzzled by TVs which have wi-fi, is a co-ax connection no longer necessary? :dunce:
This is of course, still a separate issue from choosing a new computer. :-\
720 will definitely be fine on a TV if that size IMO.
WiFi TVs still need a co-ax input, yes. If you use an external box then obviously it may be HMDI into the TV, but the box needs the co-ax connection. Freesat obviously does away with the conventional aerial. All the WiFi enabled TV means is native support for catch up and streaming services. So you don't need any additional hardware for watching YouTube or Netflix, but still need something plugging in to watch live TV (aside from that broadcast on ITV Hub etc!).
Ethernet and/or Wifi connections are part of "Smart TV" facilities (and also a feature of blu-ray players). Wired ethernet is best for playing media at highest resolutions without stuttering, but if you have a decent Wifi router then WiFi is adequate for all but the really high 4K resolutions.
The two Samsung Smart TV's I've bought most recently have been perfectly happy to stream 1080p over WiFi from my DLNA media server, to the point where I've decomissioned much of the Homeplug ethernet-over-mains network I'd used previously, and now only use that for the more remote parts of the house.
Quote from: zwilnik on December 01, 2019, 04:25:03 PM
Assuming it's been updated during its lifetime then the install disks would be fairly pointless anyway as they'd be a lower version of the OS than is set in the firmware. Normally you just download the latest compatible version from the App Store and install it via USB stick. (there's instructions online for how to change the update images into standalone bootable USB installation sticks). Maybe a cosmetic clean up, secure hard disk wipe and sell on as-is :)
Thanks, I've never come across this before so I'll try it on the iMac at Xmas and see what happens.
If it's successful and I can do it on the MacBook, I may be able to try re-installing Wine which ceased some years ago.
Quote from: ntpntpntp on December 02, 2019, 07:45:38 AM
Ethernet and/or Wifi connections are part of "Smart TV" facilities (and also a feature of blu-ray players). Wired ethernet is best for playing media at highest resolutions without stuttering ...
Thanks, I prefer wired ethernet, but in my case "stuttering" becomes a complete freeze-up of mostly video and audio, sometimes one continues whilst the other doesn't but that's a rarer occurrence now.
I suspect that the more recent Netflix offerings are higher-resolution ones which cause more problems somehow.
Quote from: njee20 on December 01, 2019, 11:09:09 PM
720 will definitely be fine on a TV if that size IMO.
WiFi TVs still need a co-ax input, yes. If you use an external box then obviously it may be HMDI into the TV, but the box needs the co-ax connection. Freesat obviously does away with the conventional aerial. All the WiFi enabled TV means is native support for catch up and streaming services. So you don't need any additional hardware for watching YouTube or Netflix, but still need something plugging in to watch live TV (aside from that broadcast on ITV Hub etc!).
Thanks, I've bought a 24" smart TV to see how I get on with it over Xmas.
This is a big contrast to Japan where TV and internet both came through the same fibre optic socket provided by the company who had the contract with building management.