TV / Video entertainment options

[Nick & LA]

Outside coastal US, streaming is just not a financially realistic option... Broadband is way too limited and expensive... So, what are your solutions to video entertainment?
("You will become a reader" has already been used)...
Is a digital off air antenna and standalone DVR (TiVo) the best option?

Does that offer you anything in the Caribean, Bahamas, Mexico?

Better options?

Nick


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[travellerw]

If you travel to Cuba, you could buy "The Package" somewhere..

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_...eature%3Dshare

[MarkSF]

Before streaming, there were these things called DVDs. You can get hundreds of them in a small organiser.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Before streaming, there were these things called DVDs. You can get hundreds of them in a small organiser.

Or MP4/FLV files on an external hard drive - you can get a lot of entertainment onto a 1 TB drive.

I combine that solution with a laptop and a Chromecast attached to a LCD TV.

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by StuM

Or MP4/FLV files on an external hard drive - you can get a lot of entertainment onto a 1 TB drive.

I combine that solution with a laptop and a Chromecast attached to a LCD TV.

I am working on the MP4 archive, myself. It takes less power to show a digital file than to run a DVD disc when you are underway.

[Stu Jackson]

Books.

[CrustyChief]

A 4 TB external hard drive for movies. A 2TB external for music, an IPod with a gazillion songs, a 400 disk holder for the concerts, movies, cd and so forth.
Sitting on the foredeck with cocktails watching the sunset....Priceless!

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Before streaming, there were these things called DVDs. You can get hundreds of them in a small organiser.

They're pretty bulky. I have DVD organizers, by the time you get 100 of them into one, it's the size of a large wedding album and weighs about 10-12 lbs.


I prefer 2TB WD Elements portable HDDs. I can get 1800 movies in H.264 format onto one the size of a wallet, it weighs mere ounces.

So far, I have probably 2200 movies and hundreds of TV shows, ranging from "Bonanza" and "Gunsmoke" to the latest "Orange is the New Black" and "Law and Order SVU."

[Bulawayo]

Like wise....we have 4TB of movies, mostly unwatched. We do have movie nights sometimes but really prefer the cockpit with the natural entertainment.

[FilBrown]

For viewing, has anyone considered one of those small portable/mini projectors?
I haven't got one yet but I'm looking for something around the 100 lumen mark.

They usually have an SD socket and some of the newer models can play direct from an USB hard drive. They don't have a great resolution and aren't as clear as a standard display.

I thought they might be quite good in an evening on a dark mooring, especially if you have a few other boats around to join in for a film night.
Projected on a sail on a dark night might be quite effective and a great excuse to get a bottle or two out.

I use ADATA hard drives to store data, audio & video on. They have a rubberised casing designed to take a bashing and they are waterproof to an extent

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by FilBrown

For viewing, has anyone considered one of those small portable/mini projectors?
I haven't got one yet but I'm looking for something around the 100 lumen mark.

They usually have an SD socket and some of the newer models can play direct from an USB hard drive. They don't have a great resolution and aren't as clear as a standard display.

I thought they might be quite good in an evening on a dark mooring, especially if you have a few other boats around to join in for a film night.
Projected on a sail on a dark night might be quite effective and a great excuse to get a bottle or two out.

I use ADATA hard drives to store data, audio & video on. They have a rubberised casing designed to take a bashing and they are waterproof to an extent

You forgot windless: on a windy evening, your sails are either flogging or trying to move the boat.

My sails are not flat and square, and in order to see them from a relaxed position in the cockpit, I would have to remove the dodger. Sounds like a lot of work for a really crappy picture.

We have been known to hook the laptop up to the stereo system and watch a movie in the cockpit, but the fancy yacht near us has been leaving too many lights on lately.

[Liltttzr]

Have a server, 8Tb of movies, music, pictures. Runs on 12vdc. Use in car, boat, home. Plays on TV, phone, laptop, tablet.

Sent from my A500 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Rustic Charm]

Around Australia Free to Air is the most common and easily accessed. All you need is a decent omni directional antenna and keep tuning it at your stops.

[ReMetau]

We have a media player connected to the tv to watch the 800 plus movies we have on a hard drive plus 100s of tv shows on other drives. Ripped all our dvds years ago. The tv connects to our amplified stereo with sub for great sound.

[Swammy]

Nick, Here is a way if you have an Amazon Prime membership to have access at this time to 40,000 offline movies and TV shows and it looks like more to come. You have, after you download the movie, 30 days to watch it and then it goes away. There are some restrictions as to what device you can watch it on, but say you have an Ipad. You can set up a server/external drive on your boat, access it through your Ipad, and then watch it on your AppleTV device connected to a TV/Monitor/or even a projector.

I use this when I do deliveries and introduce some of my errr pirate like crew to some real culture in movies that they may not watch unless the captain highly suggests it. I have 30 shows on my Ipad now as I am getting ready for a trip. I have Orphan Black and am looking forward to watching it.

Here is a link to an article explaining it Amazon Prime Instant Video Now Lets iOS And Android Owners Download Titles For Offline Viewing | TechCrunch

Mark