Internet TV options? Anyone use this type of service?

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pwmin said:
I just have my laptop hooked up to my TV and use Netflix and Navi-X through XBMC. Hulu is better for TV shows but Netflix is better for movies. Navi-X can be a pain sometimes but its totally free and you can find just about anything. You can't run it on Roku and you need to jailbreak the AppleTV2 to run it...there is no jailbreak for AppleTV3 so the 2's cost a lot of money now and are only 720p. You can also run it off an Android phone or Boxee Box. I don't really have any experience with Roku or AppleTV but Boxee works very well but it is the most expensive of the three. I have like 30 free cable channels so I can watch a lot of sporting events but don't get MMA unless its on Fox. I don't get ESPN either but you can watch ESPN online.

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So with this whole Navi-X thing, is that something that I can run from a PS3? I use the PS3 media server a lot; download movies on my PC and with the media server software I stream them to the PS3 to my tv...
 
No its not compatible with PS3. Sometimes you can just run it like on boxee as a repository but for others you have to run it through XBMC. code.google.com/p/navi-x

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Ah I see. So that's where the laptop-to-TV connection comes in. How's the quality of most of the stuff? I'd love to dump cable TV too but I don't want to deal with cellphone-quality resolution when trying to stream stuff. And Netflix/Hulu hardly seems like a viable option to replace cable TV at this point.
 
So what do you think Paul, would you consider this to be a cable TV replacement? I'll give it a try, have nothing to lose I suppose!

Now you really can cancel your cable or satellite television service and begin using Navi-X for all your live television viewing needs. You can not only get access to your regular cable stations, but you’ll also be able to easily watch many premium channels which most providers charge quite hefty monthly fees to access. Follow this short guide and you’ll be good to cancel your cable subscription for good.
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Looks like there is actually some support for PS3, although I'm not sure what all you would have to do to get it to work.
https://www.lonelycoder.com/showtime/download

I wouldn't say it's a complete substitute, but you should still be able to get the Free-to-Air stations. It doesn't always work perfectly and not every movie/show works ever time, so it's good to have alternatives. Can't complain too much since it's free. I still get channels like A&E and History through Comcast for free, which is who my internet service is through. It's definitely worth a look at...here's the website with all the downloads for XBMC, which you need to run Navi-X on computer devices: http://xbmc.org/download/. I have netflix and it's missing a lot of movies and I can usually find them on there. I was even able to watch This is 40 last night, although the quality wasn't very good. I am by no means an expert, but if you have trouble, let me know and I'll try and help.

Where did you see that quote?
 
I was just browsing the Navi-X section on XBMC: http://www.xbmchub.com/blog/2012/04/27/live-premium-television-in-navi-x/

Sweet, I'll have to do some research on the PS3 thing. My main issue right now is getting the video from the laptop/computer to the TV. All the stuff about resolution between a laptop and tv, graphics card, etc confuses me. If my tv has a 1920x1080 resolution and the laptop is something less, will that affect the resolution that gets put out to the tv?

What other options do you have for running XBMC on a tv?
 
jcardona1 said:
I was just browsing the Navi-X section on XBMC: http://www.xbmchub.com/blog/2012/04/27/live-premium-television-in-navi-x/

Sweet, I'll have to do some research on the PS3 thing. My main issue right now is getting the video from the laptop/computer to the TV. All the stuff about resolution between a laptop and tv, graphics card, etc confuses me. If my tv has a 1920x1080 resolution and the laptop is something less, will that affect the resolution that gets put out to the tv?

What other options do you have for running XBMC on a tv?

What about one of these wireless HD tv connect devices? Would something like this let you access the XBMC interface from the computer on the TV?

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SWW189...+hd+connect+tv
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I didn't know about that...sweet! I'll have to check it out. I usually just watch movies and older TV shows (was watching Dinosaurs the other day).

What computer are you trying to hook up? It can be a royal pain depending on what all you're using...the older the hardware, the harder it usually is. My laptop is older so the drivers aren't updated anymore. It was fairly easy to get it to work with Windows, but the most current Linux driver isn't very stable, so I have to resort to using Windows. Maybe if I was better I'd be able to get it working more smoothly. My main TV doesn't have a VGA input, so I have to run it off s-video, which seems to be more difficult. If the driver is correct, it will detect the monitor and you'll be able to change the resolution on the laptop and the output. I also have it set to where it does nothing if I close the lid. Besides that, you should be able to change how your TV zooms and fix it that way, too.

XBMC can be run on Raspberry Pi, Android ("Cotton Candy", some barebones systems or phone w/ HDMI output), jailbroken Apple TV/TV2/iPad (can't jailbreak ATV3 yet), iOS iPhone. You don't need XBMC if you have a Boxee Box, you would need to install the "fuzzthed" third party repository. With Boxee, you can share wirelessly also so you can pull media off of external HDD's hooked up to other computers on your network.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010646/cotton-candy-linux-pc-on-a-stick-ships-at-last.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856178002&Tpk=pocket pc

The only thing that would be able to do is to eliminate your video (and audio if you have HDMI) cable from running from your computer to your TV. You'll still want an ethernet cable since it's better to have a direct connection than to run wireless, but it's not necessary...just faster. There isn't much cache running Navi-X unless you change the code a little.


You can also put XBMC onto a disc or USB to boot from (XBMCbuntu): http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=XBMCbuntu
 
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna start playing with this stuff over the weekend hopefully.

The laptop is a cheapy Acer I bought for cyber Monday last year. It does have an HDMI port. Full specs: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215181

Hopefully I can adjust the resolution on both displays. I have my PS3 hardwired and a ethernet hub right next to the TV, so I could hardwire the laptop too if it doesn't perform well over wifi. I had to hardwire the PS3 to be able to use the media server and stream 1080p video from my PC. Otherwise it would stutter when trying to stream over wifi.

I'm excited to give this a try. I had looked into media servers and web content a while back but it seemed like it was lacking. Seems like it's finally close to becoming a cable tv replacement. If I like the results, I'll cancel DirecTV and pay the early cancellation fee...I think it's $20/month. I'm a year into my contract so I'd be looking at $240 to cancel, which is about 3 months of service based on what I'm paying right now.
 
No problem. With something that new, you shouldn't have a problem with drivers. If you don't like it, you can search for different drivers on the Acer site or the video card manufacturer's site.


I've been getting kind of excited about maybe trying out a Raspberry Pi system or Minix/Cotton Candy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA17W0CR6218
 
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