I don't even know what to ask!!

[Bexiesbruv]

I have a TV. Its an LG and has 2 HDMI inputs, some component A/V inputs and an optical input.
I have a PC running windows 7 64bit very close to the TV. The PC is connected by wireless, to the internet.
I would like to access some live streaming sports from the internet (Ironman world championships comes to mind as one). I have managed to reconfigure the pc to "send" the stream (for ironman) to the TV, but had to use the PC speakers for sound. The picture quality was poor as the TV would only show it in a low resolution.
I saw some advertisement for Apple TV (never new such a thing existed until today) and that got me on a trail that has led me here.
I am in Canada.
I do not own a Blu Ray player but think I might benefit from having one, along with the ability to stream "stuff" from the internet, such as Netflix and youtube.
My concern is the quality of the picture (on the TV). What can I expect? Where do I start? I really dont want more subscriptions unless I can downgrade my Bell TV (satellite) service.
What CAN I get from the internet without subscription, that I currently pay for with Bell? I did read that some US networks block Canada from the programming and so I would need a US Based IP address.
If you have read this far you will no doubt be feeling my confusion. I feel I am onto something "life changing" here but I am not sure how to go about it.
Also, if I downgrade my TV service, I need to ensure I can also stream "stuff" my kids watch to their rooms.
There, that just about covers it!

Thanks in advance for any information and wisdom anyone might offer.

Bex.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Bex!

I live in the U.S., so I can't speak specifically to what is available in Canada. I'll just throw out what I use, and some of the general categories might work for you, too.

I view video on the internet using:

• Network websites, such as abc.com (on my PC/Mac)
• Hulu (on my PC/Mac)
• Hulu Plus (on my PS3)
• Netflix (on my PC/Mac/PS3)
• Amazon Video on Demand (on my PC/TV)

 

[fuzz092888]

I live in the US as well. As far as I know things like apple tv, roku, amazon streaming, netflix all offer a wide variety of tv shows and movies, however you will not be able to stream internet content through them. Many network programs that aren't regularly broadcast shows aren't available through any of these services, and streaming only gets you so far.

I stream movies and a few tv shows from places like amazon on demand, and the video quality is ok (about 720p), but as of now that's about all you're going to get from a streaming source. Sound is not so bad if you are streaming from a source like amazon or netflix, from my experience, when you have the tv running sound to a receiver and then to your speakers. You can always divert sound from the tv speakers to something else by means of an optical out, rca plugs, or what have you.

It really depends on what you watch, and what your needs are. I think you need to narrow down what you watch most often, if a streaming service can meet those needs (in terms of available programming), and if the price of whatever subscriptions this entails is less than just adding it to your existing Bell service.

In my own experience the more "stuff" you you and the wider your tastes in programming the less useful streaming is. This is starting to become less true, but there are still plenty of items that are not available for good quality streaming.

I'm sorry for the slightly rambling answer, but I'm a bit unsure what I'm answering just like you are a bit unsure what you're asking

 

[Bexiesbruv]

Do I actually need an Apple TV or other similar device between the TV and Internet? Can I use my existing PC? I suppose I should play with it and see.
I have downloaded and played around with a coup[le of the server/system programs like Plex and XBMC to see where I am going with making this as easy as possible to use, after all its not just me that will need to understand whats going on (quite important if I want to continue my 30+ year relationship with my wife
I have found that I can use an IP address that masks the Canadian one on my PC and that now enables me to view the US content from Netflix and the others you mention, so that opens up the field quite a bit. Its amazing what we cannot view up here.
I already established that one of my kids already does this, wouldn't you just know it!

The really big issue is football/soccer. Being English I need my weekly fix of English premier league and now MLS games and I see no alternative but to subscribe (or keep them as part of a lower cost package from Bell.
But I will keep looking. Once I figure out what I can do, then I can start to figure out what to buy/build.

Thanks folks!

Bex

 

[fuzz092888]

You don't really, but many times an external device can support better resolution and audio formats than streaming from the internet. I know that if I have a choice between streaming from amazon on demand to my PC then transferring the signal to my tv, or just streaming straight to my tv (which supports amazon video on demand by itself) I choose the tv.

Free Live Football, streams, watch live streaming TV, Premier League

something else to try. I haven't tried it myself, but its supposed to give you most matches for free, streaming over the internet.

Most of the external devices will give you better resolution and a more stable, direct connection than going from internet to PC to tv, at least this has been my experience. I know if I were going to move away from my provider I would want a separate device to handle all of my streaming needs, but that is just a personal preference.

At this point no single streaming device, or even multiple devices gives me what I can get from my provider. If a persons needs aren't as wide as mine, they can easily get away with streaming, at a much lower cost than through a provider. From the sounds of it though, you will need to keep doing what you are doing or upgrade with your provider. Just a guess.

 

[psbfan9]

Hi Bex,

I just did something similar. I looked at 'streaming devices', roku, boxee box, and Apple tv. To me they didn't offer enough freedom to chose the content I wanted. My wife, and congratulations to you on 30 years of marriage, said no way could I put a pc in the living room. My solution was this;

Apple - Mac mini - Even more powerful. Even more affordable.

It's what I'm using now. It gives me complete internet via HDMI while using my LG tv as a monitor.
I got my Mac mini at huge discount thanks to a price match by the retailer and I sold my pc to also help defray the cost of the 'mini'.

If your pc has an HDMI or DVI you can hook it directly to the tv.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

 

[Lordhumungus]

Hi,

I think the first place to start is to figure out exactly what hardware you do have to see if it is workable for what you are ultimately trying to achieve.

I'd like you to provide the following information if at all possible with as much detail as possible (e.g. when I say TV model, LG isn't enough info, I need the exact model of the TV):

TV Model
PC Make/Model (if custom built, I'll need to ask a few questions about specs)
Any sort of Home Theater Receiver for Audio? If so, Make/Model.
Any additional devices (i.e. PS3, Xbox 360)?

All of this will help give us an idea of what you can do right now vs what you might need to upgrade to do.

Last, but not least, welcome to the forum. I'm fairly new here myself, so that feels weird to say, but true nonetheless

 

[Bexiesbruv]

So, my wife just asked me how we record these games that sometimes we are unable to watch live, such as the Chelsea match today?
Do I need a separate PVR between the PC and TV? By the way, I just tried the HDMI cable from the PC to the TV and it works fine, I dont know why it hasn't in the past. Bizarre.

TV is LG 42LG55-UE
PC Is custom, 3gb RAM
Couple of internal hard drives and a large external (750 GB)
Video card is NVidia GEforce 210.
Processor is dual core AMD (dont know the speed, control panel has 3.2 by its name)
I have a Sony STR DE 545 amp not connected to anything right now
the speakers that came with the Sony, 2 small rear and a single box center speaker.
Some older Monitor audio speakers and a pair of Celeston Ditton audio speakers
I will be buying a Blu ray player, likely LG as long as I can find one that operates off the WI FI
We also have a couple of xbox 360 and a PS3 but best of luck having me pry those off the kids. I think my son did something to the OS on the PS3 and I am not sure it even works anymore.

Bex

 

[Bexiesbruv]

Having now watched the soccer from Bell against what I can stream, I have to stay with Bell for this. The only other place to look at is a stream off the EPL or Champions League direct. Quality or stream and substantial pop up issues would be the reasons for not doing this.
I have installed a temp IP mask and been able to watch a couple of US streams of TV shows and they were fine.
My issue right now is the syncing of the PC and TV resolutions that give both optimal viewing resolutions. They default to a res that looks no better than OK on each and I have to clone the screens (I think) to get the picture on the TV.
So, for me, some kind of separate, dedicated box between the internet and the TV looks like being required.

 

[GranteedEV]

I have a TV. Its an LG and has 2 HDMI inputs, some component A/V inputs and an optical input.
I have a PC running windows 7 64bit very close to the TV. The PC is connected by wireless, to the internet.I would like to access some live streaming sports from the internet (Ironman world championships comes to mind as one). I have managed to reconfigure the pc to "send" the stream (for ironman) to the TV, but had to use the PC speakers for sound. The picture quality was poor as the TV would only show it in a low resolution.

Okay, let's start with adding a video card with an HDMI output.

My concern is the quality of the picture (on the TV). What can I expect? Where do I start? I really dont want more subscriptions unless I can downgrade my Bell TV (satellite) service.

Via HDMI, the only restriction to picture/sound quality is the source you're watching, (and yes, youtube/netflix will be mediocre at best in this regards; blu ray is still superior. The next restriction becomes the PQ of the TV and the SQ of the receiver/speakers/room

 

[Bexiesbruv]

I did a reply to this but it is not there so here goes again.
My video card does have a single HDMI port.

At the moment I am not as concerned with how stuff sounds. I want to "build" the idea of what I need before I hone it into a system.
For instance, what box or boxes. I have managed to pry an xbox 360 off one of the kids.
So do I get an amp to tie this stuff together?
I figure I will stick with my Bell subscription, use a US and a UK IP to watch shows online when I cannot get them here and watch/download whatever else I want to watch. I have been playing with different IP's and content and I think I now have a handle on that stuff.
so, XBox 360 on hand
buy a set top box or build one
Buy a Blu Ray player
configure the rest of what I need/want.

 

[fuzz092888]

An amp is definitely not what you need right now. That would come later and has nothing to do with tying everything together.

I think you need to figure out what your sources are going to be and what you actually want your future system to do.

Like Grant said, you're limited by whatever your input is. So, once you've figured out what things you're going to be using for your input signals (computer, bell box, xbox 360, blu ray player) you can start trying to come to a conclusion about what the goal of your system is.

Are you just trying to make everything simpler to run? Is that why you are trying to tie it all together?

Are you unhappy with the way everything sounds and you want to turn it into a 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound system?

From what I've been reading it seems like at first you wanted to make things simpler by only having 1 or 2 boxes for all your tv/movie/sports needs. It seems you've come to some conclusions about what you are going to be using for those, so now what is your goal with the "system" you are thinking of building?

 

[Bexiesbruv]

An amp is definitely not what you need right now. That would come later and has nothing to do with tying everything together.

>>>>>What do I need?

I think you need to figure out what your sources are going to be and what you actually want your future system to do.

>>>>>Bell box, Xbox 360 (but I don't yet know what that "does" other than play games. Need to research that today. A device to stream content from the internet. A Bluray disc player.

Like Grant said, you're limited by whatever your input is. So, once you've figured out what things you're going to be using for your input signals (computer, bell box, xbox 360, blu ray player) you can start trying to come to a conclusion about what the goal of your system is.

>>>>>>See above

Are you just trying to make everything simpler to run? Is that why you are trying to tie it all together?

Are you unhappy with the way everything sounds and you want to turn it into a 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound system?

>>>>>>Yes, and no, at the moment I am happy just with TV sound. But I would like to be able to change my mind on that and add as needed without changing equipment.

From what I've been reading it seems like at first you wanted to make things simpler by only having 1 or 2 boxes for all your tv/movie/sports needs. It seems you've come to some conclusions about what you are going to be using for those, so now what is your goal with the "system" you are thinking of building?

>>>>>>>Quite correct. The I realised what was available and the varying qualities of those things (in the main, streamed programming from the internet is all I have previewed)

So now I am at a point where I want to buy a Blu Ray player (my wife was given a disc that she want to watch this weekend). I already have the 360 and Bell box and only two HDMI inputs on my TV.
So what do I now need that saves me constantly plugging and unplugging HDMI's. Can I get something that I can use like a USB Hub/switch?

 

[davidtwotrees]

No one here has mentioned bandwith. You need a decent internet connection to stream good video. Bexie seems pretty computer savvy, so I hope he has a fast connection.
When I bought my blu ray player a couple of years ago, most of the fascination for me was streaming Pandora and Netflix through the player, which was brand new at the time. Netflix was a huge disappointment for picture quality- unwatchable, really. So, I finally linked it to bandwith speed and found out mine was too slow. An upgrade changed that and now the HD videos are just fine for PQ.

Yes, they make hdmi hubs just like usb ones...........

 

[fuzz092888]

An hdmi hub would work and I completely forgot about bandwidth, bu as mentioned above you seem computer saavy so that shouldn't be a problem.

If you think you may want to upgrade someday, gettin a cheap receiver will do everthing you need i think, just make sure t has enough hdmi inputs. I think that should get you everything you need for the moment and will offer you a bit if flexibility in the future. If you get one of those you can try it out and see if it is right for you.

The Xbox 360 streams Netflix and a few other things and a blu-ray player will stream similar items, maybe with the addition of amazon on demand.

Maybe someone else could offer a bit more advice but from what you've said I think a cheap receiver with at least 5 hdmi inputs should take care of all your needs.

 

[Bexiesbruv]

Thanks for all the input, I am a fare bit further along than I was.
Bandwidth is a problem.....at times. Those times of course, happen to coincide with the programming I want to stream. Thats when using a mask to get UK/US content blocked to Canada. Canadian content is fine.
I think I will get one of these: 4 port HDMI switch with Optical Audio routing. 3D support. 4x1 HDMI switcher for integration with HDTV and audio receiver

or if someone knows of a similar device post the details.
With this, I believe I can connect all my devices and route them all to my TV and then, if I dont want to upgrade my Sony STR DE545 I can route stuff through it. PLEASE, correct me if I am wrong.
I might add that I am trying to do this as economically as possible to see whats available to me (content) and my family and then remove what we dont want. After we have the content sorted out, we can get to building our equipment list. As I have mentioned, right now I just want to run stuff directly to the TV, and I think this enables me to do that.
I have learned quite a bit about content in the week and I am grateful to everyone that has helped me along the way.
Cheers for now
Bex

 

[fuzz092888]

Yes this would work, however, the price worries me. It is $270 and for $300-500 you can get an AVR. The AVR will give you more flexibility in the long run plus giving you everything you get between the sony and the hdmi switcher. I think the audio processing will probably be better than with the sony, but that's just a guess.

Denon AVR-1912 = $549
Denon AVR-1712 = $399

Onkyo TX-NR509 = $599
Onkyo TX-NR609 = $399

The prices above are all MSRP and you should be able to get them much cheaper online. If you can, go to a best buy or some other electronics store and see if you can play with a floor demo to see if one of these would be right for you.

If you are sure that you will not be upgrading, then go with the HDMI switcher, if there is any chance you may want to do some tweaking/upgrading in the next few years IMO the AVR is the way to go.

Any other thoughts out there?

 

[Bexiesbruv]

Onkyo TX-NR609 7.2 Channel Network THX Certified A/V Receiver (Black): Amazon.ca: Electronics

I can no longer get amazon.com to ship to Canada since .ca came about. It just says shipping not available to your area. So I pay Canadian prices! Pretty horrific don't you think?
I guess I could find it in the US somewhere, but with shipping tax and duty (not made in the USA I suspect) and brokerage fee it will still be pretty expensive.
I appreciate the advice though and I can stay on the boards here and research alternatives here in Canada then check out what folks think.

Cheers!

bex

 

[ARES24]

I just recently got a denon avr but ran into the same problem with prices differences. I just looked around for the best price online, printed it off and went to future shop and told them to match it.

 

[fuzz092888]

I'm not sure if you're interested in going used, and these may be more than you want to spend but here goes nothing:

Denon AVR-3310CI Receiver - Canuck Audio Mart

PIONEER VSX1018 - 7.1 - HDMI - $425 - Canuck Audio Mart

Just another something to think about.