Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
|
OP
axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
Hi all. I come seeking tech knowledge from the Axiomites. The deal: I have no internet in my house. My wife tells me that this needs to change, and I agree. I am probably going to get satellite internet because (a) I'm off the cable grid and running a drop line is prohibitively expensive, (b) there is no DSL availability in my area. New technology like Exede has improved download speeds significantly in the last year or so. When I last had satellite a couple of years ago, I had 1.5 MB down, and now they advertise 12-15 MB down. The problem: satellite monthly download totals are limited to about 500 MB a day except for the hours of midnight to 5 AM (unlimited then), so I won't really be able to stream video, much less HD content. Possible solution: get some kind of hardware/software solution to store downloaded content that I set DVR-style to download during the off-peak hours of 12AM to 5AM, storing it to watch later. Is this feasible? My experience with internet video is limited to streaming sites like youTube and embedded content. I do not have any kind of media PC, but I am open to purchasing whatever it takes. I have enjoyed my DirecTV DVR for several years. That's all I know, but I am eager to learn. You just may have to speak to me like a grandpa on this one, as I am a total n00b as far as getting TV/movies over the web. Anybody doing this kind of thing already? Anybody else have thoughts on how to proceed? Any and all help is always appreciated.
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
|
shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044 |
Grandpa, there's no easy way to do this.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
|
OP
axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
|
shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044 |
There appears to be a lot of rather shady looking software out there that purports to do it, but...
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
|
OP
axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
I know that the automated fetching would be a challenge. If it helps, I am often/occasionally up until midnight and could certainly manually start a download if there was some way to store streaming video on a drive.
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
|
OP
axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
Found this via Google search: PlayLater. Could it be the answer?
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955
axiomite
|
axiomite
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955 |
What type of content are you looking for? If you are looking for TV or movies, that is actually quiet easy. Ironic that it is easier to schedule the downloading of copywrited material vs. legitimate streaming material. If you are referring to public, streaming content like Youtube, then there are lots of freeware and online converters, but setting up a schedule is 'probably' difficult. Got any Pearl programming friends?? Here is an online tool I used for Youtube but is looks like it has a lot of other uses as well. www.convertfiles.com For instance, you can enter a Youtube link and it will download the youtube to its server somewhere, convert it and then email you a URL to go fetch the resulting avi file. I used it just once when I just had to have my own copy of "Ultimate Dog Tease." It worked well. I have seen software advertised for Netflix and other subscription services but have no experience with it. [Edit] Looks like you found some while I was typing.
Last edited by Murph; 10/10/12 03:49 PM. Reason: sniped
With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,291
connoisseur
|
connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,291 |
i know DAP (Download Accelerator Plus) can schedule downloads, videos included; but i've never tried it so i don't know how it works. DAP is free.
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,488 Likes: 1
axiomite
|
axiomite
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,488 Likes: 1 |
I have no internet in my house. I have no solution, and am quite shocked that everybody just let that go without the required amount of good-natured, brotherly sh!t. I mean, don't you think you should work on the indoor plumbing, first? Obviously, you need internet. But do you have specific content in mind that you want/need to stream, or is it just something it seems like you should do? My experience is that - if you're sitting on the couch - user interface is EVERYTHING. After trying numerous solutions, I found that Mrs. Tuttle requires a streaming appliance (Roku, Apple TV, etc.) rather than a PC to access the content. So, I would strongly urge you to build that into your thinking. We really like DTV. And it's DVR-ness. So, about the only thing we consume off the internet is Netflix. I don't think there is a way to capture a Netflix stream, but you're welcome to spend your time trying, of course. Could you just stay up until midnight to start your downloads? Seems like an easy solution to me. Or how about your phone? Do you have a fancy-schmancy Android phone? I don't know what everyone's data situation is like. My Android phone has an HDMI-out, so I could hook it up to the system and stream content via 4G. I don't know how it would scale, but when faced with satellite internet, I look for other solutions.
bibere usque ad hilaritatem
|
|
|
Re: Internet video for dummies?
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
|
shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044 |
He ain't got no signal at his fancy shrinkologist house.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics24,964
Posts442,603
Members15,631
|
Most Online2,699 Aug 8th, 2024
|
|
0 members (),
1,030
guests, and
3
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|