Cable with computer

[Ron on the Plateau]

Most of the rv parks seem to have cable where we stay with our 13ft Scamp. Dont want to install a tv,but interested in watching, the news and weather through my computer. Is there a router out there that will take cable and convert it so I can connect to with my lap top? How bout a wireless usb plug in for those parks that have over the air tv?

[John in Michigan]

Ron, I have not used this or read the reviews, but the Hauppage brand has been around for quite a few years: Hauppauge WinTV-DualHD External TV Tuner. There are also HD antennas that can be attached for over the air reception.

-John

edit: works with both over the air and cable tv

[John in Michigan]

Ron, another note, I actually own a USB TV tuner stick that I used a couple of years ago with my Windows 8 laptop in my camper a couple of years ago. It worked great. Unfortunately when I upgraded to Windows 10 it no longer worked. OTOH, only cost about $50.

-John

[gordon2]

I have two older USB TV sticks.. One requires a PC with Windows Media Center which went away with Windows 7, so for me its a brick. The other might still work - I'm going to give it a shot. A year or two ago I decided that the software was too flaky and got a little 12 VDC TV. If I find the one works OK now with latest software then I might sell it. But I suspect a little TV will still be easier.

[John in Michigan]

Gordon, yep my USB TV tuner stick no longer worked because WMC was not included in Windows 10. I was not interested in purchasing WMC, tried alternative shareware but couldn't get it working. Haven't bothered to get a Windows 10 compatible device...

[Gilles]

I have a small Slingbox model to connect at home and when I have WiFi signal at the campsite or elsewhere, I can watch my TV with my laptop or the Samsung tablet or with my samsung cell ...

Slingplayer prioritizes the sound before the picture, if the signal is not strong enough.
I really like.

[Ed Harris]

Not sure why you are ruling out just getting a small LCD TV?

I have used and tried many of the USB Tuning Adapters for computer use and also many small LCD TVs and the TV is just a better TV in every way and a lot more simple to get along with too.

Those of us who persist with the Computer TV concept tend to think it is fun to jack around with computers any way and there will always be jacking around required in my considerable experience with these.

Small TVs on the other hand just simply work and are hardly any more difficult to set somewhere and connect a cable to than the computer which will always require more space and time to get going.

So why not use a TV in the first place?

[k corbin]

The issue here is the USB devices that are use as TV tuners on computers are always good for over the air stations. However not all cable TV stations are compatible with them. These are the keywords for your research "Clear QAM digital cable TV channels" The tuner you get will need to have QAM reception to be able to work with the service provider at campgrounds but that service provider does need to be compatible with free QAM. Just go to the websites for the makers of the USB tuners and then go to the website of the service provider for the campground. Knowledge of why it might not work in some locations will save you wondering if your tuner is broken when it does not work at various campgrounds.

Hauppauge | WinTV-HVR-955Q Product Description

[John in Santa Cruz]

re the clear QAM stuff, cable channels that are NOT clear won't work directly hooked to a TV either, they typically require a cable-box from the cable company... this isn't real compatible with the transient RV camp usage, so probably unlikely (unless the park rents you a cablebox or something, I've never heard of that).

re: USB TV tuners, there's Hauppauge, and then there's everyone else. they likely all use the same or similar chips, but Hauppauge actually writes software and drivers that work, while the noname stuff tends to be a complicated mess of fragile junkware.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

...
Those of us who persist with the Computer TV concept tend to think it is fun to jack around with computers any way and there will always be jacking around required in my considerable experience with these.
...?

I agree with you, but not because its fun. Instead because I already carry my laptop and did not want to carry another thing if a small USB stick would do the same thing. But the flaky software got to be too much trouble, so even though it was more expensive and another thing to carry, I went to a 13 inch 12 Volt TV.

Funny thing is I use another flaky piece of software, PlayOn, which allows me to record shows for later viewing. So I still use my laptop most of the time to catch up on shows and movies when away from home. The laptop actually has better picture and sound anyway. "PlayOn" was a one time charge when I got it but I guess they have gone to a subscription model now. It worked great to record all of Game of Thrones from HBO GO, but it can't maintain a subscription for automatically recording new shows on DirecTV Now.

EDIT: I see PlayOn has a subscription OR one time fee option for the desktop version, but its more expensive than what I paid. I would not pay the current one time fee for it considering how flaky it is for me.

[John in Michigan]

Other reason the OP may be looking for a tv solution for his laptop is that he has a 13' camper. Not a lot of space for a tv. I have a 15' camper and still not a lot of space. Also, what if YOU want to watch tv in your 13' camper and your companion does not? In our camper we have our various compact gadgets (phones, tablets, laptops (now 11")), and that's the extent of it. Space constrained.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by John in Michigan

Other reason the OP may be looking for a tv solution for his laptop is that he has a 13' camper. Not a lot of space for a tv. I have a 15' camper and still not a lot of space. Also, what if YOU want to watch tv in your 13' camper and your companion does not? In our camper we have our various compact gadgets (phones, tablets, laptops (now 11")), and that's the extent of it. Space constrained.

Maybe, but I will argue that a simple small TV takes less space than any computer any way.

Lets say you set the TV on the table like you will a computer,the TV footprint is going to be a lot smaller than the computer and the Remote on the TV will make it that much easier to use too and then when done it can also be stowed away in about the same space as the computer and I think all the while working better more of the time than a computer/tuner combo will.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

re the clear QAM stuff, cable channels that are NOT clear won't work directly hooked to a TV either, they typically require a cable-box from the cable company... this isn't real compatible with the transient RV camp usage, so probably unlikely (unless the park rents you a cablebox or something, I've never heard of that).

re: USB TV tuners, there's Hauppauge, and then there's everyone else. they likely all use the same or similar chips, but Hauppauge actually writes software and drivers that work, while the noname stuff tends to be a complicated mess of fragile junkware.

Many campgrounds merely set up a MATV system where the channels they offer are modulated to create a channel lineup for them that can be tuned by any analog or digital tuner thus giving the cable channel access to the most possible users.
This lets even ancient TV/VCR users tune the channels they offer and make the most people want to camp there over a park that might not offer this feature.

The idea that getting a tuner/USB device setup and keeping it working is even remotely(see what I did there!)comparable to using a regular TV in almost any context is just silly to me,the computer setup will be more trouble and if wanting to catch the news and weather just not worth it unless you are already a computer enthusiast and do not mind the work it will take to get and keep it working.

[redbarron55]

I got a small TV/DVD along with a Roku stick and a converter for my Note 4 to HDMI for streaming from the phone.
Along with the Dish Tailgater I have it all covered.
I have the 24" TV mounted on the wall formed by the refrigerator cabinet on a wall mount.
The TV had the DVD, Antenna with cable, over the air digital and analog inputs ant two HDMI inputs, covering all of the bases.
The Insignia is a 12 volt TV with a 120 volt wall wart to power it. So far I have never tried to hook it up to the trailer 12 volt system, but I assume I could do it fairly easily.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by k corbin

...

Hauppauge | WinTV-HVR-955Q Product Description

This is one of the two that I had sitting on the shelf here for a year or two. If you want TV on a laptop or PC then I would suggest it. It does not use much CPU, it runs cooler than the others I have tried, the company is stable, etc.

Version 8.x of the application seems to be better than 7. Since I had ver. 7 it took a few extra steps to get it going on Ver 8. Ver 8.5 would cost me $10 so I did not go to 8.5. I had no problem installing on an older laptop but I spent two hours trying to get it working on a newer and more high end laptop. Turns out the 1803 update to Windows 10 changed the default camera setting because of privacy concerns and that was the problem. This is the second time the 1803 update from dear ol' Microsoft has caused me to spend hours trying to fix what was previously not broken.

[workhorsed]

Originally Posted by Ron on the Plateau

Most of the rv parks seem to have cable where we stay with our 13ft Scamp. Dont want to install a tv,but interested in watching, the news and weather through my computer. Is there a router out there that will take cable and convert it so I can connect to with my lap top? How bout a wireless usb plug in for those parks that have over the air tv?

Hi, for about the same price as an adapter or dongle or such you can purchase a small 12 volt LED TV. The stores will tell you there's no such thing! However most of these small units use a 12 volt "wall wart". you simply don't use it; just get a suitable DC cord from just about any electronics store. I just cut the cord right beside the wart and soldered on the base of from an 1156 bulb plus some hot glue reinforcement and plugged into one of the overhead lights. Ta Da!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by workhorsed

Hi, for about the same price as an adapter or dongle or such you can purchase a small 12 volt LED TV. The stores will tell you there's no such thing! However most of these small units use a 12 volt "wall wart". you simply don't use it;..

This is mine. It is meant to run on RV or vehicle 12 volts and comes with the plug. Sound is weak and I don't like how hard it is to get to the connectors on the TV. On the other hand, I have dropped it or pulled it off the counter in my camper more times than I can recall.. and it still works fine.

https://www.amazon.com/QFX-16-LED-Tv.../dp/B00G6K8A50

[John in Santa Cruz]

do watch out for things that have 12V wall wart supplies. some of those supplies are 'regulated' and put out 12V +/- 0.5V or some such tolerance, and its quite possible the circuitry in the set needs that precise voltage. automotive/RV powered stuff should be tolerant of 11-16V or wider range of unregulated voltages.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

Maybe, but I will argue that a simple small TV takes less space than any computer any way.

Lets say you set the TV on the table like you will a computer,the TV footprint is going to be a lot smaller than the computer and the Remote on the TV will make it that much easier to use too and then when done it can also be stowed away in about the same space as the computer and I think all the while working better more of the time than a computer/tuner combo will.

Some versions of the USB tuners come with a remote.


As to computers being larger than a TV. Some are but each year new designs and features come out for laptops. What you are saying means you have not kept up with what is available in the way of laptop computers.



There is a remote control media center unit available for my laptop.

A lot of laptop brands offer those because there is a demand for it not just for personal use but also for business presentations. Those remotes have been around for quite a long time.



Some of the newer laptops can double as a tablet due to the way they are hinged, I have one of those my keyboard area folds backwards to act as a stand or flat against the back of the screen. If I wanted to make a holder for it I could mount it to a wall mounted swivel arm, the type that TVs use. But that just add more weight, easier to set it on a table, countertop or even put it on my lap

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

do watch out for things that have 12V wall wart supplies. some of those supplies are 'regulated' and put out 12V +/- 0.5V or some such tolerance, and its quite possible the circuitry in the set needs that precise voltage. automotive/RV powered stuff should be tolerant of 11-16V or wider range of unregulated voltages.

Thats why I posted the QFX TV that is meant to be used in cars and RVs. When charging the battery, the camper's 12 volts can be almost 15 volts.

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

Maybe, but I will argue that a simple small TV takes less space than any computer any way....

My point was that my computer is a must have. The TV is optional. (YMMV) The USB turner means that the computer (which I must have) with the USB stick takes up less space than the computer AND TV.

Originally Posted by k corbin

Some versions of the USB tuners come with a remote. Some of the newer laptops can double as a tablet due to the way they are hinged, I have one of those. If I wanted to make a holder for it I could mount it to a wall mounted swivel arm, the type that TVs use. But that just adds more weight, easier to set it on a table or countertop or even put it on my lap

The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-955Q I have did come with a remote control.. Funny thing however, the channel up down controls the volume. And my laptop also includes tablet and stand modes. Lots of options for what to carry and how to use it.