streaming movies on laptop?

[tedtucci]

Hello

We are from Yukon Canada and planning of spending the winter in the Southwest US in our new 5.0. We usually get a US month to month cell plan with unlimited North America calling but limited data.

We are wondering if anyone would be able to advise us on the most economical way to be able to stream movies or netflix while boondocking. This question alone probably shows what internet dinosaurs we are. Figure someone else out there must have encountered this.

Thanks for your patience!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Network service most places I've camped has been too slow and erratic for video streaming.... I mostly read ebooks via Kindle on my tablet, my wife reads real books, we might put on some soft music

[hugh]

If you install the Netflix app (either on PC or phone) you can download many movies / shows for offline viewing. So, rather than trying to stream from a slow cellular connection, download them ahead of time from a (hopefully less slow) Wi-Fi connection.

[WillyB]

For travel we have been using a portable 500G hard drive. I'm not sure of the exact number but I'd guess we have 200 movies, the entire Mash, Seinfeld, Friends, Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, etc and multiple concert videos. There is a lot of stuff on it.

All we have to worry about is keeping our MacBook charged which isn't a problem with our F150 as it has a 400 watt inverter.

[BobG]

I don't get very good streaming at busy camping areas either because the networks are overloaded like at Quartzsite or there is poor service like at a lot of remote camping areas.


Sort of off topic - I like using the app "Libby" to download books from my library. Then I read them on my Kindle. It is free and I find enough entertainment to satisfy me. It includes magazines and audiobooks as well as books that can be read on the phone but not on kindle.

[TahoeJoe]

For movies on the road, I use Redbox to get DVD's and play those on my laptop (since I don't have a TV). Are you guys familiar with Redbox? Not sure if they are up in Canada, but they are in most places down here. The cool thing is you can rent from one location, and return to another later on.

My laptop doesn't have a DVD player, so I have an external DVD player that I hook up to it. Works great!

[emers382]

No Redbox up here. I was actually surprised to see them still in the US when streaming is so popular but then figured there are many people not able to afford the internet connection and or the price of streaming services.

[Perry Butler]

1.). We download Netflix and Prime movies on our Samsung Galaxy Book Pro laptop with a AMOLED screen. Great picture! We also carry a 21” monitor that we quit using after purchasing the Samsung (lives under our 5.0 step next to the solar portable that we use once a year) . We use a Bluetooth speaker for great sound.

2.). Each of us have a iPad we download movies that the other isn’t interested in. Terry uses a set of Apple ear buds to listen to her iPad and mine plays on my hearing aids, so we each can watch and not bother the other.

3.). In addition we carry 30 DVD movies in a carry case to play on a very small, portable DVD player on our Galaxy Book. Sometimes we just feel like watching an old favorite that you can’t stream.

I’m currently talking to a couple of people who have recorded their DVD/Blue Ray movies on a stick. Still looking for a simple to use, intuitive app to record though.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by hugh

If you install the Netflix app (either on PC or phone) you can download many movies / shows for offline viewing. So, rather than trying to stream from a slow cellular connection, download them ahead of time from a (hopefully less slow) Wi-Fi connection.

Absolutely the way to go. I get a laugh when I think about how we started watching movies on our boat many years ago. We'd take a full size VCR and run it off an inverter along with a small B&W TV. How times have changed.

Now it's so quick to dump a bunch of movies onto a laptop. We connect the laptop to our 24" TV.

Ron

[Jim Bennett]

I carry a 24" TV but have only used it once in near 6 years of owning the 5.0TA. Just too much else stuff to do it seems. I do have lots of movies downloaded to my laptop and can hook that to the TV along with our bluetooth speaker. Maybe someday while travelling we will use the TV more.

I kinda prefer books, guitar, visiting, games and campfires. Oh, and cocktails too.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I carry a 24" TV but have only used it once in near 6 years of owning the 5.0TA. Just too much else stuff to do it seems. I do have lots of movies downloaded to my laptop and can hook that to the TV along with our bluetooth speaker. Maybe someday while travelling we will use the TV more.

I kinda prefer books, guitar, visiting, games and campfires. Oh, and cocktails too.

Some of our movie watching is proceeded by "It was a dark and stormy night."

Cocktails too, in addition to fine whiskey

Ron

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Some of our movie watching is proceeded by "It was a dark and stormy night."

Cocktails too, in addition to fine whiskey

Ron

The year we bought the TV, the year I had the temporary trailer between the 19 and 5.0TA, wee did that 2 1/2 week trip to Oregon when then saw the worst storms in a couple decades. We ended up having to stay inside every night but one and a short while on another. We did use the TV some then watching cheap used DVDs through my laptop, but since it just hasn't really been a thing we have done.

I did lie a bit in my previous post, we did use the TV twice since getting our 5.0TA, the second this past spring watching a hockey playoff game, but this was outside through a phone linked to the TV.

[jkoenig24]

You don't say WHICH carrier you use while in the states. In addition to "the BIG THREE" (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) there are dozens of MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, Visible and many, many others who buy "excess capacity" from the Big Three and then resell it at a discount. There can be HUGE differences re how much data you can use and, the SPEED of said data (which is an important consideration as is price). "Unlimited Data" is often throttled / limited to the point where its' unusable for video streaming. As mentioned, one good way to watch movies is by preloading them onto a laptop, tablet, USB thumb drive, external HD etc. After watching, you can delete a movie which frees up that space to be used again (that's what I did when I started a decade+ ago in a Casita). Some RV parks have a "Lending Library" where you can borrow (usually for free), DVDs, books etc. Walmarts usually have a "bargain bin" with some DVDs under $4. You would OWN these disks and can trade / gift them after you've watched them. Free WiFi at RV parks is often NOT suitable for video streaming as management can and does "throttle" bandwidth to keep "data hogs" from monopolizing a VERY limited resource. If you want to use WiFi, it would be a VERY good idea to invest in a WiFi signal booster. NOTE: for that to work, there HAS to be a signal to boost AND, if a signal is encrypted, you'll need to know the password. BEFORE you hit the road, you really should get your internet knowledge to a higher level. If there is a public library where you are, stop in and play 20 questions with the Reference Librarian. Start reading the Mobile Internet Resource Center information (and consider paying for a membership). MIRC is an incredible wealth of RV connectivity while on the road.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com

There's a LOT to learn but, you can do it in small steps. One or more of the "..,For Dummies" or" Complete Idiot's Guide" books may be helpful. See if you local library has any of the series.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=video+stre...e&t=osx&ia=web

[StillCampin]

I can say from MY experience with Verizon and a weBoost amplifier that even if you have a plan that gives you the necessary GB of data for useful streaming that you may not be too happy going cellular. I recently got the Starlink RV system and have been streaming since. My Dish Network TV-only system gets less use now and what I subscribe to is going to be greatly reduced.

[BobG]

StillCamping,

I also have the Verizon jetpack 8100 mifi thing without antenna. It is tucked in between headliner and trailer ceiling. Power is hidden. It gives me access to the internet while traveling and sends location data, bread crumb trail, as long as there is cell coverage. This is a minor thing but it also gives me remote access to the the trailer electrical status and functions.

I would like starlink because I do prefer boondocking and would maybe have internet while on the road but I don't think I would want to mount the antenna on the roof and I am wondering if it would work where there is tree cover.

Does starlink work while you are on the road? How is service with tree cover?

[annieo]

We are from Yukon Canada and planning of spending the winter in the Southwest US in our new 5.0. We usually get a US month to month cell plan with unlimited North America calling but limited data.

We are wondering if anyone would be able to advise us on the most economical way to be able to stream movies or netflix while boondocking. This question alone probably shows what internet dinosaurs we are. Figure someone else out there must have encountered this.

Thanks for your patience!

[QUOTE=tedtucci;429772]Hello
We simply download shows and movies from prime and Netflix and don’t need to hook up to internet

[StillCampin]

Originally Posted by BobG

?

First off, Starlink uses northerly and constantly moving satellites, unlike the geostationary tv satellites. Since they are constantly moving you need a bigger unobstructed window than for tv. Trees & other obstacles can be a problem. No matter where mounted the first thing that it does when powered up is to tilt straight up for a gps signal. Based on the location the dish then turns and tilts to point in the general direction. From that point it tracks the satellites electronically using a large array of tiny transmit & receive elements in the dish. It may or may not fine tune the positioning over time.

If it does not have a completely clear view the signal may be periodically lost. Internet browsing & tv streaming may see these and may not. Live action such as video calls & some online games may not be satisfactory. It comes with a ground/table stand and 75 or 150 feet of cable to get to a clear view. Or, add height such as a flagpole to clear some of the obstacles. I’ve had it report the possibility of being obstructed such that it tells me that an outage could occur once a minute - and then have it report back after a day or so that it had no obstructions in the prior 12 hours. Personally, I have it mounted on a modified flagpole that I set up at each stop.

Starlink recently got approval for in-motion use but hackers have been modifying the hardware for mobile for some time (I have no idea how well it works). Essentially, it requires disabling the motors and setting it flat. It is sold as 120v only but the dish itself requires approx 52 volts dc and hackers have been bypassing the included router and supplying there own dc power. I suspect that when it is officially offered that the hardware will be different (no motors).

Note that home service requires being in an open cell before they will ship. RV service can be gotten for anywhere. Note, tho, that rv service is prioritized behind home service if there is congestion. Home service can be made mobile for an additional charge (brings the monthly cost equal to rv service).