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Old 01-21-2018, 10:42 PM   #1
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Watching TV onboard

Hi all, thinking about adding a TV onboard. I have a DVD player built in but I don't really use DVDs.

I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.

I have DirecTV at home and I understand adding it to the boat isn't to costly...however it seems that the satellite equipment for the boat is pricey.

My WiFi at the marina is supposedly horrible.

Only other option I can think of is trying to connect an AppleTV to my cell phone's LTE connection.

Anyone try this? Any other options I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!
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Old 01-21-2018, 10:52 PM   #2
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Funny I purchase a boat so I didn't have phone,TV, DVDs . newspapers .fax. lol
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:02 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by gaston View Post
Funny I purchase a boat so I didn't have phone,TV, DVDs . newspapers .fax. lol


We wouldn't use it underway, but I could see it being fun to cozy up in the salon watching some of our favorite binge-worthy shows at night while at our slip.
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:04 PM   #4
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I had the same initial reaction - television is a menace, a constant stream of coarse, peace-shattering noise. But then on the other hand this coming season we are replacing the glass tube small tv's in the two berths and the salon with flatscreens, so we make some concessions. We have a Shakespeare Seawatch 3015, came with the boat, but it never works, just snow on the TV screens. We do have a library of boat dvd's though. Captain Ron. Moby Dick (Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck). Mystic Pizza. Master and Commander. Oh, and Finest Hour, the Pendleton rescue.
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:10 PM   #5
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Personally, I think we are living in an interesting time when it comes to entertainment. I don't watch any network tv, but Netflix, HBO and others are creating some great, high quality content.

To name a few:

Stranger Things
The Night Of
Godless
Ozark
The Handmaid's Tale
Black Mirror

And I still keep up with The Walking Dead!
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Old 01-22-2018, 12:25 AM   #6
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I have an inexpensive small flat screen hdtv, and it’s hooked up to a digital air antenna. 20+ HDTV networks. No it’s not cable but I get all the major channels and football. I just do a channel scan at each new port. Cheap and easy.
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Old 01-22-2018, 01:31 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kthoennes View Post
I had the same initial reaction - television is a menace, a constant stream of coarse, peace-shattering noise. But then on the other hand this coming season we are replacing the glass tube small tv's in the two berths and the salon with flatscreens, so we make some concessions. We have a Shakespeare Seawatch 3015, came with the boat, but it never works, just snow on the TV screens. We do have a library of boat dvd's though. Captain Ron. Moby Dick (Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck). Mystic Pizza. Master and Commander. Oh, and Finest Hour, the Pendleton rescue.
If you still have CRT TV's on your boat ,that's more than likely the reason all you get is snow...they are more than likely old, analog receivers & not digital. Doubtful there is anything wrong with your antenna if it's connected correctly & it's preamp is on & functioning.
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Old 01-22-2018, 01:59 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB1969 View Post
Hi all, thinking about adding a TV onboard. I have a DVD player built in but I don't really use DVDs.

I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.

I have DirecTV at home and I understand adding it to the boat isn't to costly...however it seems that the satellite equipment for the boat is pricey.

My WiFi at the marina is supposedly horrible.

Only other option I can think of is trying to connect an AppleTV to my cell phone's LTE connection.

Anyone try this? Any other options I'm not thinking about?

Thanks!
I would definitely think about an onboard TV antenna to receive local broadcasts. You might be surprised with the amount of channels you receive. I think they're a great tool for checking the local weather when cruising. I do better with a visual rather than from a VHF broadcast regarding forecasts, fronts. etc.
Satellite antenna systems such as KVH maintain reception while underway & start for slightly over $2k
https://www.kvh.com/Leisure/Marine-S...ision-TV1.aspx

A satellite antenna system that maintains the general direction of your user supplied antenna via an internal magnetic compass as opposed to signal tracking in a true "tracking" unit is about half the price. They will work while underway in calm water but really aren't designed to operate as such because they don't adjust the antenna elevation.

Track It TV
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Old 01-22-2018, 03:11 AM   #9
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Why do we tell the man that "we don't want TV and go boating to get away from it, and it's all noise and blah blah blah????? If you don't like TV that's YOUR choice. Michael wants TV, that's HIS choice, and only asking for options to get it. If you have nothing to contribute, then DON'T POST..... (rant off)....

-----

I've used my Iphone as a wifi spot to stream Netflix to the Ipad and works pretty well. When I do the look, I'll add wifi to the Ipad which I suspect will be a tad better. There are other streaming option, too.

The antenna is a great idea, cheap and works, but limited. Ive used that on occasion and picked up a few stations.

I also have a Dish network antenna, but don't have a subscription, but will on the Loop at $20 a month.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:58 AM   #10
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It's not for the purist but we have a 5 TVs. One in each stateroom, one in the salon and another on the back deck.

For us it really work well. We have two boys so there is bound to be some nighttime shows that they want to watch. We also love to watch college football on the "patio."

The TV's are hooked up to a Roku stick and I stream it from my cell phone. I also have CCTV's hooked up as well as a GPS display and can send the signal to all of the TV's. The cameras show the front of the boat, the back of the boat, the salon and the engine room.

While we are underway I tune the TV's to the CCTV "channel" and can keep an eye on things no matter where I am on the boat. If something goes bump in the night, all it takes is me turning on the TV in the bedroom to see the front and back of the boat.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:06 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB1969 View Post
I could install an antenna to pick up local broadcasting.

We just use the antenna that came with the boat to receive over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting. Then we get whatever we get, sometimes, 4 stations, sometimes 50 depending on our location. When we do receive stations, usually at least one of them has the local news/weather.

As we're approaching Charleston, we started receiving their stations: 14 when 70 miles out, then we picked up 3 more when we hit the 40 mile mark.

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Old 01-22-2018, 06:35 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boomerang View Post

If you still have CRT TV's on your boat ,that's more than likely the reason all you get is snow...they are more than likely old, analog receivers & not digital. Doubtful there is anything wrong with your antenna if it's connected correctly & it's preamp is on & functioning.
Ahh, that very well could be, hadn't thought of that. They are ancient, one is a VHS/TV combo. Good tip, thank you, we'll see.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:45 AM   #13
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Getting a good TV signal has always been a nightmare in the area's I've cruised in. I've spent a lot of money on antennae's and boosters over the years. With advances in technology we now use Google Chromecast and found it far superior to using an antennae.
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Old 01-22-2018, 07:44 AM   #14
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I have a portable hard drive and a Raspberry PI with KODI operating system.

Gives me all the streaming stuff you get on a Roku/apple TV but I can download media and put it on the hard drive. KODI pulls all the info and organizes it in a library.

Very inexpensive setup to boot.
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Old 01-22-2018, 08:16 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by Seevee View Post
Why do we tell the man that "we don't want TV and go boating to get away from it, and it's all noise and blah blah blah????? If you don't like TV that's YOUR choice. Michael wants TV, that's HIS choice, and only asking for options to get it. If you have nothing to contribute, then DON'T POST..... (rant off)....
.
Well said, thanks.
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Old 01-22-2018, 08:31 AM   #16
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We have Directv at the dock and because there is decent wifi there, our TV on the boat is as good there as it is at home. I also have a Verizon Jet box plus ipads that can get streaming TV via Roku when away with limitations.

Have to be aware of the streaming limitations using Verizon's wifi and I assume the same from other providers. For example, Verizon and others offer unlimited wifi for a price. What they do not explain is that...at least for Verizon is that they limit the 4K download service to just 10GB/month/device and after you use that allowance, the service drops to 3K. Good luck watching TV on 3K video.
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Old 01-22-2018, 08:33 AM   #17
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Wifey B: Would not be without satellite tv, have Direct. We're huge sports fans. Not sure where we'll be when Super Bowl day, but sure we'll watch the game. Headed somewhere today and then somewhere else, but not sure where yet due to the strange conditions this January, just know we'll never be out of touch. Will watch NBA throughout our trip.

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Old 01-22-2018, 08:45 AM   #18
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There are many stationary sat antennas that you can sit on the dock or mount to a piling. They range from one like you would mount on your house to the small portable ones that are made for RV's. Most are single LNB's so you would have to manually move it to get channels from another sat.

Take your DTV box from home when you go to the boat (free) or, get one for the boat.
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Old 01-22-2018, 08:47 AM   #19
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I have an Apple TV onboard, works great over LTE. I use a Peplink MAX Mini router with a T-Mobile unlimited SIM card for internet. I rarely if ever connect to marina WiFi since LTE is almost always faster. T-Mobile hasn't complained or noticeably throttled me even after using many hundreds of GBs a month.

With a Comcast (or probably other cable/satellite provider) login, lots of live TV (including ESPN) is available over Apple TV.
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Old 01-22-2018, 09:19 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ranger42c View Post
As we're approaching Charleston, we started receiving their stations: 14 when 70 miles out, then we picked up 3 more when we hit the 40 mile mark.

Update: make that 15 and 4. Just noticed the TV actually synced on two stations not listed in the TV Guide app.

Presumably when we get to Charleston we'll receive approx 33 OTA stations...

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