Entertainment in home must have?

[bunoon]

What you need watch TV Program on holiday on your home?

- Cartoon

- Movies

- Sport

[crabdog]

1) A TV with HDMI.

2) A laptop / PC with TVMC installed.

3) Internet connection.

Done.

[BB24]

1) A TV with HDMI.

2) A laptop / PC with TVMC installed.

3) Internet connection.

Done.

Optional:

4. 365sports.tv

5. ilikehd.com

[Chicog]

Optional: An Amazon Fire TV Stick with Kodi and Stalker installed, and a Stalker subscription.

[bunoon]

Like this?

[RichCor]

Like this?

[ image of Satellite TV package ]

As you just pointed out, media content can be delivered via

Coaxial Cable TV, via local residential cable company or MATV Condo/Hotel system, direct or through special Set Top Box

Satellite TV, via DVB-S2 Set Top Box (PSI, TrueVisions,

or Internet, via PC/Laptop, Set Top Box, Video 'stick', or mobile device

The actual content can be

FreeView/Free-To-Air (FTA), where the content can mostly be had for free

Packaged Subscription, special content channels included with the purchase of the 'box' (prepaid)

Billed Subscription, special content channels viewable only if you pay your bill (your actual experience may vary)

Special content channels that can be had because the protected delivery accounting method is flawed, allowing people 'who know' to watch for free.

For folks interested in content delivered in English (or other non-Thai language), many are turning to Internet streaming to access a broad variety of content, what most posts here have already referenced.

[SoiBiker]

Plex & Chromecast.

[tlcwaterfall]

Plex & Chromecast.

Agree both are very good.

Did you buy your Chromecast in Thailand? If so where did you buy it and how much please?

I need one for when I travel.

[SoiBiker]

Plex & Chromecast.

Agree both are very good.

Did you buy your Chromecast in Thailand? If so where did you buy it and how much please?

I need one for when I travel.

I bought one of them here, via Lazada. I've also seen them for sale in Fortune Town here in Bangkok.

[tlcwaterfall]

Thank you very much. Will get one soon.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

[joncl]

for true use their True ANYWHERE service on your phone, tablet,ipad,notebook etc https://anywhere.truevisions.tv/

for ToT use their IPTV apps for the tablet. notebook,phone,ipad etc https://www.google.co.th/search?q=tot+iptv+apps&gws_rd=cr,ssl&ei=5wBpVqvBNseouQToqLiADQ

Both can be used for free or for the service you pay for now ..

[bunoon]

Anyone use this type?

[RichCor]

Anyone use this type?

You haven't directly responded to anyone's reply, and you keep posting images referencing DVB-S2 Satellite equipment.

Is there a reason?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1) A TV with HDMI.

2) A laptop / PC with TVMC installed.

3) Internet connection.

Done.

I did a bit of inexpensive shopping from the U.S. over the holidays to expand my options here at home, as follows:

--already for a long time had my laptop connected to my main LCD TV via A/V cable (cord) connection, and KODI (similar to TVMC) installed on the laptop. Kodi gives you a tremendous amount of free viewing options, if you're willing to take the time to learn what add-ons (apps) at worth having and using. It's also very international in terms of having content from many countries including, but not limited to, the U.S. and the U.K. Select the content via Kodi on the laptop and then it plays both on the laptop screen and the connected TV.

--supplemented last fall with a Roku HDMI stick plugged into one of the two available HDMI slots on my main TV. Roku probably has as many or more channels/services available as KODI, but is probably more U.S. content centered. In order to get full use/access to the Roku channels, I ended up setting up a separate/second wifi network at home with a daisy chained VPN router in addition to my regular True Internet provided one, because using a Thai wifi IP will end up getting you geo-restricted from a lot of non-Thai content.

--Then with that up and running, at Christmas time I added into the TV's second HDMI slot a Chromecast video dongle, which basically allows you to wirelessly send video or audio content from Android devices such as smartphones and tablets (or a Chrome browser) to the television. (Though that's a bit redundant to having the direct PC to TV connection via cable, but it's kind of cool to be able to send Spotify music or YouTube videos from my smartphone to my TV just through a couple taps on my smartphone or tablet, without having to sit down and open the browser on my connected laptop.

--Then over the holidays, took advantage of a free 3 month trial subscription to the Sling streaming cable TV service from the U.S., which provides streaming access to a bunch of U.S. cable TV channels for (normal price of) $20 a month. Those include ESPN and ESPN 2, Bloomberg, CNN, TNT, TBS, IFC, AMC, A&E, Cartoon Network, Disney, Food Network, History, Lifetime, Travel Channel, and a number of others. You can watch via Sling software you install on your PC or Mac, and they also have an Android app that will provide the same access. But in my case, I'm watching Sling on my TV via their Roku channel/app, since their PC software seems to not play well with the video card on my laptop.

So, between Kodi, Roku, Chromecast and Sling TV, I think I've got things pretty well covered.

Edited February 4, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Chicog]

Roku probably has as many or more channels/services available as KODI, but is probably more U.S. content centered.

I don't think so somehow.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I've never seen an exact count for Kodi...

But the Roku channel store says as follows:

With 2,500+ channels in the US and counting, you’ll always find something to watch.

https://www.roku.com/whats-on

Once you get up into those kinds of channel numbers, it's not really so much what number of channels are available, but more importantly, does one venue or another have the particular things you want to watch, and how reliable/consistent/convenient are they to find and access there.

I'm not saying one or the other is better, they're just different. I like and use both.

Edited February 4, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Chicog]

I've never seen an exact count for Kodi...

But the Roku channel store says as follows:

With 2,500+ channels in the US and counting, you’ll always find something to watch.

https://www.roku.com/whats-on

Once you get up into those kinds of channel numbers, it's not really so much what number of channels are available, but more importantly, does one venue or another have the particular things you want to watch, and how reliable/consistent/convenient are they to find and access there.

I'm not saying one or the other is better, they're just different. I like and use both.

Just do the maths. Anything on the Roku is available on Kodi.

Plus the rest of the world.

[giddyup]

This, and a laptop with internet of course.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just do the maths. Anything on the Roku is available on Kodi.

Plus the rest of the world.

I look at it this way. In the world of video streaming content, there's two basic categories: live (broadcast channel) streaming, and video on demand streaming.

Via the Roku, most of the premium live broadcast content that's available there is available from the official, original sources, and sometimes if you want it, you're going to have to pay for it. But at least if you stream from the original sources, it's a pretty stable, consistent, reliable experience.

Via Kodi, on the other hand, much of the premium live broadcast content that's available there is coming thru third party sources (like FilmOn) or basically pirated streams. It may be available today thru one add-on, and it may disappear from that add-on tomorrow as a result of a dead link. Much of the premium live broadcast streaming content that comes via Kodi is anything but stable or consistent.

One good example comes to mind illustrating this: some months back, one of the Kodi enthusiast groups announced with much fanfare that there was a new add-on that was going to show all NFL games, for free, for the most recent season, something that had been hard to get on Kodi before. Well, that lasted thru the preseason and the first 5 weeks and then it stopped, and nothing more for the rest of the season. That's kind of how live streams or premium content goes on Kodi.

Fortunately, I wasn't relying on that, and instead continued my past pattern of paying to subscribe to NFL Game Pass direct from the NFL, which is available thru Roku and direct on my PC. It cost me some money, but I did indeed get access to every game from the entire season, good quality streaming, and each game available online within 24 hours after completion, or I could have paid a higher price and gotten access to the games live (but that makes little sense here because the game times are in the middle of the night). So, I paid for what I wanted, and got exactly what I paid for. That's more the Roku model for premium content.

The way I see that, that's one of the fundamental differences between the two platforms.

Edited February 4, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[BaldPlumber]

Are you people seriously plugging your laptops into your TV's? Jeez, have you not heard of TV boxes? Or is about 3K baht a bit too stiff for you?

note to self: never become an old fart

Edited February 4, 2016 by BaldPlumber

[casualbiker]

Are you people seriously plugging your laptops into your TV's? Jeez, have you not heard of TV boxes? Or is about 3K baht a bit too stiff for you?

note to self: never become an old fart

maybe it's just more convenient having a full Windows experience than a 3k TV box!

[giddyup]

Are you people seriously plugging your laptops into your TV's? Jeez, have you not heard of TV boxes? Or is about 3K baht a bit too stiff for you?

note to self: never become an old fart

Maybe we're not all slaves to technology.

[Chicog]

The way I see that, that's one of the fundamental differences between the two platforms.

But you specifically said Roku has more channels, which is simply not true.

Yes, the reliability of the free stuff is a pain, but there is a multitude of ways to skin a cat on Kodi.

How much is NFL Gamepass?

I must have had a choice of about 30 HD and SD links to the Superbowl this morning, and all of them working, but that was on a paid sports sub.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The prices for NFL Gamepass vary, depending on how and when in the season you buy it. I believe I paid $70 for the full 12 month access cycle this past season, which is for next day access, not live game access.

As for the Super Bowl, it shouldn't really be hard for anyone to have found an online streaming source for that, since CBS itself was streaming the game for free without any authentication required (provided you had a U.S. IP address).

But in terms of access, it's all the OTHER games throughout the season where there isn't an officially free stream being provided that creates problems. In the "free" realm, I've had my share of attempts at P2P sites and streams where a particular game is supposed to be shown and isn't. Or the game/stream starts and then dies midway through the game. Or poor quality streams being sent along at very low resolution rates that only fill out a portion of a computer monitor screen.

And I mentioned above the much promoted new Kodi add-on earlier this season that was supposed to provide streaming access to all NFL games during the season, and then simply stopped posting anything after the 5th week. All in all, a very unreliable, poor quality environment.

[Chicog]

The prices for NFL Gamepass vary, depending on how and when in the season you buy it. I believe I paid $70 for the full 12 month access cycle this past season, which is for next day access, not live game access.

As for the Super Bowl, it shouldn't really be hard for anyone to have found an online streaming source for that, since CBS itself was streaming the game for free without any authentication required (provided you had a U.S. IP address).

But in terms of access, it's all the OTHER games throughout the season where there isn't an officially free stream being provided that creates problems. In the "free" realm, I've had my share of attempts at P2P sites and streams where a particular game is supposed to be shown and isn't. Or the game/stream starts and then dies midway through the game. Or poor quality streams being sent along at very low resolution rates that only fill out a portion of a computer monitor screen.

And I mentioned above the much promoted new Kodi add-on earlier this season that was supposed to provide streaming access to all NFL games during the season, and then simply stopped posting anything after the 5th week. All in all, a very unreliable, poor quality environment.

I've been running Stalker since before they went private.

$105 a year and has every US channel I've heard of, including one called "NFL Channel" which is playing right now.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Chicog

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

All in all, a very unreliable, poor quality environment.

In those closing comment, I should have been more clear that I was referring to trying to rely on free sources on Kodi (or the web for that matter) to view NFL games throughout the season -- not the Kodi platform as a whole.

But more broadly, there's also some truth there. In my experience, Kodi is great if I want to find some movie or particular TV show that isn't provided by one of the paid streaming package that I subscribe to, like Amazon Prime or Hulu, Netflix, etc... Very easy to find and view in a variety of ways.

But as with the NFL example, live streaming of specific commercial broadcast channels on Kodi, particularly those originating in the U.S., is an entirely different matter. Try finding a reliable Kodi source for CNN U.S.'s broadcast (CNN International isn't so much of a problem for some reason), or the NFL Network for that matter. The links may be out there somewhere in the world of Kodi, but trying to find one that works is a real chore. And then if you do find one that works, how long it will continue to work is always a problem. What's here today is often gone tomorrow when it comes to live broadcast streaming access, again, especially for U.S. origin commercial broadcast channels where the network itself isn't already providing a free stream that doesn't require a cable TV account authentication.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I've been running Stalker since before they went private.

$105 a year and has every US channel I've heard of, including one called "NFL Channel" which is playing right now.

Yes, so in essence, you're effectively paying about the same price as it would cost for a regular U.S. cable TV subscription to gain access to those channels (and more, I presume) -- not quite the same thing as hunting for freebies on Kodi.

As for the NFL, though, having access to the major broadcast networks and the NFL Network doesn't give you access to anywhere near all of the NFL games played in any given week. Each involved network has a couple games, and different regions get different matches to show. But if you wanted to watch every game of a particular team/your favorite team during the season, AFAIK, I don't think that approach is going to get you there.

Similarly, the live broadcasts of most of those games on U.S.networks (Fox and CBS) occur in the middle of the night here, and they don't show replays of the games generally speaking (except for the NFL Network, which I believe does do replays of the few games it broadcasts each week. True's channels, on the other hand, do run normal hours replays of games, but only for the handful that they show each week. Again, hardly a comprehensive solution.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Basically, I got tired of hunting around fruitlessly on Kodi for what I wanted to watch from the U.S. in terms of live network broadcasts. So after originally taking a free trial and then letting it expire, I decided to go back and subscribe to the U.S.-offered SlingTV online service -- at least during the NFL's off-season period when my TV time isn't taken up mainly with NFL games.

SlingTV -- entirely online, for $20 U.S. per month you get the live, official streams (not pirated) of ESPN, ESPN 2, A&E, AMC, CNN, TNT, TBS, Bloomberg, Disney, Cartoon Network, Food Network, History 1 and 2, and a number of others. Basically, a basic cable TV package without the over the air networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, PBS, Fox). Does require a U.S. IP, but otherwise, just like Netflix, start or stop whenever you want. Watch on the PC, mobile app, Roku app, etc. No hardware/box to buy, rent or otherwise.

Between the annual NFL GamePass subscription, SlingTV and the on-demand TV show and movie offerings of Kodi, it's meeting my needs.

PS - I should have added, the USTVNow service has a similar online package aimed at U.S. expats that includes both the main U.S. OTA networks plus a basic cable channels package for $29 per month. But since USTVNow already provides low-res access to the OTA channels for its free accountholders, it would seem combining that with the SlingTV package is a better deal than just paying $29 a month for both.

PPS - Chicog, I'm not familiar with the package/service you mentioned, but you mentioned about you subscribing "before they went private." So I'm wondering, does that mean what you have is not something that a new user could sign up for now???

Edited February 8, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Chicog]

The complete channel list is too big to show here, but for $105 I get 800+ channels:

http://iptvtalk.org/showthread.php?12130-IPTV-Channel-List-as-of-January-1-2016

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Also, if you're doing what it seems to be, it sounds like purchasing an IPTV hardware box is required, and there seems to be some issues about the main Kodi add-on for this no longer functioning or being phased out...

If you're going to talk about such things here, you might be a bit more transparent about just what's involved in getting to, and keeping, the set-up you have.

Edited February 8, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK