Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10536130)

I bought for a few quid an excellent mouse from Amazon. £10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TeckNet-M002.../dp/B001DHECXA

This operates the PC from MANY metres away.... e.g from the armchair across the room - wireless. With the PC connected to the TV, who needs a smart TV, this is much better, with a fully featured PC - and for a tenner you have it!!! Just connect the PC to the Telly.

Jon

Originally Posted by cleverdic (Post 10541945)

Oooo the techy in me wants one of those, even if I don't need it. :D

Out of interest, if I go down the Internet TV route, I am thinking of using a Google Nexus 10 tablet for 2 key reasons.

1. The Nexus 10 has an HDMI port so I can connect the tablet directly to the TV (I have tested my current PC and I can connect a little crudely using the VGA port but I cannot get sound from the PC into the TV)
2. It is considerably easier to manage whilst travelling. Today, we are lugging a laptop weighing in total around 3KG backwards and forwards. The tablet with charger weighs just 650 grams.

The tablet can do everything we want in Spain. It may not be the best choice if you are a permanent resident. In that case if it was me, I would have both.

To prepare for this, I've actually bought a Nexus 10 for my wife. I've already got an Ipad 2 which I still love and use daily. The new tablet though has a better screen, is around £80 cheaper than the equivalent Ipad4 and is more configurable including multiple user profiles. It is potentially a very good tablet but right now, the current Android version is a little buggy and so it freezes every so often. A promised new version of the operating system is supposed to fix this.

Sorry if I am going off topic a little. Just thought you may be interested in my havering.

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10542225)

If I got a tablet it would certainly have HDMI, many do. n

Originally Posted by Fred James (Post 10542312)

If you had an iPad you have the ability to stream directly from that iPad to the TV via an Apple TV box.

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10542376)

Hi Fred I havent bought a tablet yet, but for simplicity a major requirement is the HDMI output so that I can plug it straight in to my TV (any TV with HDMI)... so I am not tied into Apple. And I can use it with eg friends TV's anywhere (with HDMI) Ive seen quite a few tablets with HDMI, sometimes a 'mini' needing an adaptor...

Jon

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10542225)

I also dont know if my TMN dongle would work with a tablet for internet connectivity. I doubt it. I think the new Microsoft tablets would get around all this, but am waiting for them to get established in the market and critically reviewed. It would be great for me to have office on board as well.

Anyway Im way off topic too.....

Thanks
Jon

Originally Posted by cleverdic (Post 10542416)

Jon, to get round the dongle problem, I use a mifi device in Spain right now similar to this

http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/4...7Cprd:16101462

It is basically a wireless router that allows you to insert a SIM card into it. Mine was originally from three in the UK and I had to unlock it to get the Spanish Orange SIM to work. It is over 3 years old now and I guess you can get more modern versions these days. I keep mine plugged into the electric socket permanently although it also has a battery and it works a treat.

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10542510)

Hi CD...
This sounds really interesting. Use the dongle with a wifi device.

The only thing is that I use my dongle very carefully, e.g for email I download and disable. I do all my emails off line and when I am ready to send I enable and send and then disable. I am paying for time online - so minimise that

If I am writing something I do it in notepad and then log in/upload/log out.

This is easy with the dongle directly connected to the PC USB slot, as once I have put in my password, (one time only) its one click to switch on/off i.e enable/disable.

Will I be able to do this, i.e 'multi on/off' please, and easily once the dongle is plugged into this other wifi device? (I.e not directly connected) Plugging the dongle in and out physically would be a drag waiting for the software to load and putting in a password each time....

Thanks
Jon

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10530377)

If there a way to implement the increased footprint at a charge - I think a lot of Expats would pay for it, but I don't know how it could be implemented. Without some piracy.

I'd pay eg a tenner a month immediately if I knew I could continue with the Freesat service and continue to use my Humax box. I'd pay monthly even for the times I am not there.

I bet a lot of expates all over the place would as well - and there might be a financial argument if there is a way to control it simply and the footprint can actually be broadened easily as you say.

But just dreaming - wont happen!

Interesting: I didn't know that SKY have a solution. Do you know if this 1) includes all the Freesat stations and 2) what it costs and 3) if one can use the Humax box (it has a card reader)??? Please.

Even if not Humax - will Sky register with someone living abroad? For some reason I thought you had to have a UK address and UK phone line (but Ive been away from the UK for a LONG time)

I might even get a Sky box in that case and say goodbye to Humax....

Dare I start to get excited??? :huh:

Thanks
Jon

Originally Posted by Domino (Post 10530344)

to ensure that they don't end up with the situation Sky had with a woman in London taking football for free from Greece.

Originally Posted by Domino (Post 10530344)

Sky is different as they have different packages for different countries/regions

Originally Posted by The Guy (Post 10542583)

Dont confuse Sky Pay channels with Freesat channels.
Dont confuse the Sky "channel portal / sky guide" that carries free to air channels as another option if "freesat" signals disappear.
Although Sky carry "free to air channels" - they are not inlcuinded in any sky subscription, so it will make no difference if you pay or not, you will still lose the signal that carries theose free channels.

Freesat will only ever be a free non subscription service - it is there to ensure that areas of the UK wihtout Freeview coverage are able to receive digial Tv.


Yes the channels could move on to a more expat freindly beam / footprint - but that is not the issue.
Sky UK, bbc and all the other uk broadcasters only have contractual rights for the UK and UK only.
IF ANY of these wanted to offically transmit into any other country then they would have to PAY the programme makers for the right to do so, which may harm the programme sales and revenue in other countries.

And most programmes are available for broadcasters in other countries to buy anyway - on spanish tv i have seen top gear, merlin, dr who, downton, and many more... its simply a case of can the broadcasters in spain get revenue for this programme.

And will it be commercially viable for a channel to pay for those extra Euro rights for ALL its programmes, having to weigh it up against the extra in subscriptions...thats what the channels have to make a desicion about. And as they are UK broadcasters, with UK advertisers, thats is their main focus.

Some channels do offer an expat service- BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Childrens, BBC HD, BBC Global Iplayer are all offered by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. Subscribe and you get a limited programme choice.


a) was nothing to do with sky
b she was not getting it for free - she was using a greek NOVA domestic subscription
c) many other satellite that carry uk fopotball are easily available in the UK on small dishes - you just need to subscribe to the right service - canal+ in spain have a large number of games...and is available on a small dish in the uk.



Sky UK is different to Sky Italia and Sky Germany.
Although they most carry the same channels they are tailored for that country.
It is not a reason to say that this is why Sky use a "european beam". The reason why they do this is a) their channels are encrypted and "supposeably" only availbale to uk address holders, and b) the transponders are cheaper than the higher priced UK only beams.

No-one will lose ALL signals.
IN some cases people may simply have to upgrade to a larger dish - heck here we have had 2.4m dishes for the last 10 years, and in greece and cyprus they have had 4m dishes for UK TV!
And many channels will always be available as they will be on the "european beam" which is easy to receive, and some are on a satellite that is not even owned by Astra and not part of the change over (although this is under dispite at the moment!)


Anyway, if you lack a signal, and dont want to sub to a "live tv" service, then consider other option away from watching live TV. P2P torrents - simply download and watch only the programmes you want so - many are available within minutes of finishing on tv - top gear can be downloaded and watched within minutes of it finishing on bbc2! so you dont have to watch or pay for all chanensl to be live, when you can simply be more "picky" with what you actually want to watch.

Originally Posted by MikeJ (Post 10542526)

Hi Jon
Did I forget to send you the pm I promised about the MiFi router set up?

Originally Posted by Jon-Bxl (Post 10542622)

Hi The Guy

Im not mixing up the Sky and Freesat... however someone mentioned earlier that SKY have packages that via a satellite will give services to expats after the satellite footprints change and cut us off.

I doubt that this is the case and the only way I can see is a way to watch TV after, is via the internet (and hence all the following posts/discussions regarding watching the TV on the internet afterwards).

If there is a package, paid for, via satellite with SKY, for us expats in the future, once the footprint changes, I would like to understand the costs.... and whether I can use my Freesat box as well as well as other details. (I.e No Internet-TV post footprint change). I doubt that this will be the case, but get excited when anyone mentions it!! I think the only way we will get TV is via the internet

Thanks for all the great info

Jon

Jon

Originally Posted by MikeJ (Post 10542656)

Just had the agenda for the Marina Esuri Intercommunity meeting in March - it has the following item:

The cost to equip the area with a community wireless network access (WIFI)ranges from6,658.25€ - 34,603.77€. The lowest bid, would provide wireless coverage to all Intercommunity and pool areas of the respective blocks, however, does not guarantee coverage inside homes,which is guaranteed with the deal more expensive

I would have thought that this is very good value if spread across the whole intercommunity - even the more expensive! If they went for the cheaper (outside only) one could put an extension aerial or extender on the terrace/balcony.
I would vote for it (if I could get there)