Need an idiot's guide to Bittorrent

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  1. #1

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    Audio is a doddle. By a cable - it will have a headphone jack on one end (ie identical to what you would see on the end of a pair of headphones) and the other end will be two connectors, a white one and a red one (explained above). You can easily pick up a cable of 10 meters for around $30 in one of the computer stores. Longer or shorter if you need it.

    The headphone socket end of the cable goes into the headphone socket on your PC (note, this will stop your PC speakers working as it is the same as plugging in headphones). The red and white ends plug into your TV, or, for better sound, your home cinema system.

    Don't forget, when you plug these cables into your TV and / or home cinema, you will need to change the Input setting on your TV to be able to watch the signal. There will be a button on the tv and / or remote which allows you to cycle through the TV inputs (ie AV1, AV2, S-video, RF etc).

    If you do have an s-video output on your PC you might need to change your PC settings to get it to output the correct signal (ie clone) to that port.

    Ask here and I am sure you will be directed in the right direction. Once it is all set up it is easy.

    Secondly, you might find, as I did, that you have multiple bits and pieces (ie Now TV, Playstation or Xbox, PC etc) trying to plug into the same places on your TV or Home Cinema. You can solve this by buying a switch box - all the cables plug into it and you select to watch the TV, the Playstation, the Xbox, the DVD, Now TV or whatever. They cost next to nothing, say $50, to support 4 items.

    You have to manually select what you want to watch. I have been looking out for switch boxes that use a remote control but haven't come across them yet. Does anyone know if you can buy them?


  2. #2

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    Many ways to do it.

    I'm using TVix, bought at Wanchai Computer Centre. It's a multimedia unit with a hard drive that connects to your PC's USB port. It has S video and RCA audio/video outputs so it connects to a TV the same way a DVD player or VCR player would connect. Using it is simple. Save a bit torrent file to the TVix, turn your TV on and watch. If you know how to save a file on a computer and can operate a VCR, you can operate TVix.

    Yes, you can also use a dvix dvd player. You have to burn the torrents to dvd or cd.

    If your computer/laptop has S video out or a TV card with RCA jacks, you plug the cable into the TV, select the correct input on the TV, and watch. You may have to do a bit of configuration on your computer.

    I use all three and find TVix the easiest. Another advantage with TVix is that it is quite small, so it is easy to bring it anywhere you want.


  3. #3

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    Need an idiot's guide to Bittorrent

    Guys, I need to watch American TV shows - CSI, Grays Anatomy, Scrub, Numbers etc etc. Now TV has starworld and AXN, but they are usually running way behind. So, as per some of your suggestions - I am ready to embrace the torrent.

    Have done some research on Bittorrent FAQ. Now for hardware:

    1) How does a file on your computer reach the TV? I don't want to watch the programs on a 19 inch monitor. ?I was in Broadway and they suggested a DVD player using Divvx... ? Can somebody please clarify..

    2)Do you need to write TV shows onto a DVD to watch them. Is there a less cumbersome way?

    3) Would you recommend using a separate external hard drive? Any suggestions on brand, specs?

    4) Finally how do I get the older episodes? I have been to some sites where they show the most recent shows listed. Is there a way to search for older episodes so that I can catchup with what I have missed?


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by tmk:
    Many ways to do it.

    I'm using TVix, bought at Wanchai Computer Centre. It's a multimedia unit with a hard drive that connects to your PC's USB port. It has S video and RCA audio/video outputs so it connects to a TV the same way a DVD player or VCR player would connect.

    I use all three and find TVix the easiest. Another advantage with TVix is that it is quite small, so it is easy to bring it anywhere you want.

    Cool.. I have now downloaded a few episodes using bt-chat and eztv (thanks KIA) using utorrent. I downloaded a DIVX player and can watch the show on the PC... Thats progress. Can I automate this process through RSS or something similar?

    I don't want to take a cord from computer to TV (in different rooms) so, I will explore the TVix. Infact, this may be exactly what I am looking for.

    Is there any specs that I should look for?

    Can I directly download to this TVix player ? I am afraid that this heavy downloading and uploading will kill the computer's hard drive..

    If you recommend another external hard drive, which one would it be?

    Suddenly, I feel that I am getting somewhere

    Thanks guys..

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Jawni Hingh:

    <Much snipped>

    And if you're more daring, there are devices now that can wirelessly connect your PC to your TV:
    http://www.netgear.com/Products/Ente...rs/EVA700.aspx

    Yeah, but this equipment is probably only available in 100/120 Volt *&* co$t$ an arm and a leg in the U$A.

    My non-functional video link units only co$t me HK$145 for a pair.

  6. #6

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    Post RCA Jacks

    The most straight-forward way to get video from your computer to your TV is to use the TV's RCA jacks. Check to see if your TV has them by looking for three round connectors. The yellow one is video. The red one is the right channel for sound. The white one is the left channel for sound.

    If your TV has the RCA jacks, check to see if your computer has a video output. Look at your video card, where your monitor connects, and check to see if there is a single RCA connector. If it does you just connect the video card to the yellow connector and get an adapter to connect the audio. If it does not have the RCA connector you could buy a video card that does have it.

    This method is more work upfront, but does not require you to convert or write DVD/VCD's before you can watch videos. A video card would be cheaper than a new DVD player.

    Some of the broadcast networks are offering entire tv shows via the internet for free. Check out

    http://abc.com/
    http://video.aol.com/

    I'm pretty confident that other networks will quickly follow suit.


  7. #7

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    I guess this is less of a question about BitTorrent than it is about hooking your computer up to your TV but FlamingToad's suggestions are pretty good. Many newer computers and laptops also have an S-Video jack so hooking up to the TV is a snap if you just buy an S-Video cable (though the audio would have to be hooked up separately); the quality through this setup is also better than standard A/V cables.

    As mentioned, networks are offering up episodes for free on their sites (go to NBC.com to watch the great new show Heroes!); alternatively, you can always purchase episodes through Apple's iTunes Store for a relatively small fee. It's more likely they will have entire seasons' worth of episodes there, if you can't find older ones on your BT sites.

    And if you're more daring, there are devices now that can wirelessly connect your PC to your TV:
    http://www.netgear.com/Products/Ente...rs/EVA700.aspx


  8. #8

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    Why has my reply become the first post on this thread? Am I losing my marbles?


  9. #9

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    There was a problem with the forum's time keeping - was fun for a while.


  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by HKNewBi:
    Why has my reply become the first post on this thread? Am I losing my marbles?
    No, the server lost its in the night, going by KIA's explanation on a thread about times being wrong.

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