PC to DVD and TV with music, what do I need to sort it out ?

[torrenova]

Looking for some help from those in the know here guys !

 

I have a bar which has TVs and DVD and music etc. Now the DVD player has packed up and conventional wisdom would dictate that I replace it. However, we have a friend who gives us German sports shows on DVD each week, which he gets from the internet via subscription.

 

Extrapolate this idea and what Iâ??m getting at is whether we can get a half decent PC, which when connected to ADSL, can download this channel and loads more which we could play direct to the TV. We could also use regular pre recorded DVDs in the PC. We could also presumably get movies and the like downloaded and burned to DVD etc.

 

So how do we do it ? I can go and buy a PC but will it play to TV etc. Does it need a special â??TV outâ? type chip etc. ? this is where I hope you guys can help.

 

Of course we can just replace the DVD player but I would rather we went for something which could do much, much more as long as the price is not too high.

 

So if anyone knows anything about this or what I think I have described, can you please help. Beers in appreciation as always.

 

PS, what about getting the stuff off the net and burning it â?? bit of a dummy me !

[..]

http://www.thai360.com/fbb/showtopic.php?tid/518772

 

Cheers,

SD

[Straycat]

I have lots of computers at home all connected thru Wifi and some by cable, a media streamer (as described by SuaDam), external storage drives and even a computer connected directly to one of the TV:s. It's all swell and is good to impress your friends....but do you know what I use the most?

 

A regular $ 70 DVD player from Philips that can play DivX/Xvid either thru discs or by a connected USB thumb drive. I download the video files I want to see and put them on a USB drive. It keeps it simple and hassle-free but, of course, requires that you already have a computer...

 

Home Media Nirvana: Mac mini, iPod Video, or a $70 Philips DVD Player?

 

ZDNet Review: Philips DVP5960

 

[HeartThais]

I don't think there is much advantage to using a PC. If the video quality is any good, most likely it isn't being streamed. Rather, it's being downloaded and then burned to DVD.

 

You could use a media center as recommended. The media center is basically a multi-purpose player that uses your PC like a harddrive. The thing is that you are limited to the formats that can be played by the media center.

 

Or you could just hook up your PC directly to a HD TV. If it is an old tv (which I don't recommend for picture quality), you need to get a video-card with tv-out connected via coax. If it is a newer tv, you can use s-video out or perhaps even better technology like HDMI. You just have to make sure the video card supports it.

 

For audio, your requirements depend on whether you are using analog audio or digital. If you have a digital setup, you'll need an audio card with digital out.

 

All in all, much cheaper and much less hassle to just buy another DVD player, in my opinion.

 

P.S. I connect my PC to my tv via s-video and to my a/v receiver using a digital optical cable so that I can watch internet porn on my 60 inch set. The digital cable for audio is unnecessary as I've yet to listen to any audio that requires it.