How to stream multiple DVDs to multiple tablets in motorhome

rwbradley wrote:
Not to drop brand names or anything, but here is a really cheap, easy and versatile solution and there really is nothing like it:
http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-FileHub-Wireless-External-File-Server/dp/B00AQUMZRA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1424476623&sr=8-7&keywords=ravpower
Get one of these, it is a portable battery powered WIFI hotspot that allows you to plug in a SD card or a portable USB hard drive ie a 1GB WD Passport. Rip a boat load of movies and put them on the USB Hard drive, plug it into the RavPower, and the kids can all connect to it via its Android or Apple App and watch whatever they want (you can even browse it via Windows). It is easy to setup and I have done some informal performance tests running 6 simultaneous HD movie streams and it does not even break a sweat. It will run on battery for 2-3 hours, but you can plug it into the cigarette lighter via a standard micro USB cable and let it run forever. The Ravpower and a portable USB Hard drive are both not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes each.

pretty kewl, i may pick one of these up, seems cheaper then my plex option, will it run a usb powered HD?

Not to drop brand names or anything, but here is a really cheap, easy and versatile solution and there really is nothing like it:
http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-FileHub-Wireless-External-File-Server/dp/B00AQUMZRA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1424476623&sr=8-7&keywords=ravpower
Get one of these, it is a portable battery powered WIFI hotspot that allows you to plug in a SD card or a portable USB hard drive ie a 1GB WD Passport. Rip a boat load of movies and put them on the USB Hard drive, plug it into the RavPower, and the kids can all connect to it via its Android or Apple App and watch whatever they want (you can even browse it via Windows). It is easy to setup and I have done some informal performance tests running 6 simultaneous HD movie streams and it does not even break a sweat. It will run on battery for 2-3 hours, but you can plug it into the cigarette lighter via a standard micro USB cable and let it run forever. The Ravpower and a portable USB Hard drive are both not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes each.

RedJeep wrote:

kccwoodworks wrote:
Give the kids a book to read.

Seriously? Did you not read that this is a thousand mile trip? No other adults in the motorhome. Perhaps I give them Crime and Punishment? I am certain you have no children.

Umm.. kccwoodworks has an extremely GOOD idea.

Todays kids (along with entirely too many "adults") are ADDICTED to electronic glowing screens.. Giving them the option to bury their noses in a glowing screen for 1000 miles is actually punishment for them.. They NEED to be WEENED off those devices and find better ways to be entertained..

My family have made LOTS of 1000 plus mile trips over the years and we do not totally depend on electronic entertainment to kid the kids happy..

We started with a portable DVD player with a 4" screen attached to the head rest of the front seat.. WE adults controlled the player and how long the player was to be used.. Often limited it to one movie or a couple of half hr short programs we prerecorded PER DAY of travel.

Non electronic games, coloring books, sketch pads, word puzzles and music fills in the rest of the trip for the day.. Not to mention some rather nice scenic views..

Now days we have a couple of DVD players which have USB ports which allows the kid to watch a movie or listen to music and such from a USB drive..

If you must, pick a FEW movies, rip them to a few SD cards (assuming your tablets have SD card readers) or to a few USB drives.. They can swap the USB drives or SD cards to watch different movies.. No wifi or server needed.

Do the kids a favor.. downplay the electronic gadgets.. it tears me up to see so many kids (and adults) so devoted to staring at their screens all day long.. Drives me nuts with coworkers (which are not supposed to have their phones on at work) that just can't put them down and work..

GordonThree wrote:
easy way:
get four stand alone lcd screen dvd players from ebay, they're what, $30-40 each? stop at a redbox every few days and refresh the "dvd library". handy thing about redbox, you can return movies to any redbox.

hard way:
rip a bunch of DVD's to an SSD, transcode them to webm (easy under linux).
hook the ssd to your laptop running some sort of web server, point web server at the ssd full of rips.
install VLC player on the tablets.
point tablet browsers at the webserver, kids click and stream.

why in the world would you use SSD? most expensive storage there is, for some of the slowest performance needed. a single 1tb sata would be perfect for about 1/3 of the price

easy way:
get four stand alone lcd screen dvd players from ebay, they're what, $30-40 each? stop at a redbox every few days and refresh the "dvd library". handy thing about redbox, you can return movies to any redbox.

hard way:
rip a bunch of DVD's to an SSD, transcode them to webm (easy under linux).
hook the ssd to your laptop running some sort of web server, point web server at the ssd full of rips.
install VLC player on the tablets.
point tablet browsers at the webserver, kids click and stream.

kccwoodworks wrote:
Give the kids a book to read.

Seriously? Did you not read that this is a thousand mile trip? No other adults in the motorhome. Perhaps I give them Crime and Punishment? I am certain you have no children.

1 is easiest, plex would work great, but the apps may cost you a couple bucks per tablet, run plex server off the laptop

Give the kids a book to read.