DVD Movie Swaps

[G_and_D]

We are getting ready to leave NH in 3 weeks for our first extended 12 mo "camping trip". Were going south the St Augustine FL and then west to the west!

We already cut the cable cord 2 yrs ago and have had more than enough good stuff on netflix streaming and DVD but I am wondering about streaming on the road. I dont want to pay for direct tv etc just to watch 2 or 3 channels.Most of the stuff available is mindless junk!

The wifi in campgrounds is spotty at best and I doubt it will handle streaming.Is there a solution to this such as a wifi signal amplifier?

I do have a TV antenna on the roof but have not tried it for network show reception.

My questions are what experiences have you had with TV on the road and do people readily trade/swap DVDs with each other while on the road?

Thanks for the input!

[G_and_D]

Thanks for all the great info. I am excited to try my antenna for regular TV. I havent watched network TV in years!!!

Crasster thanks for the router tip. I was a sailor and had info on a wifi booster called The Boss but couldnt find it. This sounds like a good substitute solution.

Thank you all and please keep the education coming.

[G_and_D]

Thanks for all the great info. I am excited to try my antenna for regular TV. I havent watched network TV in years!!!

Crasster thanks for the router tip. I was a sailor and had info on a wifi booster called The Boss but couldnt find it. This sounds like a good substitute solution.

Thank you all and please keep the education coming.

[crasster]

One good way is to get a high powered wifi router. Something like a buffalo router and flash the firmware with dd-wrt. This will allow the router to become a wireless client to the cg's wifi. Then you can plug in your laptop's ether into the router and use the router's high powered wifi capabilities. Often the router will have a removable antenna, which will allow you to put a super high powered antenna on it. You can get a 15 dbi antenna put it on a pole or in your coach and get streaming wifi better. Still you will be stuck with "THEIR" speed limits, but the signal will be better.

Also get something with a higher Netflix cache... Up the cache settings high and start the movie early and hit pause. Wait for the cache to build up real big then it should be no problem.

[tatest]

Whether or not broadcast TV works for you will depend on where you are. Densely populated areas (which might include all of Florida) there is always TV. Big areas of the West, outside metro areas is nobody's market area, if you must have TV it is satellite.

I live outside broadcast market areas, it is cable or satellite.

[doxiemom11]

We have only used over the air tv for almost 3 years except a few parks that had cable included in their rate. We on average get 8-10 channels with no problem and have had as many as 17. We still have the older tv's with the digital converter box.

[1donald]

Check out "Belkin @ TV. Really does work fine. Order for a nominal amount, receive a small TV Box that plugs into your cable box at home, download the software to your computer, imput some parameters as to what kind of cable, TV etc & you can can watch all your home TV channels either on your computer or plug into your HDMI in your motorhome thru your computer & watch on your TV. I'm an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan & I did not miss a single game while we were on the road in September. Any channel on your TV is accessible & it works great.

We have Verizon's Hot Spot (Grandfathered) cost us $30.00 per month so we have our own Wifi in most cases.

Do a search for Belkin@tv & you'll save big bucks as opposed to doing satellite tv. No monthly charges, just keep your TV subscription paid at home.

Don & Jean
2013 LTV Unity TB

[Handbasket]

The large used bookstore (Mr. K's) here has a wide selection of used DVD's for reasonable prices, and offers trade credit for both books and DVD's, as well as thousands of books. I think they also carry some books on CD's. There's also a used CD & DVD shop on the other side of town. Check the local Yellow Pages (real tree or online) for wherever you are or plan to go or pass thru.

Jim, "If at first you do succeed, try not to look too astonished."

[obgraham]

I have a bunch of DVD's converted to computer files for use on airplane trips with my tablet computer. In fact we have so many that we just crank up one of those if we are in a campground that has no cable or over-the-air stations.

Like all the original Mission Impossibles -- a never ending source of mirth!

[ronfisherman]

Moved from Class C.

[AprilWhine]

If you have a way to play a movie file on your TV, you should consider downloading movies. Here's a site that offers public domain movies free to download: Free Movies

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Some pawn shops take DVDs and sell DVDs for decent prices.

Personally I like Redbox. It's nationwide with 34,000+ locations. And I don't have to return the DVD to the specific machine where I rented it.

I have not yet seen a RV park with WiFi whose rules do not prohibit streaming video/ TV / movies. Though I've also not found a RV park non-pay WiFi that can support streaming.

[tonyandkaren]

Flea markets and thrift stores are a good places to look too. We have some traveling RV friends whom we meet on the road several times a year and we always trade our DVDs so checking with other RVers in campgrounds is a good idea.

Our antenna works great for picking up broadcast TV channels.

[the_bear_II]

You can get WiFi amplifier antennas to help improve the signal. For example at one RV Resort we went from a 2 bar signal to a 5 bar signal using a USB connected WiFi antenna I got at Best Buy for $49.00. It also picked up a couple of additional WiFi sources that were outside of the campground.

Another option is to load movies onto an external hard drive while you are at a location with good WiFi service to watch at a later date. You'll need to get a software that provides the ability to transfer or convert from DVD or Streaming source to the external hard drive.

[PapPappy]

I agree that Redbox is a great option.
Another option would be local Libraries. Depending on how long you plan to stay in any one area, you may be able to get a temporary card, to let you borrow movies, books, etc.
I have an "AirCard" with Sprint, which I can use for my computer when on the road. I like the idea that it's MINE, and I'm not sharing with who knows how many other campers with a Wi-Fi connection....so I can get movies or TV shows on the computer. Cost is about $50/month...I've had mine for years, so it still has "unlimited" data plan. Not sure about now days?

Have a great trip!