# TV or not TV



## 88784 (May 9, 2005)

I have been following the recent thread on cheap flatscreen TVs, I have been planning how and where to install it in my van.
I have been trying to decide between a digibox, analog aerial or the full satellite package.
I have been enjoying myself.
Then I realised that we have been through 3, very happy, years. 
Away almost every weekend and holiday, with NO TV.
We have sat and read, and listened to music, and enjoyed the view(s) from the van windows, and MOST IMPORTANTLY we have TALKED!!!
I reckon that our M/H has been the making of our marriage. We know each other better than we have ever done before. I value the closeness the van has given us, and it would not have been so good with the distraction of a TV.
So - I ain't gettin' one - end of story.
I would welcome your thoughts on this.
Roger
(I understand that full-timers will have a very different take on this - you can have tooooo much of a good thing :wink


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## 89122 (May 14, 2005)

I fully agree with you. most of the programs are repeats of repeats etc.
There is not much worth watching anymore, I do have a TV in the motorhome but very rarely watch it.

Eddie.


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## Bazbro (May 9, 2005)

TALK???!!! 
To the WIFE??????
Are you completely MAD?!!! 8O

Can this be done? Has anyone ever done this (apart from you, Roger)? :lol:

I only seem to get a talking TO... :wink:

Barry
("Coming dear... Ouch, that HURT...")


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## arvy (May 9, 2005)

Could`nt agree more Rogerdodge, we have decided not to have a tv as well, just a radio some books, bottle of wine and some peace and quiet.

arvy.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Roger,

If that's what works for the two of you, who are we to say do otherwise? You make a perfectly reasonable argument.

For us, we prefer to have automatic satellite TV but watch specific programmes when we want to, courtesy of Sky+. At other times, we press the off-switch.

Dave


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## dusty (May 27, 2005)

Hi Rogerdodge,
I agree with all you say about being away in the motorhome. We find we have much more conversation than at home. But we're out of the UK for 2/3months at a time in the winter in Spain & Portugal and so I bought a cheapish satellite system from RoadPro mainly to keep up with the whats happening in the world, but we do spend a lot of time with it switched off.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We experimented with a portable TV and decided we would not watch it enough to make it worth its space.

We have since tried a laptop (which we wanted to take anyway) for DVDs and MP3 audiobooks -works a charm and, on cold wet, miserable evenings can fill a gap.

The latest acquisition is a USB plug in TV card for the lap top. We did not expect it to work but it gives excellent reception ( using either the campsite hook up or our own external antenna on the bike rack) and we are surprised how comfortable it is to watch. Not including antenna and laptop the whole thing takes up a space about the size of a paperback book. 

G


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## Bazbro (May 9, 2005)

This is exactly what I want to do, Grizzly. Which card did you choose?

Barry


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

It's the Haupaage WinTV USB 1.1 from PC World ( £49.99) Barry. We did try out the digital version but could not get any signal at all and reckoned this might be a problem at many other campsites. That version had a remote control but we have overcome this by using the wireless mouse on the computer ! Those in the know reckoned we would not get any better result from a USB 2.0 version -we only have 1.1 on the laptop but you can buy a gizmo to convert this. We were also advised that Haupaage is the best. We can also get Teletext on it.

If you have not watched anything on your laptop for any length of time it might be a good idea to put it up in the van and watch a DVD. This makes sure you all can see the screen from your preferred seat, you can all put up with the sound quality of your laptop speakers ( or can use external speakers) and there is not too much light interference with the screen.

We are delighted with it. It's in the van at the moment so hope the details I've sent are enough. There was not a lot of choice at our PC World.

G.


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## 88797 (May 9, 2005)

We bought chuggs to 'GET AWAY' so why take your living room with you?? Sit and chat about everything with a glass of wine and the supper bubbling away. I agree intirely that we talk more in chuggs than anywere else.

Its a relationship saver as far as Im concerened.

We bought a cheap 5" BW from Woolworths for £10.00 and its been in the spare bedroom after 2 goes and Ive taken the arial of Chuggs too.

A


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## 88741 (May 9, 2005)

Would not have TV if you paid me, good books, cd's, look out of the window and daydream, debate life and the universe with Jess, who could want for more


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## Bazbro (May 9, 2005)

Thanks for that info, Grizzly, and the advice too.

Our tiny TV won't go on forever, and after 38 years of marriage I sometimes run out of things to say to Sue...!

("Ouch, dear... stop DOING that...!")

Battered Barry :wink:


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

True enough Chuggs and HelenB. We don't have a TV at home because we have hobbies and jobs, books, CDs and - yes- talk, that keep us busy in the evenings. In the van is the only time we get to watch all the DVDs that people buy for us. We went down the TV- in -the- van path as a trial for retirement when we might have time to watch at home and also because we can't take our main hobbies with us. We enjoy talking while travelling too.

Do you like audiobooks ? I've a wonderful site for free/ very cheap ones, downloadable or MP3 by post but hesitate to put it here in case it is advertising ( not that I have anything to do with it other than being a happy customer since they started many years ago)

We've only had the TV for 2 weeks and don't seem to have missed much in the past years though.....

G


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

> Do you like audiobooks ? I've a wonderful site for free/ very cheap ones, downloadable or MP3 by post but hesitate to put it here in case it is advertising ( not that I have anything to do with it other than being a happy customer since they started many years ago)


Its absolutely fine to provide a link to a site you've had good service from grizzly so fire away with the link. It's when you're directly advertising or providing a link for your own gain that Nuke would expect you to pay for the privillege.

I'd wouldn't mind giving audiobooks a try, we often listen to the afternoon play on BBC, and this would be a natural extension to this.

Going back to rogerdodges original question, we do have a small 7.5 inch lcd tv in the van which runs fine from 12v, used only for keeping up with the daily news and, dare I say it, the occasional dose of 'Coro'! Otherwise its just the radio, CD's, reading or sitting chatting over a glass of wine (or 2, or 3).

pj


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

The site is:

www.audiobooksforfree.com

When they first started you could download each of their books at 32 kb/s ( clear and easy to listen to) for free. Now you can only download for free at 8 kb/s ( a bit "tinny"). 24 kb/s downloads -and we are talking the whole book here, unabridged- are £2 ( $4) and 32 kb/s are £2.50 ( $5).

If you prefer not to download them yourself then you can buy a disk online and that is sent by return for the same price. You can listen to them at each quality before you download to see if you like the reader and the sound quality.

All payments are secured by a Nat West payment scheme and the firm itself is in Aylesbury.

The books available are not to everyone's taste but we enjoy the Father Brown stories, Raffles, Wilkie Collins, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and....well , see for yourself. If you do not have the facilities to listen to MP3 files then put them onto your computer and spread them onto several disks and use an ordinary CD player.

We have dozens of books from them and I have never had a problem.

G


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## kazbill (May 10, 2005)

Hi Grizzly,

Thanks for the info on audiobooks. I always go to the library to rent mine, but never finish before its due back!  So I end up renting for another period,although it is only 3 pounds (my pound sign doesn't work on my keyboard!!) downloading a book from your site seems a much better idea. And I don't have to try and park in town - a double whammy    

Thanks

Karen


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## 94896 (May 1, 2005)

totally agree however i compromised. I purchased a Mustek DVD player. These were released in Feb. this year 8" wide screen with built in Free view box. Its ideal if there is a program you want to watch. Also you get all the digital radio stations inc the world service 

and its the size of a box of chocolates


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## lydgate (May 17, 2005)

Do you have model number for Mustek DVD player and where did you buy it from. 

It sounds interesting


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## 94896 (May 1, 2005)

its a DTV 408 Pro web site is http://www.mustek.de/eng_/html/produkte_dvd.htm

i got it from one of my vendors for 230


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## lydgate (May 17, 2005)

Thanks for the details


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