Funky idea
 

I decided that I need a laptop, so I got one on eBay. It is a Toshiba Satellite 1800, and here are the specs.

- P3 1 GHz
- 256 MB RAM
- 20 GB Hard Drive
- 14.1" LCD Display
- DVD drive and floppy drive
- 56k modem and 10/100 NIC
- TV out
- 2 USB ports
- standard serial and parallel ports, etc.

I payed about 300 pounds for it. I also got a wireless Linksys card for it, the 54 Mbps variety. I have a Wireless Access Point at home and hope to then do some funky stuff with it. In addition, my university's campus is all hooked up so I can surf the web while listening to boring professors. Eh.

Now as to that funky stuff I want to do at home, here is the idea. Here is my desktop setup right now:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~johannj/personal/system.jpg


Now, using Windows Media Encoder I can capture and steam a high quality video and sound stream over the local area network. I want to then use Windows Media Player on my laptop to receive the stream and display it on the screen. Wirelessly. The ATI remote control and my satellite receiver's remote control are both RF based, so it will operate through walls and stuff. That means I can be upstairs or outside and stream TV over the network, wirelessly, and if I want to flip channels I just use the receiver's remote.

Funky eh?

I just got the most evilest of ideas. I can steam the TV onto the internet using a private address protected by a username and password, and then watch TV anywhere at school or wherever there is a Wi Fi hotspot. I just have to figure out how how to get the receiver to change the channels when I ask it to. Or I'll leave it on Playboy channel. Can you imagine sitting in class, bored by a professor ranting on about some things you just don't care about, and instead of taking notes start watching Playboy? What the people around you would do....

Damn.

i like it the idea just one problem how do you intend on accessing the schools network dont they moniter it ?

and wouldnt this require a big upload if your streaming media from your house ?

My upload speed is 640 kbps, so that is enough. And no, the school doesn't censor anything on its network. :)

You could stream to everyone and we could all watch?
Edit: Until we exceed our 1gb limit

Yea im up for that ;) free playboy.......im not gonna complain :D And is there a thing as the 1gig cap? ;) ive yet to see any evidence that NTL force this limit.

Btw Jerrek, does this all work? Have you tried sitting in class and watching it?
As for the remote thing, there are a few program out there that will change the channels via a built in webserver. Although, heres an idea, how about using something like PCAnywhere/Vnc etc?

Dom :)

Well, the problem is to change channels you need to change it on the receiver, not the computer. The cable TV's cable goes into the receiver, and from the receiver I get a cable that goes into the computer. The receiver broadcasts the satellite onto channel 3, and channels 2, 4, 5, ... etc., are cable channels. So if I change channels on the computer, which is quite possible, I'm changing the CABLE TV channels, not the satellite TV channel.

And yes, anyone can theoretically connect to it provided they know the address and password... lol.

I haven't yet tried it, but I don't see why it will not work. I've broadcasted TV over my fixed line LAN, and hopefully the wireless part will work just as dandy. Hehe.

Shame my school watches every website a student goes onto. i mean half the sites (games, monile etc) they filter.