HELP - need advice on movie time @ camp

[Fat Boy]

Here is the situation. Have a remote camp and our past time at night is watching movies. The problem is that the VHS tapes (yes still using them) and the DVDs are getting damaged. Is there a product on the market that i can use to record movies (a few hundred) and play them directly on my tv or am I forced to get an external harddrive and run them through a laptop or pc? Getting close to time to replace the tv at camp and will do so with a flat screen with the USB in the rear. Any thoughts or suggestions - the kids would be forever grateful. They are getting tired of the same 100 0r so movies over and over again.

[Anapeg]

Thumb drive and a laptop and it is pastime not past time. I tought you how to talk gooder English. Dave has hundreds of movies at his finger tips on a single thumb drive. We all have laptops. Snaffle one and take it up then just forget it there. Done deal.

A pastime (Note the spelling with one s.) is a hobby, or, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it, “a diversion or recreation which serves to pass the time agreeably; an activity done for pleasure rather than work; a hobby; a sport, a game. Also: a practice commonly indulged in.”

To pass time means to spend time doing something.

Past time means, essentially, you should have done something before now.

To remember the difference, think of these sentences:

You pass time with your pastime.
It is past time for you to do your pastime.

Here are more examples:

The nerd’s pastime is reading comic books.
The nerd passes time reading comic books.
It is past time that the nerd reads his comic books.

The jock passed time beating up nerds.
Beating up nerds was the jock’s pastime.
It is past time that the jock stops beating up nerds.

[Hans]

wdtvlife and an external drive.

[Anapeg]

Thanks Hans. That is great!

[Hans]

wdtvlife is the best invention ever. I have 2 of them, old and new version, and they are awesome.

[Anapeg]

90 bucks is worth it if I am reading it properly. Receiver/player or what ever it is and remote, complete. I have to wait for Fat Boy to get his butt here and do some intelligent checking 'cause I have nary a clue. The reviews are great.

[Hans]

I can be used stand alone to play anything from a USB attached device, or it can be connected to a network to play anything from a network connected location or USB attached device.
It also has netflix and all other major streaming services.
You can watch youtube with it on your TV. If you have a Google account you can log into it and use it's features.
It also play any audio or picture file and supports passing thru all mainstream audio multi stream formats like AC3, DD, DTS, DTS-MA, Dolby TrueHD.

I have never had a file it would not play.
You can even play ISO images directly from the ISO file, including DVD/BD menu's.

You don't even need to use the included remote as there is a free phone app that allows you to control everything from your phone and use your phone to type in searches for Youtube.
There's also a phone app to put anything that is on your phone screen directly on the TV, so you can play all your phone content on your TV. Very similar to Apple airplay.

[Anapeg]

Ah, then you require some sort of access to the internet? We don't even have power out there we have a generator. We are way north and all alone in the bush, total isolation.

[Hans]

No internet required if you have all your movies and stuff on a USB hard drive.

[Anapeg]

That is good to hear, USB it is.

[Guess Who?]

I have one of the WD devices, it's great. It won't play any FLV files though, and I can't seem to convert them to a readable file format.

[Hans]

You need super: http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

[Anapeg]

I have tried downloading and it wants to dump a lot of crap in as well. I got frustrated and quit.

[Hans]

Downloading what?

[Anapeg]

What you have on the post 12.