How to Setup Multiple TV's for TR and Zwift/Netflix

Equipment
1

We were flooded out of our house backin Sept. I was training using a dumb trainer and an Ipad with TR. I was doing 4-7 hour rides simply starring at a wall and the ipad.

Now, I will have my setup in a one car garage dedicated as a pain cave. I also have a Smart Trainer on order (Tacx Neo 2). I want TR to control the trainer and dont need a viewing area much bigger than an ipad screen.

But, I’d also like a TV for Swift and on some days Netflix. I wear glasses but not on the trainer (sweat), so I need at least a 42in screen to be able to see.

What equipment will I need to be able to run this setup in terms of computers, ANT, HDMI and TVs?

Thanks

2

For Zwift, you have a couple of options. Assuming you have no equipment able to run Z already:

  1. Cheapest is likely an Apple TV 4K.
  2. Many mobile devices (Apple and Android) can run Z, and then you can port them with a cable to a TV.
  3. A dedicated PC or Mac can run Z and port to TV via HDMI cable.

You can run TR to control the trainer from

  1. most mobile devices,
  2. paired from the PC/Mac if you got that route above. Needs at least one ANT+ USB stick coupled with BLE from the PC/Mac, or two ANT+ devices. Essentially, each application needs a comm device.

Edit to add resources for mixing these apps:

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3

I got a refurbished small form factor windows 10 PC, and it is set up to drive dual monitors - a normal sized one for TR, and a 40ish inch TV for videos. PCs like this can be found pretty cheaply ($200ish USD) on ebay/amazon, most of them coming off of business leases. Ant+ and bluetooth dongles give me all the connectivity I need. This works great for me, and makes it easy to watch pretty much anything while riding. I have done a little zwift on this, and the graphics are OK, but a good video card would likely improve the graphics a fair bit - for me it’s not worth the cost. If you want to upgrade the video card, make sure this is possible as some SFF computers may not have the room/slot/power to support a high end video card.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. There are a wide variety of models and configurations in this price range, and many come with SSDs standard.

2 Likes
4

I find it easier to run netflix and any other media on the ipad. With ear buds connecting simply, the screen doesn’t really need to be that large and you don’t have to worry about windows. Trainer road and Zwift work well for me on the PC because I can put TR in compact mode and edit my zwift.prefs file to open zwift in a smaller window to display both at the same time with zero fuss.

If you run zwift and netflix on the same pc, you may have sound considerations since zwift has it’s own music and sound effects. With zwift and TR together you can just mute the entire TV in favor of your Ipad. You also only really need one TV for this set up, but you could have dual monitors if you need a dedicated TR screen.

5

I wear glasses and cannot see much without them. I cant wear them on the trainer. Even with a Halo headband, sweat and fog get on them. If I want to see the Swift or Netflix, I will have to have a larger TV.