How to stream videos from computer to TV in living room?

[Steve A.]

Rather than have to burn everything to DVD to watch on my TV in the living room I was wondering how to stream videos from my local drives. I want to be able to control them- if nothing else just pausing and restarting them. Actually I would want to be able to select which ones to play.

What I am thinking is having an actual computer in the living room networked to the hard drives in my back room, with a video card that will output to HDMI and a wireless keyboard and mouse (possibly a keyboard with an integrated mouse, possibly one of those handheld mice for slide shows).

Questions: is there an easier way to do this? And will a wireless network connection be sufficient for streaming compressed videos (typically AVI with a 1/2 show being about 200mb)?

Steve Ahola

P.S. I guess this would be like the Media Center that Microsoft was pushing back in the Naughty Oughties (2000-2009).

[R.G.]

I went through this. Google "network media tank" and "nettop".

There are devices which look like a network attached hard disk to the network, and an audio/video server to the TV. Don't build it yourself, it will take forever to solve the integration and software issues.

[Steve A.]

I went through this. Google "network media tank" and "nettop".

There are devices which look like a network attached hard disk to the network, and an audio/video server to the TV. Don't build it yourself, it will take forever to solve the integration and software issues.

I guess I must ask "what integration and software issues"? There would be a computer in the living room connected to an HD TV instead of a monitor. If the wireless network is not fast enough I could copy the AVI files to the computer in the living room before watching them. I mainly want to do this so that I could watch the AVI files while on my treadmill, rather than have to first burn them to a DVD.

Thanks! I will Google those terms.

Steve

[Steve Conner]

This always worked well for me streaming over a regular Windows network. I tried it with a regular Windows box as the server, and also a cheap Linux one, in both cases using SMB. Your TV-connected-PC can just mount the network share that has the movies on it, and use VLC or whatever to play them.

Newer plasma and LCD TVs support DLNA, the "Digital Living Network Alliance" standard, so may well have an Ethernet jack or even Wi-fi, and the ability to mount your network share and play the movie files themselves. But they will probably have a limited range of codecs onboard and no way to install more. And according to Murphy's Law, your huge collection of pirate movies will be in a format for which the TV has no codec. VLC has almost every codec known to man compiled in, and will make an effort at playing anything.

Apple have a nice solution for this. If you own several Macs or other gadgets such as an Apple TV, they can share your ITunes media over the network. But of course it only works with codecs supported by Itunes, the idea being to make you renounce your evil file-sharing ways and simply buy stuff from the ITunes store.

The Windows network and VLC thing still works on the Mac, though. Except it doesn't work with an Apple TV, which is basically an Ipod in a different shaped box.

[kg]

hey steve, long time no see.

easiest to set up and troubleshoot, ironically, is your original idea: the windoze media server with HDMI output.

also, i would steer clear of wireless any time you can, just on principle. it's far less reliable then a copper drop, not to mention the bandwidth penalty.

[John_H]

Hi Steve; I hope this helps. I've had a PC based home entertainment system for a while. This is how I'm doing it. I originally set it up a couple years ago. On my first effort I used an older computer I had, and patched into my flat screen with a VGA cable. It was functional, but actually started as just an experiment when I discovered the VGA input on my television. I had an extra PC that was doing nothing, so I figured, "why not?" I rolled with that for a while, but was getting tired of the ugly old computer in my living room.

It was then that I bought this Acer compact PC. It's about the size of a hardcover book. Not a real powerhouse, but definately adequate for what I'm using it for. It does lack an optical drive, but the onboard HDMI was a selling point. When watching DVD's I share a drive across the network. Between Netflix, Hulu, Fancast, and the major networks there's a plethora of available media out there. I've also got my entire CD collection ripped to MP3's and stored on the hard drive. The HDMI sends audio also, so I've got the audio out from the TV going into my Stereo. This is perfect for streaming Pandora into my Hi-Fi, and using the surround features for movies. The bluetooth miniature keyboard/touchpad is from logitech. This was the final addition. Designed for this purpose, it suits the job perfectly. Before that I was using a wireless keyboard/mouse combo which had problems with range. It just didn't work well from across the room, and I didn't like them sitting on the coffee table all the time.

There are a few manufacturers making these mini PC's, and they're surprisingly affordable. This particular Acer is no longer available, but they have others that are very similar. Shop around. You'll be surprised at whats available. PC based HEC's are becoming pretty common. Good luck.
keyboard, computer I spent more for a VCR twenty years ago than the combined cost of these.

[BruceH]

Have you guys checked out Home Server Technologies Inc.: Wireless Media Stick

They recently won an award at Electronics Expo and have ongoing limited time only promotion.

This can stream videos and even pictures and audios to TV.

[exclamationmark]

I personally have a popcorn hour A-210 which is basically has the power of a small PC, albeit for the sole purpose of decoding streamed media. The problem with DLNA certified devices is really their lack of support for some of stranger file formats/codec'd files that seem to be reasonably common, as well as poor subtitle support. While DLNA supported TV's, DVD players etc do actually work fine for most applications, they don't really come close to 'enthusiast' level products which can be had for a little extra.

I basically run a NAS with smb that just sits next to my router and streams via wireless-N to the afforementioned media player. It seems to support 1080p just fine with no jitters, hell even my wireless G connection could almost do 1080p (with a directional antenna I bought for like 10 bucks). Wireless G does 720p fine. A major decision to shell out around $400 on the NAS + media player was actually the power usage. Combined they use something like ~40 watts of power at full tilt, and close to a couple watts at idle. Plus I use the NAS for a lot more things than media streaming.

Previously to stream things, I was using my PS3 + my PC and running PS3MediaServer. The real problem with this was the HUUUUGE power usage. It would have to decode whatever file format you wanted to play, then re-encode it and sent it off the PS3. Should of heard the fans on my PC... You can also do this on many DLNA supported products, that is, running a dedicated media server with proper codecs etc, and streaming the output to your device. Another advantage is that if you're on a limited bandwidth local connection (ie, wireless), you can set most media servers to reduce the bandwidth at the cost of more CPU usage and lower quality.

[tmenss]

Sorry for the bump but just in case someone is Xmas shopping and has a similar question as the OP

The Western Digital WDTV Plus Live in addition to NetFlix, Hulu, plus, YouTube, etc.. handle's quite a number of file formats and has DLNA and (Windows) Sharing for network streaming, and USB for attaching drives. It has built in Ethernet but you'll need to use a compatible USB wifi (G,N). I only do SD DVD not Blue ray. I just do ISO's and either dump them to to an attached hard drive (library) or USB key. The DVD menus will work on ISO format. I had decent success with ISO over the network (DNLA) to the WDTV Plus Live on "G" wireless (WRT54g in client mode/ using DDRT) but decided not to put that traffic on the network. Forget using Win Network shares for playback. The WDTV Plus Live does not have a slick interface but in the end its an inexpensive "ulility set top" as a decent price.

[Steve A.]

An update for 2014...

With this thread having started 3 years ago I thought it was time for an update. With all of the great suggestions presented here I did absolutely nothing. Well, I hadn't turned on my TV in the living room since 2009 so it was still a low priority to me. (I was still watching my videos on Android tablets- or aPad's as I like to call them.)

There are several low-cost solutions around today to put video files on the living room TV. Many of the new Blueray players have USB slots so you can burn your video files to a flash drive. And there are smart TV's with USB slots, too.

One of the neatest solutions is the Roku 3, something that I thought was superfluous when my son was raving about it before Christmas. "So you can watch websites on your TV- what exactly does it add to plain old computer access?"

When I got a chance to check it out I was really impressed by it. As mentioned earlier in this discussion I did not think that WiFi would work very well with streaming video- you need to hook up an ethernet cable for a high quality video experience, right? Well, I don't know how the Roku does it but the video is very smooth and very slick.

I've been watching YouTube videos on the YouTube channel and they play perfectly without ads or buffering pauses. (My guess is that Roku pays YouTube a small licensing fee for each unit sold so there is no need for the revenue from ads.) I've been watching TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime and the quality is almost like you are watching a DVD.

Getting back to Job One the Roku 3 player does a great job handling video files although it only supports the MKV and MP4 formats at this time. (There could be a firmware upgrade down the line which would offer fuller video support.) I had already bought a BD player with a USB input that supports other video formats so that is not a deal killer for me.

The remote control is a real trip- there is a motion sensor so you can wave it like a Wi when playing Angry Birds. And it has a headphone jack which allows for late night viewing (with headphones plugged in it mutes the audio in the HDMI signal going to the TV.)

Besides the technical aspects I like the ad-free business model for the Roku. I believe that it enters into licensing agreements with the content providers which eliminates the need for ads. Although on Amazon Prime you are offered to the opportunity to purchase the movies and shows, and some of the newer shows and movies do not come free with the $79.00 annual fee for Amazon Prime. In other words there are plenty of opportunities for Amazon to upsell so the arrangement is beneficial to all parties.

While Roku has an app which allows your phone or tablet to handle all of the functions of the remote control there are 3rd party apps that allow you to stream the content and display of your phone or tablet to the Roku. I need to confirm this but that might allow your tablet to stream AVI videos to your Roku.

Getting back to the USB port the small portable hard drives (like the WD Passport and Elements) work great and get around the smaller capacity of flash drives. BTW newer Passport portable drives have all sorts of backup and cloud functions which apparently can't be disabled. I have one or two of the older Passports from 2007. For a new drive you'd probably want to get the Elements drives- there are models that support USB 3.0 for much faster file transfers.

Here is a link to the Roku site to check out the specifications:

Roku 3 | Roku Streaming Player

And here is a link to factory refurbished ones at Amazon that sell for $80. (Everybody sells the brand new ones for $99.99)

Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Roku 3 Streaming Media Player

And here is a video review:

i guess I am most impressed by the fact that the Roku 3 works so well with WiFi. Funny thing is that when I was testing it out a few feet from my wireless router the signal kept dropping out- I thought I must have gotten a defective one. But when I brought it to my living room it picked up the signal perfectly.

Steve

[kg]

i love my rokus.

steve, look into the plex app. very well sorted considering it's free. you run a server on your PC, point it to some media files, and load the plex channel on your roku. the PC will then stream to the roku box.

[Steve A.]

i love my rokus.

Rokus? Isn't that what a judge does when a case might create a conflict of interest?

I was very disappointed in the default captions- spindly little letters that were hard to read. "There has GOT to be a way for me to improve on that."

Yep, there was. After about 45 minutes of testing I came up with the following:
Text style: Casual *
Text something or other: Drop Shadow (left)
Text size: Medium **
Text color: Yellow
Text opacity: 75%
(I left the background and window parameters at default settings)

With these settings the captions were very readable without being too distracting. At least for someone like me who is illegally deaf, dumb and blind...

Steve

* I normally wouldn't like a stylized font like Casual but I found that it was the easiest to read.
** For larger screens you probably want the font size smaller (I have it hooked up to a 22" Sony TV)

[Steve A.]

Another solution: a wireless bridge

A wireless bridge would give you ethernet ports in a different room limited by the speed of the connection between the two routers- not too shabby if you use a pair of AC1750 wireless modems. Ethernet ports on TV's and video players/boxes are going to become obsolete as everything will be connected by Wi-fi in the not too distant future. However the wireless bridge sould be great if you want to set up a second office with a computer and other peripherals (if running wire is not feasible.)

Reuse an old router to bridge devices to your wireless network - CNET

Steve Ahola

[John_H]

The little computer that I was using for my HEC succumbed to obsolescence. It's been replaced by a cheap android tablet with a HDMI output.