Streaming PC >- TV?

[hat]

I'm looking for a way to stream media from my PC to my TV. The idea is to store movies/etc on a large hard drive in my PC, and connect to it somehow with something hooked up to my TV and stream it that way off the network (like Netflix/Hulu streaming, only with stuff I already have). Currently we use a Wii U console to stream Netflix and Hulu, but it is taking way too much bandwidth and costing us on our internet bill. If there's a way to do this with the Wii U we already have, then perfect. If not, I'm open to ideas. Cheap android PC box-type thing perhaps?

I don't need 4K or HEVC or anything like that. h.264 sub-1080p is fine.

 

[theonedub]

I think Plex (paid software) and a Chromecast would get this done.

 

[a_ump]

i'm confused....regardless on whether you stream netflix on a Wii U or a PC, surely the content will still take relatively the same amount of bandwidth.

EDIT: ahh so download/purchase once and store it. i believe there are routers that are capable of such things, i've never used a smart tv so idk if they can access PC's like a network drive or not. you can always invest in a 25FT+ HDMI cable

 

[theonedub]

i'm confused....regardless on whether you stream netflix on a Wii U or a PC, surely the content will still take relatively the same amount of bandwidth.

He wants to stream local content from the PC to the TV, its in the first post- you may have just missed it.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Get a smart tv and share the stuff on your PC and have it stream to the tv.

 

[newtekie1]

Share files using standard Windows shares, use Kodi/XBMC on a cheap pc connected to the TV to watch the files.

 

[MIRTAZAPINE]

You can get an a cheap intel Nuc box, it is basically a small pc or you can use any old computer lying around but an nuc is tiny and it works well.

You can then connect that Nuc with your main pc with remote deskstop to stream your content from the main pc.

 

[Deelron]

I use Plex, it works with a variety of devices (apparently with a Wii U judging by a quick google search) and only the advanced features (which you don't seem to need for your use case) cost money. It's worth trying out anyway since it's free and quick to set up.

 

[theonedub]

I use Plex, it works with a variety of devices (apparently with a Wii U judging by a quick google search) and only the advanced features (which you don't seem to need for your use case) cost money. It's worth trying out anyway since it's free and quick to set up.

Of course I mention Plex and fail to see it apparently has a Wii U app. That makes it a free solution since the Plex Media Center Software for Windows is free, right?

 

[Deelron]

Of course I mention Plex and fail to see it apparently has a Wii U app. That makes it a free solution since the Plex Media Center Software for Windows is free, right?

Yep sure is for Windows/Mac/Linux (3), FreeBSD, its all the fancy stuff (mobile sync, personalized accounts blah blah) that requires a subscription (but not out of home streaming, thankfully) or a one time nominal purchase for the mobile apps (if you don't have a subscription, your price may vary etc etc).

 

[jboydgolfer]

i do it by connecting a PC to my TV via HDMI, wireless kB+mouse, works like a charm, and fast As hell. 60ft high def Multi media cables are pretty cheap, especially when compared to the Media box alternative, and the performance is FAR superior. Hope it works out for You.

 

[hat]

Well, I can't afford to buy a whole new TV, nor am I willing to hook up another PC to the TV (don't want to use a keyboard and mouse to watch TV, though I'm sure there's other ways... remotes and software made for this sort of thing). Not getting a NUC either: nice idea, too expensive. Plex with the Wii U looks good, worth a try at least. How is Plex? Is it a one time payment or monthly fee?

 

[theonedub]

@Deelron says the home streaming portion is FREE.99

 

[hat]

Sounds good, I can afford that.

 

[newtekie1]

Well, I can't afford to buy a whole new TV, nor am I willing to hook up another PC to the TV (don't want to use a keyboard and mouse to watch TV, though I'm sure there's other ways... remotes and software made for this sort of thing). Not getting a NUC either: nice idea, too expensive. Plex with the Wii U looks good, worth a try at least. How is Plex? Is it a one time payment or monthly fee?

Yeah, I'd definitely give Plex a try then. If it works with the WiiU then that's awesome and a free solution.

Alternately, you can share the files like I said off your PC, and then grab an Amazon Fire Stick, and side load Kodi on that.

 

[hat]

First thing I gotta do before I really do anything is get a large hard drive. I had a 2TB WD Green, but it died. So now I need something reliable to replace it.

I want to plug up a hard drive to my router (RT-N66U) and store the media that way. Is it possible to keep movies/etc on a drive connected to a router, and watch those on something like a Wii U/PS3 etc?

 

[Deelron]

First thing I gotta do before I really do anything is get a large hard drive. I had a 2TB WD Green, but it died. So now I need something reliable to replace it.

I want to plug up a hard drive to my router (RT-N66U) and store the media that way. Is it possible to keep movies/etc on a drive connected to a router, and watch those on something like a Wii U/PS3 etc?

In theory, yes you can do that via DLNA (both the PS3 and your Router support DLNA) which should allow the most basic of streaming from a USB drive plugged into your router directly. That being said, I recall some problems some people had back with that particular router getting DLNA to work properly, and as a whole I've found the whole experience (generally poor UI mixed with sprinkles of why the hell aren't you working) of streaming straight off a router to be a second class experience compared to Plex or Kodi running on a computer in the background.

 

[kn00tcn]

do NOT get a smart tv that's for sure, it's not like you can upgrade it or tweak it

chromecast sounds like a bad idea when a raspberry pi is the same price with much more capability

i myself have a little android box (also access to a pi)

for things like kodi or some of the android boxes, you are free to use bluetooth keyboards & remotes

you dont need to wait on the hard drive before trying plex, i'd try it first thing right now, it has to fill your needs without stuttering/crashing/etc afterall

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

do NOT get a smart tv that's for sure, it's not like you can upgrade it or tweak it

chromecast sounds like a bad idea when a raspberry pi is the same price with much more capability

i myself have a little android box (also access to a pi)

for things like kodi or some of the android boxes, you are free to use bluetooth keyboards & remotes

you dont need to wait on the hard drive before trying plex, i'd try it first thing right now, it has to fill your needs without stuttering/crashing/etc afterall

In what way would you want to upgrade or tweak a smart tv?

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I'm using MediaPortal (free) but to be perfectly honest, I think just a Windows Share works best. Granted, my Windows Share is a Windows Server 2012 R2 with 7 hard drives and a DLNA server to boot...

I bought a 1TB Seagate Constellation ES.3 not long ago for $100 I believe. A fair price for a 7200 RPM enterprise drive. MediaPortal uses it exclusively for OTA recordings. Music and movies are on my RAID5 (because getting all that content back would take a ton of time should it be lost).

Kodi's DLNA support is garbage. I have some 15,000 songs on my server and the time it takes to start browsing that collection everytime Kodi is restarted is measured in minutes, not seconds.

 

[newtekie1]

In what way would you want to upgrade or tweak a smart tv?

I'll use my SmartTV as an example, it is a 60" Sharp Aquos. It only has Wireless G, so no streaming of HD. Then there is the problem that the TV has no updated codexs. It has no MP4 support at all, it won't even see any MP4 files being shared, it totally ignores them in the file list, same with MKV. It only plays AVI files. I'd love to upgrade the wireless and have proper codec support.

 

[hat]

Well, Plex on the Wii U sucks bowling balls. It freezes permanent after a few minutes of playback. Even my crappy tablet handles it without freezing...

 

[Mussels]

or do what i did, buy a <$100 android player (dont get the super cheap stick ones if you can avoid it) and play the files natively. no transcoding required.

with ES file explorer you can access windows shares natively, and i run 1080p H264 content on mine fine - it even does H265 content.

 

[hat]

I don't think it's doing any transcoding... I ripped a DVD myself with Handbrake to H.264 MP4. I could be wrong though, but I thought it supported that format natively.



I'm trying it with a PS3. I have a friend who very highly recommended to me a Chromecast, which evidently will run Plex. I'll look into that a little more, and go that route if it looks good. Whether the PS3 works fine or not isn't a huge issue, but it would be a nice solution we already have for streaming to the other room.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Roku is probably still the best option.

...can Wii U's browser run Flash? MediaPortal has a WebMediaPortal extension that works in far more devices (even Surface RT). It requires a web server to run it though.