Best Way To Stream From Pc To Tv

[dvdlock]

Hi all,

I'm just trying to get my act together regarding watching recorded TV programs and Films.

My PC is upstairs but I would like to watch downloaded content on my TV downstairs.

What would be the best way to do this. I've heard of Media Servers but know little about them.

Are there other methods available to do this.

I just had my Networked HDD crash and thinking about replacing it prompted me to consider streaming to the TV.

Cheers.

[bkksw]

You have all sorts of options. Much depends on your television set (does it have a LAN port and capability to accept streaming data), PC (does it have a compatible video output you could cable to your television), and desires.

The easiest way is to use a media streaming device like this one I use here. It's cheap, easy to use, and streams full 1080p, 7.1 THX/DTS/Dolby, and what not. It requires a simple LAN cable or alternatively you can get a wireless adapter.

Ideally, get a DLNA compatible NAS device with a built in torrent client, set it next to your router and connect via short LAN cable, run another LAN cable to a media adapter like the one I linked above, and you won't even need the PC.

Most of the newer televisions have USB ports which accept thumbdrives are USB powered hard drives.. and will show such media independent of even a media adapter. My newer Samsung has one.. but it's slow and doesn't support nearly as many file types as the media adapter.

[dvdlock]

You have all sorts of options. Much depends on your television set (does it have a LAN port and capability to accept streaming data), PC (does it have a compatible video output you could cable to your television), and desires.

The easiest way is to use a media streaming device like this one I use here. It's cheap, easy to use, and streams full 1080p, 7.1 THX/DTS/Dolby, and what not. It requires a simple LAN cable or alternatively you can get a wireless adapter.

Ideally, get a DLNA compatible NAS device with a built in torrent client, set it next to your router and connect via short LAN cable, run another LAN cable to a media adapter like the one I linked above, and you won't even need the PC.

Most of the newer televisions have USB ports which accept thumbdrives are USB powered hard drives.. and will show such media independent of even a media adapter. My newer Samsung has one.. but it's slow and doesn't support nearly as many file types as the media adapter.

Hi bkksw,

Thanks for the informative reply and the link to the WD TV Live review. What a neat device.

This looks just what I need. I can get a network connection close to the TV so this looks like it'll do the job just nice.

Thanks again.

[bkksw]

I'm glad it was useful. Check out WD's site, they have a new device with a built in hard drive that can also work as a NAS.. The price is very reasonable. Basically the same thing with a built in hard drive.

I use my WD TV Live daily. It's connected to my router via a lan cable and it plays virtually everything I download, tv series, movies, music, etc.. though I don't use it to display photos and/or play music, it does that too. I download my tv shows (torrents) straight to my NAS.. then stream to the WD TV Live from the NAS.. so a PC isn't involved.

Something else you'll notice. The same shows/movies played via the WD TV Live look perfect. When played by a PC hooked up to a tv.. they look washed out and not nearly as smooth. I know some will say it's the color profile and/or graphics card.. but I color profile as part of my livelihood and I have the best graphics cards in both of my workstations. What it is, is the WD TV Live contains hardware codecs that just work better (codecs decode the video/audio)..

Good luck.

[FarangBuddha]

I use my WD TV Live daily. It's connected to my router via a lan cable and it plays virtually everything I download, tv series, movies, music, etc.. though I don't use it to display photos and/or play music, it does that too. I download my tv shows (torrents) straight to my NAS.. then stream to the WD TV Live from the NAS.. so a PC isn't involved.

The same shows/movies played via the WD TV Live look perfect. When played by a PC hooked up to a tv.. they look washed out and not nearly as smooth.

If you wanna bypass all the network cabling and connections (as you mentioned something about the TV and computer setups being in different rooms, you can also just use and external USB-drive as your movie/TV depository. These are getting so darn cheap now...1TB 2" form-factor units can now be found for B 3000 or less. Just hook it up to your PC and transfer/download your video to it and then unplug and connect to the WD-Live. Continue to download new TV/movie content to a folder on your computer. When you have enough new content to make it worthwhile, re-connect the drive to the computer and transfer over the new stuff and then reconnect to the WD (it will re-index and update the content in seconds). Not as high-tech as having a direct connection in a network set-up but very easy to use.

The only problem I have with my HD-Live unit, connected via HDMI to HDMI on my 44" LCD-TV, is some overscan issues. On some videos, at full-screen resolution, the WD unit makes the picture a little too large to fit within the screen. I have not found a setting to adjust this to the TV's native HD-1080p resolution.

[dvdlock]

I use my WD TV Live daily. It's connected to my router via a lan cable and it plays virtually everything I download, tv series, movies, music, etc.. though I don't use it to display photos and/or play music, it does that too. I download my tv shows (torrents) straight to my NAS.. then stream to the WD TV Live from the NAS.. so a PC isn't involved.

The same shows/movies played via the WD TV Live look perfect. When played by a PC hooked up to a tv.. they look washed out and not nearly as smooth.

If you wanna bypass all the network cabling and connections (as you mentioned something about the TV and computer setups being in different rooms, you can also just use and external USB-drive as your movie/TV depository. These are getting so darn cheap now...1TB 2" form-factor units can now be found for B 3000 or less. Just hook it up to your PC and transfer/download your video to it and then unplug and connect to the WD-Live. Continue to download new TV/movie content to a folder on your computer. When you have enough new content to make it worthwhile, re-connect the drive to the computer and transfer over the new stuff and then reconnect to the WD (it will re-index and update the content in seconds). Not as high-tech as having a direct connection in a network set-up but very easy to use.

The only problem I have with my HD-Live unit, connected via HDMI to HDMI on my 44" LCD-TV, is some overscan issues. On some videos, at full-screen resolution, the WD unit makes the picture a little too large to fit within the screen. I have not found a setting to adjust this to the TV's native HD-1080p resolution.

Thanks FerangBuddha,

It's another option I'll dwell on before jumping in.

As it happens I have a couple of those Home Network plugs that use your electricity supply cabling for the network. I just need to stick one in a power outlet and cable to my router and another at the TV and that's the network extended. The only issue are they have built-in UK style 3-pin plugs on them and I'm not big on power adaptors hanging out the outlets.

I'll take another look at the options with a fresh mind in the morning.

Many thanks for your input.

Cheers.

[elshaheen]

Oh, this is so easy. Basically throw both your TV and PC into one of the local rivers. Instant streaming or short circuit TV to PC or PC to TV.

[dvdlock]

Oh, this is so easy. Basically throw both your TV and PC into one of the local rivers. Instant streaming or short circuit TV to PC or PC to TV.

A good cost effective solution, many thanks

Best dust off the scuba gear for web browsing......

[bkksw]

I use my WD TV Live daily. It's connected to my router via a lan cable and it plays virtually everything I download, tv series, movies, music, etc.. though I don't use it to display photos and/or play music, it does that too. I download my tv shows (torrents) straight to my NAS.. then stream to the WD TV Live from the NAS.. so a PC isn't involved.

The same shows/movies played via the WD TV Live look perfect. When played by a PC hooked up to a tv.. they look washed out and not nearly as smooth.

If you wanna bypass all the network cabling and connections (as you mentioned something about the TV and computer setups being in different rooms, you can also just use and external USB-drive as your movie/TV depository. These are getting so darn cheap now...1TB 2" form-factor units can now be found for B 3000 or less. Just hook it up to your PC and transfer/download your video to it and then unplug and connect to the WD-Live. Continue to download new TV/movie content to a folder on your computer. When you have enough new content to make it worthwhile, re-connect the drive to the computer and transfer over the new stuff and then reconnect to the WD (it will re-index and update the content in seconds). Not as high-tech as having a direct connection in a network set-up but very easy to use.

The only problem I have with my HD-Live unit, connected via HDMI to HDMI on my 44" LCD-TV, is some overscan issues. On some videos, at full-screen resolution, the WD unit makes the picture a little too large to fit within the screen. I have not found a setting to adjust this to the TV's native HD-1080p resolution.

The USB drive certainly works. It's just not as convenient as a LAN cable/NAS system if you can manage one. I'd be plugging and replugging and plugging again at least once per day.. probably more on some days.

Usually with HDMI overscan should not be an issue. This is more common with component and other analog inputs.. Still, if it happens you can usually adjust your television to compensate. If it happens with the PC hooked up to the television most Nvidia and ATI driver packages allow overscan adjustment. Size it once and then forget about it.

If your television has overscan with HDMI AND has no overscan adjustment.. any chance its a lower end 720p set?

[FarangBuddha]

I use my WD TV Live daily. It's connected to my router via a lan cable and it plays virtually everything I download, tv series, movies, music, etc.. though I don't use it to display photos and/or play music, it does that too. I download my tv shows (torrents) straight to my NAS.. then stream to the WD TV Live from the NAS.. so a PC isn't involved.

The same shows/movies played via the WD TV Live look perfect. When played by a PC hooked up to a tv.. they look washed out and not nearly as smooth.

If you wanna bypass all the network cabling and connections (as you mentioned something about the TV and computer setups being in different rooms, you can also just use and external USB-drive as your movie/TV depository. These are getting so darn cheap now...1TB 2" form-factor units can now be found for B 3000 or less. Just hook it up to your PC and transfer/download your video to it and then unplug and connect to the WD-Live. Continue to download new TV/movie content to a folder on your computer. When you have enough new content to make it worthwhile, re-connect the drive to the computer and transfer over the new stuff and then reconnect to the WD (it will re-index and update the content in seconds). Not as high-tech as having a direct connection in a network set-up but very easy to use.

The only problem I have with my HD-Live unit, connected via HDMI to HDMI on my 44" LCD-TV, is some overscan issues. On some videos, at full-screen resolution, the WD unit makes the picture a little too large to fit within the screen. I have not found a setting to adjust this to the TV's native HD-1080p resolution.

The USB drive certainly works. It's just not as convenient as a LAN cable/NAS system if you can manage one. I'd be plugging and replugging and plugging again at least once per day.. probably more on some days.

Usually with HDMI overscan should not be an issue. This is more common with component and other analog inputs.. Still, if it happens you can usually adjust your television to compensate. If it happens with the PC hooked up to the television most Nvidia and ATI driver packages allow overscan adjustment. Size it once and then forget about it.

If your television has overscan with HDMI AND has no overscan adjustment.. any chance its a lower end 720p set?

Yes, if you want to stream content or watch stuff you download immediately, then yes, the NAS/LAN solution is best. However, for me, I already have 3 TB of TV/movies [all already in the public domain of course ] already downloaded that I haven't even got around to watching yet and I'm still downloading new stuff as it comes online. I do the sync/transfer to my HD-Live external drive maybe once a week so no hassle. If it's something I want to watch immediately, like time sensitive news reports and such, I can always just watch it on the computer immediately after download.

Yes, when I had the computer hooked-up directly to the TV via HDMI-HDMI, I was able to adjust the "overscan" issues via Nvidia's display settings but of course, this is not available with the WD unit. I will futze around the the TV's settings to see if I can correct this issue. Yes, my TV is a native 1080p HD unit.