How to cast to a tv from a pc

[Somtamnication]

I know there is chromecast and others that use the standard "cast", forgot the name.

 

I have a tv with an hdmi slot and a usb slot. I want to wirelessly send stuff to the tv from my laptop. I know of mini pc sticks with Android and Windows, but are there any other ideas?

[Phuket Man]

Android device and Plex. https://www.plex.tv/

Edited October 1, 2016 by Phuket Man

[Somtamnication]

I need a device to attach to the tv. Plex does not do that.

[Peterw42]

There was a thread about this last month. An android box will turn your dumb Tv into a smart TV, lots of options and apps to cast to TV

[avander]

Lot's of threads on this here. Just do a search for a recent one as a previous reply mentions.

In simple terms, a media box connected to your TV HMDI will connect to your wifi to access and play any media (downloaded movies etc) you share from your PC (connected to the same wifi).  It can also give you access to internet based TV/movie providers if they are setup on the media box. You can buy these boxes preconfigured for that and ready to go.

[Phuket Man]

2 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

I need a device to attach to the tv. Plex does not do that.

 

It does if you connect an Android Box.

I download torrents on my computer and watch them on TV in another room.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Phuket Man

[Scotwight]

Quicker to download it to a flash drive and plug that into the usb slot in the tv

[avander]

11 minutes ago, Scotwight said:

Quicker to download it to a flash drive and plug that into the usb slot in the tv

Good idea but take care as some USB slots you get on TVs etc were/are only able to be used for servicing the device.  Check the manual or labeling on the TV itself.

[thedemon]

I think you may be referring to Miracast which is built in to Windows 8.1/10.

 

You can buy a Miracast dongle pretty cheaply on ebay etc.

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xmiracast+dongle.TRS0&_nkw=miracast+dongle&_sacat=0

 

I have tried it a few times on both smart TV's and dongles and found it a bit fickle. Will successfully connect sometimes and sometimes not. Chromecast works much better but has limitations compared to Miracast. I haven't tried newer models of Chromecast though - they might be more capable, I don't know.

[Chicog]

Is your TV not network-connectable?

Because if so, you can make your locally-stored media available and just play it from the TV.

[Somtamnication]

Thanks Demon. I found them locally (Thailand)...a bit more expensive than ebay, but it is ok. http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?dir=asc&q=mirascreen&sort=priceasc

 

 

[mtls2005]

What kind of "Stuff"? 

 

1.) Media stored on your laptop, like video files in MP4/AVI?

 

2.) Stuff you are looking at in a browser?

 

3.) Other?

 

 

What is your budget?

 

A budget level Android TV box, would allow you to both stream (#1), and cast (#2), for less than 1,000 baht.

 

 

[Somtamnication]

Stuff is anything I want from my laptop to the tv. The miracast was the solution. Ordering one from lazada.

[canopus1969]

If your OS is Microsoft then suggest this  LINK  I found to be the best, easy to set up and cheap 

[Chicog]

If you want to go the box route, this might help.

 

https://www.kodiapps.com/hardware-chart