# Streaming PC >- TV?



## hat (Aug 15, 2015)

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.


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## theonedub (Aug 15, 2015)

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


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## a_ump (Aug 15, 2015)

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


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## theonedub (Aug 15, 2015)

a_ump said:


> 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.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Aug 15, 2015)

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


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## newtekie1 (Aug 15, 2015)

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


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## MIRTAZAPINE (Aug 15, 2015)

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.


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## Deelron (Aug 15, 2015)

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.


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## theonedub (Aug 15, 2015)

Deelron said:


> 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?


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## Deelron (Aug 15, 2015)

theonedub said:


> 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).


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## jboydgolfer (Aug 15, 2015)

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.


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## hat (Aug 15, 2015)

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?


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## theonedub (Aug 15, 2015)

@Deelron says the home streaming portion is FREE.99


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## hat (Aug 15, 2015)

Sounds good, I can afford that.


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## newtekie1 (Aug 15, 2015)

hat said:


> 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.


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## hat (Aug 18, 2015)

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?


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## Deelron (Aug 18, 2015)

hat said:


> 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.


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## kn00tcn (Aug 19, 2015)

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


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Aug 20, 2015)

kn00tcn said:


> 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
> 
> ...


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


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## FordGT90Concept (Aug 20, 2015)

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.


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## newtekie1 (Aug 20, 2015)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> 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.


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## hat (Aug 24, 2015)

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...


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## Mussels (Aug 24, 2015)

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.


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## hat (Aug 24, 2015)

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.


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## FordGT90Concept (Aug 24, 2015)

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.


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## Mussels (Aug 24, 2015)

hat said:


> 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.



my point about the android player was more along the lines of not needing a PC's CPU power to do the playback. the android players support USB storage, online, local (USB) and remote (LAN) playback - you can connect to a PC's shares if you want, or you can just copy the files over and not need that PC to be running. plex requires a high powered machine at all times.


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## Dethroy (Aug 25, 2015)

Plex, Chromecast, WHDI - all will do the trick.
I myself use Asus WAVI to stream movies and games (streams in FHD, audio *and* USB) from the pc to the tv set in the living room. Works like a charm and with no noticeable input lag.


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## remixedcat (Aug 26, 2015)

I use a Roku TV with emby server on my desktop and its been nice.


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## Kursah (Aug 26, 2015)

Roku 2 + Plex is solid in my experience. 

Much better than the Plex app on Wii or PS3. I'm sure the Raspberri Pi would get the job done too...haven't gone that route tho...


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## remixedcat (Aug 26, 2015)

Plex was hella slow on adding media and quite often screwed up metadata.emby hasnt screwed up metadata.. 

*knocks*


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## Nosada (Aug 26, 2015)

There are better media players than plex, there are better media servers than plex. When it comes to integration however, nothing I found so far beats it. I can watch my entire library of series and movies from any device in my home, and I can pauze wherever I want to resume wherever I want. Watch a movie on PC, go upstairs, continue on the Samsung Smart TV App, go to the bathroom and continue on the android tablet, get a call, go out and finish the movie on my iPhone in the car.

I probably should stop watching movies while driving though.

PS: Also important for me: I have a huge cartoon collection, my nephews watch it from on PC's at their home, their grandma's and on the TV via a raspberry.


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## AsRock (Aug 26, 2015)

theonedub said:


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



Buy a AV and some good speakers and connect the computer to the AV then the AV to the TV with a long enough HDMI cable if possible.


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## remixedcat (Aug 26, 2015)

HDMI ARC is the best quality so if you have a reciver with it or soundbar that would be the best option for audio connecivity... also HDMI CEC FTW!!!


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## Cybrnook2002 (Aug 26, 2015)

Your right by me, I got one of these BNIB I would mail to your for $55. (I use three at home, they are great and play any format) I use them to stream from my servers at home, and they have apps if you wish to use.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXFM75Y/?tag=tec06d-20


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## ShiBDiB (Aug 26, 2015)

Most smart tv's will pick up any of the free dlna servers. But I HIGHLY recommend PLEX. It allows you to stream videos/music/photos to mobile devices, xbox, ps4, tv's. It's a great little program.


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## hat (Aug 29, 2015)

I was thinking Chromecast with Plex, but it seems I would have to initiate the stream from my pc? I don't want to have to touch my pc at all to do anything besides put the content on the media server in the first place. I don't want to have to go opening up chrome and casting it over to the Chromecast to play anything. I just want something to connect to my Plex server and go.

I'm not gonna want to do anything with a mouse and keyboard either. I want a remote of some sort to control whatever it is I would be using, just like if we were using Netflix or hulu.


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## AsRock (Aug 29, 2015)

Can ya not put all your movies on a external HDD and just use a ROKU 3 though their app although you would have to check what compatible and would need a AV \Speakers but still.


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## hat (Aug 29, 2015)

I could potentially hook up a roku 3 to the TV, but that would only work on the one TV. I want to have it on a server where it can be accessed by many devices. I have a ps3/ps4 in the other room I'd like to use with Plex as well.


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## newtekie1 (Aug 29, 2015)

hat said:


> I'm not gonna want to do anything with a mouse and keyboard either. I want a remote of some sort to control whatever it is I would be using, just like if we were using Netflix or hulu.



When you say you don't want a keyboard and mouse, do you just mean you don't want them because they are bulky?  What about a keyboard/trackpad that is the size of a remote and backlit?  That is what I use in the living room.

You can pick up one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856501007

I got it for $89, but even at $99 it is a good deal.  Comes with everything except the OS(Win8/10 only, Win7 doesn't work, and Linux works but doesn't have WiFi drivers _yet_).

Then grab one of these to control it: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KGMG3SK/?tag=tec06d-20

Use XBMC to play media direct from your PC and get rid of Plex(I never liked it anyway).

Edit:  Actually, grab this one instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883105002

It comes with more USB ports, an ever so slightly faster processor, and Windows 8.1 for just $50 more.  I think it is worth it, and almost wish I had seen it before buying the one I got...


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## hat (Aug 29, 2015)

I quite like Plex so far (except for having tried to use it on the Wii U). I appreciate its Netflix-esque GUI, which is what I'm going for. I want it to be as simple as launching netflix, browsing for a movie and go. Currently looking at the option of getting the Plex app for Android, and using my tablet to control it. 

While we're on this subject, I am going to need a HDD to store all this on. Somewhere in the 2-4TB range. I need a drive that's reliable, and fast enough to handle multiple streams (probably 3 at the most) but won't break the bank. Ideas?


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## kn00tcn (Sep 2, 2015)

hat said:


> I quite like Plex so far (except for having tried to use it on the Wii U). I appreciate its Netflix-esque GUI, which is what I'm going for. I want it to be as simple as launching netflix, browsing for a movie and go. Currently looking at the option of getting the Plex app for Android, and using my tablet to control it.
> 
> While we're on this subject, I am going to need a HDD to store all this on. Somewhere in the 2-4TB range. I need a drive that's reliable, and fast enough to handle multiple streams (probably 3 at the most) but won't break the bank. Ideas?


one theoretical about kodi is that it has skin/theme support, it doesnt have to be the convoluted tree menus of the default 'confluence' theme

uhh what price for the hard drive? every hard drive is fast enough even if it was 5 bluray iso streams (assuming 20mbit each = 100mbit = 12mbytes/s, that's quite a few times less than even usb*2*)

nobody knows reliability until it's in use, i would make sure it's an enclosure with a fan, 3.5", & with the fewest platters possible... i would think the NAS targetted drives (WD red, etc) are pointless for home video use other than their warranty


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## hat (Sep 3, 2015)

kn00tcn said:


> uhh what price for the hard drive? every hard drive is fast enough even if it was 5 bluray iso streams (assuming 20mbit each = 100mbit = 12mbytes/s, that's quite a few times less than even usb*2*)


Makes sense, never thought about it that way.

I see some 2TB drives rolling around on Newegg in the neighborhood of $50, will probably try one of those when I can.


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## FordGT90Concept (Sep 3, 2015)

1080p weighs in at about 6 GiB/hour.  I put a Seagate 1 TB Constellation ES.3 in my server for media.  I paid $100 for it.  It is a 7200 RPM, high reliability, enterprise drive.


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## kn00tcn (Sep 3, 2015)

hat said:


> Makes sense, never thought about it that way.
> 
> I see some 2TB drives rolling around on Newegg in the neighborhood of $50, will probably try one of those when I can.


one thing tempting... is WD green & blue drives, since you can control the head park timeout length (if you can boot into DOS connected to sata on the mobo, which is why buying a separate drive + enclosure is better than buying an 'external drive' that loses warranty when you open the case... i have 2x 4TB elements & rather than opening them up, i will have to just force load every second so they dont park so aggressively)



FordGT90Concept said:


> 1080p weighs in at about 6 GiB/hour.  I put a Seagate 1 TB Constellation ES.3 in my server for media.  I paid $100 for it.  It is a 7200 RPM, high reliability, enterprise drive.


that size estimate entirely depends on the bitrate, some people make personal encodes to stay below 8GB or even 4GB so they can burn to DVD, other people make bluray isos that are 25GB

enterprise is getting overkill (obviously not as overkill as raptor or SSD)

considering entertainment isnt personal data or an OS drive or a security camera recorder, it shouldnt need intense reliability


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