Please help me figure out how to best stream videos to my TV

September 11, 2012 9:13 PM

Please help me figure out the best way to stream my online content.

I spend a lot of time on the internet while I have the tv on in the background. I'm looking for a way to stream the videos I watch online onto a TV leaving my computer free for general net surfing or work.

Mainly what I want to do is stream BBC iplayer onto a different monitor than my computer so I can keep it on in the background. I'm now watching BBC iplayer on my laptop but I find it distracting to have my tv and internet on the same screen.

Equipment I have:
HDTV
Wii
cheap DVD player
laptop

I get my Netflix and Hulu through my Wii, but US Wii machines don't have BBC iplayer. I also will occasionally watch things through Amazon/Youtube/Ted and I would really prefer to have a separate monitor for all of these things. I also would like a bigger monitor (tv size) than a tablet would provide.

What would be the best way to get this done? I don't know anything about this kind of tech stuff. I was thinking of buying another computer with a huge monitor just for watching internet stuff, but that seems like it's probably extreme. I'm hoping there is a better way than just hooking my laptop up to the tv with a cable. If possible, I would like to have the streaming content be on a device separate from my laptop.

I do not play video games so that isn't a consideration.

posted by triggerfinger to technology (5 answers total)

Tversity on the laptop, streaming to the Wii sounds like exactly what you are looking for.
posted by tdischino at 9:39 PM on September 11, 2012

You're not going to get full functionality on all video sites without buying a separate computer to hook up to your TV. Use synergy and you have full control of both.

You can get a cheap barebones/nettop PC for around $150-$200.
posted by wongcorgi at 10:12 PM on September 11, 2012

I believe roku players will stream iPlayer in the UK, but being in the US I don't know for sure. It does amazon/Youtube, and has at least one Ted app I'm aware of. There is no full-fledged web browser, though, so perhaps not what you're looking for.
posted by bessel functions seem unnecessarily complicated at 10:19 PM on September 11, 2012

Thanks everyone. I had a look at Tversity and it seems like a great solution but I think that I may just go with a separate laptop/ synergy for the sake of simplicity.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:21 PM on September 20, 2012

Roku does not do YouTube, but does also do Amazon, Hulu+, and a whole bunch of other services. It does play BBC in the UK.

If you have a Mac with Mountain Lion, you can get an Apple TV and use Airplay. I do that with my iPad and its awesome.

Are you in the US or UK?

If you're in the UK then Roku would be easiest and cheapest.
posted by reddot at 7:13 PM on November 20, 2012