Stream from a PC to a TV?
July 9, 2013 3:57 PM Subscribe
What devices can I use to wirelessly stream my PC or laptop screen to my HDTV?
I'd like as many options as possible.
I'd like as many options as possible.
Its relatively easy to stream media files, theres tons of boxes & software for that.
What on the screen are you trying to stream? Office/Productivity type applications? Games? There are some wireless hdmi solutions but i think they are too high latency for gaming.
posted by TheAdamist at 4:23 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
What on the screen are you trying to stream? Office/Productivity type applications? Games? There are some wireless hdmi solutions but i think they are too high latency for gaming.
posted by TheAdamist at 4:23 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you have an Xbox connected to the TV, streaming from Windows Media Center is supported right out of the gate. For an all-Apple setup, there's Airplay. TVs that directly support DLNA can also accept streams from various devices, like a Plex server running on your PC.
posted by jquinby at 4:38 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jquinby at 4:38 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think you need to clarify what you're asking. There's a difference between streaming files from your PC to a device connected to your TV and streaming output from your PC to your TV or a device connected to it.
Short version: you need to decode whatever media file you're going to play with a device that is physically connected to the TV with an HDMI cable. There are multiple devices which can act as a kind of "bridge" between your TV and the network, but that device needs to be generating the video output.
Why? Because there isn't any network connection in the world that can transmit actual HDMI output in real-time. There's a difference between video files, which are (relatively) compact and can be streamed just fine, and video output, which is most decidedly neither. Turning the former into the latter involves no small amount of processing power and turns a file which you can download in a manner of minutes with a basic broadband connection into an output stream in the neighborhood of 2-4Gbps, i.e., several times faster than the fastest institutional LANs. The only way to get what your computer is doing to display on your TV is to plug it directly in to the TV.
But if all you're doing is to play media files which happen to be stored on your PC, hey, that's doable. A PS3 or XBox 360 will do it. So will a Roku, for that matter, which has the advantage of costing a heck of a lot less. You'll need something like the Plex app, which is free, to get your Roku to talk to your PC, but it's pretty painless.
posted by valkyryn at 6:28 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Short version: you need to decode whatever media file you're going to play with a device that is physically connected to the TV with an HDMI cable. There are multiple devices which can act as a kind of "bridge" between your TV and the network, but that device needs to be generating the video output.
Why? Because there isn't any network connection in the world that can transmit actual HDMI output in real-time. There's a difference between video files, which are (relatively) compact and can be streamed just fine, and video output, which is most decidedly neither. Turning the former into the latter involves no small amount of processing power and turns a file which you can download in a manner of minutes with a basic broadband connection into an output stream in the neighborhood of 2-4Gbps, i.e., several times faster than the fastest institutional LANs. The only way to get what your computer is doing to display on your TV is to plug it directly in to the TV.
But if all you're doing is to play media files which happen to be stored on your PC, hey, that's doable. A PS3 or XBox 360 will do it. So will a Roku, for that matter, which has the advantage of costing a heck of a lot less. You'll need something like the Plex app, which is free, to get your Roku to talk to your PC, but it's pretty painless.
posted by valkyryn at 6:28 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
empath: If you have a mac, the answer is an appletv.OP specified a PC.
posted by IAmBroom at 5:43 AM on July 10, 2013
If your (Windows?) PC/laptop has a (recent?) Intel graphics chipset, it may support WiDi (and Miracast?). This is "Wireless HDMI" type technology (apologies, valkyryn). I gather that some TV's come with support now, while with others you just plug a dongle in.
So that may be an option. I've no experience with it, yet.
Apart from the Plex/DNA + set-top box thing, you might be able to plug an android device into your TV (either a phone, tablet, or some sort of HDMI-stick computer), and stream from plain old network shared folders (aka SMB/Samba). That'll stream media files to the device plugged into the TV.
If what you really want is to actually mirror your PC's display, wirelessly, you could use said Android device to run some sort of remote desktop client. This would allow you to play Minesweeper on your HDTV (yay), but would probably be unsuitable for watching videos.
posted by unmake at 6:27 AM on July 10, 2013
So that may be an option. I've no experience with it, yet.
Apart from the Plex/DNA + set-top box thing, you might be able to plug an android device into your TV (either a phone, tablet, or some sort of HDMI-stick computer), and stream from plain old network shared folders (aka SMB/Samba). That'll stream media files to the device plugged into the TV.
If what you really want is to actually mirror your PC's display, wirelessly, you could use said Android device to run some sort of remote desktop client. This would allow you to play Minesweeper on your HDTV (yay), but would probably be unsuitable for watching videos.
posted by unmake at 6:27 AM on July 10, 2013
This is "Wireless HDMI" type technology (apologies, valkyryn).
Not really. It involves a hardware adapter that you either plug into the TV or that comes built in. It's no different than my Roku suggestion except that it's more streamlined. It's still not streaming video output. All of that decoding/processing happens at the TV.
posted by valkyryn at 9:13 AM on July 10, 2013
Not really. It involves a hardware adapter that you either plug into the TV or that comes built in. It's no different than my Roku suggestion except that it's more streamlined. It's still not streaming video output. All of that decoding/processing happens at the TV.
posted by valkyryn at 9:13 AM on July 10, 2013
If it is a screen-sharing scenario that does not involve the need to see video/games, there are numerous cheap android dongles you can plug directly into your hdmi port, and there are VNC apps that will let you see the PC desktop/apps as if you were sitting at the computer.
posted by exparrot at 1:35 PM on July 10, 2013
posted by exparrot at 1:35 PM on July 10, 2013
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posted by mullacc at 4:20 PM on July 9, 2013 [1 favorite]