Sharing Video From One Computer to Another?

April 11, 2023 5:36 AM

Wondering if this is possible and if so, the best way to do this?

Ok, so I have a dedicated computer (laptop) that is permanently connected to a tv in a downstairs rec room. I don’t have a smart tv, etc, its an older tv, so I use a laptop for all of our streaming needs (Netflix, Youtube, etc), but mainly to watch streams of football matches (soccer) in Europe, etc. Its an older laptop that is only connected to this tv for streaming (as often the streams I get for Reddit to watch the games are loaded with pop ups, and lights up my virus scanner at times, etc).

I am wondering if there is a way to ‘stream’ (for lack of a better word) or ‘project’ these games to a different computer over wifi? Is this possible? For example, I have a laptop that I use for work purposes, etc, and don’t want to use it for steaming these games, but it would be awesome if these was a way to stream these games on a different computer (safely)? Is this possible? If that computer gets a virus for example, can that be transferred to the computer I am watching it on, etc.

Again, apologize in advance for my lack of technological knowledge.

posted by konaStFr to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

VLC Media Player, the traffic cone we all know and love, will let you stream from one machine to another without much fuss; it's reasonably straightforward to set up if you're on the same local network and know both machines' respective local IP addresses.
posted by mhoye at 5:51 AM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

You could also probably get away with Google Remote Desktop.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:04 AM on April 11, 2023

I would use TightVNC. It's free. Install the TightVNC server app on the laptop, and then you can use TightVNC viewer to access the laptop from any other computer on your network.

I think it's unlikely (perhaps impossible) that a virus on one computer can jump to the other computer via TightVNC.
posted by alex1965 at 8:02 AM on April 11, 2023

For what it's worth, I think full-remote-desktop solutions are dramatically overcomplicating your life, and will show you slightly blurrier video. Just send over the media you want to send in all its native-resolution glory, not the whole desktop environment. If you take that approach you're going through a whole extra decompress/recompress cycle that's unnecessary.
posted by mhoye at 8:11 AM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

Haven't done it, but Plex server on the sending PC and Plex client on the receiving one?
posted by TimHare at 11:53 AM on April 11, 2023

Response by poster: For what it's worth, I think full-remote-desktop solutions are dramatically overcomplicating your life, and will show you slightly blurrier video. Just send over the media you want to send in all its native-resolution glory, not the whole desktop environment. If you take that approach you're going through a whole extra decompress/recompress cycle that's unnecessary.

Awesome. How would one do this?
posted by konaStFr at 6:21 PM on April 11, 2023

From what I gather, you would like to watch these kind of dodgy euro league links whilst not at the dedicated tv laptop/downstairs tv sometimes, but you don't wanna click on these links on your upstairs 'good' computer, because popups virus risk etc. Which is why you wanna be able to stream them from the tv laptop to the other comp?

In which case, you need to remote share the tv laptop to be able to browse these links second hand with no risk to your main computer. So your best bet is as others have said, either TightVNC or Google Remote Desktop. I am not sure about virus risk-- in theory the remote share is self contained so your main comp should be fine. In practice I've never done it.

Looking into it, I think Alex is right and TightVNC is probably your best bet.

And yes, streaming from one comp to the other is easy and you can even do it with Discord screen sharing in a pinch, but would need to be physically (or remotely) at the TV laptop to start the stream and video etc, which is why it's easier if you have remote desktop access to the comp you're not at.
posted by Dimes at 8:03 PM on April 11, 2023

Response by poster: From what I gather, you would like to watch these kind of dodgy euro game links whilst not at the dedicated tv laptop/downstairs tv sometimes, but you don't wanna click on these links on your upstairs 'good' computer, because popups virus risk etc. Which is why you wanna be able to stream them from the tv laptop to the other comp?

Dimes....this is EXACTLY my situation!
My old laptop permanently connected to my tv is for streaming (and watching these links of euro soccer matches that I can't get here), and I mainly watch them on my tv downstairs, but from time to time, I am upstairs (on my good computer) and would like to watch the games upstairs....but do not want to click on those links on that computer (as there are SO many pop ups, etc) and potential for viruses (which I could care less of on that laptop, as there is literally nothing on that computer.

So sounds like TightVNC might be the option...
Thanks!
posted by konaStFr at 5:30 AM on April 12, 2023