video streaming from PC to TV

[rumplestiltskin]

I stream from my Mac to my TV using a WDTV media player. Works fine. Suggestion: Keep your media on a separate partition so the WDTV doesn't have to scan through everything that's not intended to be streamed (like apps, Word files, etc.); it will speed up the initial connection. 1080 or 720 content plays perfectly (as will 480, etc.). It's a fairly cheap solution that only requires the WDTV to be connected to the network (wired or wifi).

[atlantis43]

Thanks;
What does "fast" ethernet router mean? Any particular specs?
Any minimum RAM requirements?
Any way to get around "format" requirements (I didn't realize that there was such a thing)?

[jagabo]

What does "fast" ethernet router mean? Any particular specs?

100 Mb/s.

[hudsonf]

Wouldn't a Smart Blu-Ray Player be easier?

[atlantis43]

Wouldn't a Smart Blu-Ray Player be easier?

Unfortunately, I don't know what that is. I'll try to Google it, but as with most of these gizmos, I usually don't know if they can do what I need ( especially with my old WinXP pc). Did you read this whole thread to know what I'm trying to accomplish? Will a Smart Blue-Ray do that?
Richard
>>post-google:
-----I did google blue ray and "All-Share", and it doesn't look like any of the units are good for live streaming: only for previously downloaded material. Perhaps I'm wrong?

[jagabo]

The term "smart" TV or Blu-ray player generally means one with built in streaming ability. They will typically have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, Youtube, etc. built in. Many also have DLNA clients. If you're going to use Plex on your PC (a DLNA server) you can use any media player that can act as a DLNA client.

What do you mean by "live streaming"? All of the smart players are limited as to what they can stream. I don't know exactly what Plex gives you access to it won't be every streaming site on the internet. If you want to be able to view everything you'll need to connect a computer to your TV via HDMI.

[jonas more]

I use PlayOn to stream online video (and video files that I have saved on my computer) directly to my tablet and cell phone and to my tv via PS3. It has a feature called PlayMark so if I find a video online that I want to stream and the site isn't included in the list of channels offered by PlayOn, I mark it with the PlayMark browser extension so I can stream it.

I use PlayLater HD to record online video for viewing at a later time on my tv, phone or tablet.

Anthony

[ZeldaBoy]

You need a DNLA player to connect to your TV. the cheapest one is here: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A63937...30980731501410

Or you could just get a Playstation 3, it's built in.

[johns0]

I did suggest a ps3 in this thread already,does the op have one already,he didn't say either way,just that it sounded good.You can buy a decent blu-ray with wifi and dnla for $100 or less if a ps3 is isn't your type of thing to use.