[Jazi]

Hi all,

I bought my Sony LCD TV 3 years back and with the new wave of Internet TVs I was wondering whether it was possible to get older models to connect to a wireless network and stream media from PC and network drive.

Now as the TV does not have wireless capability maybe a network drive could be connected via hdmi cable and built in wireless capability to enable streaming via PC.

Anybody aware of such a device?

[LiveBrianD]

Perhaps you could use something like a Roku?

[Jazi]

LiveBrianD, on 16 March 2012 - 02:49 PM, said:

Perhaps you could use something like a Roku?

Thanks for the suggestion. Looked at Roku but it doesn't stream media from a PC. You have to use a USB for personal videos. Anything else?

I have looked at apple tv as well and it only streams videos downloaded from iTunes or in my iTunes library. I live in Saudi Arabia and can't buy videos from iTunes as they aren't any available. And if I have to convert every video I have into iTunes format and import it in iTunes, well that has to be a last resort

[LiveBrianD]

Hmm... I've seen guides on how to do that (using your own roku "channel").

[LincolnSpector]

Hi, Jazi, and welcome to the forums.

You say that your TV lacks wireless capabilities, but you don't say whether or not it has Ethernet. If it does, and it's not practical to run a cable from your router to the TV, you have two option: You can buy a WiFi adapter, or you go buy a HomePlug starter kit. I recommend HomePlug, which connects the TV (or anything else with Ethernet) to your router via your AC power connection.

If your TV doesn't have any network capabilities, I suggest investing in a Blu-ray player. These days, they're all network-capable (and many of them have WiFi), coming with Netflix, Hulu Plus, and other streaming services.

For playing media off your computer, most Blu-ray players support DLNA, which gives them access to any PC running Windows Media Player. Most of them can also play music, videos, and pictures off a flash drive.

Lincoln

[Jazi]

Thanks for the info. No my tv doesn't have any network capabilities. I cant use Netflix or any other legal streaming service here in Saudi Arabia as they aren't available outside US I believe. I have a DVD player with USB capabilities but I want to avoid the hassle of copying and connecting.

Was hoping for a cheap appletv kind of thing.

[smax013]

Jazi, on 16 March 2012 - 06:48 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 16 March 2012 - 02:49 PM, said:

Perhaps you could use something like a Roku?

Thanks for the suggestion. Looked at Roku but it doesn't stream media from a PC. You have to use a USB for personal videos. Anything else?

I have looked at apple tv as well and it only streams videos downloaded from iTunes or in my iTunes library. I live in Saudi Arabia and can't buy videos from iTunes as they aren't any available. And if I have to convert every video I have into iTunes format and import it in iTunes, well that has to be a last resort

The AppleTV can also play content that you have ripped from DVDs*...you just need to import them into your library. It will also play movies that you have made yourself. The key is that they need to be in a format that the AppleTV can support (i.e. typically MPEG4) and be imported into iTunes.

* Note: It is definitely illegal to rip DVDs that you do not personally own. There is some debate as to whether it is legal or not to rip DVDs that you own.

A Roku should allow you to stream videos from your computer using third party channels. Here is at least one example of how to do it: http://www.pcworld.c...settop_box.html

[LincolnSpector]

Jazi, on 18 March 2012 - 09:44 AM, said:

Thanks for the info. No my tv doesn't have any network capabilities. I cant use Netflix or any other legal streaming service here in Saudi Arabia as they aren't available outside US I believe. I have a DVD player with USB capabilities but I want to avoid the hassle of copying and connecting.

Was hoping for a cheap appletv kind of thing.

I don't know what is and is not available in Saudi Arabia, so my advice might be off.


Is your PC a laptop? If it is, you can probably plug it into your TV and just do it directly.

If not, my first question would be: What software do you use to listen to music and watch videos on your PC? If it's iTunes, an Apple TV is probably your best bet. Otherwise, any device that plugs into a TV and a network, that supports DLNA will do. Most Blu-ray players these days have all of those qualifications, with the added advantage of allowing you to play Blu-ray discs and probably improving the look of your DVDs.

Lincoln

[Jazi]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I will consider both Roku and appletv and go for the best option.

Thanks.