Basics for Streaming

[Vaccuum]

Hello ocforums

So I am pretty new to all this and don't know where to start, so brace yourself for stupid questions.

How do I watch files on my computer on a Roku? I looked around for something on the Roku for this, but did not find anything. Do I need to run a wire to the TV? Can I do it wirelessly? Do I need a media server? If not, what does a media server do for me? A friend of mine years ago used media center and it worked pretty good, but apparently, that no longer exists in Windows 10.

 

[JrClocker]

If you have a wireless router, see if it supports DLNA. If it does, you can download the DLNA channel on the Roku after you get your router setup.

Or, check out Plex. You install the server software on any PC, and then download the Plex channel for Roku. I ran this way until I upgraded to NVIDIA shield units!

 

[||Console||]

I second Plex .
I have a 5tb plex server to feed the chrome cast's in my House it pulls info from IMDb and keeps track of what you have watched much like Netflix.

 

[wingman99]

What is Chrome Cast and IMDb?

 

[||Console||]

Chromecast is a small media Play much like the Roko.
IMDb isthe Internet movie database.

 

[JrClocker]

When you setup Plex, if you name your movie titles to match "The Movie Database", it downloads poster art and other stuff...looks like Netflix. For TV shows, you use "The TV Database".

Your best bet is to Google these to get the websites...as there are phishing sites out there that are close to the domain names.

 

[wingman99]

What is the lowest cost online new release A list movie rental?

 

[Vaccuum]

Hi JrOverclocker,

This is the router, seems to be good to go for DLNA although I did not see any mention of it anywhere. I searched for a DLNA channel on the Roku TV, but nada? I'm probably just missing something extremely obvious. Plex and chromecast (thanks ||Console||) both sound interesting, I'll look into those also. But at this point, I Hope I can just skip any more extras and get them talking =)

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What is the lowest cost online new release A list movie rental?

Good question. Netflix seems to be out of the hunt for those pushing original content more and more.

 

[JrClocker]

When I did this a while back, it was on a Roku 3 device. I had to search for the channel and add it. Here is a Roku article at a high level:

https://support.roku.com/article/20...a-player-to-play-your-videos-music-and-photos

I do recommend Plex as it is a great user experience. The dlna is more like a file tree to select your titles. However, you should experiment with dlna first to get your feet wet.

If your router supports dlna, then you can probably plug a USB drive into one of its USB ports. From there, there will be some sort of setup screen to turn on and configure the server (from the main router webpage).

Without knowing what kind of router, that's the best I can do!