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Ask Slashdot: Best Wireless PC-to-TV Solution?
jez9999 writes: I have a slightly unusual requirement. I don't want to use some console like an Xbox, Steam Machine, etc. I just have a desktop PC which I use for most of the stuff I do (gaming, video, work, etc.), and it's upstairs. From time to time, I'd like to use it downstairs. Is there a wireless solution that will let me take control of the PC from downstairs, using the TV (HDMI) as the screen, and the TV's speakers to replace my desktop speakers? Ideally there would be a wireless transmitter in the PC, and a downstairs wireless receiver box into which I could plug the keyboard, mouse, and of course, the TV via an HDMI cable. Obviously Bluetooth wireless peripherals won't do for this as there's no line of sight between downstairs and the upstairs PC, and besides, I prefer wired peripherals anyway which I can actually plug in to something (no battery recharging needed).
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If there was an easy answer to this, then everyone would be doing this to watch watch mkv files (with .srt files where you have to choose between them), and other things (streaming from popcorn site or whatever).
I think this is a big gap in the market, but it's partially on purpose. Hardware makers don't want you to be able to watch downloaded media so easily...
What I do is have a laptop with HDMI out that I can easily stick next to the TV when required. It's not ideal, though.
Get yourself a cheap used machine (laptop/old desktop) and remote desktop in over the lan if you really "need" to use that particular machine.
You can use a chromecast if all you want is video. If you want a more complete solution, try AirTame, a kickstarter product. The hardware looks good, but the apps and drivers are still beta. It works with Win-Mac-Linux tough.
Especially if you are looking to wirelessly transmit 1080i/p reliably. I've tried and wireless was so unreliable (display artifacts and whatnot not present with wired) that I wound up going to the crawlspace and running wires to every device in the house.
I wound up only using wireless for phones and tablets, every other device that has a physical LAN port is plugged in. I haven't had any network related issues since I ditched wireless.
Back in the late 90s I tried a wireless video transmitter (back then it was composite video) and every time my neighbour turned on the microwave the signal cut out. Presumably for low res video you could probably get away with wireless.
You can get a Intel compustick for like $100. Full pc that can simu wifi to a shared folder and play whatever you want, plus as it runs windows or Linux you can do anything you want
Get a NUC.
http://bfy.tw/14ei
yeah wires
http://www.acetonestudio.com
Set up Plex on your computer, install the app on your TV, done.
List of Smart TVs that support the Plex app
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-...
The Plex app is also available for XBox and Playstation as well as Windows.
Optionally you can get a Blu-Ray player or other set top box (Roku) that supports playback
FYI: Don't expect to watch anything in full HD over Wi-Fi (at least in my experience)
If ALL you want to do, is watch your media on your TV, then get a Raspberry Pi + wifi dongle, and share your media drives on your LAN.
I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
Other posters have already suggested ways to get the video upstairs wirelessly, with the caveat that you'd probably not receive satisfactory performance for HD videos. It is manual, dirty, (sometimes) frustrating work, but so long as you've got the network infrastructure to handle 1080p streams, your most reliable performance will come from a strand of CAT6/7.
An internal system operation returned the error "The operation completed successfully.".
Any wireless solution is going to end up costing you tons in latency. Bluetooth not good enough? You need wires.
HDMI switch on the upper maching, HDMI run to the TV. USB wire runs for your controllers. USB needs a hub over about 25 feet.
"I need, like, a computer, instead of my computer, yanno?"
Chromecast with a Ethernet cable adaptor attached would do nicely. If you wanted keyboard mouse etc. It allows that as well. It also can be controlled with a phone....
Get an apple tv, ipad, and remote desktop software for the ipad. connect to the computer over rdp with the ipad. share the ipad screen with the apple tv.
Done
Intel WiDi, I haven't used it myself though, but this is what it's for.
There are some issues in what you want to do. Some free video sites go to great lengths to prevent you from watching them on a TV (such as Hulu, but not Hulu Plus). But you can watch many sites (including Popcorn) directly on the Roku. For video that you already have on the PC you can use a free DLNA player and search through your computer (or your NAS storage device) right from the Roku. Control of the PC isn't included with this, but there is a free Roku app that will let you send video from the browser to the Roku. Between DLNA and the things that Roku can do directly without the PC you get over 80% of what you seem to want.
I'm a cheap S.O.B., but I would suggest the Rouk 3 over the lesser Rokus or the streaming stick. A refurb from Newegg should do, although if you get a new Roku from the company or someone that has new inventory you'll get a newer product with voice search, a better remote, and a newer better product, even though it keeps the name Roku 3. Or wait, I think an even newer one is due out "real soon now".
Alternately, I would suggest that you consider an inexpensive computer. Newegg frequently has a refurb HP on "sale" for well under 200 with Win 7 (and eligible for free Win 10 upgrade if you want to accept that) . Connect it with a VGA cable or pop in a half height video card for HDMI support and you'll have a real computer that can go anywhere on the web and do a lot that the Roku or other TV appliances can't do.
By the way, Bluetooth isn't line of sight, but the range is limited and likely wouldn't let you use it between the TV room and the computer room.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Make sure your graphics card has an H264 encoder built-in (the likes of geforce GTX 660 and up, Radeon I-don't-know-which-ones).
This is what allows streaming of video games (nvidia feature, Valve's Steam feature) over the network. GTX 960, 970 and 980 even have a H265 encoder but you will have trouble finding something on the receiving end, as of yet. It might make using wireless more realistic but not that much.. good old 100BaseT would feel more reliable.
For other PC use (desktop, even video) I don't know what you need to use (at worst, some VNC or Teamviewer thing). I think the best stuff is enterprise grade (Microsoft RemoteFX, nvidia GRID, Citrix whatever or something else) meant for multi-user systems and big $ licensing.
I agree a PC on the receiving end is probably more flexible (NUC, Intel stick, older PC or a new ITX one)
Get an Android mini-PC or as someone else said an 'Intel Compustick' (I haven't looked at those), plug that it to your HDMI connector on your TV, get Bluetooth keyboard & mouse to use with the Mini-PC & than you can do whatever your want with the PC upstairs either through just reading from shared folders or using RDP to the PC.
Someone suggested that a 'hardware solution' as requested doesn't exist because the hardware makers don't want you to 'watch media so easily'...sorry but that's not the reason. The reason is there is clearly almost 0 demand for such a thing because it can be done in many other ways over TCP/IP without fancy 'receivers' & 'transmitters' presumably using a proprietary or 'custom' wireless protocol.
Ultimately the person submitting this question is thinking WAY too far outside the box.
I'm doing it 5 or 6 years now, with a jaibroken atv (xbmc). Now i'm planning to change to raspberry+kodi...
All the wireless solutions are flaky or expensive. Go wired.
HDMI can go up to 45 feet. If you need to go farther than that there are HDMI to Cat6 converter boxes. Run the HDMI over the Cat6, run it through the conduits... easy peasy.
If you tell me "I don't have conduits" or "this sounds like too much work"... You're shit out of luck so far as I understand the issue. That is how I understand that has to work.
Yes... there are wireless options but the most you would want to do with those is maybe a movie. If you do gaming or websites or anything responsive... No.
And even the movies is unreliable. I've been nothing but annoyed with all the high res wireless solutions. They all seem to be shitty.
Wired works.
This if you can manage it with 45 feet:
http://www.amazon.com/High-Spe...
Or this if you need to send it a lot farther:
http://www.amazon.com/AVUE-HDM...
That's 400 feet... but I suspect you could chain them together to send it a lot farther. Fucking miles if you really wanted to...
Its not expensive.
Just run the wire.
Here you might be saying "but how do I use my keyboard, mouse, anal vibrator without close access to the USB on my computer?"... good question... and the same answer:
http://www.amazon.com/Monopric...
that's 150 feet... I'm sure there are ones that transmit farther if you look for it or care. 150 feet is pretty good if you're just trying to go downstairs through the conduits.
I have a server closet in my house. Most of my machines hang out in there. Most of them are just VNCed into or something. But some of them I want a tight hardware interface to and for THOSE... this works.
Keep in mind, you don't want to do more than keyboards and mice over a USB extender. They tend to have shitty bandwidth so plugging in a blueray reader or something is a mistake.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
Valve are brining out a dongle to stream video games across your LAN for the purpose of playing them on your TV. If they can do this for 3d graphics I'd have thought it might be capable of streaming a desktop as well.
You prefer wired peripherals? Thank you kind soldier. Keep up the fight. Lets end this terrible game of lag, dropped data, and endless recharging.
I've been playing with OBS "Open Broadcaster Software" streaming video from my PC to a Raspberry Pi. OBS is designed for live-streaming games, but seems to work well for general video as well. In my experience, there's about a half-second of lag, so it's terrible for UI, but the transmission is smooth, so actual video playback is nice.
You should be able to simultaneously run a remote desktop session or VNC on the Pi to control the UI in a relatively lag-free way, hit a key to start streaming, and enjoy the video. Of course, this whole set-up only makes sense if you don't have a smart tv, blu-ray player that supports streaming, etc. Otherwise, why not just use what you already have and set up network shares on the PC?
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Perhaps overkill for what you want, but MythTV can be be used across multiple systems in a client-server setup for live/recorded TV, photos, videos... You can install the server on your desktop, with a capture card if you want live or recorded cable/OTA TV, and the client side on a less-capable system attached to your TV (really easily if your TV has a VGA port (like mine) or your PC has an HDMI port ...). All you need is to network the two systems. It can also be controlled via a remote or keyboard. Not sure how to configure the remote to work on the client as I have a combined one-system client+server setup.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
> I have a slightly unusual requirement.
Nothing really unusual about this.
> I just have a desktop PC which I use for most of the stuff I do (gaming, video, work, etc.),
> and it's upstairs. From time to time, I'd like to use it downstairs. Is there a wireless solution
> that will let me take control of the PC from downstairs, using the TV (HDMI) as the screen,
> and the TV's speakers to replace my desktop speakers?
What you are asking is how to work remotely from TV room to your personal computer.
You haven't specified any essential details so I need to ask:
What kind of stuff you wish to do remotely?
1) Just access photos on your PC and maybe some media (music, videos streaming)?
For that you need just a simple network media player attached to your TV. Also you need a modest wifi connection between your TV and your PC. Anything that has wifi, can output via HDMI, has a remote and plays media files (photos, audio, video) will do.
2) Maybe do some office work on it?
For that you need a thin client. Probably Android based. That can do VNC or RDP. Also some input devices for that box (USB or wireless keyboard and mouse). And a modest wifi connection.
3) Gaming?
If you even think about streaming games from your PC you need a powerful wifi connection (like dual band, N standard, *fast* access points). And some device that can stream games from Steam - even small Raspberry Pi box could do that but network performance is essential.
So given above three points you need to have:
- configured wireless or wired network connection between the TV and your PC
- somekind of client device at your TV (Android based set-top box or dongle, something like PCoIP thin client, small Linux client (like RasPI))
- some input devices for your TV - depending on what you want - a remote control for media, a keyboard and mouse for workflow, a gamepad for gaming
But the one thing in common is to have network connection (wireless or wired) between the PC and the TV.
What you really want is Airtame (https://airtame.com/). Anything that appears on your screen is sent to the TV. And it works as it's own wifi access point. The hardware is solid but the software is still under development. Worth waiting for I think. It will eventually work on Linux plus the other usual suspects, including IOS and Android.
"He took a duck in the face at 250 knots." -- William Gibson, Pattern Recognition
That adapter is called Steam Link. http://store.steampowered.com/universe/link
Available in November, but can already be preordered for 50 bucks.
On the plus Steam Link supports wired network, it is even recommended.
What you're asking for is a pretty common scenario, especially in home theater solutions. In those cases the PC is in the equipment room/closet and it is used from the screen room. Lot's of wireless options are available for HDMI, and they are capable of 1080p, but you may be limited by distance and wall materials. Bluetooth is the typical choice for keyboard and mouse. and line of sight is not typically necessary. Walls decrease range, but Bluetooth typically reaches 30-40 feet through one wall(floor/ceiling) with no problem.
There are cheap HDMI USB solutions like the Diamond Multimedia WPCTVPRO 1080p VStream Wireless USB PC to TV Adapter for MAC OS, Win8.1, Win8, Win7, Win VISTA, and WinXP. Their performance isn't great, so I don't typically recommend them unless cheap is the primary requirement.
The IOGEAR Wireless HDMI Transmitter and Receiver Kit GWHD11 is a more robust solution, but be aware that it requires an HDMI port on the PC and its range is a bit limited.
There are many other more expensive wireless options as well, but here's the industry "secret". Running HDMI cabling is the best solution of all. You can still use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, but cabled HDMI is the best option. It may be a real pain to run the cable, but it's usually worth it.
The cables themselves, like theAurum Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable 50 Ft - 26 AWG - CL3 Rated for In-wall Installation - Supports 3D, Ethernet and Audio Return - 50 Feet or the Cable Matters® CL3 Rated (In-Wall Installation) Flat High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet 50 Feet - 3D and 4K Resolution Ready are cheap, unless you try to get them at Best Buy.
Used to work well for me for 3-4 years and then suddenly stopped. Full name is ASUS WiCast EW2000 Wireless HD Video Transmitter and Receiver but not available on Amazon now. Pixel perfect HDMI transmission with zero latency.
- refurbed slingbox for $64
- wireless USB keyboard and mouse combo $20
- amazon Fire TV Stick/Roku Stick/Chromecast ~ $40
Hook-up slinbox to your Access Point and svideo output on your PC
Connect USB dongle to your PC for wireless keyboard and mouse
Connect amazon Fire TV Stick/Roku Stick/Chromecast to your TV, install slingbox app and start streaming. There will be delay so this is not a solution for realtime work.
If you need a solution with minimal lag you'll need to string CAT5 cable and use keyboard/video extender - there's no way around it since video is too much bandwidth for wireless and needs to be compressed.
I forgot to mention wirles KVMs(Keyboard Video Mouse) like this Cables Unlimited DisplayDock Wireless USB Docking Station with Video for PC
It claims to do exactly what you want, provided the range is acceptable. Though I'm pretty sure these will work fine with desktop apps, we've never had much luck with these for high res or framerate video such as gaming.
As I already said, HDMI cable is the best option.
I have a wired solution working very well in my apartment. I have an HDMI cable running from my desktop computer to my TV. That's basically all it takes nowadays. For PC games that use a controller, I hit Win+P and select "second screen". The video and sound get switched to the TV. I use my wireless Xbox 360 controller.
A wireless solution would be tough since you will need a longer ranged HDMI transmitter / receiver to get the video from upstairs to downstairs. Honestly, you might be better off running a wire downstairs. For a controller, get a long USB cable.
"Beta" is in the same class of insult as "sheeple" - the kind that is used exclusively by its own targets.
It's pricey, but it works and it works well. Plus the necessary drivers are in the device itself.
https://www.barco.com/en/Products-Solutions/ClickShare-wireless-button.aspx
OK here is how you do it. 1. Get a napkin. 2. Scribble your design idea on napkin. 3. Fly to SV. 4. Meet with VC 5. Raise $300M in startup capital. 6. Employee folks from ./ community.
7. Blow through $300M in short order.
8. Fold company.
No problem.....
I really do not understand some of the stupid questions that get asked on here. Almost as dumb as the polls...
that will get you the HDMI over a distance using CAT6
Then you would use something like:
http://www.monoprice.com/Produ...
The second is only usb 1.1, but for a mouse and keyboard you probably don't need much more than that. You would need to wire each end directly to each side using CAT6 and there might be other devices to run USB 2.0/3.0 over CAT, but these work fine for me. I run them about 85' between my kids' room and the living room so they can watch netflix and play minecraft.
Run windows (or whatever) in a VM. Have another computer downstairs attached to your TV, with wireless kb and mouse. Log into the VM from downstairs when you need to. Same machine, same resources, no lag like running VNC or other solution.
Ideally there would be a wireless transmitter in the PC, and a downstairs wireless receiver box into which I could plug the keyboard, mouse, and of course, the TV via an HDMI cable
I can't think of any OOB ready-made solutions to this. At least none that would be cheaper than buying a dedicated downstairs computer. Even then it would be a kludge: you could teamview from the downstairs computer into the upstairs computer; that would do it but it would be clunky.
http://www.actiontec.com/324.html
I have a Western Digital WD Live, with a wireless adapter plugged into one of it's USB ports. It works fine for what I want, which is to watch most mkv files. It has YouTube and a few other "apps" on it. I've got an older model, but apparently they've kept it up to date, it seems to plays most things I try on it. I keep a shared directory that I put files in on my PC and the WD Live connects and lists them all for me to choose. Connected to the TV via HDMI. These go for around $60-90 or so, depending on model, plus the USB WiFi adapter, $10-15. I keep thinking I'll get a newer one but this one still works well and my needs are not that complex. I've had it for probably 10 years or more.
Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
There is a very specific reason that you can't find any decent sugestion on these comments getting 5+. To put it simply, there's no silver bullet.
(for brevity I'll summarize my sugestion here, just combine the following: Control the PC with Remote Desktop for Android; Stream Audio+Video with Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter or a cheap Miracast Dongle; Have a PC that enables flawless screen casting over wifi, preferably using Intel WIDI on Win8+ and an Intel GPU; Have some very good domestic WIFI network; Forget long cables exist: they won't give you control over the PC, they are more expensive than a good enough router and they are cumbersome when you don't need their lenght anymore)
Everyone has very specific needs (marked with * are yours): ...and they may also need subtitle support
- some already have a gigantic library, so they need fast/reliable access to it wherever it is (also varies)
- most (of the afforementioned) formats are picky: lossless/lossy/weird audio formats and won't play everywhere nicely
-
- some just want to stream popcorntime (or youtube, or hulu, or [insert your brand of constantly updated content])
- others just want to cast their PC screen *
- then they realize they also want to control it from afar...*
But then, everyone has very specific, sometimes catch-all habits:
- some want to use the thing everyday, so they want swift performance, intuitive UI control and quick pinpoint of programing, even some form of "zapping"
- some watch sporadically and can take the hit on performance, usability, and even availability
- some want to use it once a year, but they want it to be flawless that once
Everyone has a certain flavour of a crucial part of the "system":
- no decent internet uplink from the ISP
- no decent WIFI for streaming HD content (remote or local)
- no chance to wire the place around for solving previous issue
- Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, HDMI (and its versions), DVI (and its versions), DisplayPort (you knwo how it goes), D-SUB..... USB (...Micro; Type-C lel)...
And then there's the real nitpicky shyte: low power usage, low noise, below 50$, must use https/proxy/VPN yada yada. Seriously I think there isn't two people in the world that, whatever solution they attempt, both of them will never be completely happy with that solution. But there's certainly one for your needs and I have a sugestion that just might be it:
Since you want video, audio, and control over two separate floors, you surely need to use that WIFI network. No way around it: and HDMI cable won't totally control your PC from afar. So you want at the very least 802.11n everywhere (router, tv-side, pc-side, smartphone-side). If you are thinking of streaming to pc from the interwebs, you might even need either wired connection router->PC, or alternatively dual band "ab" stuff so local throughput doesn't get chopped by the big mesh dynamics going on. Since we got the "medium" out of the way, now we need your "control device". Three words: Android Remote Mouse (google it). Now the most important part: how to get your display+audio out of that PC and into that HDMI? Unfortunately there's only one decent choice in my humble opinion (it has many names though...) Miracast/Widi/screencasting. And that narrows your choices a lot: PC side you need an intel CPU and Windows 8+ as they are the (to my knowledge) the most viable way to share desktops SEAMLESSLY; TV side, I will say you want a Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter or any decent Miracast dongle that suits your pocket. People say chromecast will also allow it but I wouldn't trust 2yo product on a constantly feature-changing (sometimes without warning) software platform.
You can usually find ~$100 laptop with a broken screen with reasonable specs on Craigslist, Ebay, etc. Connect to TV, plug in your mouse/keyboard, connect to Wifi (preferably N, or run a string of copper).
Use some form of remote desktop software to connect to primary workstation.
Essentially you've created a thin client. Network bandwidth and wifi latency will be the killer in this situation, though. As mentioned above, run a string of Copper if possible.
Good luck.
This is pretty much what you need to do if you want the versatility of your desktop on your TV.
Hook a small PC up to your TV and leave it there. A $10 USB WiFi adapter can connect it to your network. This is about the cheapest and most versatile solution. A < $100 box will do the job. Just find a small, old dual core box, install your OS of choice, maybe add some RAM and/or a SSD if you wanna splurge (also < $100) and you are all set. You can remote into or load files from your main desktop using pretty much anything you'd like. You can also stream anything you want from the internet. You can even stream games from Steam off your main PC.
An ip kvm will do exactly what you want. They are used in data centers to control machines throughout the building. You can get a used Raritan on ebay for about $200-$250.
As others have pointed out, hdmi video is multiple gigabits, so you're not going to have Bluray quality video, or gaming FPS, without a dedicated tables. If you want that kind of video, the standard is called hdbase-t. You can run it over cat5e or cat6.
You do NOT need to drill new holes and go through the same trouble you did when you installed the first cable. Simply tie a string to the existing cable, then pull it out, leaving the string in it's place. Tie on another cable and another string and pull it back the other way. Now you have two cables where you used to have one, AND you have a string ready to go for adding another cable. Next time, pull a string along with any cable you pull. If the holes are too small for two cables, just enlarge the existing holes a bit. Don't try to force too many cables into too small of a hole. Just take three minutes to drill it out a bit larger.
Ps - for any new holes s, don't drill through brick, drill through the mortar.
You sound like you're asking for a WiFi KVM (keyboard, video, and mouse).
Hardware KVMs are somewhat rarer now than they used to be, as software alternatives are now good.
You might look at something like this:
http://djlab.com/2012/05/porta...
I have used good HDMI over IP products and good WiFi bridges, but never tried them together. On the software side, I was impressed with HP's RGS, but there are a ton of alternatives now. For small form factor PCs, I like the Brix Pro series.
Most of the solutions for this sort of thing I have done involve wired HDMI extenders over Cat6 and a wireless USB mouse/keyboard. There are "wireless" solutions but all of them are way overpriced for residential use and many are limited in application because they HOG bandwidth. Technically you can do it, but it won't be very responsive without using ac wifi. I personally ran my own extender to do this at my house, was actually really easy to do with some fish tape/firebreak drill bits. That is what I would recommend and just make it modular so you can use the outlet jacks for whatever (I actually set mine up to have keystones in the wall and at the top of the attic boards where they come out so you can move the actual cable between wall jack without splicing and re-terminating constantly).
You can't run a single network cable a use a pair of HDBaseT boxes?
I use Serviio (Free/25$) and while it's not perfect it's pretty damn good.
"GET / HTTP/1.0" 200 51230 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; Setec Astronomy)"
I've been using an old Dell Optiplex with Linux Mint from 2006 for this exact purpose for....8 years now. Its VGA output goes into my TV's VGA input. Line out goes to the TV's aux input. Then I can Remote Desktop to any machine I want.
Use a wireless keyboard with touchpad. I've used the Logitech K400 and its predecessor for years. Do NOT get a wireless mouse for use in the living room; you'll regret it. Machine is close enough to my broadband router that I can keep it on a wired connection. As a bonus, it also plays HD video that I download from The Pirate Bay using VLC with no lag and no problems at all.
Harbor Freight sells 3' flex drills for pretty cheap,
Parts Express sells 16' USB cable + repeater for pretty cheap (and you can chain up to 5 of them)
http://www.parts-express.com/u...
and HDMI cables go up to 50' (VGA is cheaper, if that's an option for you)
This is what I did to connect the projector in my livingroom to my computer in my office. But actually after doing that a while I got tired of always needing my personal PC to be ready for use as an entertainment center, and just got a second computer for the livingroom and put Windows on it so my friends could figure it out. That way I also don't care if it gets full of malware as people download things; I just wipe it if anything doesn't look right.
Mark of the Coder fades from you. You perform Opening on World of Warcraft. Warcraft crits GPA for 4. GPA dies.
I've tried Raspberry Pi (stutters under load) and Chromecast (also stutters) but now I just run it from my main Linux machine. The TV is in the room adjacent to my office and I have a 35 foot HDMI cable so it's essentially the second monitor of my computer (in your case I'd run the cable through the walls). I log into my computer through SSH on my Android phone (JuiceSSH client), run a simple bash script that picks the movie with slmenu and plays it through mplayer, which sends the audio through HDMI. With the onscreen (phone) keyboard I can pause/play, seek, pick subtitles or languages, whatever. If you want a real keyboard and mouse use Bluetooth K/M to the phone sitting beside you, but it's hardly necessary. If you want to go with Kodi (formerly XBMC) they have nice remote control programs that run on the phone.
J
Be aware, Chromecast doesn't let you stream anything unless it is connected to a Wifi network that has Internet access.
Obviously, Google needs to know what you are streaming from your laptop to your TV in order to provide 'best user experience', I guess.
They failed to mention this requirement anywhere on the box, but they mention "steam local content" quite few times.
So, just be aware of it before you buy.
I got screwed, since wanted to stream content from laptop in place where I don't have Internet. Whoops.
In addition to the "use ethernet over power line" (PLC = PowerLine Communication) as mentionned by the other,
there's also the solution of using optical fiber.
Recently there's been development in plain plastic optical fibers (POF) - the same cheap one that you use to carry digital audio, not the expensive glass ones (GOF).
(Though as they are only permeable to red light, and not so much to infra-red, you need a pair of them).
It's just a pair of fibers, so it much easier and more space saving than pulling Cat6 cables.
Latest generation of devices can carry gigabits link up to 25m with the cheapest plastic (PMMA) or even longer distance with newer plastics (perfluorinated polymers - which are also permeable to infrared, by the way).
Termination is super easy: there's none, you just plug the end of the fiber into a mecanical receptor. It's as complicated as plugging copper wires into a speaker.
Random example of constructor of gigabit transciever.
It has better an more stable signal than PLC, and wwaaaaayyyyyyyy better signal than wireless, though you still need to run cables through your wall.
It's much easier to run thourgh walls than ehternet Cat6, it's closer to running a pair of small coper wires for analog phones.
But if you can't even run a fiber, then go for PLC. Forget about Wifi for anything but the mobile devies that only have wireless (phones, tablets).
That will give you much stable connection overall, and leave much free bandwidth for the mobile devices.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Use a $35 Chromecast!
You can send your entire screen to your TV with a Chromecast. You'll probably want to find some kind of wireless keyboard and/or mouse to do this.
You could also look at Android TV and see if there's a screen mirroring application. I don't know if Android TV can run ordinary Android apps, but if it can, there's already a screen mirroring program.
Finally, stick PCs are a thing. You could always run a screen sharing program on a stick PC.
IMO, I think trying to connect a PC to a TV is quickly becoming more effort than it's worth. This is for the following reasons:
No, I will not work for your startup
Powerline networking (http://www.newegg.com/Powerline-Networking/SubCategory/ID-294) is another solution. I hang a Roku off of a powerline network node and it consistently streams HD well.
Greetings OP, I have one of these rigs: Actiontec My Wireless TV WiFi / HDMI Multi-Room Wireless HD Video Kit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi... I use it to sling HD video, USB and IR from my downstairs to upstairs, and it works great! There is a small amount of latency but it's not at all unusable. Sounds like it would do exactly what you want! I'm very happy with mine--normally I'm a bit skeezed out by Actiontec products (FiOS wireless router ugh) but this one has been completely solid. Good luck! Regards- pdscomp
I use PLEX server (free) on my desktop, and stream 1080 to my TV via the ROKU PLEX app. Works great!
I tried Chromecast but hated it. Eventually I realized the best solution was connecting my laptop to my home theatre via HDMI. When I need it I just select the video setting and when finished selected back to TV. No need for special apps or even an internet connection. Even when my TV is off I can play music from my laptop through the home Theatre speakers. With Blackberry Blend I can see my incoming email/BBMs when I am watching movies. Video chats on my big screen TV are amazing and remind me of the view screens in Star Trek. We are living in the future.
Today's vices may be tomorrow's virtues.
If your PC was a Mac... you can easily do this... Buy an AppleTV ($69). Hook both to the same wifi network. From your Mac, you can stream the screen content (or iTunes explicitly for better quality) directly to the AppleTV which has HDMI connection to the TV. Now to make things even better... use ipod/ipad/iphone to install an app called rowmote (there are other apps)... which allows you to remotely control your Mac from far away as long as it's connected to the same wifi network. The only thing is... in order to see the screen downstairs to use the remote control... you'd have to manually begin the video stream from Mac to AppleTV... from then you can remote control
AppleTv, Airparrot, Remote Mouse app (both ios and android flavors should work.)
I use an Asus RT-AC87U and my Onkyo TX-NR818 through DNLA Streaming and it works very well.
Oh, reading again, I see the question was even more CRETINOUS than I assumed. It is actually asking if windows has a MAGICAL way of using a remote output screen NOT designed for remote use remotely. That's a bit like asking how you go about making your current car fly.
This lamer surely hit Google and read about all the post VNC solutions even an idiot will find - and clearly didn't like what he discovered- so asked here if there is a 'secret' method to make his car fly- I mean his ordinary remote TV act like a local output.
Windows does have ways of capturing the current output and streaming the pictures across USB for the handful of WIRED USB displays that were sold a few years back. But, as anyone with even one functioning braincell would realise, having the PC monitor the screen picture, compress and ship it out frame by frame to a remote location has many drawbacks- lag and image quality when screen content is updating rapidly being two.
There are a myriad number of remote control and remote working apps for windows that do what the so-called questioner requests- and all compromise on the experience of using the PC directly. PCs are so CHEAP (for things like perfect browsing), the PC experience is always best achieved by having a machine in each location. Again, an 80 dollar Baytrail tablet can be used to give a FULL Windows 8 experience (for browsing and casual games) at the location of one's main TV. Any MAGICKING of the upstairs PC output to the downstairs TV would cost VASTLY more than this, and save for some highly specific cases (like streaming games from a high-end Nvidia graphics card) would be a highly compromised experience.
Annnnnnnd, after re-reading, you still have no idea of what you're talking about.
btw, it is "Bay Trail". That's two words with a space, and no, that's not suitable for actual gaming.
There are wireless HDMI transmitters, but you would likely get significant input/output lag. For the money it would cost to buy the solution you are looking for, you could get a simple desktop with HDMI and plug it into your tv.
If you told us what you wanted to do remotely. Watch video? Browse the web? Play games?
Essentially what you need is what you explicitly state you do not want: a console, Steam Machine, etc. Maybe you could get away with a Raspberry Pi with a wifi adapter and Chrome remote desktop or Team Viewer. It might work for gaming if you can install the Steam client on it, and you should be able to stream video (probably better off putting video files into a shared folder or USB stick and playing them locally).
But no, there is no cheap transmitter-like device that accomplishes solely what you're looking for. You basically need some kind of computer attached to your downstairs TV that can connect to your main machine via wifi. It doesn't need to be an expensive computer, but it still needs to be a computer of some kind, with wifi and USB ports capable of supporting a wired mouse and keyboard. Cheapest solution in my mind is a Raspberry Pi. Next up would be an inexpensive/older laptop or computer.
http://www.actiontec.com/219.html
I've used this solution for a while and it does exactly what you want. Has a remote USB port and 1080p picture quality. Works with most keyboards.