Watched the first episode of The Acolyte on Disney+, and there so many ads that I swear the ad-to-star-wars radio was 1 to 1.

…so I set sail. I’m so sick this. But now I’ve got three video files on the comp (Windows 10), but I’m struggling to get them into the TV… We have a Roku, but apparently my comp doesn’t support ‘Miracast’, and that seems to be a huge road block going by guides online.

Hoping to not spend an arm and a leg, but probably need some cable or something other than Roku. I’m probably the least techy person on Lemmy, so please idiot-proof any instructions.

Thanks all!

  • TheOneCurly@lemm.eeEnglish
    16·
    4 days ago

    For a PC and a roku on the same network I would highly recommend Plex or Jellyfin. You store the video on your pc and stream it over to the tv over the network. They’re both free, Plex is closed source and has some paid features if you want that, Jellyfin is totally open source.

    I’ve been using Plex in this setup for a lot of years and its been rock solid.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      4 days ago

      Any legality concerns with Plex or jellyfin? (Have the VPN on during steam, or is it like a direct connection from comp to TV?)

      • TheOneCurly@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        4 days ago

        Nope, both go directly from your PC to your tv. Plex does a log-in thing to their servers but that’s just an account. Jellyfin is 100% local.

  • Meltrax@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    4 days ago

    You sound like a beginner, which is totally fine.

    If you’re new to this and your files are on a laptop, just use VLC media player (it’s free) and an HDMI cable to connect to your TV. Nothing more than that is needed.

    Setting up a media library via Plex or Jellyfin, as others have suggested, is an excellent solution for basically having your own mini in-network Netflix, but it’s not a simple solution for someone who’s not used to doing some more in-depth technical things.

  • NoneYa@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    4 days ago

    You could do Plex or Jellyfin like others suggest here. I’ve been using Plex for many years now and experimenting with Jellyfin.

    But this can be something some people may not like because it can require time to create and manage and money to spend on new equipment. It can be a rabbit-hole after some time and some people may not want to spend so much time or energy or money doing this. It’s not a ton, but it can be a bit much after some time if you get too invested.

    They really are best if you want the streaming-like experience, though.

    If you’re okay with just streaming files, you can use one of these methods:

    • connect a HDMI cable from your computer to the TV and get a wireless keyboard/mouse. This will effectively set your TV as a monitor for your computer but everything is accessible quickly and easily right off the bat with nothing in between. I’d recommend installing VLC player for this as it is widely compatible with many file formats.

    • on your Roku/other smart TV device, you can download an SMB app that will search for files on your home network and then make them available to you through this app. It’s not very clean, not like how streaming services or Plex/Jellyfin do it, but it’s easy and gets the basic job done. On my Apple TV, I have a VLC app that does this and I can view raw files and select them to stream directly from my computer to my Apple TV with no extra setup. Other downside is that most of these apps don’t remember your playback or last video you played, which can suck if watching something like a Lord of the Rings marathon or binging a show and leaving and coming back. But it works! You may need to share the files/folder, which is as simple as right-clicking the folder where your videos are and then selecting Share and then sharing with your local network in most cases.

  • MC_Lovecraft@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    4 days ago

    Do you have an HDMI cable? I have my laptop more or less permanently plugged into the TV for exactly the purpose of watching movies, whether pirated or otherwise.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      4 days ago

      I do - this might be the easiest option. Will that get sound over too? I don’t have actual speakers on my comp, just headphones. Trying to get it set up so the wife and I can watch it on the TV as normal-a-viewing-experience as possible.

      • obelisk@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        4 days ago

        HDMI is intended to pass audio signal as well. You may have to make adjustments to the audio output settings on windows.

    • essell@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      4 days ago

      I run plex through a Chromecast into TV HDMI.

      Wondering how others do it now…? Is it PCs plugged into TVs?

      Or do modern TVs run Plex apps?

      • TheOneCurly@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        4 days ago

        Roku, android TV, samsung, webOS, and a bunch of other random smart tv platforms all have plex apps. For direct hdmi I assume most people run a media center like kodi (xbmc).