Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Geek Speak => Topic started by: Jetrell on 10/03/2015 16:42:50
-
Hello,
I would like to know how I can "stream" from my computer to my
smart TV via an Ethernet connection.
I've read lots of articles about people streaming wirelessly from their computers to
their TVs but I can't find anything about using an Ethernet connection.
I have a LG Smart TV and an older computer using XP. I use an Ethernet cable, not Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet.
I have a Netgear router and a Motorola modem.
I can access the Internet from both my computer and from my Smart TV.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-
WiFi is part of the Ethernet series of standards.
However, when you contrast WiFi to Ethernet, I assume that you want to know about Wired Ethernet to the TV, instead of Wireless Ethernet?
Both being Ethernet standards, they generally have the same functions. Any differences may be subtle, and don't bother most people, so the instructions for connecting wirelessly to the TV will probably also work for wired Ethernet connection (assuming your TV has an Ethernet socket).
To contrast them: WiFi can be used to stream TV, but not always reliably:
- It depends on how much other traffic is on the same WiFi channel (eg from neighbors)
- It can be disrupted by interference (eg from a nearby microwave oven)
- It helps if the wireless device is in the same room as the router.
- In contrast, Wired Ethernet (Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable) is more consistent in its performance.
- In terms of speed:
- "Fast" Ethernet (100Mbps ) can achieve 100Mbps in each direction simultaneously, as there are separate wires in each direction
- Gig Ethernet (1000Mbps) can achieve 1000Mbps in each direction simultaneously, as it simultaneously transmits on all wires in both directions
- Due to it's shared medium, wireless Ethernet can only achieve about 16% of the speed on the label, upstream & downstream. So an 802.11n router labelled as "150Mbps" can achieve only about 16%x150Mbps = 24Mbps when there are other devices competing. But most video formats use a lot less bandwidth than this.
So if you are able to connect the TV to the Router with wired Ethernet, that will give you a more consistent result. That just leaves your internet connection, which is pretty inconsistent at the best of times, if you stream directly from the internet.
It seems that your TV can already communicate to the internet, which will normally be through an Ethernet connection from your TV to your home Router (Wired or Wireless connection). Your PC can connect to the internet via the same Router. Normally the Router will allow free communication between any devices within the home, whether Wired or Wireless (it is an "Ethernet Bridge").
There is a table maintained within the Router which identifies the IP address and Ethernet MAC address of every device currently active on the internet; it is normally called a "Forwarding DataBase" (FDB). Look up the router's documentation, login and read this table to find the IP address of the TV and the PC. You should be able to use the "ping (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc737478%28v=ws.10%29.aspx)" command on the PC to check that you can reach the TV via the router.
By "streaming from the PC", I assume that you want to (legally) download video to your PC (eg overnight), and then play it on the TV without any interruptions? To achieve this, you need video server software (http://www.pcworld.com/article/2043851/transform-your-pc-into-a-mean-media-streaming-machine.html) on your PC, which is a compatible format to your TV, and the downloaded video must also be a compatible format.
You should be able to provide your TV with the IP address of your PC, and the port number of the video server on your PC. It should start delivering video to your TV, over wired or wireless Ethernet.
Most legal forms of video have some form of Digital Rights Management (encryption), which might make this difficult.
-
Thank you for your reply. I understand most of what you said but I still have a couple questions.
I should have started my first post with some additional background information. I currently subscribe to a cable television service but it's expensive so I want to discontinue this service. Once I get rid of my cable TV service I want to get something like Netflix. Then I would like "stream" movies from my PC to my TV. I believe this is completely legal but do you think it will work?
Just to make sure we are both on the same page: My PC and my TV are connected via a router with an Ethernet cable. This connection works and I can get the IP address of my TV and PC.
"You should be able to provide your TV with the IP address of your PC, and the port number of the video server on your PC." How do I do this part? I mean, provide my TV with the IP address of my PC and the port number of the video server on my PC? Where do I find the place on my TV to input my PC's IP address? Where is the "port number" of the video server on my PC?
Another question: My PC has a DVD player. I would like to know if I can "stream" DVD movies from my PC to my TV? Again, using my router via the Ethernet cable connection.
If I had an HDMI port on my PC I would use that for the connection but my PC is old and doesn't have any HDMI ports.
Thanks again,
-
Many LG TV,s have a USB socket that can be used input movies that you have download from the internet to your computer not all TV models that have this USB socket are configured to use it in this way but it is quite easy to re configure them to do so and I have full insrtructions how to do it and it works fine on my LG32ld420
-
Thank you.
I'm interested but by chance are you talking about using a USB thumb drive? I already do that but if you are talking about using a USB cable to "stream" from my PC to my TV that would be fantastic information.
-
you can buy from various on the internet USB to RJ45 adapters that enable you feed a USB signal thru a considerable length (100m ?) of regular Ethernet cable, I have such a pair in my hand right now but I cannot recall the supplier but Google will tell you
-
This is interesting information but I'm not sure if I want to pursue this because I already have a working Ethernet connection between my PC and TV. What I'm trying to do is stream data from my PC to my TV through a Ethernet cable. Any suggestions?
-
Why do you not buy something like a Nvidia 8400GS video card and fit it into your computer (making sure that you have a suitable socket on your motherboard), this card has an HDMI output socket that would feed your TV as well as sockets to feed your computer monitor.
I you do not have a suitable socket you would have to replace the motherboard which you would find a rather technical job but the new mother board would probably have a HDMI output built in.
-
I have an older PC which does not a HDMI socket. I'm trying to save money so I don't want to make any upgrades on this old PC.
The thing is I keep reading how people "stream" movies and whatnot from their PCs to there TVs all the time so I know it must be possible, I just don't know how to do it via an Ethernet cable. Any help to this end would be greatly appreciated.
-
In effect what you want to do is get your lo spec computer to receive video from the internet and re transmit it simultaneously I don't think it is possible I have a reasonably high spec computer and couple it to a lo spec one so that the what is displayed on the screen of the hi spec one is transmitted over the internet to the remote one this works fine to transmit a relatively static screen but it won't transmit a video.
You will have to spend some money to do what you want to do there is no free lunch.
Take a look here
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2043851/transform-your-pc-into-a-mean-media-streaming-machine.html.
-
Thank you for the link. I've read that article before and it's actually what inspired me to try to do this.
Okay, my PC is old but it is not low spec - it's a fast lean mean machine. The problem is - my PC just doesn't have a HMDI socket.
My question is: How can I stream data from my PC to my TV via an Ethernet connection. I know people stream data from their PCs to their TVs wirelessly so it seems logical to me that I can do it through my Ethernet connection.
-
Have you tried this...
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111224062752/starwars/images/7/73/TFUII-Force_Lightning.png
-
I know this is a bit old but I am also trying to do the same thing between my computer and TV.
I have a sony TV and am able to look at videos that are on my computer on my tv and also look at the internet on the TV - so home network works ok - which is ethernet over the power lines.
My problem is a bit like the netfix one. I dont have a HDMI socket on the computer and even if I did it would not be all that convenient to use it on the TV anyway as TV and computer are in different rooms. I sometimes use catchup tv where I can watch old TV programs - but the TV stations prevent you form downloading them to the computer - so it would be nice to be able to watch on the TV what is showing on my PC via the existing ethernet (wired) connection.
-
Usually PC TV streaming is done by "deliberate software" to interface the internet in your PC with a program that will help you manage and choose an "output head"(PC MONITOR or TV SCREEN)!
Many years back Linux introduced a flavor of OS distro that was dedicated in that version to entertainment systems including internet TV which largely is "not downloadable" but "streamed".
Largely you can choose to which device(which output port by the software that has the monitor/screen head) to write to( display ) with TV software.
some basic freeware example.
https://www.raymond.cc/blog/watch-free-internet-tv-from-pc/
This is not particularly complex for a user but it does take fiddling a piece and understanding protocol url's to open some connections which is more simply how you say stream alike saying "http://" in an ordinary page location.
(leave this softwaew in because it contains a huge bulk of codecs audio or video)
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
Documentation page URL: http://www.videolan.org/support/#documentation
Moreover, the easiest may be to put a modern date DVD disc player between your computer and TV particularly if it comes with both some TV software and flash drive ports , ethernet cable socket and codecs(some only have a few codecs in the EPROM).
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
-
Thanks for your help but it's all a bit double-dutch to me.
I'll give an example of what I want to do.
Say I want to watch "au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/escape-to-the-continent/-/watch/31479717/escape-to-the-continent-sun-1-may-season-2-episode-6/" . I can watch this on my computer easily by just entering the url.
What I would like to do is see it on my TV by streaming (if that's the correct word) whats on my computer screen to the TV over my wired Lan (ethernet). I know I can connect the PC directly to the computer but that has other problems.
-
Unpleasant fact number one..
"streaming" IS a bad word for it , "streaming" is an action many more guarded sights do with video media content to prevent copyright breach from recording and have control over whether the user PC settings in use do not show signs of manipulation of the content, it essentially involves sending different codecs for different periods and chunks of the video at times alike changing/swapping a security certificate encryption to prevent it being learned enough to use it by an external party.
All you are saying you want to do is "redirect output" of downloaded video to a different screen.
An "HDMI cable and socket type" almost automatically does this for you by replicating the monitor contents to the TV , it can be found on more modern PC's and the OS's that recognise HDMI services.
The only difference is that you may/probably need to change monitor settings for resolution.
Redirecting output from a program to a TV monitor with other ports will require "add hardware" detection in windows to detect the tv, and after finding and adding it, the port is required to be configured in the "settings" of the video program software e.g. Videolan.org
but the last thing to remember is that page embedded video that is not the direct video URL as does the software display program "requires enlarging to full screen"
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/laptop/how-connect-laptop-tv-hdmi-summary-update-3280787/