Easiest and best way to stream content

[raildogg]

And also the most cost effective 🙂

Hi everyone, I want to stream movies and shows on my TV and I'm not clear as to what direction to go in. I should have figured this out on my own but didn't.

My main priority is to stream content from the PC to TV. I used to have a long HDMI cable running from my PC to my TV. Well, I have a new PC and it is now not very convenient to go this route. So now, I'm wondering what is a good alternative.

The first choice is Chromecast because of the price and also since it can stream content from PC to TV. However, there are limitations, such as Amazon Prime not being available and that its not always easy to stream everything from PC to TV. Some content is not supported by Chromecast and thus cannot be streamed. Also, I'm not sure if it can consistently play 1080P videos.

The second choice is Roku 3. I believe this is a good choice because of a wider choice of content and channels. But this will be completely independent of the PC. I will simply have to do everything from the Roku remote, which I'm not sure will be as easy to search content. With the PC, it is very easy to search using the mouse and keyboard.

The other choice is the Wii U. However, I'm not sure if it will consistently stream 1080P content. The same goes for the other devices. Do they consistently stream 1080P content?

I may just get the Wii U first since its much more than a streaming device. If it does play content well, then there may not be a need for anything else.

As you all can see, I'm a bit lost. If only there was a way to wirelessly transmit PC content to the TV, that would be great.

Appreciate any comments. Thanks.

 

[hoorah]

It depends on what kind of content you want on the TV.

If you want content from the streaming providers (netflix, hulu, amazon, etc) there are a lot of devices to choose from.
If you want content from your own library, you will need to make sure that whatever device you have is capable of playing the content type or the server is capable of transcoding it.
If you want liveTV/DVR functions, the list of available solutions starts to narrow a bunch.

Although I know nothing of the setup, I've heard great things from people that have sideloaded XBMC onto the amazon fire TV device for $99, about the same as a roku.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The second choice is Roku 3.

This plus Plex is probably the best solution for you.

 

[raildogg]

This plus Plex is probably the best solution for you.

Yes, I was looking into that. So basically, I download the app on Roku and my PC, then I can stream whatever I want (Netflix, etc.) onto the Roku from my PC? If so, this will be great. So the content quality will then depend on the wireless signal, I guess. Thank you.

Hoorah, I don't have a library (like saved content) but I like the ability to use my PC to stream content to the TV. This is easy to do if there is a wired (HDMI) connection but is more challenging if its wireless. Thank you.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yes, I was looking into that. So basically, I download the app on Roku and my PC, then I can stream whatever I want (Netflix, etc.) onto the Roku from my PC?

Hmmmm... Maybe you would prefer a Chromecast, that seems to be closer to what you want as the PC could control everything.

 

[LoveMachine]

Slight thread derail: sorry OP.
Poofy, I have a very old Roku 1st gen that I recently tried out with Plex. Long story short - it sucked. Slow scrolling and a bland, ugly interface. Knowing that the Roku3 has a lot more horsepower, does the UI look more similar to the browser/desktop UI? I'm considering replacing my AppleTV2, but the googles and Roku/Plex forums didn't have any easily available images. I hate the Apple limitations, but the interface is spouse approved.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Knowing that the Roku3 has a lot more horsepower, does the UI look more similar to the browser/desktop UI?

It will be faster and a little better, but it is still a set-top box and not a fullblown HTPC so you are limited. Here is a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1joEROfRPk

I think its pretty nice but each to their own.

If you want an AppleTV on steroids the solution is a hacked Chromebox plus OpenElec plus the SiO2 skin. Then you get the wife approved interface with enough power to play any file you want.

 

[LoveMachine]

Didn't even think to try the Youtoobs. That looks much better than on the original Roku. Thanks!

 

[SolMiester]

Slight thread derail: sorry OP.
Poofy, I have a very old Roku 1st gen that I recently tried out with Plex. Long story short - it sucked. Slow scrolling and a bland, ugly interface. Knowing that the Roku3 has a lot more horsepower, does the UI look more similar to the browser/desktop UI? I'm considering replacing my AppleTV2, but the googles and Roku/Plex forums didn't have any easily available images. I hate the Apple limitations, but the interface is spouse approved.

You can use your ATV2 to stream content from your Plex server, and it comes with nice UI front end....let me see if I can find a screenshot for you...

OOps, just realised I have posted web UI, not the ATV one...will get photo for ya

This time...

The Libraries

On Deck