Getting streaming media from my PC to my TV

Darkewolfe

I have an Amazon Prime membership. This lets me stream most of their movie and tv content for free in my web browser, but not download the actual media files. I have a TV connected to an xbox about 10 feet away. I can't just use windows media center to stream from my PC to the 360, because you can only stream files, not just the stream. Is there any way to watch this streaming media on my tv, either using the existing equipment, or by picking up some slingbox-like tech or anything?

The Crowing One

Just hook up an HDMI connection and set the TV as an alternate monitor. That's what I do, and it's awesome.

rockmonkey

The Crowing One wrote:

Just hook up an HDMI connection and set the TV as an alternate monitor. That's what I do, and it's awesome.

This is highly dependent on his PCs available video connections. If it's just 10 feet get a cheap 10' HDMI cable online like Crowing said. Edit: There are (and you may have one already that came with you video card) DVI to hdmi converters if you don't have HDMI out on your PC but do have an extra DVI out. DVI is basically the same has HDMI but doesn't have audio, so you'd have to run the audio or just play it through the PC if it's got decent speakers and is only 10' away.

For other options read on!

First, check amazon's list of devices that can have the capability to stream their service onto the TV already. It's here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices

Make sure you don't already have a TV/Blu-ray player/DVR/whatever that supports the service.

Next, for a set-top box that supports this service I would look at Roku boxes. Make sure whatever model you get isn't really old or whatever and doesn't support Amazon Instant Video.


Amazon's instant video service doesn't have nearly the devices that support it yet as netflix or even hulu plus. An HDMI cable might work and depending on distance and running the cable. Shopping online for a cable is MUCH cheaper than going to Best Buy or Walmart. Also if the pc is in another room this would mean no control over the video unless you get up and go over to the PC.

I had a free trial of prime and didn't have an easy solution for this situation myslef using the options and configurations available to me at the time. Since I wasn't planning on keeping the service dropping any kind of money on a solution wasn't going to happen.

A laptop with a HDMI or DVI out and powerful enough to playback HD video content and push it to the TV would be a good option. We have no laptop and 2 iPads. While we can (if we needed to) stream Netflix or Hulu Plus from our iPads (with a cable) to the TV we couldn't with Amazon Prime because there is no iPad app and the website doesn't allow mobile devices to stream from it directly. Perhaps this isn't the case with android tablets/phone. I'm not sure.

I would assume a kindle fire would do it with the appropriate accessory cable, but again you'd have to walk up next to the TV where the Fire is tethered to control the playback, which isn't so bad compared to a PC in another part of the house.

RadicalTurnip

Yeah, that's what I do, too.

Darkewolfe

Rockmonkey,

I think the problem is that they give free "streaming" to Amazon Prime members, which is not the same as Amazon Instant Video. With Instant Video, I still get a file that I can run through windows media player, which I can then easily stream to my 360. With just in-browser streaming on amazon, though, that won't work.

Radical, what do you do? Push streaming from a laptop/ipad? I probably won't drop more than a hundred bucks or so to accomplish this, so those solutions don't work unfortunately.

rockmonkey

Darkewolfe wrote:

Rockmonkey,

I think the problem is that they give free "streaming" to Amazon Prime members, which is not the same as Amazon Instant Video. With Instant Video, I still get a file that I can run through windows media player, which I can then easily stream to my 360. With just in-browser streaming on amazon, though, that won't work.

Radical, what do you do? Push streaming from a laptop/ipad? I probably won't drop more than a hundred bucks or so to accomplish this, so those solutions don't work unfortunately.

So wait, Corwing's soultion (which I 2nd as a first choice solution) isn't viable?

I know I blabbered on about many different situations and solutions but the "run a 10' HDMI from the computers video card to the TV and set it up as a 2nd monitor that The Crowing One first put forth is probably the cheapest easiest route.

edit: I'd also like to take this moment to express how much I dislike Amazon's approach thus far because they seem so unorganized. If you have amazon prime then you can stream these videos from our streaming library for free, but we're also going to list these other videos you have to pay for regardless of if you pay for our service or not because that's part of our instant video service and not our Amazon Prime video service. WTF AMAZON!

Darkewolfe

The HDMI might work, although I think I'd have to run about 20 feet of HDMI cable to get from the PC to the TV without being in the way.

Foomy

20ft would be no problem, you can get them from monoprice.com for $15-20 or even longer cables if you need it. get some string and try running the path to see how long you would need.

Jebus314

If you don't need interactive control through the xbox, I think you can use the pc to send a stream to the xbox. This is a guide for setting up network streaming, but I think the PlayTO section is the important one. I believe it will allow you to see the video stream on your tv (through the xbox) but your pc will be the one controlling things like pause/play ect...

The Crowing One

Foomy wrote:

20ft would be no problem, you can get them from monoprice.com for $15-20 or even longer cables if you need it. get some string and try running the path to see how long you would need.

Really the best solution. I use the HDMI and a little app called Gmote to use my android tablet/phone as a touchscreen mouse. It isn't perfect, but it works and I've been very happy.

Darkewolfe

The Crowing One wrote:

Foomy wrote:

20ft would be no problem, you can get them from monoprice.com for $15-20 or even longer cables if you need it. get some string and try running the path to see how long you would need.

Really the best solution. I use the HDMI and a little app called Gmote to use my android tablet/phone as a touchscreen mouse. It isn't perfect, but it works and I've been very happy.

Righto, then. Thanks everyone!

Ego

Just to add, if you don't have a convenient smartphone handy, you can also use synergy on a netbook as a remote to make the whole secondary-monitor method work well.

My PC runs the entertainment centre in my house, controlled by remote mouse on an iphone and synergy no an acer netbook. Love the setup.