How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

[Mark42]

I'm about to do a make over of our family room that include a "media center" focused around a large screen DLP HDTV. We have family video and photos on our home PC network. I want to make it easy to pull up these videos and photos on the TV.

What is available to let me easily view and select entries from the PC directory on the screen?

 

[Mark42]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Ok, this is what I came up with:

1 - add a PC to network with big hard drive(s) to hold all the video and photos.

2 - install a new video card that has HDTV/DVI output(s).

3 - feed the video card output into a video switch or directly into the hdtv.

4 - by switching between video 1 (regular TV input) to video 2 (the input from the new video card) I should be able to operate the PC with a wireless mouse/keyboard in the room to start the video playback software (like Ciberlink Power DVD) and play the video on the hdtv.

I think this setup would work, but I was looking for something a little more "integrated" that would let me browse and select the video files from the PC right on the screen via a conventional remote control.

Is this the way to go? Or is there something better?

 

[DaleT]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

many of the newer tv tuner cards have remotes as well windows media center allows you to cycle through whats on your PC, i'm sure there is better software available from 3rd party vendors then MS. But with my tuner card I can use my tv as a monitor and have a remote to pull up the programs I want to run.

 

[Mark42]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Cool! What brand/model video turner card do you have?

 

[DaleT]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

The one I have in this PC is a Lumanate Angel II , came with it. But I've had no issues with it in the 6 months I've been using it. Hauppauge makes a good product as well.

Actually I misquoted how my systems set up. The tv out is connected through s video off the video card, in my case a Radeon X300se. The remote is still connected through the pvr (tv tuner card though).

 

[vipzach]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Something like what DaleT has would be neat. You can use windows media center to watch tv and any videos or even create your own slide shows and watch them on the tv. You can even use the computer to record, watch and rewind live tv.

Like he said though, you need a tuner card, I would suggest a dual tuner and a good video card. Hauppauge is the brand I have used, and used to be one the best.

 

[tommays]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

i have done it for a long time and still record a lot of TV dirrectly into a WMV format thats is good for my Pocket PC

The boxes are good for photos and music, generaly for the video to look good enough on and HDTV you have to use a pretty huge amount of disk space



In general for video they still have a long way to go to be as good as any of the tivo type devices ...


Tommays

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Maybe I'm missing the point but my daughters new flat-screen has video input from a PC and can function as a monitor for a PC. If your PC as aux. out video port, just connect a cable and toggle to the aux. monitor when using the PC.

 

[Pony]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Maybe I'm missing the point but my daughters new flat-screen has video input from a PC and can function as a monitor for a PC. If your PC as aux. out video port, just connect a cable and toggle to the aux. monitor when using the PC.

Not missing the point BB... .............................Flat Panels are a 100% different beast, but there are a lot of DLPs that have a pc input.......but also many that do not. If Mark's tv is more than a year old I would almost certainly say it doesnt have a pc input.

 

[Mark42]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

I just don't want to put the PC screen on the TV. I want to be able to pull up photos and video on the TV without having to be sitting at a PC.

The solution I found are wireless Digital Media Adapters or Digital Media Players (depending on the company who makes it) See Netgear's EVA700 and D-Link's DSM-520. Both around $200. They connect your HDTV to your NETWORK (not just a PC) so you can access all the DVD video, home video, photos, etc files on your system and allow you to control it all with a remote from the couch.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

If you want to pair one of those media Centers with a tuner card in your PC and create a custome DVR, look at BeyondTv software. It is great.

I have my PC setup with the BeyondTV and an ATI HDTVWonder card. I can record all of the OTA HD programs I want and schdule them work. I am waiting for the Media player market to mature a little before I jump into that, but for Analog, it would work just fine.

You can also hook that puppy into your sound system and play your music library as well.

 

[Mark42]

Re: How to watch video and photos on PC on TV?

Rogerwa,

Thanks for the info. I'll look into the beyondTV sofware. I am also looking at the ATI PC remotes as an alternative to the D-link media player. They both have their advantages and limits. Wish I see these products demonstrated in a store.