If I have a bunch of videos on a hard drive is it possible to view them on my smart TV? It's a Samsung if that's relevant. Ideally I'd be able to make playlists and randomize the episodes, but I don't know if there's a hardware/software solution to what I'm looking to do in the first place. The closest I've been able to get is using an HDMI cable to show my laptop screen on the TV, and the laptop distracts the hell out of me for some reason.
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Get rid of your smart TV.
They're watching you.
Their monitoring capacity is limited to its connectivity
I dunno man I live in an 8 unit apartment building and none of the networks near me are unsecured nor are the ones in the houses around my building. I don't think many people are changing anything from the default the ISP installs
Plex the org is super woke so maybe make that the last resort.
So glad I decided not to use Plex, for me it was the outside authentication. I did not understand why I would have to authenticate on their server to use my server.
Late to the party but I strongly recommend Emby over Plex.
It's basically the same as Plex but without all the bloat bullshit and trying to sell you premium passes and the ability to watch TV on your TV. It's just a good media server which does what you tell it to do.
This is the best answer. I use Emby, and the client app runs fine on my Samsung TV; no player device required.
You can set an external hard with a raspberry pi (preferably something newer) for similar functionality. The advantage of apps like Plex is that the client does the decoding so it will support a lot more movie formats then your tv.
I personally use Emby because it does not require an outside server authentication unlike Plex. I've not tried Jellyfin so I can't say anything about it
I use Kodi running on an old doorstop of a PC. Its UI mimics that of Netflix in terms of how it groups movies and TV shows and is much simpler/easier to set up than plex.
I think it has some queueing capabilities, but I've never used them.
Kodi is infinitely customizable and because of that, it can be a bear. But it's free and runs on anything so it's what I use.
Just plug a cable into your graphics card and then into the back of the TV. Extend your screen with windows+P and open the video on your computer then drag it.
Winamp let you do the playlist thing.
It really kicks the llamas ass.
plex.tv
set up a plex server on a comp that has a video card newer than 10 year old, put your pirated movies there
get the plex app on your smart tv itself, or on a roku or firestick
If your smart TV and your laptop are on the same wi-fi, you probably have an option to just stream your laptop screen to your TV. Effectively that's the same as your HDMI cable solution, just with fewer wires. It might also make your laptop screen black, so that could be helpful if you find the laptop screen distracting while watching TV (although on that note, couldn't you just turn the laptop around or close the screen partway?)
Another option that I haven't personally tried but sounds promising is Plex, though that has a much higher setup time.
Could just close the laptop lid and hide it away right? There's a setting for that. Could get a remote keyboard/mouse combo where you can sit on your couch and browse the net or watch things via laptop to tv HDMI.
VLC has the ability to cast via Chromecast, which your Smart TV probably has built in. It can be a bit buggy though depending on video format.
It also doesn't work with soft-subs if watching something in a different language (e.g. anime, foreign film, etc.).
I did the same with Handbrake actually. Well, I rarely watch anything in the 1st place -- just a disclaimer/note for anyone using VLC. Not hard at all, but does require some effort.
Plex sounds like it's probably the best solution, but I kept it simple and put my movie collection onto a portable usb hard drive and plugged it into the TV. Works fine for me.
You can put them on USB and plug in the USB drive into the back.
Iirc I ran an hdmi from my computer to the TV and just used the TV as a screen. The pirates files ofc being on the computer or some external hdd
This was probably 8 or 9 years ago tho so no idea what new smart tvs are like. I wouldn't be caught dead using one now though.
new TV's will have a built in media player. older tv's will need a Roku or similar
samsung 8550 was very good - you're right though on most tv's.
Don't even need a server. Just put it on a USB, plug and find USB, videos, select, play. Boom.
My "smart" TV doesn't give a fuck what my computer sends to it. But then, I never set up the "smart" features because I have a PC and can type.
You can also try windows screen sharing to wirelessly project your screen
As others have said, ditch the smart TV.
But the simplest and most versatile answer? Set up a HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer).
You're already pretty much doing that with your laptop, just get a cheapy shitbox computer that can handle the output and leave it at that. That way you're not having your dinky laptop to the side mirrored on the TV and it's just a box. Should be able to pick up a little microPC (or build one with second hand parts) for relatively next to nothing. Just make sure it has more than 1-2 USB slots so you can use an external hard-drive.
On that note, most TVs these days can play most video files. Just plug in an external hard-drive at the back and you should be good to go. I've used both methods. I prefer the HTPC because of the extra versatility, but the hard-drive works fine as well.