how to set up a network for centralized access (nas etc.)

hi, I wanted to have information on how to proceed to have centralized access to data from all pc and tv devices.

I wanted to organize myself to be able to make backups on the network and access the movies / music from the TV via the network.

Has anyone made something cheap, reliable and fast?

Now at home I have the classic wifi which has a usb port and various rj45 ports. TVs are not smart at the moment.

How could I proceed?

Samuria said:

I you have pcs connected via cable or WiFi on the same network you can access them all in windows nothing else needed you need a smart tv cast to it

my tvs are not smart, and are scattered around the house. I would like to have centralized access to multimedia content to be able to see them from non-smart TVs. How should I proceed?

einstein1969 said:

my tvs are not smart, and are scattered around the house. I would like to have centralized access to multimedia content to be able to see them from non-smart TVs. How should I proceed?

Well, there are Roku "sticks":
Roku

There is Fire "sticks":
Fire

You can also use a Raspberry Pi (or similar). What I like about that is that I can connect a USB hard drive or SSD for music/movie storage, so it can be a server as well as a multimedia client:
Buy a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B – Raspberry Pi

Roku or Fire TV sticks offer only limited functionality when compared to a silent PC (build your own HTPC) or laptop PC with K-Lite Codec Pack Full. Use Media Player Classic HomeCinema (MPC-HC) as the player and choose madVR as the renderer (and upscaler) if you want to achieve the best quality video playback and maximum flexibility of advanced features, albeit I must admit that there's a bit of a learning curve there. Personally, I, watch all my video files with my Logitech K800 Wireless Illuminated keyboard always within arm's reach. Fancy looking menu screens with a library browser, JRiver Media Center, Kodi, etc., all meet the description of "much ado about nothing" IMO, but that's only me.

Samuria said:

If the tv isnt smart and not connected to the network then it can only see air content and usb if it has a port

There are 3 tvs and they all have a usb input and also hdmi

A lg 22le3308, one is telefunken te32278b30cxd, another telefunken (I don't have the model at the moment).

I have a zyxel VMG8825-B50B wifi modem with firmware V5.13_5.50.

I have two laptops one an asus f555qg and another older one with windows 7. I have a fixed pc that is quite old.

the wifi has the option of a file server and a media server. the media server can't get it to work

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NavyLCDR said:

Well, there are Roku "sticks":
Roku

There is Fire "sticks":
Fire

You can also use a Raspberry Pi (or similar). What I like about that is that I can connect a USB hard drive or SSD for music/movie storage, so it can be a server as well as a multimedia client:
Buy a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B – Raspberry Pi

Thanks for the directions. More than anything else I would like to understand which product is best for me. I would like to watch movies I have at home and generally not paid streaming. I can support advertising (like youtube)

For the raspberry I'm interested, but I still can't decide if it's the solution for me. I'm starting to see something but my head is on fire!

jimbo45 said:

Hi there @einstein1969

Easy way :

1) Computer with Windows or Linux NAS server where your Multi-media files are stored.
2) Ensure folders are shared -- you don't need any Multi-media server.
3) Ensure Host computer allows network access
4) Roku or Fire TV sticks to all non "Smart" TV's on them
5) Install KODI client on the Firestick
6) Now on the TV use the HDMI in where the firestick is connected to and start the KODI app.
7) use the SMB browse from within KODI to access the multi-media and play.

(You could probably install VLC on the Firestick / roku box but my experience is browsing is more reliable with KODI and it plays more media types including DVD / Blu Ray iso rips and you can dynamically download subtitles from places like opensubtitles.org when viewing multi media content).

To install KODI on firestick -- ignore the vpn bit

How to Install Kodi 18.9 or 19.1 on Firestick & Android Devices In 2 Minutes!



Cheers
jimbo

Thanks, you have come to a more understandable solution. I had such a thing in mind but now I have the details thanks to you.

I would like to discuss the details of this solution better if possible.

1) Kodi I have already heard but I don't want to venture to install it in a firestick if it is not supported. So I would also consider other workarounds, if there are any.
2) I have already tried vlc on my android phone (realme 7) and I could not get it to work with the smb server of my wifi (I think it uses smbv1), I could not get it to accesses the media server (which I have not yet understood if it is upnp or dlna, but maybe they are the same). My head is on fire again!
3) I tried kodi on my phone and I was able to see something but I couldn't figure out how I did it
4) I used the home wifi but it is not the final solution because I have to keep the shared disk on, I don't know if there is a quick procedure to turn off the disk if it is not in use.
5) I would also like the format of the films to be flexible. Here too I would like to go deeper if possible

hdmi said:

Roku or Fire TV sticks offer only limited functionality when compared to a silent PC (build your own HTPC) or laptop PC with K-Lite Codec Pack Full. Use Media Player Classic HomeCinema (MPC-HC) as the player and choose madVR as the renderer (and upscaler) if you want to achieve the best quality video playback and maximum flexibility of advanced features, albeit I must admit that there's a bit of a learning curve there. Personally, I, watch all my video files with my Logitech K800 Wireless Illuminated keyboard always within arm's reach. Fancy looking menu screens with a library browser, JRiver Media Center, Kodi, etc., all meet the description of "much ado about nothing" IMO, but that's only me.

Thanks, your nick says a lot ...

I like your suggestion to use an htpc (mini pc?). But I wonder: is it the same thing as a TV box?

I don't want to use the laptop to watch movies on TV. I mean for me it is a priority to see them with the remote control in hand and let the laptop do it in rare cases. So if possible use the software you say with another device. Also because we are different at home and everyone wants to see what they want on their TV and the PCs they can use to do (streaming?) In reality there is only one left.

Unlike you, I take into account that my elderly parents will also have to use it and I have to think of something simple and with a clear look. I don't need an attractive look, I need a look that thinks of the "digital divide". And then my mind, even if trained over the years, is having problems.

If there is a way to use your tools with other hardware it might be a more flexible solution. But I don't know this, does anyone know?

einstein1969 said:

There are 3 tvs and they all have a usb input and also hdmi

A lg 22le3308, one is telefunken te32278b30cxd, another telefunken (I don't have the model at the moment).

I have a zyxel VMG8825-B50B wifi modem with firmware V5.13_5.50.

I have two laptops one an asus f555qg and another older one with windows 7. I have a fixed pc that is quite old.

the wifi has the option of a file server and a media server. the media server can't get it to work

- my other tv is telefunken te40282s27yxk
- my laptop is asus f555qg
- I have a 4TB external usb disk maxtor

einstein1969 said:

I like your suggestion to use an htpc (mini pc?). But I wonder: is it the same thing as a TV box?

No, HTPC stands for Home Theater PC so it may refer to any PC that's specifically built for watching video content. Some of popular characteristics are:

• a remote control,
• passive cooling (fanless) plus an SSD instead of a HDD so that there are no moving parts (noiseless),
• multiple low noise cooling fans that can run at a low rpm plus a low noise HDD plus a PC case that blocks the noise so the noise becomes inaudible (or almost) if you sit a few meters away from it,
• a PC case that looks stylish in your living room (some mini PC cases not only are small, but also they are excellent quality mini ITX cases with a classy design),
• low powered hardware components so they don't generate much heat,
• hardware components that, when you put them all together, can fit inside the case, and can fit in such a way that they don't overheat,
• a DVB-C (C = cable) or DVB-S (S = satellite) tuner card with PVR (Personal Video Recorder),
• an internal Blu-ray player (BD-ROM drive),
• a GPU card that makes it suitable for casual gaming and/or for software applications that can use GPGPU hardware acceleration (e.g., Adobe Photoshop with Nvidia CUDA acceleration),
• a good WiFi antenna on the back side.

Usually such a PC will be connected to a home network so DLNA streaming is possible to set up, but certainly not mandatory, as the old-fashioned way of simply setting up a network share on Windows already goes a very long way like others have stated. HTPC enthusiasts are a community. They share useful info in various places on the internet. Also usually, modern multichannel audio systems can also be hooked up to a PC via HDMI, and, there also exist external HiFi quality stereo DAC units that can connect digitally to a PC via USB (or via a coaxial digital S/PDIF output port that can also be added to a PC in the form of a PCIe expansion card if needed). So an HTPC can be geared more toward movies or music listening or the combination of both, and can also be geared toward various many other purposes─because they are PCs.

I don't want to use the laptop to watch movies on TV. I mean for me it is a priority to see them with the remote control in hand and let the laptop do it in rare cases.

Use the laptop to connect the external HDD to your home network, and to put the HDD to sleep when not in use. Build your own HTPC that you can connect to the TV via HDMI so that you can play files over the home network.

My Asus RT-AX92U (2-pack) that I recently bought new for 279 Euros has a USB 3.0 port on each node so I could decide to plug external HDDs directly into them and get more than enough HDD performance for watching a movie anywhere in my home network, be it wired or wireless.

There exist various PC compatible remote controls that let you control player software/apps on the PC. Also, there exist various smartphone apps that can turn your smartphone into a remote control. Not all smartphones have an IR transmitter in them to control a TV, but if your HTPC can connect to your smartphone via WiFi, then you could always decide to use that to control your HTPC. Some people use their old smartphone for this purpose so their newer smartphone doesn't consume any battery power. If you don't want to turn on the TV each time when you need to install an update or change a few settings on the HTPC, use TeamViewer (free for non commercial use) on the laptop. So you also don't need to plug in a keyboard and mouse on the HTPC, if you don't want to. If you are sitting in front of the TV and laptop (and they are turned on), use Input Director (free) if you want to use the laptop's keyboard and touchpad/mouse to control the HTPC. The Windows clipboard can also be shared between the two computers if needed. (Both TeamViewer and Input Director give you that option.)

So if possible use the software you say with another device. Also because we are different at home and everyone wants to see what they want on their TV and the PCs they can use to do (streaming?) In reality there is only on e left.

An HTPC and a Fire TV stick can be connected to a home network. So it is possible to have both of them connected to the same home network. But, Windows software is Windows software, unfortunately. Don't expect a Fire TV stick to run Windows software. K-Lite Codec Pack Full is freeware, though, so just about anyone with a PC that isn't completely worthless can give it a shot. I have been using this software for 12 years (on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10). MPC-HC is based on Windows Media Player version 6.4 so there's no bloat. K-Lite Codec Pack Standard also contains MPC-HC, but it doesn't contain madVR. That is, unlike K-Lite Codec Pack Full, which contains both. The installer lets you be in control of what you want to install vs don't want to install. If you later change your mind, simply run the installer again. With MPC-HC, choosing to use madVR is the best option IMO. madVR can be configured to automatically change the display mode (i.e., the display resolution and the vertical refresh frequency) so that the display mode matches the video content of your video file. For example, a 1080p Blu-ray movie at 23.976fps matches the 1080p23 display mode. Whereas a 1080p Blu-ray movie at 24fps matches the 1080p24 display mode.

Unlike you, I take into account that my elderly parents will also have to use it and I have to think of something simple and with a clear look. I don't need an attractive look, I need a look that thinks of the "digital divide". And then my mind, even if trained over the years, is having problems.

All I have to do to play a movie is doubleclick on it with my Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury.

If there is a way to use your tools with other hardware it might be a more flexible solution. But I don't know this, does anyone know?

Sorry, I don't use other hardware. That's because I am lazy.