Entertainment & Music Chrome Cast -EZYCast

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by moyjos, 31st Jul, 2015.

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  1. moyjos

    moyjos Well-Known Member

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    help..knowledgeable "geeks". (Said with the utmost respect) :cool:

    I have a wifi router that I can plug a 1TB hdd in and hubby and I can watch different movies on our iPads at the same time. If we both want to watch something at the same time, we plug the hdd into the TV's USB port.

    If I buy a chrome cast gizmo, will that allow me to stream the movies from the hdd in the router to the TV? I am trying to avoid having a PC in between. I am guessing there is an app that controls the chrome cast.

    Am I on the right track?
     
  2. mrdobalina

    mrdobalina Well-Known Member

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    You can set up 'plex' on your computer. Download a movie player on the iPad that is plex compatible. Play the movies on the iPad, and cast them to the TV via the Chromecast.
     
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  3. moyjos

    moyjos Well-Known Member

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    So I still need a pc in the mix?
     
  4. mrdobalina

    mrdobalina Well-Known Member

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    Oh sorry, missed that part.

    If you want to get rid of the TV, get a wdtv. Plug in the hard drive into the wdtv, and it plays straight to the TV. No need for PC or tablet.
     
  5. Redwing

    Redwing Well-Known Member

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    Not with an iPad, with an android phone or tablet maybe but a apple device can't do this. Since chromecast is by google its features are more favoured on android devices, you might want to have a look at getting an Apple Tv (its like a chromecast but apples version, $99 i believe)
     
  6. moyjos

    moyjos Well-Known Member

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    Ahhhh so I can plug Apple TV thingo into the TV and it will read (wirelessly) from the Hdd in the router and play on the TV?
    (Off to google)
     
  7. bbmick

    bbmick Well-Known Member

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    Don't think you need a PC, just something that can run PleX.
    A lot of Smart TV's & Bluray players (for example) have the PleX app preloaded (or can be installed).
    My BluRay has it but I don't have a HDD on the network. I will try a few things later to see how it works myself coz I'm interested in this too.
     
  8. moyjos

    moyjos Well-Known Member

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    Well I have bitten the bullet and bought an ezycast dongle.
    http://www.oo.com.au/EZCast-Wireless-HDMI-Dongle_P353126.cfm

    I figure at $50 it is not a huge expense. I will have a play through the week after it arrives and update this

    I have managed to get the iPads (and phones) to stream all the media on HDD's plugged into a powered USB hub which is plugged into the wifi router. Seemed all it took was an app (yes there is an app for everything). The app I chose is file manager pro (I tested the free lite version first ... It worked...pro cost $6.49)
    http://www.zuhanden.de/apps/file-manager-pro/

    Now the OCD in me needs to organise the 3 hard drives into Music, Movies and TV
     
  9. christos

    christos Active Member

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    Set up Plex, Chromecast and Netflix last weekend - works a treat!

    Its no home theater system but more a use what you already have setup.

    Used an old laptop that was gathering dust as the server which has Plex media server installed and it points to media files stored on HDD drives. Then using Ipads and Iphones (with relevant apps installed - Netflix, chromecast, Netflix) to watch the content or chromecast to the TV.

    Everyone can watch what they like and also have their own personal remote for the TV (i.e their phone or ipad).

    Cost wise spent $50 on the chromecast (you can get cheaper based on specials) + the monthly netflix cost - pretty reasonable. All the rest was existing equipment (i.e phones and TV)
     
    Last edited: 5th Aug, 2015