media casting advice

The desire is to be able to view online videos on my HDTV. Specifically free F1 and cricket.
I can watch them on my laptop, no problem.
I can watch them on the TV via an HDMI lead between laptop and HDTV.
However, having a lead across the living room is a seriously bad idea with three Rottweilers bumbling about.

So I want to send the video from the laptop screen to the TV by wifi.

I have just bought an HD media player smart box thingy, thinking that would solve my problem. I can't figure out what I need to do to get the laptop screen to show on the TV.
I can cast music, photos, recorded video onto the TV, but not live video.

Anybody know what I need to do?

I thought you could do that kind of stuff with a chromecast.

I have a dedicated raspberry pi box at the back of the tele with XBMC and internet TV setup.

Was uber cheap to buy less than £30 and spend about £20 getting a SD Card, power supply and case etc.

Works a treat.

What HD media player / smart box have you got David?

AFAIK with Chromecast you can only cast the live screen on an Android device presently, other OS will likely follow.

No idea when that might happen though, the Android live casting is still in beta. Works well though.

I realise this post is mostly useless to you unless you happen to have an android pad or phone handy

Not our core expertise, as we have Sky etc, but if nobody offers a solution I'll ask our son Keith, whose flat is a wifi area of mystique and wonder.

Also SWMBO is an IT gonk, so may be able to offer up summat.

John, It's a way of receiving sky et al without paying money to that slimey tosspot Murdock. :woo2:

You can cast to Chromecast from Chrome Browser on a PC/Laptop. Running it that way here.

All thought my setup is somewhat more complicated, Have a Server in the loft with just over 16TB of Media, which using my mobile or laptop can cast to any TV in the house.

The Iplayer app for Android and IOS now supports Chromecast really well.

David Aiketgate wrote: John, It's a way of receiving sky et al without paying money to that slimey tosspot Murdock. :woo2:

David, I agree absolutely with your sentiments about Rupe, but we've had Sky for yonks, so our package (oo-er) is v cheap for what we get compared to many subscribers

It's worth it for us for the F1 HD and documentary channels tbh. Possibly we're also too lazy to change, which may be addressed soon. :broon:

Just use a short HDMI lead from the Macbook to the TV, I keep the puter right beside the TV and use a wireless keyboard with touch pad to control the puter from anywhere in the room.
A cheap and cheerful solution.

Never thought of putting the laptop next to the TV, :doh:
I've ordered a wifi keyboard and touchpad. I'll need that to fully utilise the smartbox anyway.

Is chromecast an app, or a box of tricks?

With my current long lead solution I've been able to watch all the F1 on Sky as well as BBC, but I just want a neater/safer solution. I have this nightmare scenario playing in my head where one of the dogs gets tangled in the lead and pulls the laptop and TV off with it.

Don't know too much about chrome cast but it's a box and an app I believe. Psymon clearly knows more and his suggestion that it works with chrome browser on a PC sounds like it should do what you want.

As an aside, I use the Apple TV box with my iPad which works well with bbc iplayer, itv player, amazon prime but doesn't work with the sky go app - which is what I wanted it for :rant: . It's a problem with the sky go app I think

cairnsys wrote: As an aside, I use the Apple TV box with my iPad which works well with bbc iplayer, itv player, amazon prime but doesn't work with the sky go app - which is what I wanted it for :rant: . It's a problem with the sky go app I think

you're right, depends on the App, developers have an option to disable the streaming. If you watch the programs in a browser window it works perfectly with AppleTV.
The perfect solution if you have a Mac, from a PC only iTunes content can be mirrored.
btw, comes with a £25.00 iTunes gift card at the moment.
:mrgreen: