casting to my smart tv

[ryanmca2018]

Hi people im a complete beginner to linux ive never used it before i think its sonya 18.2 but im not sure lol is there any way i can cast movies that i have saved on my laptop to my smart tv without having to use a hdmi cable ?

[deepakdeshp]

The tv should have a USB port . You can see movies copied on a USB drive on the tv.
If you want to cast on your tv from mobile or laptop, use Google Chromecaster or amazon stick

[ralplpcr]

A lot of this depends on the capabilities of your smart TV. While many Smart TVs have things like Netflix built-in, you'll need something that accepts a configurable stream in order to cast. Chromecast, as mentioned above, is one of the least expensive of these options.... though you can also use a Roku, FireTV stick, or several other devices if your TV doesn't have a built-in/installable app.

The easiest way IMO is to set up a PLEX server. Many smart TVs have a PLEX app that can be installed/activated - - if not, then we're back to Chromecast/Roku/etc. There's also the Kodi/XBMC media center, but I suspect you'll have an easier time getting the PLEX app running.

Installing PLEX on your laptop is pretty simple. Just go to https://www.plex.tv/ and download the Plex Media Server - - you'll want the .deb file that matches your OS (32 or 64 bits). It's free to set up for use within your network, and only takes a few minutes to install...though you do need to create a free account/username. Once installed, you'd run the setup, create a movie library and point Plex to the folder(s) where your movies are stored. That's about it - - your movie files will be analyzed & sorted, and you'll be able to connect from your smart TV (or streaming device) directly into your movie library using the PLEX app.

[greerd]

Besides what's been listed above, you can also use your computer as a dlna server by using the appropriate software. (which I think plex does) minidlna and UMS (Universal Media Server) are two (more) that I can think of, minidlna is in the repos, and UMS can be found here.

EDIT: Mediatomb is another dlna server (not lightweight) available in the repos.

[Destry]

I just installed Plex on my LM18.3 KDE and have a 2TB drive full of movies. I use ROKU on 2 of my TVs and the streaming is great. Newer smart TVs have Plex built right in.

Here is a thread I made for adding external drives to Plex. viewtopic.php?f=47&t=258900#p1404514