09-17-2012, 09:40 AM
Thanks for the suggestions, guys.
I don’t really want just network accessibility. My TV has USB ports and will play MP3s and a surprising array of video files directly off a jump drive. So what I’m really looking for is a way to view and control my office PC desktop from my living room. The TV has a web browser, the PS3 and TV both run Hulu/Netflix and, like I said, I can manually run movies and music off a jump drive. However, none of my devices will run PC games like WoW.
So, while I can do like 90% of the things I want, it would be nice to have them all be possible via one method instead of going to a separate device for each process. And, while it won’t kill me not to be able to play PC games on my TV, I’m just really surprised at the limited options for doing so. How is it that there’s not more demand for this kind of functionality? My 3 year old iPhone and my shitty HP tablet both have apps that let me remote desktop into my PC from anywhere in the fucking world. Why the hell can’t my TV do that?
Jack’s suggestions are much better than the video options I found before, but still leave me with the keyboard/mouse issue. One thing I thought about was getting a second computer to set next to the TV and VPN'ing into my office PC, but I’m a bit concerned about the video quality of that option. I would have to spend several hundred dollars on the secondary PC to make sure it had decent enough processor and video card to make full use of the HDTV. Or I could just forget connecting the two and get a second PC, load it up with my games and plug it directly into my TV. Both ideas would work, but I was hoping there would be a less expensive option.
It sounds like that might be the only way to go short of running wires though. Laying cord on the ground is not an option due to layout. It would have to go across too many high traffic areas (including the main stairway). The attic is pretty clean and accessible, so I guess wall wiring wouldn’t be too bad. Still a hell of a project though. Especially since I'd have to run HDMI and USB both in order to get keyboard/mouse. I guess I could use one of Jack's devices to wirelessly do video and just run USB.
I really thought that someone would make a system with a transmitter that plugs into my computer and a receiver with keyboard/mouse functionality that plugs into my TV. Am I the only person who’s ever looked at their TV and thought, “This is so much better than the monitor on my PC. How can I get my PC attached to this thing?”
I don’t really want just network accessibility. My TV has USB ports and will play MP3s and a surprising array of video files directly off a jump drive. So what I’m really looking for is a way to view and control my office PC desktop from my living room. The TV has a web browser, the PS3 and TV both run Hulu/Netflix and, like I said, I can manually run movies and music off a jump drive. However, none of my devices will run PC games like WoW.
So, while I can do like 90% of the things I want, it would be nice to have them all be possible via one method instead of going to a separate device for each process. And, while it won’t kill me not to be able to play PC games on my TV, I’m just really surprised at the limited options for doing so. How is it that there’s not more demand for this kind of functionality? My 3 year old iPhone and my shitty HP tablet both have apps that let me remote desktop into my PC from anywhere in the fucking world. Why the hell can’t my TV do that?
Jack’s suggestions are much better than the video options I found before, but still leave me with the keyboard/mouse issue. One thing I thought about was getting a second computer to set next to the TV and VPN'ing into my office PC, but I’m a bit concerned about the video quality of that option. I would have to spend several hundred dollars on the secondary PC to make sure it had decent enough processor and video card to make full use of the HDTV. Or I could just forget connecting the two and get a second PC, load it up with my games and plug it directly into my TV. Both ideas would work, but I was hoping there would be a less expensive option.
It sounds like that might be the only way to go short of running wires though. Laying cord on the ground is not an option due to layout. It would have to go across too many high traffic areas (including the main stairway). The attic is pretty clean and accessible, so I guess wall wiring wouldn’t be too bad. Still a hell of a project though. Especially since I'd have to run HDMI and USB both in order to get keyboard/mouse. I guess I could use one of Jack's devices to wirelessly do video and just run USB.
I really thought that someone would make a system with a transmitter that plugs into my computer and a receiver with keyboard/mouse functionality that plugs into my TV. Am I the only person who’s ever looked at their TV and thought, “This is so much better than the monitor on my PC. How can I get my PC attached to this thing?”