

Once your computer is operating in server mode, you need to install a Plex client app on the device or devices you plan to stream to. They’re simple to use and can stream files from Windows or Mac machines to a whole host of other devices, including streaming sticks, set-top boxes, games consoles, and cell phones. But third-party apps boast much greater flexibility. And for some situations, such as streaming to an Xbox One or Apple TV, they’re simply the easiest options.

We’ve covered the built-in options for Windows and macOS because they won’t require you to install any extra software. How to stream video with Plex and other third-party apps Plex is a comprehensive (and largely free) option for building your own streaming service. Plenty of NAS drives will do the job, but something like the ZyXEL Personal Cloud Storage Server is particularly geared toward media sharing.

Modern-day NAS devices come with a selection of software to simplify the process of creating a server and making all your files available to other devices. A network-attached storage device, or NAS, is a bulky hard drive that plugs straight into your router, so it can make your media available even when your main computer is switched off. If you’d like this ability, scroll down and check out the section on third-party apps.īefore you leave the domain of built-in operating systems, both macOS and Windows users have another option. However, this will only work with devices that are connected to your local WiFi network, which means you can’t use this method to stream videos over the web. The same is true with the VLC Player apps for Android and iOS, so this is a quick way to get content from your Windows machine to your cell phone. Fire up a Roku player, for example, load up the default media player, and you should see your files ready to be streamed. The content in the default Videos folder associated with your user account is ready to go, and will be visible to a range of devices on your local network.īecause the Windows media server settings are well supported, a lot of clients can “see” the new movies and TV shows without any extra configuration. Click Turn on media streaming, and that’s all there is to it. Then type “media” into the Control Panel search box and pick the Media streaming options link that appears. Next, open up Control Panel by searching for it in the taskbar.
