The TV is par excellence the best device to watch a good movie or the episode of the TV series, since the quality and size of the display allow us to better appreciate the content of any video file. But if we have made a large collection of films and videos on our PC and we want to make it always available to all the TVs in the house "> Connect PC or laptop to the TV to watch videos and films
1) Connect the NAS to the network
If we have decided to follow this path, we must first of all connect the NAS to the LAN network created by our modem / router, so that we can access all the contents via the network.
There are numerous NAS that you can buy, in this sense we refer you to the reading of the dedicated guide present here -> Purchase a network Storage NAS: what is it for and how much does it cost .
Once you have purchased the right model, we insert a high capacity mechanical hard disk inside (possibly suitable for use on NAS), connect the Ethernet cable to one of the free LAN ports of the router or modem and connect the power outlet.
On most NAS the operating system is self-installing, so it should be up and running in a matter of minutes.
Once connected we will have to find out the IP address assigned by the router to the NAS, which will serve as an input to the control panel of the same.
We then access the address of the router (usually 192.168.1.1, but better check the instructions of the router or the label on the back or bottom) by typing it inside the address bar of any web browser (Chrome or Edge), insert the access credentials ( basically they are admin / admin on a large number of models, otherwise it is better to inquire in advance) and, among the various menus of the router, we access the panel that shows the devices connected to the network, so as to identify the IP address assigned to the new NAS.
Once the IP address is obtained, enter it in the address bar and confirm to access the NAS control panel; also in this case you will be asked for your login credentials, make sure to get them from the NAS instruction manual or follow the wizard to set a personal password.
Once inside the NAS we will first have to make sure that the hard disk space is shared on the network, so as to be visible on any Windows PC.
We navigate through the various menus until we find an item between Sharing, File Sharing, File Service, SMB, Samba or Network Sharing .
We activate sharing and go to a PC with Windows: our new NAS should be visible in the Network section in Windows Explorer or it should be reachable by adding a new network path (right click in This PC -> Add network path ) and and providing the NAS IP as obtained earlier.
Now that the NAS is visible, all we have to do is copy the entire media collection from the PC to the NAS, including the folders (just a simple copy and paste between windows).
The speed varies greatly depending on the type of PC network connection (cable is faster) and the speed of the disk that we used inside the NAS.
2) Connect the NAS to the TV via Network Sharing
If your TV is recent enough, it should be able to view files shared by the NAS without further dedicated installations or software.
We turn on our TV, connect it to the same network where the NAS is present (both via cable and WiFi) and check whether the NAS ( Source or Sources button) is also present among the visible sources .
We will thus have direct access to folders and files, we will only have to select the content to play with the integrated player.
Not all TVs offer this convenience, not to mention that it is often poorly implemented (risk of sudden freezes or freezes), so it is worthwhile to focus on another method to access content saved on the NAS.
3) Connect the NAS to the TV via DLNA
One of the best ways to quickly access content saved on the NAS from TV is to take advantage of the DLNA protocol, a more advanced version of simple Network Sharing optimized for multimedia content and (in theory) compatible with any TV from 2008 onwards.
First of all let's make sure to activate the DLNA features on the NAS: it could be offered as a native feature of the NAS operating system or integrated through external apps; in any case, we search and activate the DLNA features on our NAS to make it available as a DLNA server for any device on the network.
Once the server is activated, we will have to indicate the folders to be indexed via DLNA, so as to make them actually available on the network.
Once this is done, turn on the TV (always connected to the same network as the NAS) and check the Sources or Source menu: the DLNA server should appear among the selectable sources, just open it to see the indexed folders and multimedia files.
We select any file to start playback.
4) Connect the NAS to the TV via HDMI
If the NAS is close enough to the TV we can also use an HDMI cable to play multimedia content without going through the network; obviously the NAS must be equipped with an HDMI port in order to take advantage of this possibility.
We check between the various ports of the NAS if the HDMI port is also available and we use a cable to connect the NAS to the TV as if it were a decoder or a TV Box.
The operating system should already be equipped to manage the TV, showing the compatible folders and apps.
Otherwise we can install on many NAS Kodi, Emby, VLC or any other multimedia player in order to better display the saved content.
5) Connect the NAS to the TV via Plex
One of the decidedly more accurate methods to connect the NAS to the TV is to take advantage of Plex, the famous multimedia media center that also provides information, posters and plot for each film or indexed episode.
First of all check if it is possible to download Plex for your NAS, checking directly from the official page present here -> Plex NAS .
Having found the right version, install it on the NAS and start Plex to be able to indicate the folders to be indexed to the media server; I recommend logging in with a Plex account (obtainable for free) so that it can be associated with the player that can be used from the TV.
At the end, let's go to our Smart TV and search, among the various apps that can be installed, if Plex is also present; the program will ask us for access to the account, insert the same credentials used for the Plex on NAS and insert the access codes when requested.
Now we will be able to see any movie or TV series on the NAS in a modern and captivating interface, with a count on the contents already seen and new or still to be seen.
6) Connect the NAS to the TV via Chromecast
If your TV is not Smart, has no network access and / or does not have apps compatible with the NAS, we can always connect the Chromecast to one of the free HDMI ports and use it to show all the contents indexed on the NAS using the server by Plex .
Chromecasts (Normal and Ultra) can be purchased from here -> Chromecast (39 €) and Chromecast Ultra (79 €).
Once connected to the TV, we use the Google Home app ( Android and iOS ) to connect the device to the same network where the NAS is present.
Now we install the Plex app on our favorite smartphone, downloadable for free from here -> Plex (Android) and Plex (iOS).
Once the app is obtained on our mobile device, open it and associate it with the Plex server that we previously installed on the NAS; as soon as all the contents are shown inside the app we can connect to the Chromecast connected to the TV by tapping on the Cast symbol at the top of the app.
We select the desired Chromecast; now just start any movie or TV series episode from within the app to watch it play on TV!
7) Connect the NAS to the TV via Kodi
If you are among the lucky owners of a TV with Kodi support or use a decoder or TV Box with Kodi installed, we can use this media center to access the folders inside the NAS, taking advantage of file sharing (obviously Kodi must be present on a device of the same network as the NAS).
We open the Kodi app and go to the Settings -> File -> Add Source path, then click Explore .
Among the many items available we use Windows File Sharing (SMB) to find the folders on the NAS and access them directly.
Now we have a new source, which we can add as a source for the videos or TV series indexed by Kodi.
If this system does not work, we can also try Add network location at the bottom of the previous window, by entering the IP of the NAS.
READ ALSO -> Guide to get started with Kodi: configuration and content addition
