Hello Lewis,

Just so you know, I am posting this reply to my BLOG so that others may benefit from your question: 

In the olden days (meaning last week), connecting a PC directly to the television was the only way to get computer media to play on a television. 

This week, however, we have come a little farther.  (Smile) 

Streaming media from one location to another is really quite simple if you keep in mind that the basic idea is to have access to your media files from either a computer, network attached storage (NAS), a mobile phone, or the Internet and controlling that media on your preferred output source.

In fact, if you think about it, people have been streaming media since the invention of the radio.

Consider this; there are three parts to listening to a radio broadcast, is there not?

1.
The radio station produces the content to be heard and then sends out a signal for any compatible device to receive.  The station is, therefore, the media server or the source of the media.

2.
The listener tunes in the radio frequency using a tuner.  The tuner is the streaming host device.

3.
The data in the radio signal is heard on the radio speaker.  The speaker is the preferred location or the output source.

Of course, traditionally, the tuner and the speaker/amplifier are housed in the same box so you may think of them as one device but I assure you, they are not.  This became apparent with the invention of WalkMan radios in which the tuner is separate from the headphones, the preferred location or output source.. 

As you read this, I am sure you can see that the same process happens when viewing television signals, as well.

OK, so now that you know the three basic ingredients necessary to create a stream, lets think about the equipment you most likely already have at your disposal:

1.
You already have a computer and/or broadband access to the Internet.  Either the Net or your computer’s storage space can function as the source of the media to be streamed.  You may even have a NAS, in which case storage space will not be of any concern. 

3.
You most likely already own a television and a mobile Smartphone both of which may be selected as the output source through which media can be heard, seen, etc.

Oops!  What about step 2.  Ah!  There’s the proverbial rub.

Based on your question, the one thing you do not have is the means to broadcast (stream) your media from the source location to the output location/source.

So, at this point, all you need do is determine how you wish to broadcast the media. 

There are many, many choices available for this.  For example, you may choose to use a dedicated computer running an iTunes server or Windows Media Center.  You could use a gaming console such as an X-Box 360, or any number of other devices both great and small. 

A great number of people seem to recommend a very simple streaming solution called a Roku box.  This device, gained fame when NetFlix adopted it as its primary streaming hardware system. 

I’m not sure but a friend of mine told me he purchased his Roku box for $99. 

Take a look at it.  Go to:
http://roku.com

Good Luck and Enjoy,

Mark