This article will guide you through using VLC Media Player as a video server, and "streaming" the videos to other computers on the same network. To get started, you'll need VLC Media Player, which is free to download, on both computers. Both computers must also be on the same wireless network.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preparing to Start Streaming
Step 1. Install VLC Media Player on the source and destination computers if you haven't already installed it
VLC is available for free for Windows, Mac, and most Linux distributions
Step 2. Find the IP addresses of both computers
To start streaming from your computer to another, you must know the IP addresses of both computers.
Step 3. Make sure both computers are connected to the same network (such as the same home router) so that the source computer can "stream" the video to the destination computer
If your router has multiple channels (such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels), make sure both computers are on the same channel
Step 4. Understand that streaming may not be possible on your network
If the network has low upload speeds, or multiple devices (such as PCs, consoles, phones, etc.) are being used at the same time, you may not be able to stream. You can solve this problem by increasing the internet speed through an internet service provider.
If your router and/or modem are old, trying to stream might cause an error on one or both computers
Method 2 of 3: Streaming on Windows Computer
Step 1. Click the white-orange traffic funnel icon to open VLC
Step 2. Click the Media tab in the top left corner of the VLC Media Player window
A drop-down menu will appear on the screen.
Step 3. Click Stream… near the bottom of the menu media.
You will see the Stream window.
Step 4. Click Add… on the right side of the window, in the "File selection" section
You will see a file explorer window.
Step 5. Select the video you want to stream
You may first need to select a folder in the left pane of the window, or open a folder in a file explorer window to find the file you want.
Step 6. Click the Open button in the lower right corner of the window to add the video to the streaming list
Step 7. Click the Stream button at the bottom of the window
Step 8. Click the Next button in the lower right corner of the window
You will see a "Destination Setup" window.
Step 9. Click the "New destination" box
This box generally has the word "File". You will see a drop-down menu.
Step 10. Click the HTTP option on the drop-down box
Step 11. Click Add to the right of the box HTTP.
You will see the HTTP settings page.
Step 12. Take note of the ports that appear on the page
You will need this port to start streaming.
Step 13. Enter the computer's IP address in the "Path" field
You'll see a slash (/) in the "Path" column. Don't unmark it when entering the IP address.
Step 14. Click Next
Step 15. Uncheck the "Activate Transcoding" option near the top of the window
Step 16. Click the "Profile" box on the right side of the window
You will see a drop-down menu.
Step 17. Select the "TS" format
Click Video - H.264 + MP3 (TS) on the drop-down menu.
Step 18. Click Next
Step 19. Check the "Stream all elementary streams" checkbox near the top of the page
Step 20. Click Stream at the bottom of the window to complete the setup and start streaming the video
Step 21. Open VLC on the destination computer
Step 22. Open the Network Stream window by clicking Media > Open Network Stream
Step 23. Enter the streaming address
Enter https://IP address:port. Replace "IP address" with the source computer's IP address and "port" with the port that appears on the "HTTP" page.
For example, if you want to start streaming from a computer with IP address 123.456.7.8 and port 8080, enter https://123.456.7.8:8080 into this box
Step 24. Click Play
After a 30 second pause, you will see the video from the source computer on the destination computer.
Method 3 of 3: Streaming on Mac Komputer
Step 1. Click the white-orange traffic funnel icon to open VLC
Step 2. Click File in the top-left corner of the Mac screen
You will see a drop-down menu.
Step 3. Click the Streaming/Exporting Wizard… option near the bottom of the drop-down menu
Step 4. Check the "Stream to Network" checkbox near the top of the window
Step 5. Click the blue button labeled Next in the lower right corner of the window
Step 6. Click Choose… to the right of the "Select a stream" text box
You will see a Finder window.
Check the "Select a stream" checkbox before clicking "Choose"
Step 7. Select the video you want to stream
You may first need to select a folder on the left bar of the window, or open a folder in a file explorer window to find the file you want.
Step 8. Click Open in the lower right corner of the window
Step 9. Click Next
Step 10. Check the "HTTP" checkbox in the middle of the page
You will see "Port" and "Source" options on this page.
Step 11. Take note of the ports that appear on the page
You will need this port to start streaming.
Step 12. Enter the computer's IP address in the "Path" or "Source" field
If there is a slash in the text box, leave it alone, and enter the IP address after the slash
Step 13. Click Next
Step 14. Make sure both "Transcode" checkboxes are unchecked
These two options are generally in the middle of the page.
Step 15. Click Next
Step 16. Check the "MPEG TS" checkbox in the middle of the page
This option is probably the only option for streaming.
Step 17. Click Next twice, namely on the current page and the "Additional streaming options" page
Step 18. Click the blue button labeled Finish at the bottom of the window to complete the setup and start streaming the video
Step 19. Open VLC on the destination computer
Step 20. Open the Network Stream window by clicking "File" > "Open Network …".
Step 21. Enter the streaming address
Enter https://IP address:port. Replace "IP address" with the source computer's IP address and "port" with the port that appears on the "HTTP" page.
For example, if you want to start streaming from a computer with IP address 123.456.7.8 and port 8080, enter https://123.456.7.8:8080 into this box
Step 22. Click Play
After a 30 second pause, you will see the video from the source computer on the destination computer.
Tips
If you want to stream multiple videos at once, you must first create a playlist. The easiest way to create a playlist is to select the video you want to play, right-click on the video, click Add to VLC Media Player's Playlist on the menu, then save the playlist via options Media (or File on Mac) and choose Save Playlist to File.
Warning
- You may need to set up port forwarding on your router in order to view videos.
- Generally, there will be a moderate decrease in video quality on the destination computer.
