Gadgetory

if your ideal set-top box could play things like Netflix and YouTube stream music from the web and even let you access your own media files you already own it today I'll show you how to turn your PC into the hub of your media center experience from my couch I can play youtube videos stream Pandora and here throughout my home theater system or access music and movies I already have on my drive there are lots of ways to rig a PC to TV setup but here's what we want we need it to be Wireless we don't want any wires between the couch and the TV it needs to be easy to navigate from a distance and you need to be able to easily access all the videos and music you want first things first let's hook this up to the TV pick a spot where the USB ports are visible and there's easy access to the CD drive if you plan on using it depending on your PC's outputs you might need a mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable which also carries audio or you might go with DVI to HDMI take a look at your computer's video out port to find out which cable you need if your computer doesn't have HDMI or mini DisplayPort out which both carry audio you'll need this audio cable connecting your PC to your TV so that's working but before I can head to the couch there are a couple more things I need to tweak on my PC first I'll set it so that my PC doesn't go to sleep when I close the lid I'll also make sure my display settings are set to duplicate the display and I'll play around with the resolution settings until I find the one that best displays my desktop on the TV finally I've got Ethernet right here so I'll set up a direct connection between my network and the laptop you'll be doing a lot of video streaming so having this direct hookup will make that playback really smooth this looks pretty good but my laptops over there my couch is over here and I need a way to control the setup from a distance wirelessly this full-size Logitech Keyboard is one option it's got a keyboard on one side and a touchpad on the other good if you think you'll be doing a lot of typing or just want the real estate of this touchpad the thing is once you're done with this you don't want a huge keyboard crowding the coffee table but the best and cutest option is this handheld QWERTY keyboard with a built-in touchpad if you've ever had one of those slide-out smartphones like the sidekick you'll like this design there are a few versions of the favi smart stick keyboard starting at about 25 bucks this one is great because it's got backlit keys and it can also be used to control game consoles to set it up with your computer plug the wireless receiver into a USB port and you're set with the hardware setup the last thing I need to do is to make the computer easier to navigate from a distance right now all I see is a bunch of tiny text and a pointer that I've already lost track of that's where a program called Plex comes in the free Plex Media Center is a TV friendly interface that lets you cue things up like Netflix YouTube videos or even media on your PC it's a full screen program designed to be controlled from a distance with a remote control or a keyboard I've already set it up to access music and movies I have on my computer's hard drive I've also added a bunch of channels like YouTube Vimeo and even CNET TV since I have my handy keyboard it's super easy to find something to watch like on Vimeo select the video quality HD please and sit back relax and enjoy obviously there are a lot of ways to set this up if you want to know more about the accessories I used some of your other options or how to set up Plex see my full written guide on how to see Netcom and don't be shy about hitting me up on twitter with any of your questions along the way for cnet.com I'm Sharon Backman