Connecting Macs to Samsung Smart TV #UN55F7100AFXZA for Audio and Video form the TV

this has been talked to death and a positive solution already suggested...and until mac technology catches up with the rest of the world this will have to suffice...thanks for your comment but ...all i can read is blah blah blah...tell someone whos interested

Hi there,

You can indeed stream videos/photos/music from your Mac wirelessly to your Samsung smart TV! I'll do my best to explain and hopefully it will help some people, providing this question hasn't already been answered.

So, I'll go in steps to try and make it easier, I'm not the best at explaining things!

Step 1: Ensure you have an internet connection and that your TV is indeed connected wirelessly to the router. If you can view APPS like YouTube and similar, you are good to go. Also ensure your MAC is connected to the internet - you'll be downloading a third party program to your MAC shortly.

Step 2: On your Mac, download a streaming program called Serviio. It's totally free and easy to download, not a large download either.

Step 3: Once you've downloaded Serviio, you'll then need to open this up on your Mac and add a local network - this would be your TV. On the Serviio screen, there are multiple tabs to select from, select LIBRARY first, this is where you'll add your folders to share. You'll need to select what location in your Mac that you want to share. For example, you might choose the downloads folder or perhaps the movies folder. Any folder which contains content that you want to stream/share is the right choice. Then click the boxes to select what type of content you wish to share, for example; video/music/documents and so on. Click save to keep changes.

Step 4: Now click the STATUS tab and add your TV. The IP address should come up automatically, you'll just need to click the drop down list and select Samsung TV (A OR B series). Be sure to click save after making these changes.

Step 5: You're almost there! Now all you need to do is turn your TV on and go into the Smart Hub. To get to the smart Hub click the coloured box on your remote, that will take you straight there. Once you have clicked the Smart Hub icon on your remote two bars will come up, one a long one at the bottom on the screen with apps on it and the other a small box with several icons in it. You'll need to choose the latter, which is the smaller box. When you've done this you then need to select MULTIMEDIA, the icon looks like two boxes together which are purple. Next, you'll scroll through several screens until you see the serviio app, click the icon. You'll then need to click the return button and it will take you to a screen where you'll choose Serviio again. This screen will be different to the previous screen, even though you are still choosing the Serviio app.

It's imperative that you do this step, otherwise you won't be able to actually watch any files.

Next you'll see the screen where it asks you what type of file you want (Music/photos/videos), select what you want and then choose the file from in there. I can view movies in a folder titled movies and TV shows in a folder titled downloads, yours should be similar. Once you've done that, all you need to do is to select the actual file. That's it! No wires, no expensive hardware or software, just a good wireless connection! Problem solved.

I really hope this helps! I'll link a YouTube video showing how to use Serviio with a Sony Bravia, just follow the first half of the video and don't worry about connecting it to a Sony TV. It works exactly the same way with regards to setting up Serviio with your Mac.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtBQJadBL8&list=PL3DC17A2EB20BA103&index=26

If you want more info or screen shots or photos taken from the TV step by step, you can message me through here and I'll be happy to e-mail them to you to make it easier. 🙂

P.S - I'm sure there are other programs other than Serviio that you can use, but I found it to work very well with both my Sony Bravia TV and Samsung TV. Both are working well with no issues. This was not difficult to do and I consider myself a beginner when it comes to computers and smart TV's, so there's hope for everyone! 🙂

Hi there,

Please see my post on this issue, I just posted it on this thread. I can wirelessly stream my Mac to my Samsung TV only using an internet connection (DLNA in this case). You must have a smart TV of course. I hope this helps! 🙂

I agree with Jeremy and Daniel. Diamantina, you ask for help, don't be offensive - thats kind of stupid, besides of rude. So I tell I am interested. Which certainly does not interest you, but asked for.

In the forums you have a lot of people with different niveaus, so Diamantina, the first post maybe started with a incomplete cuestion (if you and the first post are the same person). If you communicate with others, for example asking, you should be able to consider others can't know what is what you already have done and already know. A intelligent question informs "I have this equipment" and "i have tried this", and may be even "i want to connect it in X way", trying to be the most specific, and if misunderstandings appear, they simply shall be corrected - period. So I really dislike people investing energy to be rude. I'm not a techie (you are kind of, anyway, compared with absolute newbies), but I like the good ambient of help we have, mostly, on forums, and the good answers posted.

So I answer just for the others.

First of all, recapitulating: to asume wifi connectivity is easy just because there is wifi, is kind of naive if we consider that the communication goes over protocols and that we use stuff of brands, which in our kind of economy still fight each other. Details have been posted before.

So the solution is just simple plug and play as a cable, and we have to see third party progs.

Another solution, besides the posted ones, is sonys Homestream, it helps to get the TV recognized form the mac. Its exactly the same as servio, Another theme is the software used to playback.

I apologize for using the word "stupid". Better is to say senseless & ineffective, I tried to edit but it was too late, so I apologize to you, Diamantina, and everybody else for using a rude, senseless and ineffective formulation 😉

I have found also the expensive Tv Mobili, but tested now and compared the freewares Homestream and serviio. The first is evidently based on the second. Does anyone know the differences? Does it have the same functionalities? As serviio free, or as pro? Even the hardware list is similar, I just don't see the media browser in home stream. Looks like just the non-pro version).

About the software used to playback: Serviio worked for me to get the MBP recognized by the SamsungLink program ON the SamsungTV. So, the media browser of serviio used on the mac (fine: I didn't have to open any account except a local password) didn't work, but the samsunglink on the TV used my mac as hard disk, ergo playback.

This means, the "simple" use of the TV over Wifi as an external monitor (like Casios Green Slim-Series can, not perfect, over the free, if you have the hardware serial, "WePresent" and "NetworkConnection") seems still a little bit hard to find, lets hope there shall be "techies" will fulfill their "duty" and develop an open source solution, because so many people (I quote the thousands of the first post authored by Diamantina) want it - for free.... so I hope most of them pay back at least with gratefulness. I will.

Hi Thank you for your assistance and thoughtful details but this is didn't work for me...

"Once you have clicked the Smart Hub icon on your remote two bars will come up, one a long one at the bottom on the screen with apps on it and the other a small box with several icons in it. You'll need to choose the latter, which is the smaller box. When you've done this you then need to select MULTIMEDIA, the icon looks like two boxes together which are purple. " --

This doesn't exist on my particular Smart TV (could be my TV is older - who knows, but when I click on the Smart Hub button on my remote (it's a big colorful cube), it starts the smart hub. I have a search field at the top, the second row contains a box on the left for television reception and a series on small boxes along the top (netflix, amazon, hob, etc). The second, third and fourth row are app icons. There are no big boxes, little boxes that say anything about multimedia (though there is a media hub where I can go and buy movies and TV shows), but nothing like you've described.

So if you have a series E or F, this may not be a solution. So know which Smart TV you have before going through this exercise -- it could save you a couple of hours.

🙂

Hi there!

So sorry this didn't work for you! hopefully it worked for others. My Samsung TV is a new series I think, a 32 inch LED-LCD Smart TV, it's a series 5 and i think this is the model number:

UA32F5500

Hopefully this helps anyone else with the same issue. I would think serviio would still work with an older model? How old is your model? There is the choice to pick either A or B series, so perhaps B series might work for you as I chose A series. Is there anywhere in your Smarthub if you keep scrolling to the right where you see the Serviio icon? Could it be there, just in a different location to on my TV?

If Serviio is showing your TV as a possible connection, you must be able to stream through it to your TV. You just need to find another way to access it!

Here's a couple of pictures, the first is what my TV looks like to access Serviio and the second is what I think you are describing your TV's SmartHub to be:

According to a website, which I will link below, you must change the source on the TV to access Serviio - this applies to the second picture only.

This is a picture of what the TV should look like if you don't check out the link below - I'm assuming your Samsung would pick up your Mac in the same way;

This is a link with info on how to use Serviio with what looks like what you described for your TV. Check it out and let me know if you have any success! I just hope that I could help even one person! 🙂

http://www.will-evans.net/2012/05/streaming-movies-from-my-computers-hard.html

The best media server I have used so far with my MacBook Pro Retina and a Samsung Smart TV (65" 4K Curved UHD HU9000) is the Universal Media Server (http://www.universalmediaserver.com). It's free and works better than serviio (http://serviio.org). It also has a web interface, so you can watch your movies in a web browser.

My preferred media server is Plex, as mentioned by someone else already. Here is my set-up:

1. One Mac running Plex Media Server. Here I have 2 TB hd connected with around 600 movies and 70 TV shows, iTunes with 3000 songs.

2. This mac has gotten a fixed ip address on my network plus I have a Plex account. This allows me to remotely connect to my Media Server. (This has a charge for the Plex Account).

3. Plex Home Theater or other Plex client running on all my iOS devices or other Mac's.

4. Have a AppleTV connected to my Samsung TV.

5. Have a Plex Client installed on the Samsung TV. You can find it on the SmartHub in the TV. As I am not living in the US, but in Asia, it was not offering this solution on SmartHub. Therefore, I used the Unlocator service (google for Unlocator) to give me an US IP address on my router (you can also use a VPN on your Mac, plug-in a Ethernet cable in your TV and in your Mac and allow Internet sharing on your Mac). After this, you are offered the content form Samsung US on your TV. From there, you can download the Plex Samsung client.

If you have down this, you can:

- Access your Media Library from your Samsung TV, directly play any Movie or song, only using the remote control.

- Stream any movie/song from your iOS device Plex client, iTunes, or any other program to the AppleTV/Samsung. If you connect a TOSLINK cable between your surround system and the AppleTV, you don't need to switch your TV on to listen to music.

- If you have a fast Internet connection, you can watch your movies from everywhere in the world via the Plex client / Plex account.

All the Plex software is free of charge, you only pay for the Account 75 $ once. If you take a simple solution, it's only the Plex Media Server on your Mac and the Plex Samsung Client on the TV, both free of charge, no cable nothing required.

In addition, I have a Roomie set-up on my iOS devices in order to get rid of that half dozen remotes on my coffee table.

It all works absolutely nice, never had an issue. Have it now installed in 2 locations (which are updating each other automatically for the movie / TV series directory).

Remark: you can also run a Plex Client on the AppleTV, but it is complicated to set up.

Since recommending the Universal Media Server, I have switched to Plex. It does everything I was expecting a media server should do. The Plex app that I downloaded on my Samsung Smart TV is very nice. The corresponding app on the Mac is stable and does a great job in scanning my folders quickly and updating its database.

I have been looking for a way to do this for a little while and I cam across this by chance while looking through the internet.

I have a Macbook pro mid 2009

What can I say, a brilliant tuition on how to do it step by step.

Thank you for taking the time to explain it this may.

araxara, interesting to see you switched to Plex. I read your earlier post and installed Universal Media Server, which is working well for me. I'm streaming video wirelessly from my macbook to my Samsung smart TV.

Here's how it works for me.

I start with TV on and app running on my computer. Open Smarthub. In the top menu, navigate to "Photos, Videos, and Music."

In the bottom menu, choose "Videos" or the type of media you want to stream. "Universal Media Server" shows up as a choice.

Select it. The screen will now show the folder or folders you have selected to share in the "Navigations/Share settings" in UMS. Choose the folder

and the media, click Play in the top menu after it's loaded, and you're good to go.

Thanks for the link, hope this works as well for others!

You can download a media server to your mac. I'm running PS3 Media server version 1.81.0. All I have to do is open the app, set a location to grab media from on my computer, set the video quality, then save and restart server. After you do that you should be able to access the media server from the TV input source menu. In my opinion it runs at a very high quality compared to the hdmi which always seems grainy (even with my 4k cable). Hope this solves the question most easily for everyone.

After using it, I agree the Universal Media Server is not a good solution. When I used it, the forward or reverse scan function wasn't enabled. This means that if the server is interrupted (in my case, my laptop accidentally went to sleep), the only way to continue watching was to start again from the very beginning. Not acceptable.

thanks bro.