Using an office PC as a console in the living room

[Donimic]

Has anyone else done something like this? Is it possible given a 25ft or 50ft HDMI to route my computer system to a TV in another room? How is performance?

I know that TVs have fairly significant input lag and it will probably kill frame-rate to a certain extent but I am curious as to if it is comparable to a console quality of game-play. I do most of my gaming directly on my PC but lately I find myself replaying older, single-player titles (FFV-FFXII, Witcher3, Dark Souls, Borderlands, etc.) in a very relaxed setting. I have been thinking that playing these non-competitive games I would enjoy just being able to chill on the couch and play them on a 4k 65" TV. Being that I don't own a console and I already have these games on my steam library, it would be cheaper if i could just use an HDMI to connect my PC and the TV.

PC is currently running a overclocked 8700k and GTX 2080.



Any thoughts on how well something like this would work?

[Kagthul]

Has anyone else done something like this? Is it possible given a 25ft or 50ft HDMI to route my computer system to a TV in another room? How is performance?

I know that TVs have fairly significant input lag and it will probably kill frame-rate to a certain extent but I am curious as to if it is comparable to a console quality of game-play. I do most of my gaming directly on my PC but lately I find myself replaying older, single-player titles (FFV-FFXII, Witcher3, Dark Souls, Borderlands, etc.) in a very relaxed setting. I have been thinking that playing these non-competitive games I would enjoy just being able to chill on the couch and play them on a 4k 65" TV. Being that I don't own a console and I already have these games on my steam library, it would be cheaper if i could just use an HDMI to connect my PC and the TV.

PC is currently running a overclocked 8700k and GTX 2080.



Any thoughts on how well something like this would work?

Just get a used Steamlink. Or, if you have a cheap office PC, you could use it for Steam In-Home Streaming (basically, using said cheap PC as a Steamlink). You can also build a Steamlink out of a Raspberry Pi, or get an nVidia SHIELD TV (itll function through nVidias in-home streaming since you have an nVidia GPU).

Or you could build an HTPC (Ryzen 2200/2400G are plenty) and do it that way, (Via Steam In-Home Streaming), and youd also have the benefits of having an HTPC (streaming, playing locally stored video, music, etc, light native gaming (via the 2400G’s iGPU). You could probably throw one together for ~300ish, particularly if youre willing to get creative with the case. I built mine into a 15$ plastic cube from Ikea (meant to fit in the Kallax storage unit).

But spending the ~30 on a used Steamlink is going to be the easiest. Latency was no problem for me when it was wired, and theres no perceptible input lag for non competitive games. I just replayed Witcher 3 (I’d beaten it before DLC was released, and decided to start over to do the DLCs) and it was absolutely fine.

Get a PS4 or Xbone controller and pair it with the Steamlink and its just like a console.

[Donimic]

Just get a used Steamlink. Or, if you have a cheap office PC, you could use it for Steam In-Home Streaming (basically, using said cheap PC as a Steamlink). You can also build a Steamlink out of a Raspberry Pi, or get an nVidia SHIELD TV (itll function through nVidias in-home streaming since you have an nVidia GPU).

Or you could build an HTPC (Ryzen 2200/2400G are plenty) and do it that way, (Via Steam In-Home Streaming), and youd also have the benefits of having an HTPC (streaming, playing locally stored video, music, etc, light native gaming (via the 2400G’s iGPU). You could probably throw one together for ~300ish, particularly if youre willing to get creative with the case. I built mine into a 15$ plastic cube from Ikea (meant to fit in the Kallax storage unit).

But spending the ~30 on a used Steamlink is going to be the easiest. Latency was no problem for me when it was wired, and theres no perceptible input lag for non competitive games. I just replayed Witcher 3 (I’d beaten it before DLC was released, and decided to start over to do the DLCs) and it was absolutely fine.

Get a PS4 or Xbone controller and pair it with the Steamlink and its just like a console.

Do you think a Steamlink would offer better quality? Or is there actually a limitation with using the commuter directly?

I measured the distance last night and it looks loser to 35ft rather than 50. Even a used Steamlink + ethernet is about $70 after shipping whereas a 35ft HDMI + usb extender is about $30 together. I don't have a need to not spend $70 on this, but if there is no difference in quality then why waste money.

[Temp name]

Do you think a Steamlink would offer better quality? Or is there actually a limitation with using the commuter directly?

I measured the distance last night and it looks loser to 35ft rather than 50. Even a used Steamlink + ethernet is about $70 after shipping whereas a 35ft HDMI + usb extender is about $30 together. I don't have a need to not spend $70 on this, but if there is no difference in quality then why waste money.

There shouldn't be any difference in quality. If anything using HDMI it'll be slightly higher quality since it won't have to compress the stream.

That said you'll have to live with the cable runs through your house.

[thatmikeguy]

Has anyone else done something like this? Is it possible given a 25ft or 50ft HDMI to route my computer system to a TV in another room? How is performance?

I know that TVs have fairly significant input lag and it will probably kill frame-rate to a certain extent but I am curious as to if it is comparable to a console quality of game-play. I do most of my gaming directly on my PC but lately I find myself replaying older, single-player titles (FFV-FFXII, Witcher3, Dark Souls, Borderlands, etc.) in a very relaxed setting. I have been thinking that playing these non-competitive games I would enjoy just being able to chill on the couch and play them on a 4k 65" TV. Being that I don't own a console and I already have these games on my steam library, it would be cheaper if i could just use an HDMI to connect my PC and the TV.

PC is currently running a overclocked 8700k and GTX 2080.



Any thoughts on how well something like this would work?

50' will not work, 25' may not work.. HDMI wiki. The sound usually fails first.

[Temp name]

50' will not work, 25' may not work.. HDMI wiki. The sound usually fails first.

You can get relatively cheap active HDMI 1.4 cables at 20 meters length, which is around 55-60 feet

[Donimic]

There shouldn't be any difference in quality. If anything using HDMI it'll be slightly higher quality since it won't have to compress the stream.

That said you'll have to live with the cable runs through your house.

Thanks, I would probably run them through the walls, or in a conduit under the house.


Given that I am probably pushing the maximum length somewhat do you have any recommendations for specific versions? I am looking through Amazon but am unable to find specifics on construction other than "4k 60hz capable" Honestly I don't even know if my rig can hold a solid 4k 60fps, or if the games i am playing are old to the point it wont matter and just go with either the 1080p 6hz or 4k 30hz options that are $25 rather than $35

1 @$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGODSGK/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1


2 @$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B68KZLD..._t5_B07G78NVVT


3 @25) https://www.amazon.com/BlueRigger-Wa...gateway&sr=8-3

[Kagthul]

Why i would still go with some variation of Steamlink or In Home Streaming (even if it is more expensive):

Its way less hassle.

Every time you do this, you’re going to have to plug in your long HDMI cable, and your long USB cable, and then restart your computer and then go to the living room and log in and get everything working (which will likely require you to have a keyboard and mouse in the LR, or to set it to boot without a login screen and straight into Big Picture Mode (which is a pain for when you want to go back), and then undo all of that if you want to go back to your office.

With a Steamlink (or Shield TV, or simply using a cheap used office PC or building a cheap HTPC and doing In-Home Streaming of some kind or another), you just... pick up the controller in the Living Room, switch the input, and hit the button the controller to turn the Steam Link on.

Doneski. It boots up, you connect to your PC (two button presses), Big Picture mode starts, and you’re ready to go.

That simple.

Thats why i’d still recommend going with a Steamlink, Shield TV, or HTPC.

If money isn’t a GIANT issue, the Shield TV is probably the best choice. Its got an Xbox like controller (though you can pair PS4 and Bone controllers to it as well), its a full-up Android TV device (so basically a great HTPC/Streaming TV device), has Google Assistant, and you can in-home stream to it (like a Steamlink) or, i think, even just straight up use it as a Steamlink (since there is a Steamlink app for Android).

And its got a lot of games you can just straight up play on it since its got a beefy Tegra CPU in it.

Its a lot less hassle and is a one-stop solution.

[Kagthul]

If you wanted to go with an HTPC, instead (yes, even more expensive, but ill be listing some reason why you might want to consider it), this is a solid HTPC machine:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kgWLV6

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.48 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($38.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $314.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-29 22:16 EDT-0400

I just recently found out that while the B450 motherboards all list their HDMI ports as 1.4, their output abilities are actually based on BIOS support and what the APU in them supports (i was just researching this because i wanted to get 4k/60 out of mine because 4k/30 just looked jittery and un-smooth for anything other than video - it was literally better to run it at 1080p and let the TV upscale it, and i was trying to find out if i needed and HDMI 2.0 GPU or something, when i found out on reddit that the B450 boards will support HDMI 2.0 out of the box if the APU itself can handle the resolution/refresh, and will receive (or have received, for some) an update to 2.1 spec via EFI updates.

I just confirmed it on my HTPC (which uses this exact board) and a 2400G... plugged the cable into the only 2.0 port on my TV, and bam, 4K/60.

The other benefits to using an HTPC are that you can use it to watch any kind of media you want (if itll play on a PC), as a streaming device for every coneivable streaming TV service, use it as a NAS if you want to move media off of individual machines or just for back-up, plug a printer into it and share it on the network, etc.

Its also got enough GPU muscle to handle a lot of lower spec games on its own if you wanted, and unlike a Steamlink, itll in-home stream in 4k if your rig can handle outputting 4k. (Steamlink maxes out at 1080p for the hardware device, but will do 4k over a Shield TV or other device that can do 4k output).

[Temp name]

Thanks, I would probably run them through the walls, or in a conduit under the house.


Given that I am probably pushing the maximum length somewhat do you have any recommendations for specific versions? I am looking through Amazon but am unable to find specifics on construction other than "4k 60hz capable" Honestly I don't even know if my rig can hold a solid 4k 60fps, or if the games i am playing are old to the point it wont matter and just go with either the 1080p 6hz or 4k 30hz options that are $25 rather than $35

1 @$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGODSGK/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1


2 @$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B68KZLD..._t5_B07G78NVVT


3 @25) https://www.amazon.com/BlueRigger-Wa...gateway&sr=8-3

I'd probably invest in the better cables. Over short runs it doesn't matter, but long runs (10m+) it can. I'd probably invest in an active cable too, just to be safe. AmazonBasics has one for 25 dollars, but some of the others are in the 38-45 dollar range.

HDMI really doesn't like going far

[Kagthul]

I'd probably invest in the better cables. Over short runs it doesn't matter, but long runs (10m+) it can. I'd probably invest in an active cable too, just to be safe. AmazonBasics has one for 25 dollars, but some of the others are in the 38-45 dollar range.

HDMI really doesn't like going far

Best way to do HDMI over longer distances is to get one of the active HDMI to Ethernet adapaters (for each end); then you can get 300ft.

Ill still vote for, as an ease-of-use solution... Shield TV is probably the best bet.

[Donimic]

Thank you to everyone for your input. With all of the technical information out of the way I should be able to make a decision based on cost and what I have heard here.