How do I temporarily connect a computer to my AVR?

[Swerd]

Last December I was visited by some in-laws. That evening, the guy wanted to watch a movie he had on his laptop. This guy is nuts about movies and has a huge collection of movie digital copies he bought from Amazon Prime. But he has no AVR and only hooks up his laptop to his TV.

I have a Denon AVR X4500H receiver in my HT system. It can receive WiFi and I do have a WiFi router. Manual:

https://www.accessories4less.com/mas_assets/media/manuals/Denon/AVR-X4500H.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoogeLF_iCb74czd1ittqyVY7oypjnrMsh9ooNDIslNs5T1PmM9Q

I normally use a Roku streamer for video from sources like Netflix and Amazon. I don’t purchase movies, and I never bothered to hook up a computer to my HT system. The guy’s laptop had an HDMI outlet and he had a HDMI cable with him. My AVR has a number of HDMI inlets on the back, plus one on the front panel. At the time, I hooked up the laptop to the front panel HDMI inlet and hoped that would be enough. It didn’t work.

At the time, I had been home two weeks after a long stay in the hospital. I wasn’t at my best. Besides, it was late in the evening and I was in no mood to pull out the receiver far enough to find a way by trial & error. We did end up watching something, but I don’t remember how we hooked it up. It worked work well enough to watch, but the sound was kind of kludged.

A few days later, I wasted a fair amount of time looking in the owner’s manual for details how to temporarily hook up a computer to watch a movie. It was a Denon manual, thorough but poorly translated, so I never found an answer.

Does anyone know how to temporarily connect a computer to my AVR?

Do I somehow make use of the WiFi or HEOS to make this work? I never have used these methods and never bothered to learn about them.

 

[ryanosaur]

I connect my computer via hdmi to my tv with arc sending audio on to the AVR. I can use it as additional desktop or simply mirror my screen.

might require some settings be played with to get up and running.
Don’t forget HDMI cables can be pesky so perhaps that one was flawed or simply didn’t like your friend’s port.

 

[highfigh]

Last December I was visited by some in-laws. That evening, the guy wanted to watch a movie he had on his laptop. This guy is nuts about movies and has a huge collection of movie digital copies he bought from Amazon Prime. But he has no AVR and only hooks up his laptop to his TV.

I have a Denon AVR X4500H receiver in my HT system. It can receive WiFi and I do have a WiFi router. Manual:

https://www.accessories4less.com/mas_assets/media/manuals/Denon/AVR-X4500H.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoogeLF_iCb74czd1ittqyVY7oypjnrMsh9ooNDIslNs5T1PmM9Q

I normally use a Roku streamer for video from sources like Netflix and Amazon. I don’t purchase movies, and I never bothered to hook up a computer to my HT system. The guy’s laptop had an HDMI outlet and he had a HDMI cable with him. My AVR has a number of HDMI inlets on the back, plus one on the front panel. At the time, I hooked up the laptop to the front panel HDMI inlet and hoped that would be enough. It didn’t work.

At the time, I had been home two weeks after a long stay in the hospital. I wasn’t at my best. Besides, it was late in the evening and I was in no mood to pull out the receiver far enough to find a way by trial & error. We did end up watching something, but I don’t remember how we hooked it up. It worked work well enough to watch, but the sound was kind of kludged.

A few days later, I wasted a fair amount of time looking in the owner’s manual for details how to temporarily hook up a computer to watch a movie. It was a Denon manual, thorough but poorly translated, so I never found an answer.

Does anyone know how to temporarily connect a computer to my AVR?

Do I somehow make use of the WiFi or HEOS to make this work? I never have used these methods and never bothered to learn about them.

Sorry to see that you were in the hospital.....

I use YouTube when I want to find out about how to do things- aside from a lot of BS content, some of it is good.

HEOS will only receive the audio, not video- I use Roku for content other than over-the-air channels and I'm streaming YouTube to it now- look for a rectangular icon at the lower right corner with some small arcs, then choose the device you want to stream (cast)to- if more than one device is in the network, a menu will appear when you click on the icon (shown in the photo). The second photo shows the red box with the device menu.

You would need to enable/assign the HDMI input in the AVR's menu, as you would with other source devices.

 

[-Jim-]

@Swerd , I have a Denon AVR X4400H receiver in our Atmos HT system. I have used the Aux1 HDMI Input on the front of the receiver to input from a Laptop for REW, and had an issue with a 25 foot long HDMI Cable that should have worked but didn't. When I used a shorter 10 foot one, it worked fine.

I'll go try playing a movie to test it right now, but I don't expect any problem. Please stand by.

 

[-Jim-]

I just finished testing it, and it's really HDMI cable dependent with the Laptop on my Denon. My MSI Laptop is running Windows 10. I randomly picked an old 12 foot HDMI 1.4 cable from my bag of HDMI cables, and the Denon wasn't "seen" by the MSI when I plugged it in. I grabbed a 6 foot "High Speed with Ethernet" HDMI Cable which I think is 1.4b spec and it worked fine. I've been migrating all of my old HDMI cables towards the latest specs since we bought a 4K TV and 4k Blu-ray player. Hence having the old ones in a bag.

I've suspected since my REW testing that the Denon is very sensitive to the voltage drop applicable to some of the longer HDMI cables. (Conductor size will definitely play a part as well as the spec.) So my advice is to try it with the shortest HDMI Cable first to it it working, and then move up in length if you need to.

I hope this was helpful.

 

[Swerd]

I connect my computer via hdmi to my tv with arc sending audio on to the AVR. I can use it as additional desktop or simply mirror my screen.

might require some settings be played with to get up and running.
Don’t forget HDMI cables can be pesky so perhaps that one was flawed or simply didn’t like your friend’s port.

Good to know, thanks.

Once I read your post, it seemed familiar. Last December I may have done something similar, hooking up the laptop to the TV instead of the AVR. My TV has no ARC, but I'm pretty sure I use 2 HDMI cables to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Swerd]

I just finished testing it, and it's really HDMI cable dependent with the Laptop on my Denon. My MSI Laptop is running Windows 10. I randomly picked an old 12 foot HDMI 1.4 cable from my bag of HDMI cables, and the Denon wasn't "seen" by the MSI when I plugged it in. I grabbed a 6 foot "High Speed with Ethernet" HDMI Cable which I think is 1.4b spec and it worked fine. I've been migrating all of my old HDMI cables towards the latest specs since we bought a 4K TV and 4k Blu-ray player. Hence having the old ones in a bag.

I've suspected since my REW testing that the Denon is very sensitive to the voltage drop applicable to some of the longer HDMI cables. (Conductor size will definitely play a part as well as the spec.) So my advice is to try it with the shortest HDMI Cable first to it it working, and then move up in length if you need to.

I hope this was helpful.

Yes, it was helpful.

 

[Swerd]

@Swerd , I have a Denon AVR X4400H receiver in our Atmos HT system. I have used the Aux1 HDMI Input on the front of the receiver to input from a Laptop for REW, and had an issue with a 25 foot long HDMI Cable that should have worked but didn't. When I used a shorter 10 one, it worked fine.

I'll go try playing a movie to test it right now, but I don't expect any problem. Please stand by.

At the time, I tried with just one HDMI cable. Thanks.

Once you hooked the laptop up to the front panel HDMI port, what button on the remote did you use to switch to the AUX1 input? I never got that far last December and I never found out.

 

[Swerd]

Sorry to see that you were in the hospital.....

I never know what stuff other people remember and what they don't. More often than not other people's memory or forgetfulness surprises me.

Because I was in the hospital, it was quite easy for me to never forget it.

I’m in the hospital

I have been off line all of Nov & probably a good part of October. So I missed all the fun. I have lung cancer. Specifically, non-small cell adenocarcinoma. I never smoked. It’s very aggressive. It hit me like a freight train. It also has already gone metastatic . It’s spread to my liver and...

forums.audioholics.com

But I don't recall if you posted on that thread.

I use YouTube when I want to find out about how to do things- aside from a lot of BS content, some of it is good.

HEOS will only receive the audio, not video- I use Roku for content other than over-the-air channels and I'm streaming YouTube to it now- look for a rectangular icon at the lower right corner with some small arcs, then choose the device you want to stream (cast)to- if more than one device is in the network, a menu will appear when you click on the icon (shown in the photo). The second photo shows the red box with the device menu.

You would need to enable/assign the HDMI input in the AVR's menu, as you would with other source devices.

Thanks for the tips. But I always avoid watching YouTube instruction videos. I can't stand how long they take to make simple points. How many YT videos do I have to watch before I find one that answers my question and that gets to point soon enough? If you do find one that provides a useful answer, please link it.

 

[lovinthehd]

Been a while, mostly I just put the videos on a thumb drive into my bluray players, or just an hdmi cable to avr from my laptop. To stream maybe VLC Media Player?

 

[Eppie]

Been a while since I've done this but with Denon you may need to assign inputs. I keep a 10 ft HDMI cable plugged into one of the rear HDMI ports for use with a laptop but I think I had to go into the setup menu and assign that port to a channel and then use the remote to switch to that channel for laptop use. I think the same may hold true for the front port if you have one. The image displayed on the laptop and TV simultaneously, which can be annoying, but there is probably a Windows setting to change that.

I agree with lovin' for VLC use. It plays just about everything.

 

[highfigh]

I never know what stuff other people remember and what they don't. More often than not other people's memory or forgetfulness surprises me.

Because I was in the hospital, it was quite easy for me to never forget it.

I’m in the hospital

I have been off line all of Nov & probably a good part of October. So I missed all the fun. I have lung cancer. Specifically, non-small cell adenocarcinoma. I never smoked. It’s very aggressive. It hit me like a freight train. It also has already gone metastatic . It’s spread to my liver and...

forums.audioholics.com

But I don't recall if you posted on that thread.
Thanks for the tips. But I always avoid watching YouTube instruction videos. I can't stand how long they take to make simple points. How many YT videos do I have to watch before I find one that answers my question and that gets to point soon enough? If you do find one that provides a useful answer, please link it.

I remember, but you started this thread yesterday and didn't specify when you were in the hospital. I don't think there's a bad time to wish someone well, though.

I don't remember details to posts when no context is given, but my memory for most details is freakishly good and that's often helpful, sometimes not.

YouTube videos also have the bonus of "Like and subscribe and if possible, maybe you could become a sponsor....", "Smash that like button", etc. Why do so many people have a guitar in the background? I get that guitar is one of the most popular instruments in history, but some of these people seem like the type who would use it purely for decoration. Getting to the point takes time because time matters- if someone stays on the video for a longer time, the channel can make money/more money. Some videos accumulate 1 Million+ views in a matter of a day, which means they make their living posting videos. Our time is wasted by their blathering, so they can make money.

I didn't post the videos so you would watch them, I posted photos so you could see the 'Cast' icon and the menu, in case you hadn't used that feature.

 

[Eppie]

Does the Roku support casting? I have found that casting from Android phones has really improved. I can not only cast from YouTube but Android 14 lets you cast your mobile screen from any app. Even my gaming apps can be cast to the TV. This is all through Chromecast on the NVidia Shield, so you need a Chromecast supported device.

For a Windows laptop you would likely need to use Youtube and see if casting is an option. I don't think HEOS supports video. VLC has streaming features but getting that to work is not trivial. HDMI cable is easier.

 

[highfigh]

Does the Roku support casting? I have found that casting from Android phones has really improved. I can not only cast from YouTube but Android 14 lets you cast your mobile screen from any app. Even my gaming apps can be cast to the TV. This is all through Chromecast on the NVidia Shield, so you need a Chromecast supported device.

For a Windows laptop you would likely need to use Youtube and see if casting is an option. I don't think HEOS supports video. VLC has streaming features but getting that to work is not trivial. HDMI cable is easier.

My first photo shows that casting is possible in YouTube and the second photo shows that it works with Roku. I use a Windows-based computer for most online activity, but sometimes, I need to cast from my iPhone and it works well with all of my Roku. I have cast from my computers and phones to several brands of smart TV over the past 10+ years, too. Some work better than others and since I'm not a huge fan of Apple, I don't use AppleTV. One reason is that when they decide a model is obsolete they don't tell anyone and it costs more to replace them.

 

[-Jim-]

At the time, I tried with just one HDMI cable. Thanks.

Once you hooked the laptop up to the front panel HDMI port, what button on the remote did you use to switch to the AUX1 input? I never got that far last December and I never found out.

Hi @Swerd ,

Of course I use the Aux1 button on the remote. See:

denon avr-x4500h remote control page

What operating system is on the Laptop?

If you want to check if Windows is "seeing" the Denon, just go into Display Properties once the HDMI Cable is connected, and you've selected Aux1 on the Remote. There is typically by default an audible "beep" that your system will do once the connection is made, and the HDMI "handshakes" are done.

As far as having the ability to "Cast" from the Laptop to a Roku device: Yes @Eppie you can Cast / Airplay to a Roku. It works Great! That's one of the reasons I bought one just a while ago. I got one for the Family Cabin as my brother is probably going to cancel the Satellite TV there as it's getting too expensive. I'm still setting up / playing with the Roku in the Man Cave /Junk Room in the basement at home, so it's ready when I go to the Cabin. Not all Apps are available for the Roku - like Sportsnet, so I've been able to load them onto my iPhone /iPad and Airplay them to the Roku. It seems to have some audio sync issues when connected through the Aux1 on the Denon AVR-S900W I have in the Man Cave that I've yet to sort out.

Perhaps Swerd's Laptop can simply Cast / Airplay to his Roku to get the video into his system.

 

[highfigh]

Hi @Swerd ,

Of course I use the Aux1 button on the remote. See:

denon avr-x4500h remote control page

What operating system is on the Laptop?

If you want to check if Windows is "seeing" the Denon, just go into Display Properties once the HDMI Cable is connected, and you've selected Aux1 on the Remote. There is typically by default an audible "beep" that your system will do once the connection is made, and the HDMI "handshakes" are done.

As far as having the ability to "Cast" from the Laptop to a Roku device: Yes @Eppie you can Cast / Airplay to a Roku. It works Great! That's one of the reasons I bought one just a while ago. I got one for the Family Cabin as my brother is probably going to cancel the Satellite TV there as it's getting too expensive. I'm still setting up / playing with the Roku in the Man Cave /Junk Room in the basement at home, so it's ready when I go to the Cabin. Not all Apps are available for the Roku - like Sportsnet, so I've been able to load them onto my iPhone /iPad and Airplay them to the Roku. It seems to have some audio sync issues when connected through the Aux1 on the Denon AVR-S900W I have in the Man Cave that I've yet to sort out.

Perhaps Swerd's Laptop can simply Cast / Airplay to his Roku to get the video into his system.

I would like to see more people use the GUI for setup, by entering the AVR's IP address in their browser- it's a lot easier to do than navigate with the remote and on screen display. It's possible to save, reset and load the configuration using this, too.

Saving and reloading should be done using a wired connection for the AVR.

 

[-Jim-]

I would like to see more people use the GUI for setup, by entering the AVR's IP address in their browser- it's a lot easier to do than navigate with the remote and on screen display. It's possible to save, reset and load the configuration using this, too.

Saving and reloading should be done using a wired connection for the AVR.

I would like to connect my PC to the AVRs I have to set them up but unfortunately that capability isn't available on my Receivers. (Too Old...)

 

[Trebdp83]

One thing to consider is that the front HDMI port on any receiver is going to be a limited 9Gbps port. These will not accommodate a 4K RGB 60Hz signal from a PCor various devices. This could result in no image at all if the connected device does not color sub sample the signal or reduce resolution to fit within the bandwidth limits. If one has an available port around back, connect at least a Premium Certified HDMI cable for HDMI 2.0 4K signals that is no more than 10ft long for best results. There are as mentioned various casting options using certain devices in a network connected system.

 

[highfigh]

I would like to connect my PC to the AVRs I have to set them up but unfortunately that capability isn't available on my Receivers. (Too Old...)

How old, what brands and models? If Denon, they had models that used IP control fro quite awhile, stopped and brought it back- it works on newer models. Yamaha has had this for a long time and you would need to add '/setup' to the IP address, so it could be 192.168.1.xxx/setup

 

[-Jim-]

How old, what brands and models? If Denon, they had models that used IP control fro quite awhile, stopped and brought it back- it works on newer models. Yamaha has had this for a long time and you would need to add '/setup' to the IP address, so it could be 192.168.1.xxx/setup

Let's not highjack this thread, but suffice it to say my newest receiver (2018) where I really wanted it, a Denon AVR-X4400H (in the Games Room), lacks this Function whereas the much older Denon AVR-S900W (in the Man Cave /Junk Room) does have it to some degree, but my Sony STR-DN1050 (in the Family Room) only allows Software Updates via it and changing Network Connections. I have no idea if my Sony STR-DN1080 (at the Cabin) has it. Now I'll have to go and check the manual