I have plans on getting the WD My cloud this pay. But before I do I want to make sure it can do what I want. I have a standard flat screen tv. By standard I mean it’s not a smart tv. It has hdmi inputs and a usb input and a standard ethernet input that simply allows the tv to update it’s self which it never has (lg for ya) Anyway I want to back up my movies home videos pictures etc to the cloud which is easy enough. But is there any way to get that stuff to this standard tv since it doesn’t run apps etc. That’s my main concern. I mainly want this cloud so i can back up my movies and not have to get up to put a movie in every time i want to watch one.
No with Mycloud only.
Read your TV manual, you might be able to watch some videos and files via the USB port, if you connect a USB device, which is totally a separate product (AKA NOT A NAS) from MyCloud.
Other options:
- buy a set-top-box media player. Prices vary from $40~$200 and install Kodi, which can run on lots of devices such as Nexus Player, Amazon Fire TV, raspberry pi, etc. It all depends on your requirements.
I like Kodi, but some use Roku as well. However, for that, you would need a PC as well besides the media player and MyCloud. Or buy a different product which supports Plex.
Or you can also just use the DNLA server on MyCloud but again, you would need a media player such as the ones mentioned above.
Plenty of info our there for the options I mentioned. There is not one solution for all, since it all depends on your tech expertise and requirements. Happy reading!
ADDED:
BTW, I recommend even the cheapest of the media players over any “Smart TVs”… IMHO, Smart TVs are not quite Smart yet…
Or just connect your PC/Laptop/Tablet to the TV, but this is so 2000s… 
Just to add more information from the comment above.
If you also have xbox or PS4, you can just use those as your DLNA player. Then use the DLNA server as mentioned above.
Hi, I’m back. Between the time you both replied and my question I was searching around and came across this video on youtube
How to Stream Movies, Music and Photos from WD My Cloud To TV
So I searched about this thing some more the WD TV Live media player which is both wireless to connect to cloud/router and connects through HDMI. Not to mention it seems to have a vast amount of file support.
“found that picture in another forum on here by accident” forum link
This seems like it would work for my needs. My wireless router is in the living room about 15 feet from the LG tv. If I hook up the My cloud next to the router and then put my movies on the My cloud then hook up the WD TV live media player to the tv I should be able to play the videos and files etc on the tv correct? Or am I missing anything?
One does not need a PC if using a Roku. The Roku, using the Roku Media player channel, will stream supported media straight from the Twonky media server embedded in the My Cloud to the TV.
I’m not keen on any ‘proprietary’ players, like ‘smart TV’ or WDTV, or AppleTV, because they have very closed App stores, and the apps are often not updated.
So my solution is a small, cheap Android media box (essentially a ‘headless tablet’). There are hundreds of these things available from your favourite online shop.
Here’s a similar discussion to yours, although it starts a bit specifically…
I use Kodi, connecting via SMB to my MyCloud for video
I use BubbleUPnP for music, connecting via DLNA.
I run a BubbleUPnP Server on the MyCloud for remote access to my media (courtesy of user Nazar78).
I run various catch-up TV apps, as well as Facebook, email & internet browsing.
I would try your TV 1st. I have an LG non-smart TV and was told the Ethernet for for updates, however if a DLNA server is active it shows as another input and works. probably not the best DLNA client but it works if you videos are in the proper format, I would test your conversions extensively before wasting time converting everything. I don’t recall the formats that worked beter
@Troy,
I have many of the gadgets mentioned. WDTV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Chromecast. etc. My preferred way of streaming movies from my sources (incl My Cloud NAS) to my non-Smart TV is with the WDTV media player, because as you mention, it handles a lot of file types. And, besides, I do not have to install Kodi or PLEX on anything.
What you get and use has a lot to do with the type of movie files you want to stream, and since most of my movies are ISO (disk image) files, the WDTV is the only gadget mentioned here that plays them without any additional hassle. It also plays MKV files, and mp4 video files, as well as audio and photo files.
All the other gadgets are DLNA devices and they cannot handle non-DLNA ISO files without some sort of hassle, if at all. The reason the WDTV can play them is that it is both a DLNA receptor (via DLNA media servers) and a device with built-in ISO reading circuitry that can access a network share drive or NAS, pull in an ISO file, and play it to TV. Watching an ISO file is exactly like watching the DVD.
The WDTV is a non-geeky, off-the-shelf product for around $100, and is to me, the best choice if you have (or plan to have) a lot of ISO files in your movie collection.
Kodi will play DVD ISO files (plus almost any other media format).
Kodi will connect via SMB (and NFS, DLNA & local disks).
Kodi is available as an app in the Play Store, so is as easy to install as any app.
Kodi is free, available on multiple platforms, and is being continuously developed.
Since it is multi-platform and free, you can ‘try before you buy’. If you don’t like it, look elsewhere.
Can Kodi be installed on iOS devices as well as Android phones or tablets?
What are the most popular devices, platforms, etc. Kodi is installed on? (e,g, Fire Stick, etc.)
Kodi is software, not plug and play hardware, and just may be too geeky for many people to deal with.
Is there a plug and play (and affordable) “Kodi-based Media Player” yet?
Not saying Kodi is not good, but if one has the right hardware, one does not need Kodi. Same can be said for PLEX. It is installed on my WD NAS, and on my Roku, and to me, it is a graphically overblown program that I find clunky and slow to peruse, and it cannot play ISO files (unless perhaps it decodes ISO in real time.) I have better options and only have PLEX installed to see if I can ever grow to like it!
As mentioned before, playing an ISO file is as easy as putting a DVD into my DVD player (and it also skips all the darn preview trailers!)
Can Kodi be installed on iOS devices as well as Android phones or tablets?
Read the Kodi Wiki:
iOS, OSX, Windows, Android, Linux, XBox, blah blah… Hence my ‘multiple platforms’
Is there a plug and play (and affordable) “Kodi-based Media Player” yet?
Hundreds of ‘Android media boxes’ to choose from. Plain vanilla Android. From about £30 up. Pick the number of processor cores, flash, ram, etc you want. 4K? H.265? No problem.
Geeky? No more geeky to install than any app on any tablet or phone…
ps. I’m not saying WDTV is ‘wrong’, either. Just that I prefer open source, supported tools rather than closed source systems that don’t get app updates. And trying to counter the suggestion that Kodi requires uber-geek knowledge to install and use. It won’t work ‘out of the box’ (actually, it often does, since most android media boxes come with it pre-installed), but it can be as simple as an android app.
Then there are the add-on, like SoundCloud and ShoutCast, support for PVR functions, etc…
Wow a lot to take in here lol. dlna kodi bubble something. yeah I’m not very tech savy. I think i may have used kodi before and plex. The reason I don’t use plex anymore is because I had to run everything off my laptop and didn’t want my laptop open just to be able to view files. And also having to know how to set up ip’s and connecting stuff here and there and then going to the techy forums and hearing sudo this and sudo that. Im an old dog and I can’t learn new tricks. I like things on the plug and play side. Though I do agree I’m not a big fan of things that aren’t open source because at some point in time I may want to do something that a closed source box may not support like web browsing and having built in flash player for sites. But for now being able to transfer all my movies from laptop to the cloud and easily plugging in the WD TV live sounds like less of a DIY. And I won’t sugar coat it. I’M LAZY lol
Yep, a lot to consider from the comments. I think we all learned some new stuff.
I may attempt to install Kodi on my Fire TV stick again, because when I tried it last year, I think I was supposed to also stand on my head while installing it, and I can’t do that!
Thanks CP for the additional info. I think I will leave home now to go see a movie tonight – at the theater – real easy.
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@mike27oct, yes very easy these days… Install “ES File Explorer” from Amazon Store, then just download Kodi from its default internet location or copy it from the NAS and install it. No PC no ADB no ADBFire, etc.
The trick now is to have it on the “recent” apps list since Amazon removed it from its store, but nothing too complex using Llama. Google/youtube for it.
I just set it a couple of sticks for non-techie family members and took me 5 mins each. Of course, it took me 30mins to show them how it works!!! 
Sorry, last comment, do not mean to take over original post.
Thanks for the info. I have ES/FE on my Kindle tablets and have used it to side-load an app or two. I may try to install Kodi on my Fire TV stick, if I can figure out what you mean by ADB / ADBFire and find out what Llama is. Also, fyi, Kindle devices cannot get into the Google Store without additional hassle.
Meanwhile, can you pass on a current YT video link that shows how this is all done?
Added later after some exploring. . . .
OK, refreshed my memory about ABDFire. etc. Llama still a ?
Also found a recent YT video that appears to make install of Kodi on Fire Stick rather easy and less geeky. It has a lot of steps, but it seems to be quite do-able for most folks. What do you think of this video from this past October?
BTW, this video does not always start at beginning, so drag dot to beginning point.
And don’t apologize; we have not hijacked original post as this discussion can help the OP and others.
That is one of them. However, towards the end it deals with adding some repos and other misc, which might not be necessary in your case. All you need is up to 13mins into the video.
ADB and others were the old way! no need to worry about them anymore. Unless you want to learn about them…
It seems Llama is not needed nor recommended anymore, hard to keep up!
OK, , will take a look at your link and will set Kodi up later.
Meanwhile, (off-topic comments coming up) I will be putzing again with my new Sandisk Connect wireless flash drive, and making sure the replacement drive from Amazon works better. First one had a flaky wireless signal in some ways (thanks to Wi-Fi Analyzer app’s help) This second one is connecting and staying connected better; at least it played a complete 1.5 hour m4v movie on iPad today without a hitch.
Cool gadget that fits in my shirt pocket! I like it.
