How to watch movies on TV from NAS server (Samba)

Question

I have a RaspberryPi headless NAS server running Samba that I use as my movie storage. For now I watch movies from NAS on external monitor connected to my laptop. I would like to cut the laptop and watch movies directly on TV using only TV remote control.

1. Is there any television that is able to connect to Samba server and play mpeg movies with .srt subtitles?
2. If not, what other protocol should I install on RaspberryPi and use to watch movies on TV?

MORE Information: My RaspberryPi with attached HDD is located in the basement (HDD noise + lack of space) and connected to the Wi-Fi router via RJ-45 Ethernet cable. So I cannot make a RaspberryPi --- HDMI cable --- TV connection.

Solution

You have a couple of options

1) install a dlna server on your raspberry pi, and get a smart TV which can play from a dlna source. I don't know if these will play the srt subtitles though. This page gives details on how to set up minidlna

2) connect your pi to the TV via HDMI and run RaspBMC. This is a port of XBMC for the Pi, which should play the srt files.

Comments

[Frank Thomas]

my advice is use a device between your network and your tv. otherwise you have almost no control if the TV doesn't want to play a given file or doesn't like the network protocols you have available to you.

[Joudicek Jouda]

@FrankThomas: What kind of device do you mean? I already have a RaspberryPi there and I can make for example a DLNA server out of it - as Xetius stated.

[Frank Thomas]

if you don't have a problem housing your "server" next to the TV, and connecting them directly, then you don't need anything. My recommendation is that you connect your TV to some kind of box (PC, your Pi, etc) rather than having the TV connect directly to your network. TVs features and capabilities are pretty much set in stone, so you can't install a codec or use an alternate media player app that works better for some given kind of file. for instance I had to install AC3Filter for 5.1 audio, and I don't like VLC for MKVs, but use it for OGM all the time. having a pc there means I can fix it.

[Joudicek Jouda]

+1 for simplicity. I have a RaspberryPi server in the basement (I didn't want to be bothered from connected HDD noise) so I can't use HDMI due to distance. Is there any other common used protocol on TV besides DLNA?

[Xetius]

DLNA is sometimes referred to as UPnP. They are not the same, but are very similar, and sometimes the terms are interchanged. Otherwise, unless your TV can connect to a Samba or NFS share then you will be out of luck. You could get a second Raspberry Pi