Roku Device Features, Settings & Updates

[8irdee]

I had a Roku a few years ago (the Roku 2) and it didn't support screen mirroring or casting. I recall Googling it and I got something to the tune of 'Only Roku Streaming Sticks support Miracast at this time.' Now that I Google it again, the only issues I'm finding are with Windows 10 supporting it in relation to the Roku; I know my Windows supports Miracast, but before I buy the Roku Premiere (4620 series). I want to make sure Roku Premiere also supports Miracast. The actual word "Miracast" isn't used anywhere on the site or Premiere's page that I can see, and I really want to make sure that I have this feature so that watching videos from my hard drive doesn't become an affair requiring an all-too-tempting-for-my-cat HDMI cord.
Thank you for listening!

[StreamerUser]

Though Roku doesn't explicitly use the word "Miracast" (Nor do they/mention or use the word DIAL to indicate their casting support - blame marketing), all recent year models do, with a couple of exceptions/limitations:

https://support.roku.com/article/208754928

Does my Roku device support screen mirroring?

Most current generation Roku streaming players and Roku TVs support screen mirroring with notable exceptions listed below. To find the model of your Roku device, go to Settings > System > About.

• Roku Express: Screen mirroring is only supported on model 3900 (introduced in 2017), and not on model 3700.
• Roku Express+: Screen mirroring is only supported on model 3910 (introduced in 2017), and not on model 3710. With model 3910, screen mirroring is only supported on the HDMI output, and not on the composite, or A/V output.

You can use the Roku device comparison chart to determine the current products that support screen mirroring for Android and Windows devices.

[lesmikesell]

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@8irdee wrote:

I really want to make sure that I have this feature so that watching videos from my hard drive doesn't become an affair requiring an all-too-tempting-for-my-cat HDMI cord.
Thank you for listening!

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Just as a side note, I'll point out that screen mirroring isn't the best way to view videos from a computer hard drive.   It is much better to use a client/server approach like installing Plex on the computer to use with the roku plex client (or Emby if you prefer), or enabling the windows DLNA service for the roku media player.

[8irdee]

With my work, I see a lot of different laptops and sort of 'borrow them while I do work using them. It's neat, but it means I can't install things like Plex on every computer I receive, and am mostly operating my leisurely activities off of a thumb drive. I am saving currently to get my own computer, but the system I've got now isn't broken! Haha.

[lesmikesell]

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@8irdee wrote:

With my work, I see a lot of different laptops and sort of 'borrow them while I do work using them. It's neat, but it means I can't install things like Plex on every computer I receive, and am mostly operating my leisurely activities off of a thumb drive. I am saving currently to get my own computer, but the system I've got now isn't broken! Haha.

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You are likely to find that only a few of the random laptops you use will actually work with miracast because not all hardware supports it. (It needs to make a wifi-direct connection in addition to the normal network connection).  If you have admin access to the computers you can enable the DLNA service like this:  https://winaero.com/blog/how-to-enable-dlna-server-in-windows-10/

However, if your content is on a thumb drive, the obvious thing to do is get a roku that has a usb port and only use the computer to download/copy over.  

[lesmikesell]

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@8irdee wrote:

With my work, I see a lot of different laptops and sort of 'borrow them while I do work using them. It's neat, but it means I can't install things like Plex on every computer I receive, and am mostly operating my leisurely activities off of a thumb drive. I am saving currently to get my own computer, but the system I've got now isn't broken! Haha.

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I thought I posted a reply earlier but don't see it - sorry if you get this twice.

I would not expect every random laptop to support miracast because only certain hardware can handle the necessary wifi-direct connection while maintaining a normal network connection.  If you have admin access to the computers you can enable the windows 10 dlna service like this: https://winaero.com/blog/how-to-enable-dlna-server-in-windows-10/

But, if you have things on a USB drive, the obvious thing would be to get a roku with USB support.