how to set up TV streaming from PC

Not anxious to replace my 50" flat-screen, and not sure how to put something like "Russian TV" (which has direct internet access) onto "i-tunes".
Main question is whether what I'm asking is possible, and if so, how?

didn't realize that "apple TV" was a streaming device. I thought it was a TV.

We honestly need more specifics in order to help.

You state 'I do not know audio/video capabilities of my PC'. Then why not provide make/model/serial numbers so we can look that up?

Also, why not provide info on exactly what type of video you want to stream from PC to (HD)TV? E.g. Russian televizja programming, youtube videos, Videos downloaded from internet etc. 8-) Keep in mind all content on a PC is not the same. Sending along live streams is a little different than dealing with content that you download and save, copy to flash drive, etc.

My gut feeling is your PC is likely too old to be able to handle the task, especially if it lacks HDMI output. Knowing more specifics can verify what may be required though.

More specifics not available, as PC is not a brand name, but was assembled "made to order" in local store.
Only things I know about it are what I listed at beginning of thread. I didn't request anything like upgraded sound or video cards to be installed: only special item requested was two parallel ports
I wasn't aware that there are multiple video formats, and
I don't care if it streams in HD.
Only want to "live stream": no playing of pre-recorded or pre-downloaded material. Essentially, I'd like to mirror my PC screen with anything that's on it, if that's possible
Someone suggested that a "play station 3" might be a great "streamer" for my purpose.????.

Parallel ports? The technologies, and your needs, have changed since you configured that old PC. For example, Chromecast (which you mentioned above in the thread) will generally work best when the following minimum computer specs are met-

https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/3209990?hl=en

That said and accomplished, even streaming content from newer PCs works much better if you stick with a wired connection (HDMI output from PC to HDTV). Dealing with bolting on a newer video card isn't always ideal either- even for the more tech savvy.

FWIW, a PS3 isn't a grand solution for PC screen mirroring/live streaming, only for select content that is transcoded.

"parallel ports"...that motherboard sounds like lot older than 5 years.

Yes, the old continuous-feed pin printers need parallel ports, which were, until recently, necessary in my line of work.
Interestingly, I had seen the link you provided, and it says:
"Windows XP
Linux
Limited performance when casting video".
I would have been satisfied with limited performance, but Chromecast doesn't install at all on XP..
Thanks for the info on PS3
How about the possibility of split-screen on a pc (i-Mac) with HDMI output, and using the laptop for normal computer use, and the HDMI output to the tv for streaming a video app . Would that work?

What do you mean to install Chromecast on XP? Here I ran Chrome (the browser) and could cast a tab in Chrome to the ChromeCast just fine.

Setup is not too hard, but support is rare to never (just try to find good help today?)
Bob

Maybe I'm not understanding the instructions, but when it asks to 'connect chrome using the name seen on tv screen", there doesn't seem to be any way to achieve that.
I may be missing something very obvious, but with all the other info everyone has provided, I'm more inclined to just upgrade everything.
I'll check out that install procedure one more time.
NB: Is HANDBRAKE only suitable with mac, or is it an app that works together with APPLE TV on any system. The site I checked seems to imply that it is for Mac.

...live streams, Netflix, etc.? That's only for downloaded content, which I thought you weren't interested in(?)

Handbrake can convert various videos for all sorts of devices, btw. It's not limited to the Mac side.

If your iMac isn't able to send video out to the HDTV via an HDMI out port, you very well might benefit from a hardware upgrade. Many of the lower priced entry level Windows laptops now include HDMI out & ample dual core chipsets & RAM to send along HD video streams nicely to an HDTV. <pointing over to the setup in the adjacent room...>

used i-mac available from a relative: don't have it yet.
It's probably the best solution if it has a recent enough OS.
If HANDBRAKE is only for downloaded content, then you're correct: it's not what I need & therefore won't help.

But it was certainly not the most high powered rig to try it w/ either

yep, I'm getting lost at the following scrren content on Chrome:
Sorry 'bout that...
"We can't seem to connect to your Chromecast.
Make sure your Chromecast is powered on and nearby, and that you have switched your Wi-Fi network so it matches your TV's Chromecast name"

Maybe I just have no idea how to "switch the Wi-Fi network----"

I continue to find folk that can't control or configure their networks. It appears that's the issue here with ChromeCast use. That is, I didn't install ChromeCast on the Windows XP laptop. When you said you did that, I was lost since there was nothing to install.
Bob

bob;
Yes, I'm sure you're correct. Perhaps it really would work, if I only knew how to configure my network.
----but I did call my network techies, and they could not find Chromecast, and thus could not help me to configure it.
I thought that it 'couldn't be found' because it wasn't compatible with XP. Clearly, my lack of computer savvy isn't helping solve this problem.

Bob;
reconfigured my network to give it the "appropriate" network name, and still failed to install chromecast.------so I went to chromecast support, explained the situation about being unable to network the device, and got the following reply from a senior staff member:

"Unfortunately, you cannot setup Chromecast using Windows XP but it may be possible to cast from Windows XP. Chromecast only supports Windows 7 and higher."

I, of course, don't even know what "casting a tab" means, so its time for me to give up with WinXP for this app.

...screen mirroring various tabs from within the Chrome web browser is not an officially supported feature w/ XP.

It's not 100% clear what you are suggesting.

I.E. iMac (HDMI out) --> (HDMI in) HDTV

etc.

pepe7:
what last paragraph?
Just thinking of getting a used iMac & correcting directly to TV by HDMI cable for streaming, in whatever way that's possible.

Just do it. Skip the wireless headaches, Chromecast, etc.

More to your point though- why bother w/ a used iMac unless you have a pressing need to run OSX, etc.(?) You could grab a new (with full warranty) basic PC which, out of the box, does what you need for less $, and gives you many more free software options for streaming.

There are plenty of helpful folks here more computer hardware savvy than me to help you w/ this task if you need it.

You should be good to go