Play To: frequently asked questions

Play To is a feature you can use to stream music, pictures, videos, and recorded TV to other computers and devices on your network. You can control playback using your computer. For example, you can create a song playlist in Windows Media Player on your computer, and then stream it to a compatible stereo receiver that's connected to your network.

For more information, see Using the Play To feature to stream media.

You can stream media to other computers running Windows 7 that are connected to your network. You can also stream to some playback devices that can connect to your network, such as a Wi‑Fi TV or a stereo receiver with a built-in Ethernet jack.

To learn more about playback devices that are compatible with Play To, go to the Digital Living Network Alliance website.

There are a number of possible reasons why a playback device won't play media streams, including:

• The device hasn't been properly set up to receive media streams or isn't connected to your network. For more information, check the information that came with the device.

• The device is frozen and can't receive streams. Try restarting the device.

• The device has a menu open or is in a mode that prevents it from receiving media streams. Check the device to see what's on the screen. If necessary, go to the device's Home screen. For more information, check the information that came with the device.

You might not be able to stream protected files purchased from an online store or subscription service for one of the following reasons:

• Your playback device doesn't support digital rights management (DRM). For more information, see Windows Media Player DRM: frequently asked questions.

• You might have tried to switch songs or stop playback while a protected music file was playing. When protected files are streamed to a playback device, Windows opens a secure connection with the device at the beginning of each song and closes the connection when each song is finished. If the secure connection is interrupted, the device might stop working. To prevent the problem, allow each song to finish playing.

Your computer might not have enough processing power to stream HD video files.

When a media file is streamed using Play To, Windows must sometimes convert the file to a format supported by the playback device receiving the stream. This process is called transcoding. If your processor subscore is below 5.7 in your computer's Windows Experience Index, then your computer might not be able to transcode HD video files.

For more information, see What is the Windows Experience Index?