You could do Plex or Jellyfin like others suggest here. I’ve been using Plex for many years now and experimenting with Jellyfin.

But this can be something some people may not like because it can require time to create and manage and money to spend on new equipment. It can be a rabbit-hole after some time and some people may not want to spend so much time or energy or money doing this. It’s not a ton, but it can be a bit much after some time if you get too invested.

They really are best if you want the streaming-like experience, though.

If you’re okay with just streaming files, you can use one of these methods:

• connect a HDMI cable from your computer to the TV and get a wireless keyboard/mouse. This will effectively set your TV as a monitor for your computer but everything is accessible quickly and easily right off the bat with nothing in between. I’d recommend installing VLC player for this as it is widely compatible with many file formats.

• on your Roku/other smart TV device, you can download an SMB app that will search for files on your home network and then make them available to you through this app. It’s not very clean, not like how streaming services or Plex/Jellyfin do it, but it’s easy and gets the basic job done. On my Apple TV, I have a VLC app that does this and I can view raw files and select them to stream directly from my computer to my Apple TV with no extra setup. Other downside is that most of these apps don’t remember your playback or last video you played, which can suck if watching something like a Lord of the Rings marathon or binging a show and leaving and coming back. But it works! You may need to share the files/folder, which is as simple as right-clicking the folder where your videos are and then selecting Share and then sharing with your local network in most cases.