If you own a Wii, then you owe it to yourself to make the absolute most out of it. Thanks to an excellent program called Orb, you can use your Wii as the center of your online multimedia universe.

A few weeks ago, Nintendo released the Wii Opera Browser. Immediately, internet video and Flash games were accessible on home televisions across the globe. Though some may have a few gripes about it, especially it’s oversized navigation bar, no one can argue that it isn’t awesome.

So, that’s great for watching videos from YouTube… but what about your files? What about the MP3s, movies, and pictures on your computer? With Orb, your computer is at your fingertips from anywhere in the world on any PC - and yes, even Wii.

Setting up Orb wasn’t easy for me. My difficulties came when I could get pictures to work but I couldn’t get any music or video - the stream was in a perpetual load. Here, I’ve detailed how I did it, step by step, in hopes that my experience will help others.

    Step 1 - Setting Up Orb

  1. Download the latest version of Orb from orb.com.
  2. Install Orb using the default settings.
  3. Upon pressing the Finish button in the installer, Orb will run on your computer. When prompted for a user name and password, create a new one if you don’t already have one.
  4. Click on the Orb icon that appears in the System Tray and then select Configuration.
  5. The first tab is for configuring internet TV - adjust that if you need to, then head over to the Media tab to make sure Orb knows which folders our videos, music, and pictures reside in.
  6. The My Documents folders are selected by default for Video, Photos, Music, and Documents. If you’re like me and have archives on an external hard drive, just hit Add and navigate to the correct folders as necessary.
    Step 2 - Setting Up Port 80
    This is where things get a little tricky if you’re not too computer savvy. You’ll need to allow access from your firewall to Port 80. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it may seem. I use McAfee for my personal firewall and have included screenshots below. For those using another firewall, you’ll probably be able to figure out what to do once you read these instructions; if not, contact your firewall manufacturer.

  1. Double click on the big M icon in your system tray to open McAfee SecurityCenter. (For non-McAfee users, you may see your firewall icon as a couple of green bars moving up and down, or a shield, or something else that may or may not represent “protection” or “traffic”.)
  2. Click on Personal Firewall Plus, then Options.
    orb-firewall-1
  3. Click on System Services.
    orb-firewall-2
  4. Scroll down the list of ports until you see Web Server (HTTP) Port 80. Check that box and hit OK.
    orb-firewall-3
  5. Close the other two McAfee windows - you don’t need ‘em anymore.
    Step 3 - Log In On Your Wii

  1. Open your Wii Browser.
  2. Go to mycast.orb.com.
  3. Log in.
  4. Click on a song and let the good times roll. Do the happy dance, if you’re so inclined. (I did the happy dance in my head - my feet aren’t that coordinated.)

If you’re still having Orb issues, make sure you’re using version 2.00.0814 or newer; check your Settings from your Wii to make sure you’re streaming in Flash (link: https://mycast.orb.com/orb/html/settings.html?ts=toolsStream&goBack=1); then, check out the Orb support forums.

I really hope this helps at least one person in the universe. If this does help (or even if it doesn’t), please take a few seconds to leave a comment below.