Play Videos from a NAS, WebDAV, or Google Drive on TV, No Server Needed

VelaTV connects straight to the storage you already have, a NAS, a WebDAV private cloud, or Google Drive, and plays your videos on Android TV or your phone. No Plex, no Jellyfin, no server program to install or keep running.

The problem with "just install Plex"

Most advice for watching personal videos on a TV starts with "set up a media server." Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby are all genuinely good software, but they share the same requirement: a server program has to be installed, configured, and left running somewhere, usually the NAS itself, a mini PC, or an old laptop. For a lot of people that is one more thing to maintain, one more login, and one more thing that can silently stop working.

VelaTV takes a different approach: it is a client that talks directly to your storage. No server component, nothing to keep running in the background.

What VelaTV connects to

This device

Local storage on your phone, tablet, or Android TV box. Pick a folder with the system file picker.

NAS / network share

Any SMB share on your home network: Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, or a plain Windows/Samba share.

WebDAV private cloud

Nextcloud, ownCloud, Synology's WebDAV service, or any other WebDAV endpoint.

Google Drive

Sign in, pick the files or folders you want with the Google Picker, and play them directly.

Add any combination. VelaTV's home screen aggregates Continue Watching across all of them, so it does not matter which source a video actually lives on.

VelaTV vs. a media server

What you needPlex / Jellyfin / EmbyVelaTV
Server software running somewhereRequiredNot needed
NAS/network share (SMB)SupportedSupported
WebDAV (Nextcloud, Synology)Varies by pluginBuilt in
Google DriveNot built inBuilt in
Telegram cloud storageNot supportedBuilt in
Cast phone browsing to a TVSupportedSupported

This is not a claim that VelaTV replaces everything a full media server does (library-wide transcoding profiles and multi-user server accounts, for example, are a different job). It is a much smaller, simpler tool for one job: play the personal videos you already have, from wherever they already are, without standing up a server first.

Setting it up: 3 steps

1

Install VelaTV

Download from Google Play on your phone, tablet, Android TV, Fire TV Stick, or Mi Box.

2

Open Sources and add yours

Go to Sources and add This Device, a NAS/network share, a WebDAV server, or Google Drive. Each form has a "Test and connect" step that checks the connection before it is saved, so a wrong password or an offline server never creates a broken source.

3

Browse and play

VelaTV lists the videos it finds. Pick one and press play, with touch controls on phone or the remote/D-pad on TV. On phone, you can also cast the video to any Chromecast-capable TV.

Note: your NAS or WebDAV credentials are encrypted on your device and used only to connect directly to your own storage. Nothing about your local, NAS, or WebDAV files is uploaded to VelaTV's servers.

Pricing

VelaTV includes a free 10-day trial with full access to every source, no credit card required. After the trial, an affordable subscription or one-time purchase unlocks continued access through Google Play.

Try VelaTV with your NAS, WebDAV, or Google Drive

Free 10-day trial. No server software to install.

Get VelaTV on Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby to use VelaTV with my NAS?
No. Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby all require you to install and run a separate server program, usually on the NAS itself or another always-on machine, which then serves your library to client apps. VelaTV skips that step: it connects directly to your NAS over SMB, so there is no server software to install, configure, or keep running.
What is WebDAV and which servers does VelaTV support?
WebDAV is a standard protocol for accessing files over HTTP(S), used by many private cloud and NAS platforms. VelaTV connects to any WebDAV server, including Nextcloud, ownCloud, and Synology's WebDAV service, using a server address, username, and password.
Can VelaTV play videos from Google Drive on Android TV?
Yes. Sign in with your Google account, pick the specific files or folders you want to expose using the Google Picker, and VelaTV plays them directly. Only the items you pick are accessed, VelaTV does not browse your entire Drive.
Does VelaTV upload my NAS or WebDAV files anywhere?
No. Local files, NAS, and WebDAV connections happen directly between your device and your own storage over your network. Nothing is uploaded to VelaTV's servers, and credentials are stored encrypted on your device only.
Can I combine a NAS, Google Drive, and Telegram in the same app?
Yes. VelaTV treats Local storage, NAS/network shares, WebDAV, Google Drive, and Telegram as sources you can mix and match. Continue Watching tracks your progress across every source, so you can pick up a video on your phone and resume it on the TV regardless of where the file actually lives.
Does casting to a TV work with NAS or WebDAV sources?
Yes. From the phone app, you can cast videos from a NAS, WebDAV, or Google Drive source to any Chromecast-capable TV, the same way you would cast a local file.
Is VelaTV free?
VelaTV includes a free 10-day trial with full access to every source. After the trial, an affordable subscription or one-time purchase unlocks continued access through Google Play. No credit card is required to start the trial.

Related Guides

Start Playing Your Own Videos, From Any Source

Free 10-day trial. Works on phone, tablet, and TV.

Get VelaTV on Google Play