WebDAV for Android TV — Access Nextcloud on Your TV

Nextcloud on Your TV — Self-Hosted Cloud Meets Big Screen

If you run Nextcloud (or ownCloud) for private cloud storage, you've probably wanted to access it from your TV — browse family photos on the big screen, stream home videos, or display documents during gatherings. But Nextcloud doesn't have a TV app.

AnExplorer bridges this gap by connecting to Nextcloud's WebDAV interface directly from Android TV. Browse your entire self-hosted cloud with the TV remote and play media on the big screen.

What you can do:

• Stream personal videos (home movies, travel footage) from Nextcloud to TV
• Browse family photo albums on the big screen
• View shared documents and PDFs in group settings
• Access any file in your Nextcloud from the living room TV

Setting Up WebDAV on Android TV

Finding your WebDAV URL

Every Nextcloud/ownCloud instance has a WebDAV endpoint:

• Nextcloud: https://cloud.yourdomain.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/
• ownCloud: https://cloud.yourdomain.com/remote.php/webdav/

Find it in: Nextcloud → Settings → scroll to the very bottom → "WebDAV" section shows the URL.

Connecting from Android TV

1. Open AnExplorer on TV
2. Network → WebDAV → tap +
3. URL: paste your WebDAV URL
4. Username: your Nextcloud username
5. Password: your Nextcloud password (or app password if 2FA enabled)
6. Connect → your Nextcloud file tree appears

App passwords (if using 2FA)

If you have two-factor authentication on Nextcloud:

1. Nextcloud → Settings → Security → Devices & sessions → Create new app password
2. Name it "AnExplorer TV" for identification
3. Use this app password instead of your main password
4. The app password bypasses 2FA for this specific connection

Streaming Media from Nextcloud

Home videos

1. Navigate to your Videos folder in Nextcloud
2. Tap any video → plays in VLC or system player
3. Streams over your network — TV storage not consumed

Photo slideshows

1. Navigate to Photos folder (or shared album)
2. Tap images → view full-screen on TV
3. Browse with D-pad left/right — like a private photo gallery

Music

1. Navigate to Music folder
2. Tap audio files → plays through TV speakers/soundbar
3. Background playback continues while browsing

WebDAV vs SMB for TV Access

Use WebDAV when: You run Nextcloud/ownCloud as your primary cloud storage. Use SMB when: You have a traditional NAS and don't use Nextcloud. Use both: If you run Nextcloud on your NAS (common setup) — WebDAV for the Nextcloud interface, SMB for direct NAS access.

Other WebDAV-Compatible Services

AnExplorer's WebDAV client works with any WebDAV server, not just Nextcloud:

• ownCloud — Nextcloud's predecessor, same WebDAV URL format
• Koofr — cloud storage with WebDAV access
• 4shared — file hosting with WebDAV support
• Box — enterprise (WebDAV available on some plans)
• Any custom WebDAV server — Apache/Nginx with mod_dav, SabreDAV, etc.

Performance Tips for TV Streaming

1. Use HTTPS (not HTTP) — required by most Nextcloud installations
2. Local access: If TV and Nextcloud server are on the same network, performance is best (10-40 MB/s)
3. Remote access: Streaming from Nextcloud over the internet depends on your server's upload speed and home download speed
4. Large video files: For 4K content, local network access works well. Remote streaming of 4K may buffer depending on internet speeds
5. Enable caching on Nextcloud for faster file listing (Redis or APCu)

D-pad Navigation

All WebDAV operations work with the TV remote:

• D-pad up/down: scroll file list
• OK: open folder / play file
• Back: go up one directory
• Files play in system player (video) or AnExplorer viewer (images, PDFs)

Compatible TV Devices

WebDAV client works on all Android TV / Google TV / Fire TV:

• Nvidia Shield TV, Google TV Streamer, Chromecast with Google TV
• Amazon Fire TV (all models)
• Sony Bravia, TCL, Hisense, Xiaomi Mi Box, Walmart Onn

Troubleshooting WebDAV on Android TV

Optimizing Nextcloud for TV Streaming

If you control the Nextcloud server, these tweaks improve TV performance:

1. Enable Redis caching — dramatically speeds up file listing (Nextcloud Admin → Basic Settings → Caching)
2. Increase PHP memory limit — memory_limit = 512M in php.ini helps with large file operations
3. Use HTTP/2 — modern web servers (Nginx, Apache 2.4.17+) support HTTP/2 for faster parallel transfers
4. Organize media by folder — avoid single folders with 5,000+ files; split into Year/Month structure
5. Transcode videos to H.264 MP4 — the universal format supported by all TV players

Security Considerations

WebDAV over HTTPS is encrypted end-to-end:

• Username/password never transmitted in plain text (HTTPS encrypts the connection)
• App passwords limit damage — if your TV is compromised, revoke the app password without changing your main Nextcloud password
• Don't use HTTP (non-SSL) for WebDAV — even on local networks, someone could sniff credentials
• Separate user account for TV — create a Nextcloud user with read-only access to specific folders for TV viewing (limits exposure)

Related Guides

• Network Storage Feature — all protocols overview
• SMB for Android TV — NAS access on TV
• FTP for Android TV — remote server access
• File Manager for Android TV — complete TV guide
• Cloud Storage — commercial cloud services