Connecting Android Device To PC?

My goal is to forge a setup where I am able to conveniently stream media from my home media PC to my Android smartphone (Galaxy 3S). I am currently able to stream video to my phone while I'm at home on my Wi-Fi connection using the "Nearby Devices" option in the phone that appears to engage DLNA. When I do this, I get the option to stream from Windows Media Player's streaming system.My question then is how do I access my home PC information while mobile-browsing? I've got 4G service (big deal....) and would like the ability to access my home content while on the go. From my limited understanding of this goal, I see the option of using a VPN or something of that nature to create a secure connection through the computer's firewall so I can access the media server; is this going to work? Would this essentially be considered a "remote desktop" scenario? Asked another way: is a remote desktop connection a VPN?I'm looking for some suggestions on how to pull this off. If you have suggestions, like "use this VPN and open these ports and blah blah blah", I'd need some how-to because I've never tried to do this. I know a person can buy some programs that say they will take care of doing this, but how hard can it be? It's just a client-server relationship between the phone and the PC, right? Open a port, run a secure connection, log-in, etc?