downloading movies onto TV?

heycal · Feb 17, 2013

I might sound like a bit of a luddite here, but can someone tell me how and if I can download movies on my TV?

I have netflix, which allows me to order both DVDs thru the mail and also download movies to watch instantly. But I've never downloaded any, because I don't want to watch a whole movie on a laptop.

But can I somehow have them show up on my 32" inch TV? It's a modern set, and the laptop is modernish is well. So can I hook up some cable (or go wireless?!) between the two and watch these movies on my TV?

norbac · Feb 17, 2013

Get an HDMI cable which allows you to view what is being streamed on the laptop on the big screen. Need to get one myself, actually.

heycal · Feb 17, 2013

norbac said:
Get an HDMI cable which allows you to view what is being streamed on the laptop on the big screen. Need to get one myself, actually.

I've got one already running from my DVD player. Use that one, or use a different one? And what exactly do I do with it? Plug it into the laptop, plug the other end into the TV, change the "source" option on my TV's remote, and hope it shows up?

norbac · Feb 17, 2013

heycal said:
I've got one already running from my DVD player. Use that one, or use a different one? And what exactly do I do with it? Plug it into the laptop, plug the other end into the TV, change the "source" option on my TV's remote, and hope it shows up?

Yup, that's pretty much how it works from what I remember.

heycal · Feb 18, 2013

norbac said:
Yup, that's pretty much how it works from what I remember.

Does it actually work okay? Picture quality, buffering nonsense, etc? Also, how would one control volume and pause and rewind and all that jazz? Off the laptop?

krz · Feb 18, 2013

heycal said:
Does it actually work okay? Picture quality, buffering nonsense, etc? Also, how would one control volume and pause and rewind and all that jazz? Off the laptop?

Everything is controlled from the laptop. I use a wireless keyboard/touch pad combo so, I can leave my laptop on my entertainment center, very convenient. Volume can be controlled by your TV remote or by adjusting your laptop sound as HDMI also carries audio, unlike back when most people were still using s-video or dvi. I also find being able to rewind and find exactly where you want to be a lot easier streaming from a computer too since, you can use your mouse to select the exact time you want to skip to.

Picture quality/buffering is based on your internet connection and what site you're streaming from.

You get very good quality from a site like Hulu/NetFlix assuming you have a fast enough connection, quality drops off when you start streaming from some of the less reputable sites(novamov, movreel, gorillavid etc) but, it's usually still pretty good and typically you're only streaming from there when you're looking to watch stuff you probably shouldn't be watching.

side note: pr0n on the big screen is also amazing.

heycal · Feb 18, 2013

^^^
All good to know, thx!

But wireless, huh? How do I get in on that racket?

Dags · Feb 19, 2013

heycal said:
But wireless, huh? How do I get in on that racket?

The easiest way is with a device such as Apple TV (other devices are available). For services such as Netflix, you won't even need your laptop (necessity of laptop may vary with service and device).

mikeler · Feb 19, 2013

Dags said:
The easiest way is with a device such as Apple TV (other devices are available). For services such as Netflix, you won't even need your laptop (necessity of laptop may vary with service and device).

The Apple TV will allow anything you can play on a laptop to be streamed to your TV. You can also watch NetFlix with a Roku box and many of the gaming consoles and blue ray DVD players offer the same functionality.

heycal · Feb 19, 2013

If I can use an hdmi cable, what does this Roku thing offer? Wireless or direct download or something?

mikeler · Feb 19, 2013

heycal said:
If I can use an hdmi cable, what does this Roku thing offer? Wireless or direct download or something?

If you have a newer TV, all you do is plugin your Roku with an HDMI cable to your TV. Then you setup the Roku device to use your wireless network. The longest part is typing in the wireless password with the tiny remote.

heycal · Mar 3, 2013

mikeler said:
. Then you setup the Roku device to use your wireless network. The longest part is typing in the wireless password with the tiny remote.

You need to do this every time, or just the first time?

If I do get one of these gadgets, is Roku the one to get? Mostly interested in watching movies from netflix.

mikeler · Mar 4, 2013

heycal said:
You need to do this every time, or just the first time?

If I do get one of these gadgets, is Roku the one to get? Mostly interested in watching movies from netflix.

You just type in your password once just like you would do connecting a laptop or your smart phone to your wireless network.

Roku gets Amazon Plus which Apple TV does not get yet. So it has a little bit more in terms of programming you can download. Both have Netflix and are simple to setup and use.

heycal · Mar 4, 2013

mikeler said:
You just type in your password once just like you would do connecting a laptop or your smart phone to your wireless network.

Roku gets Amazon Plus which Apple TV does not get yet. So it has a little bit more in terms of programming you can download. Both have Netflix and are simple to setup and use.

Thanks. another thing I'm not clear on is why people have more than one service. Doesn't netflix have enough movies for the average person? Are people also paying to join other places (amazon, hulu, whatever) just to increase their selection or something?

Also, I notice there are several different roku's, ranging from 49 bucks on up. I'm interested in a good picture and sound quality (and internet connnection), plus the the ability to fast foward, rewind, pause, and stop movies. Nothing more fancy that, and no gaming. Which one would folks recommend?

krz · Mar 4, 2013

heycal said:
Thanks. another thing I'm not clear on is why people have more than one service. Doesn't netflix have enough movies for the average person? Are people also paying to join other places (amazon, hulu, whatever) just to increase their selection or something?

Pretty much. NetFlix is great for movies and watching whole seasons of a tv series. But, they don't get new episodes like Hulu does so you can keep current on your shows.

heycal · Mar 4, 2013

krz said:
Pretty much. NetFlix is great for movies and watching whole seasons of a tv series. But, they don't get new episodes like Hulu does so you can keep current on your shows.

Ah, got it. Thanks.

Any recommendations for a specific roku device?

mikeler · Mar 4, 2013

heycal said:
Ah, got it. Thanks.

Any recommendations for a specific roku device?

I'd just go with their high end solution. It is a few bucks more but hopefully the extra cost per year (assuming it does not break) is pretty low.

As for the different services offered through it, that just depends on what content you like to watch. The 3 major services right now seem to be NetFlix, Hulu Plus and Amazon.

Do a quick Google search and I think you'll start to feel like you have an idea of what each can do. Then you can purchase NetFlix only or maybe add another service or three. I have several friends who canceled cable and just use local HD channels with a Roku box or Apple device and they are happy with the monthly price reduction plus entertainment.

heycal · Mar 5, 2013

mikeler said:
I'd just go with their high end solution. It is a few bucks more but hopefully the extra cost per year (assuming it does not break) is pretty low.

As for the different services offered through it, that just depends on what content you like to watch. The 3 major services right now seem to be NetFlix, Hulu Plus and Amazon.

Do a quick Google search and I think you'll start to feel like you have an idea of what each can do. Then you can purchase NetFlix only or maybe add another service or three. I have several friends who canceled cable and just use local HD channels with a Roku box or Apple device and they are happy with the monthly price reduction plus entertainment.

Thanks. I will check it out.

heycal · Mar 7, 2013

Got a roku box today. Looking good so far!

Also, any chance I can get my laptop computer to display on my television wirelessly for every day use (email, internet, word docs, etc)? I think I can do it with an HDMI cable, but that will require a long one to reach me, and of course, wires are annoying.

mikeler · Mar 8, 2013

heycal said:
Got a roku box today. Looking good so far!

Also, any chance I can get my laptop computer to display on my television wirelessly for every day use (email, internet, word docs, etc)? I think I can do it with an HDMI cable, but that will require a long one to reach me, and of course, wires are annoying.

Welcome to the club. If you have an Apple laptop with Apple TV, you can just click on 1 button and then your Mac screen appears on your TV. I've never seen much need to connect my computer to my TV but I'm sure others will be able to help.

VaththalKuzhambu · Mar 8, 2013

Get a SmartTV. All come with Netflix/Hulu built-in and some even have Wireless internet built-in.

Also, your Netflix account can be used (concurrently for different movies) on up to 6 devices.

heycal · Mar 8, 2013

mikeler said:
Welcome to the club. If you have an Apple laptop with Apple TV, you can just click on 1 button and then your Mac screen appears on your TV. I've never seen much need to connect my computer to my TV but I'm sure others will be able to help.

I do not have an apple TV or a Mac.

I quickly learned why people need more than one service. For example, Netflix has no movies by Martin Scorsese for downloading! What the...?

VaththalKuzhambu said:
Get a SmartTV. All come with Netflix/Hulu built-in and some even have Wireless internet built-in.

Also, your Netflix account can be used (concurrently for different movies) on up to 6 devices.

Guess the next TV will be a "smart one". Never even heard the term until last week.

mikeler · Mar 8, 2013

heycal,

I'll be ordering a new smart TV soon, since my mammoth original HDTV (circa 2001) won't fit in my next place. I forgot to answer your question about each service but it is so individual, everyone just needs to check it out for themselves.

Dags · Mar 9, 2013

heycal said:
Got a roku box today. Looking good so far!

Also, any chance I can get my laptop computer to display on my television wirelessly for every day use (email, internet, word docs, etc)? I think I can do it with an HDMI cable, but that will require a long one to reach me, and of course, wires are annoying.

As far as I know, this is something that you can't yet do with a Roku box.

downloading movies onto TV?

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