Big Laptop Libraries: Plex
If you’ve built a big media library on your computer, you can stream it easily to your TV using Plex. Plex is media server software that can catalog all of your video and audio files and stream them to any device running the Plex app. It can also act as a front-end for streaming media services, and can even record live TV with a USB tuner.
All major media streamers support Plex, along with many smart TV platforms. It can even stream to your phone, tablet, or any other compatible device outside of your house, as long as your computer is on and connected to the internet. Plex is available for free, but for more advanced features like live TV and DVR, you need to get the premium Plex Pass for $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $119.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Plex is very functional for media playback and streaming, even in its free form. It doesn’t support any sort of screen mirroring, however anything streamed to the Plex app on your TV or media streamer must be registered through the server software. That means no games. It also tops out at 1080p, so it can’t stream 4K.
Pros: Robust media format and service support. Accessible outside of the home. Free, with optional premium subscription for advanced features.
Cons: Doesn’t support 4K. Doesn’t work with games.
How To Connect Your Laptop To Your Tv With Miracast
Miracast is a Windows feature that you can use to connect your laptop to smart TVs wirelessly, providing you with an alternative to a wired HDMI connection. Here’s how to connect your laptop to your TV with Miracast:
Select the Add Bluetooth or other device option.
Once you select your TV from the list of devices that are available for use with Miracast and the connection process finishes , your laptop’s display will be projected onto your TV.
How Do I Connect My Mobile Or Laptop To A Tv Wirelessly
If you dont like the look of trailing cables in your home, it’s easier and cheaper than ever to connect to your TV wirelessly these days.
For example, if your flat-screen TV is a smart model with support for DLNA media streaming, then you can send movies, photos and other media files directly from a smart device to it without the need for any additional hardware just locate the right app on your TV to receive the content.
You’ll then need a suitable app for your laptop or mobile that allows you to send or stream content using DLNA. There are simple, relatively unsophisticated solutions such asAllCast for iOS and Android this lets you display locally stored media as well as media hosted on another local DLNA server, or in the cloud via supported services .
If you’re serious about streaming media, then its worth considering using a full-blown media server solution like Kodi. As an open-source player that offers basic media server capabilities and works on everything except non-jailbroken iOS devices, Kodi is compatible with almost every streaming service imaginable.
You can also use a VPN, or virtual private network, to encrypt your connection and stream content from literally anywhere in the world. ExpressVPN, for instance, offers dedicated Mac, PC, and Linux apps and includes more than 140 different VPN locations.
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How To Connect Laptop To Tv With Hdmi Cable
Connecting your Windows or Mac laptop to your TV via HDMI is fairly straightforward and should hopefully only take a few minutes to complete.
Plug one end of the HDMI cable into your laptops HDMI port.
If your laptop doesnt have an HDMI port, you will need an HDMI adaptor. The exact type will vary depending on your laptops model. A docking station or through hub with an HDMI port can also be used.
Connect the other end of the HDMI cable to your TV set. Make sure to remember which port you use for your laptop to TV HDMI connection.
Using your TVs remote, change your media source until you get to the HDMI port that you plugged the HDMI cable into.
The name of the button will vary by TV model but its essentially the same one that you use to switch between regular TV channels, your DVD player, and your video game console if you have one.
Your laptop should automatically detect the connection and begin mirroring itself on your TV.
Identify A Method For Streaming Your Laptop Content

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Do your TV and laptop share the same types of video and audio ports?
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Do you prefer to stream your content wirelessly?
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What content do you consume most?
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Buy the cable or streaming device of your choice, and let the laptop help you configure everything.
Whether you want to cut the cable or just stream your vacation videos, its easy to connect your laptop to your TV in one of these four ways.
Whether you want to cut the cable or just stream your vacation videos, its easy to connect your laptop to your TV in one of these four ways.
In their search for entertainment, many people have cut the cable , preferring to get their programming off YouTube and other Internet sites for little or no cost. However, they dont always want to consume that content off the smaller screens that come with laptops and other devices. The solution? Keep that big TV working by feeding it directly from your laptop. There are several ways to do this, and its simpler than you might imagine.
Get Wired UpThe easiest way to connect your laptop to your television is with a cable that hooks into each device. Most laptops built over the last Half-decade have an HDMI port . The HDMI port looks like a longer and thinner version of the USB port that youve probably used for flash drives, printers, and other devices. Most HDMI cables are inexpensive, and the port on your TV should be easy to find. Connecting the two devices is no more difficult than using an extension cord.
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Webcams Using Skype And Smart Tv
The most popular messenger today is Skype. However, in 2016, the app developer stopped supporting some operating systems such as WebOS. This means that you cannot officially download the application. However, this does not mean that you will not be able to work with the messenger.
Note: There is a way to solve this problem. You need to download the distribution kit on the Internet . Next, transfer it to the TV via a USB flash drive. This scheme works for both LG and Samsung.
After downloading the data to the USB flash drive, you must insert it into the TV connector and install it on the page with additional devices. After some time this method may become unavailable, as Skype plans to completely abandon support for devices on certain operating systems.
If the described solution does not work for you, there remains a reliable and proven option connecting the TV to a computer or laptop. In this case, the screen can be used as a normal monitor, only with a much larger diagonal. At the same time, if you already have Skype installed on your PC, you can easily use it with a webcam connected to Smart TV.
How To Connect A Laptop To Tv Using Hdmi
The easiest way to hook up your laptop is with a cable. Connecting your laptop to your TV via HDMI is todays most common way as almost all modern televisions as well as laptops have HDMI ports. All you need is a cable.
Some newer laptops are so thin, they havent got HDMI ports. These usually come with USB Type-C instead. But dont worry, there are plenty of HDMI to USB-C cables and adapters that you can pick up for a good price.
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How If Theres No Sound From Tv Speakers
Check that the sound isnt muted, and that the volume is set properly both on your laptop and TV.
And also set your HDMI audio output device as default device.
1Right-click on the sound icon at bottom right on your laptops screen. Then click Playback devices.
2Highlight your HDMI audio output device and click Set Default.
If you cannot see your HDMI audio output device, right-click on the blank area of and tick on Show Disabled Devices.
Sourse: – Date 25.12.2018.
Option Two: Wireless Video Hdmi
If youre looking for a way to connect your laptop to a TV without the limitation of long HDMI cables, wireless video HDMI is a great alternative. Wireless Video HDMI kits typically include a transmitter and a receiver that establish a direct connection without requiring use of the business Wi-Fi network.
A wireless video HDMI transmitter and receiver kit works without Wi-Fi, so streaming video wont become a burden on your network. The transmitter connects to your laptop, and the receiver connects to your TV or projector. The transmitter sends its own strong, point-to-point 150-ft range signal to the receiver.
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What Do You Need To Connect An Antenna To Your Laptop
Its important to note that this tuner is designed for PC only. Its not compatible with Apple products. Moreover, I havent found a USB tuner to go with Mac for Linux so if you find one, Id love to hear about it!
You should also take note of the systems requirements. It needs at least a 2.2 GHz Intel P4, else a 1.8 GHz Centino, or a processor thats equivalent.
Its best to have a graphics card with at least 64 MB, along with the most current graphics drivers.
The tuner and its software are processor-intensive, and with an inadequate CPU, your transmission may be slow and jerky.
With a less powerful PC the viewing experience may deteriorate if there are a lot of other programs or processes running at the same time.
What’s The Alternative To S
As analogue technologies become depreciated, modern laptops increasingly ship without an available S-Video port. If this is the case, you’ll need to use the laptop’s VGA port instead. This is a practical solution if your flat-screen TV has a VGA port included a standard VGA cable coupled with an audio cable will be sufficient. You may even be able to view HD content this way.
If you’re trying to hook up to an older analogue TV, however, then it becomes less feasible. You’ll need an expensive VGA to TV Converter box that costs almost as much as a budget HD Ready 19-inch TV with the required VGA port built into it.
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Its Just An Hdmi Cable Away
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If youve connected a streaming box, game console, or another type of device to your TV, youve done it by connecting an HDMI cable to the HDMI-out port on the device and the HDMI-in port on the TV. To connect a laptop or desktop to your TV, you just need to do the exact same thing connect an HDMI cable to the HDMI-out port on your PC and the HDMI-in port on your TV.
Laptops make this extra easy, as you can just carry the laptop into your living room and set it down within cable length of your TV. With a desktop, you can hook everything up next to your TV.
With some laptops, it wont be quite this simple. Many laptops dont have a full-size HDMI port to save space, so you may need to adapter cable. This will vary from laptop to laptop perform a web search for your laptops model number and HDMI out for more information. If your computer or TV is old and doesnt support HDMI, it may support VGA or something similar.
Can I Connect My Laptop To Smart Tv Wirelessly

Make sure your laptop and Apple TV or AirPlay 2-enabled Smart TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. On your laptop, open the app or pull up the website that you want to stream video from. In the video playback controls, select the Screen Mirroring icon. Choose either your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-enabled Smart TV.
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Connect Using Rca Jacks
This is also an easy way to connect PC speakers to your TV, but not all televisions will have the right connectors. If your television has RCA connectors on the back panel, you are good to go, and you will need:
- PC speakers
- Connector Cable to plug them into the TV. They will have two RCA jacks on at least one end, which plug into the TVs back panel connectors.)
- Television with RCA connectors on the back panel
- AC / Mains power wall outlet
Just follow these simple steps, and watch your movies in full, rich sound:
My Computer Doesn’t Have An Hdmi Port
HDMI connections come in three sizes: full-size , Mini and Micro. The HDMI port on either your computer or your TV is likely to be a full-size connection, shown in red in the image below. Not all computers feature HDMI, however.
If you have a recent model it may instead have a USB-C port, for which you simply need to use a USB-C to HDMI cable to connect it to the TV.
You can also purchase adaptors for converting your laptop’s USB-C, full-size USB 3.0, DVI and DisplayPort connections to HDMI, which might be easier if you already have a standard HDMI cable to hand.
If you go down the USB-C route but have only one USB-C port on your laptop, which is now occupied or required for charging, consider using a hub to add more ports – this model even adds an HDMI port.
If your laptop doesn’t have any of these modern connections, you’ll need to use a VGA port to connect it to the TV. As VGA cannot carry audio, you must choose a cable that also has a 3.5mm audio connector, such as this one.
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How To Connect A Laptop To A Tv Over Hdmi
The easiest way to connect a laptop to a TV would be to plug it in directly. This can be done using a HDMI cable, where as long as your TV has a HDMI in port, you will be able to just connect your laptop to your TV and youre good to go.
However, heres where it gets a little tricky. You will need to make sure that your laptop has a HDMI out port. These days, a lot of laptops tend to focus on being thin and portable, and as such, many have ditched the inclusion of HDMI ports. Some might only come with a DisplayPort, or some might choose to use mini HDMI.
If your laptop does not have a HDMI port, its not the end of the world. You can easily purchase a USB to HDMI adapter online where the USB end plugs into your laptop, one end of the HDMI cable to the adapter, and the other end to your TV. Once youre connected to your TV:
How To Connect Your Laptop To An Antenna
The Hauppauge 1595 automatically does the initial scan when you first set it up to watch ATSC channels.
Follow the instructions if you need to do another one later. That will be necessary if you switch to a stronger antenna that gets more channels.
Its a good idea to rescan about once a month to check for channels that have appeared or changed.
Now youre ready to start viewing. On the menu, select Digital ATSC to get your channel list.
You can also turn on closed captioning , view the channel guide, and open the scheduler.
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