Video conversion has been a popular service lately. More than 374 items of outdated media have gone through my office in the last 7 weeks! Returning a wedding video to a couple close to 20 years after their wedding brings me almost as much joy as the couple reliving those moments.
So, you’ve converted your home videos and now you have a bunch of digital files. You’d love to sit down with the family and watch them, but you’re not sure how to actually view them on your TV. There are many ways to go about it, here is a list of options. It’s a lot easier than it sounds!
USB Flash Drive
Many Smart TVs have USB ports where you can plug your flash drive directly into the TV. Change your input to match the USB port and click the movie you want to watch. Easy peasy!
SCREEN MIRRORING
With these screen mirroring options, you view the screen of your phone on the TV. You will need to enable screen mirroring on both your phone and your TV. The full version of your video will need to be available on your phone for this to work.
- Smart TV
Smart TVs allow you to install various apps right on the TV. Install the screen sharing app on both the TV and the phone. There are many apps available depending on your TV brand and age of your TV.
- TV Device Plugin
There are many options for media streaming and you may already be using one. Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Stick etc. For any of these devices, you need to install the app on your phone!
- Plug the Phone Directly into the TV
If technology is not your jam, you can plug the phone directly into the TV! This will require some equipment that you may not have: an HDMI adapter that attaches to your phone ($15) + an HDMI cable if you don’t already have one ($8). Plug the HDMI adapter into your phone (your phone needs to be plugged into a power source as well), click Live TV and you’re good to go. If you get a message to download an app to improve screen mirroring, it is not necessary.
- Apple TV
The easiest option for screen mirroring is with an Apple TV. Connect your phone to the same Wi-Fi network as the Apple TV, open the control center and tap “Screen Mirroring”, select your Apple TV compatible smart TV from the list and push “play” on your video. Unfortunately Apple TV is not a budget option, it currently sells for $149.
INTERNET STREAMING
You can also stream videos directly from the internet- no need for your phone! You will need to upload your home videos to a video sharing website and then you can access them via the app on your Smart TV. This may be the easiest option once you’ve taken the time to upload your video library. The best feature of this option is the ability to share the videos with friends and family across the country!
YouTube
It’s as simple as installing the YouTube app on your Smart TV and logging into to your account! “Unlisted” videos are private unless you share the link.
Vimeo
Vimeo works the same way. Once your vidoes are uploaded in your Vimeo account, download the Vimeo app on your smart TV, login to your account and start watching!
That’s a long list! I hope you found an easy option for watching your home videos that works with the technology you already have or are familiar with. Enjoy your “family movie” movie night!!