# NETFLIX to TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456 "2011-11-19T15:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/1 "2011-11-19T15:04:47Z")
We have NETFLIX and I would like to know how we can see the movies on our TV. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/2 "2011-11-19T15:14:10Z")
Get a [Roku](http://www.roku.com/). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/3 "2011-11-19T15:15:50Z")
I assume “NETFLIX” means their streaming service that you are getting through your computer, correct? What type of computer are you using and what type of I/O does it have? What type of I/O does your TV have? Do you have an Xbox, PS3, or Wii? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/4 "2011-11-19T15:18:34Z")
I use a device made by Western Digital called WD TV Live Plus. There are two connectors on the box: one is Ethernet, the other is HDMI. One end of a CAT 6 Ethernet cable plugs into the Ethernet connector on the box, and the other end plugs into my Netgear router. (The router is connected to my DSL modem, which is connected to my phone line.) One end of an HDMI cable plugs into the HDMI connector on the box, and the other end plugs into my TV. In addition to WD TV Live Plus, I have a Panasonic Blu-Ray player with Viera Cast, which also allows me to access Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/5 "2011-11-19T15:21:22Z")
That looks good, but is there another way that I don´t need to buy a device? ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/6 "2011-11-19T15:25:18Z")
If your computer has an HDMI output and your TV has an HDMI input, all you need is an HDMI cable. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/7 "2011-11-19T15:25:35Z")
> [@robcaro](#): > > That looks good, but is there another way that I don´t need to buy a device? Is a cable a device? Look at your computer and see what outputs it has. My video card has an S-Video out, so I just had to buy a cable to do the same thing. Alternatively, I think dvi-s-video converters are pretty cheap. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/8 "2011-11-19T15:26:12Z")
You just the proper cabling to output audio and video from your computer to your TV, be it RCA, HDMI, VGA, or some combination. An adapter may be necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/9 "2011-11-19T15:26:26Z")
> [@robcaro](#): > > That looks good, but is there another way that I don´t need to buy a device? I think most of the newer LCD and plasma TVs have an Ethernet jack which \*might \*allow you to access Netflix, Youtube, etc. If this is not the case for your TV, then I’m pretty sure you need to buy a device. Do you have a Blu-Ray player? If not, I would just go ahead and buy a Blu-Ray player with Viera Cast. You could then play Blu-Ray movies or stream Netflix movies (assuming you have an Ethernet router and DSL modem). ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/10 "2011-11-19T15:30:57Z")
I noticed some of the other posters mentioned a computer. When using a device such as WD TV Live Plus, a Blu-Ray player with Viera Cast, etc. a computer is not needed at all. The device simply connects to your router via an Ethernet cable. The output of the device is HDMI 1080p, which is the best. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/11 "2011-11-19T15:37:27Z")
Oh, and just an IMHO if you don’t mind… I have had Netflix streaming for over a year. The selection sucks, IMO. The reason is because it’s too cheap. (Netflix really needs to charge more money, and offer a better selection as a result.) Last month I tried Blockbuster. It was _horrible_; I couldn’t get anything to play. A couple weeks ago I tried Amazon streaming. It is _awesome_. There’s a huge selection of movies, and they charge you for each movie you watch. The price is typically $3 to $4 for standard resolution, and $4 to $5 for HD. It’s more expensive than Netflix streaming, but well worth it IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/12 "2011-11-19T15:38:10Z")
robcaro, it really is a lot easier if you have a device. Netflix can stream to your tv through lots of different devices. The most popular devices for streaming netflix are an xbox 360, wii, or playstation 3. If you have any of those devices connected to the internet, then netflix is already on your tv and you just have to turn the device on and select netflix from the device menu. Another popular option is to use a netflix-ready blue ray player. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/13 "2011-11-19T15:49:55Z")
If using a cable from the computer to the TV, you won’t have a remote control and will have to go to your computer to find a movie, start it, pause it, etc. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/14 "2011-11-19T15:57:37Z")
I use my Blu-Ray player which is has a wi-fi receiver in it. It connects to my TV via an HDMI cable. I got it for that reason and it only cost like $90. I’ve never even watched a Blu-Ray disc on it, only regular DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/15 "2011-11-19T16:04:36Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Get a [Roku](http://www.roku.com/). This is what I use. The program selection UI is not stunningly awesome, but it works well for what it does, and $50-$100 is worth it for that. My blu ray player also has some streaming capability, but I’d need to order an extra piece from Sony to do it wirelessly. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/16 "2011-11-19T16:21:43Z")
Just in case you already have a video game system - you may not realize that XBox, Playstation 3, and Wii can all stream from your Netflix account to your TV as well. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/17 "2011-11-19T17:45:32Z")
The committee is at work, check back in a week 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/18 "2011-11-19T23:18:52Z")
New HP Touchsmart 310 PC, but no HDMI connector. Guess I will just have to buy an adapter and a long cable. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/19 "2011-11-20T00:14:18Z")
> [@robcaro](#): > > New HP Touchsmart 310 PC, but no HDMI connector. Guess I will just have to buy an adapter and a long cable. In that case I would strongly recommend a Roku box or a Netflix-capable Blu-ray player. You can get either for under $100 and the remote control makes it much easier to navigate and view movies. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456/20 "2011-11-20T01:09:23Z")
> [@robcaro](#): > > New HP Touchsmart 310 PC, but no HDMI connector. Guess I will just have to buy an adapter and a long cable. HDMI output from a PC will probably require a new video card (converting to HDMI is a complicated process) - and HDMI cable length might be an issue. IIRC, a couple of meters is the max. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-to-tv/603456.md?page=2)