# YouTube to television question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174 "2014-12-25T20:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/1 "2014-12-25T20:25:02Z")
There is a movie on YouTube that I would love to be able to see on our TV screen. Is it possible to do that? My laptop has both an HDMI and a video out jack. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/2 "2014-12-25T20:34:52Z")
Sure. Just hook up the HDMI and push Windows-P to switch output to it. If you do this often, consider getting a Chromecast. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/3 "2014-12-25T20:50:08Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Sure. Just hook up the HDMI and push Windows-P to switch output to it. > > If you do this often, consider getting a Chromecast. Windows-P? You mean the Windows icon + P? And then I get it back to normal how? This is Windows 8, by the way. The Chromecast thingy is appealing, but I’ve never watched anything from YouTube on TV before this. This is a Christmas TV movie called Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” that is nearly impossible to find a clear copy of. I have a copy, but it’s an umpteenth generation copy and pretty degraded. The master from 1956 was lost, and the remake is execrable. As far as I know, there are no color copies extant, which is fine; I’ll settle for clarity. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/4 "2014-12-26T01:23:07Z")
Another option is to get a Netflix box, which IIRC costs around $80 or $100. Among the free channels you can access through a Roku box is YouTube; by which you can watch pretty any Youtube content on your TV. It works by pairing your smartphone or other device to the Roku box. We subscribe to Netflix and Hulu, but as far as I’m concerned just having access to Youtube would be well worth the one-time cost of buying the Roku box and HDMI cable. You do need a TV that is sufficiently new to have an HDMI port, in order to connect the Roku. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/5 "2014-12-26T01:42:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Windows-P? You mean the Windows icon + P? And then I get it back to normal how? This is Windows 8, by the way. The Chromecast thingy is appealing, but I’ve never watched anything from YouTube on TV before this. > > This is a Christmas TV movie called Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” that is nearly impossible to find a clear copy of. I have a copy, but it’s an umpteenth generation copy and pretty degraded. The master from 1956 was lost, and the remake is execrable. As far as I know, there are no color copies extant, which is fine; I’ll settle for clarity. Yes, the Windows icon + P. It just pops up a menu that asks you what you want to output to: You can choose to duplicate your current screen, or have the TV act as a second monitor, or display on the TV only. You just push it again to switch it back to your PC afterward. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/6 "2014-12-26T01:44:08Z")
You can do it with an Apple TV box as well. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/7 "2014-12-26T01:47:58Z")
My Blu-ray player has a Youtube option. It works with WiFi. Something to consider if you are getting a disc player (it also does Netflix). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/8 "2014-12-26T03:56:53Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Another option is to get a Netflix box, which IIRC costs around $80 or $100. Among the free channels you can access through a Roku box is YouTube; by which you can watch pretty any Youtube content on your TV. It works by pairing your smartphone or other device to the Roku box. We subscribe to Netflix and Hulu, but as far as I’m concerned just having access to Youtube would be well worth the one-time cost of buying the Roku box and HDMI cable. > > You do need a TV that is sufficiently new to have an HDMI port, in order to connect the Roku. Oh hell, I’ve got a Roku; I just didn’t know that YT was an option with it. :o ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/9 "2014-12-26T06:06:39Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > You do need a TV that is sufficiently new to have an HDMI port, in order to connect the Roku. Nope. I have Roku 2, which connects to my analog tv. What one does need (and I already had) is a wireless wifi, from which Roku can get the internet (=YouTube et al) connection. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/10 "2014-12-26T16:52:10Z")
I think some Rokus will do YouTube and some won’t. I have an older Roku that has YouTube as a custom channel, but Roku got rid of that option at some point. Then on more recent models the YouTube option is back. So gotta do some research on your particular model. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/11 "2014-12-26T18:08:45Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think some Rokus will do YouTube and some won’t. I have an older Roku that has YouTube as a custom channel, but Roku got rid of that option at some point. Then on more recent models the YouTube option is back. So gotta do some research on your particular model. It’s probably three years old at this point. I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-to-television-question/708174/12 "2014-12-26T19:22:27Z")
Try updating it too. My Roku 3 didn’t have YouTube when I first got it, but then they figured it out with Google and I was able to add it either by updating the software or adding it as a custom channel, forget which.