How to Watch Movies from Computer on TV

If you have a newer desktop or laptop computer and an HDTV, chances are you can easily hook it up to your TV and watch movies from the computer on TV. What, exactly, do I mean by "easily hook it up"? I mean that if I can do it, anybody can! All you need is an HDTV with an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface ) input and a computer with an HDMI output.

I recently bought a new laptop and decided I wanted to learn how to connect a laptop to a TV. I was expecting some complicated instructions requiring multiple connectors and adapters, and I assumed it would expensive, too. I was surprised how easy it actually is. All I needed was a $5 cable I bought on Amazon, the laptop, the HDTV and 60 seconds. This is how to watch movies from your laptop on an HDTV in three easy steps.

How to Watch Movies from Computer on TV
1. Get HDMI cable.
2. Connect one end of HDMI cable to your computer and the other end to the HDMI slot on your HDTV.
3. Play the movie on your computer and see the results on your TV.

Yes, it really is that easy. Of course, you need to make sure that both your computer and your TV have HDMI connectors.

If you've purchased your laptop in the last year, chances are high that it will an HDMI outlet. If it's a bit older (or if you have a Mac), you'll have to see what type of connections your computer has, and then you may need additional instructions to watch movies from your computer on TV . But if your computer and TV have HDMI, all you need is the cable to connect them.

Once you've got the connection, you'll be able to see your entire desktop on your TV screen. So you can watch YouTube videos, play movies with iTunes or Windows Media Player or simply surf the web. It's great if your DVD or Blu-ray player isn't working or if you simply want to stream movies straight from the web.

Hulu.com is one place where you can stream and watch movies from a computer on TV for free. Once you connected your PC to TV, you can catch up on full streaming episodes of all your favorite TV shows for free, as well as movies. Hulu doesn't have a great selection of free movies, but you will find a number of options here, from kids' movies such as Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie to documentaries such as Super Size Me.

Another good place to get streaming videos is Amazon. They recently added the ability to stream thousands of movies and TV shows for FREE to anyone who belongs to Amazon Prime, the service that also allows you to get unlimited two-day shipping on qualified items for a year. If you don't belong to Amazon Prime, you can rent movies one at a time from Amazon.

If you'd prefer a subscription plan, Netflix rents streaming movies that you can watch after you connect a laptop to a TV. They offer a monthly subscription plan that allows you to rent unlimited movies to watch from your computer on a TV.

If you search the net, you can find other sites that also offer full movies that you can download and/or stream. And, of course, you can always find plenty of great content on video sites such as YouTube or Yahoo! Video.