Another Netfix Question??

rifleman19 · 18/02/13 - 07:27

I am thinking about getting Netflix but would like to watch it on our 42" Samsung Plasma TV,

My idea is to connect to the internet with a laptop then use a mini HDMI to full size HDMI cable to connect to the TV,

Will this work OK and does anyone know how good the picture quality will be ?? Thanks!!

ovbg · 18/02/13 - 09:25

I am imagining your Samsung TV does not have any Smart TV features, otherwise you would go direct.

Yes, your idea will work, as long as your laptop has audio out on the HDMI port (anyone knows why this is somethings the case?). Not all windows laptops have this, I was gravely disappointing to end up with such a laptop. It perfectly streams HD video out through the HDMI cable, but totally soundless - I also have to connect an audio cable to the sound-out socket and plug that into my hifi, which also needs to be switched on and to the right settings... if I didn't have a harmony remote, it would be too much effort to do this

Anyway, presuming your HDMI does have sound:
Pros:
* Yes, this should work, and if the Netflix stream on the internet is in HD, and your laptop has enough grunt to handle it, then you should get a fine HD video on your television.
* It's cheap, as you probably only need an HDMI cable

Cons:
* You will have a horrible user interface. There are things that can make it better, but it's still quite bad. Certainly not sofa friendly...

Anyway, there are cheap alternatives if a decent UI is something you want.

1) Get yourself a Roku box. The cheapest costs 50quid or so and will get you BBC iPlayer, Crackle and Netflix (the cheapest plays only 720p HD, so if you want 1080p you will need to buy a more expensive one)
2) If you already have an iOS device, you may want to consider the Apple TV. This also has Netflix, but nothing else for the UK - that said, with an iOS device, you can AirPlay some great UK on-demand stuff to your TV including BBC's iPlayer and ITV (Demand5 also AirPlay, but it's not very good yet)

These are just two low cost options that will cost you more than just a cable, but you will be thankful for the better UI. You will still need the Netflix subscription of course.

Of course, you can test things by just connecting your laptop to your TV right now and play HD BBC streams for free.

Netflix also has a free month to test out the service, so why not just give it a go.

www.eyeondemand.com - blogging about global internet TV

rifleman19 · 18/02/13 - 09:36

ovbg wrote: »

I am imagining your Samsung TV does not have any Smart TV features, otherwise you would go direct.

Yes, your idea will work, as long as your laptop has audio out on the HDMI port (anyone knows why this is somethings the case?). Not all windows laptops have this, I was gravely disappointing to end up with such a laptop. It perfectly streams HD video out through the HDMI cable, but totally soundless - I also have to connect an audio cable to the sound-out socket and plug that into my hifi, which also needs to be switched on and to the right settings... if I didn't have a harmony remote, it would be too much effort to do this

Anyway, presuming your HDMI does have sound:
Pros:
* Yes, this should work, and if the Netflix stream on the internet is in HD, and your laptop has enough grunt to handle it, then you should get a fine HD video on your television.
* It's cheap, as you probably only need an HDMI cable

Cons:
* You will have a horrible user interface. There are things that can make it better, but it's still quite bad. Certainly not sofa friendly...

Anyway, there are cheap alternatives if a decent UI is something you want.

1) Get yourself a Roku box. The cheapest costs 50quid or so and will get you BBC iPlayer, Crackle and Netflix (the cheapest plays only 720p HD, so if you want 1080p you will need to buy a more expensive one)
2) If you already have an iOS device, you may want to consider the Apple TV. This also has Netflix, but nothing else for the UK - that said, with an iOS device, you can AirPlay some great UK on-demand stuff to your TV including BBC's iPlayer and ITV (Demand5 also AirPlay, but it's not very good yet)

These are just two low cost options that will cost you more than just a cable, but you will be thankful for the better UI. You will still need the Netflix subscription of course.

Of course, you can test things by just connecting your laptop to your TV right now and play HD BBC streams for free.

Netflix also has a free month to test out the service, so why not just give it a go.

www.eyeondemand.com - blogging about global internet TV

Thankyou for the comprehensive reply, I don't have the HDMI cable yet so cant check out the sound bit but will go out and get one today and will check the other options you mentioned if I am not satisfied with this set up, Thanks again!!

ovbg · 18/02/13 - 09:39

No worries...

Does anyone know if the Roku or AppleTV ships with an HDMI cable? I can't remember, and usually they don't, so it maybe useful if you decide later to go that route... just checking as HDMI cables are surprisingly not cheap.

powar · 18/02/13 - 10:01

ovbg wrote: »

just checking as HDMI cables are surprisingly not cheap.

http://www.poundland.co.uk/product-range/a-z/signalex-hdmi-cable-for-home-entertainment/

ovbg · 18/02/13 - 10:04

LOL, I take that back. I wish I knew of that when I last bought one :O)

boxx · 18/02/13 - 11:22

HDMI prices are one big point and laugh from the retailers! You really don't need to spend more than a couple of quid on one unless you're sending the signal over a great distance. That doesn't stop certain retailers from charging £60 for a 'home cinema' version. Props for posting possibly the cheapest ones in existance:D
I think the audio over hdmi issue comes down to wether it's a feature on the gpu or integrated gpu.
If you can get the audio over hdmi go with the laptop idea, otherwise the advice in post 2 is good.

Hey there!

Quick Links

Another Netfix Question??

Comments