What’s the best way to watch Netflix on my TV?
Ty Pendlebury Editor Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City, where he writes about streaming and home audio. Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies while studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism Awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Ready to get hooked up? Here’s everything you need to know.
Getting started with Netflix on a TV
Netflix plans start at $9 a month, a price that enables you to watch a single screen at a time (TV, phone, or whatever), with the downside being it offers relatively low video quality (standard definition or SD). For people who want to watch on a big screen, it’s worth moving up to Netflix’s most popular plan ($14 a month), which enables you to stream in high definition, or HD, to two screens at once. If you have a 4K TV or want to watch on up to four screens at once, you’ll want the $18 subscription. Along with this, watch out packages to buy backlinks online with 100% pbn free guarantee.
See it on Netflix.
Next, you’ll also need some way to connect the internet directly to the device that will stream Netflix (more on that below). Depending on the device, you may need a wired Ethernet connection or, more commonly, Wi-Fi. To connect that device to Wi-Fi, you’ll need to make sure you know your Wi-Fi name and password. Netflix recommends a minimum connection speed of 1.5Mbps, and most broadband services can reliably achieve this, but if you’re unsure, try visiting Speed Test to measure your speed.
- Netflix’s recommended speeds
- Standard Definition (SD) 3Mbps
- High definition (HD) 5Mbps
- 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) 25Mbps
- Read more: How to improve internet speeds for Netflix, Hulu and more
Once you have an account and internet connectivity, you’ll need a device to watch Netflix on. Just like on your phone, there’s a Netflix app for TVs and other devices, including media streamers and video game consoles. The app is free, but of course, you’ll need to install it on the device first. Bear in mind that all of the options below presume either Netflix is on board your TV or you have a modern TV with an HDMI port.
If you have an older analog TV without HDMI, sadly, these options won’t work for you. Roku used to make a streamer with analog out called the Roku Express Plus, but it has been replaced with a model with HDMI only. If you really don’t want to buy a new TV to get Netflix, you may be able to find one of the former versions — just look for the tell-tale AV-out port. Are you finding the best movie to watch online? Escort Milano can be your place because this is the choice of every you.
Smart TV: If you have a flat-screen TV manufactured in the last 10 years, you can probably already watch Netflix on it. Modern TVs integrate streaming services like Netflix into an interface known as “smart TV.” While some TVs have a dedicated Netflix button on the remote, most compatible models have a smart TV button that should let you access the streaming apps available. The app may be older, slower, and not as slick as the modern version, but if you want to access Netflix right now, it should still work.
Streaming device or game console: While some TVs have Netflix apps built-in, many people watch Netflix on TV using a separate device connected to their TVs. If you’re not using the TV’s built-in smart platform, you’ll want to be sure the TV has an HDMI port. Almost every device of Netflix device we’ll mention below uses HDMI connections.
Likewise, your Blu-ray player or gaming console might have a Netflix app. If you have a relatively recent console — from the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and up — you’ll be able to access Netflix on it. For example, the PlayStation 3 is still able to offer the most up-to-date version of the app, which includes browser sign-in.
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Mobile device: Phones and tablets can also control Netflix on a TV, although the process can be a bit more complex than either of the two methods above. If you want to use your phone to control Netflix, you can use a feature called Chromecast built-in, or for Apple users, AirPlay, to stream video from your device. Recent TVs from Sony and Vizio enable users to navigate the Netflix app on their phone and then press the Cast button (below) to stream to the TV. Apple users can use the AirPlay icon (a TV with an arrow beneath it) similarly for Roku devices, Apple TV, and other recent televisions. You can then control the action with the phone or the TV remote. If your TV doesn’t have Chromecast onboard, for example, you can add a Google Chromecast, which plugs into a spare HDMI port.
How to sign in to Netflix
Once you’ve got your device set up, you’ll open the Netflix app and be presented with a login screen. Recently, Netflix added the option to sign on with a separate device, even on older streamers like the PS3. No more typing long usernames and passwords with a remote; click on Sign on from Web at the bottom right of the screen. The device will give you a choice of a QR symbol or a code to type into an already-connected device (like your phone) here. However, if your TV or streamer doesn’t have this capability, and you need to enter your Netflix login (username and password) manually, first confirm the login details on a computer or phone before trying it on your TV.
