Want to kick back and watch one on your Animoto videos on your television? Take a look at a few of the ways you can watch and share your videos on your own TV, and find method that best fits your own setup.
The benefit to sharing your video in this format is that almost everyone knows what a DVD or Blu-ray disc is and how to use it, so there won’t be any fumbling or technical difficulties when you show your video. If you have a DVD player with the right functionality, you can loop your DVD and play it on repeat during a party or in a storefront window. Burning your video to a disc also provides a physical object you can share if you’re looking to turn your video into a gift.
If you’re not familiar with the process for burning a video to disc, take a look at our blog. It has instructions for creating a DVD of your Animoto video, along with tips for burning Blu-ray discs and DVDs more effectively.
For an even easier way to save and share your video, give USB drives a try. If you don’t have a USB drive yet, they’re fairly inexpensive and can be found in many stores — sometimes including supermarkets!
Before you try this method, make sure your TV, DVD, or Blu-ray player has a USB port. If it does, then you can just download your Animoto video as an MP4 and save it to a USB drive. You can then plug your USB drive into the TV, and go through your television input until you find the drive listed. You should then be able to play your video on your television.
If you don’t want to fuss with discs or drives of any kind, consider sending your video straight to your smart TV. Many of the newest television models come with technology that lets you watch video wirelessly. Here are a few of the most popular smart TV options that you might have available to you:
If you’re a fan of Apple products, then Airplay may be the right choice for you. Airplay lets you send content from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer to an Apple TV, including Animoto videos.
Chromecast devices plug into your TV using an HDMI cable, letting your mobile devices “talk” to your TV. If you’ve got a Chromecast, you can stream your video from a computer as long as you play the video in a Chrome browser with a Chromecast extension.
Other smart TVs may have similar systems. For example, Roku devices will let you mirror the screen of your mobile device on your television if you download their app. Check out their support page for more details.
If you have a laptop, try connecting it straight to your television set. You can project your computer screen up onto the TV, letting you treat the television like a second computer monitor. You can usually connect to your TV through an HDMI cable, though there are other options if you have an older TV set. WikiHow has a post explaining the basics.
Once you find a system that suits you, test it out to make sure you know exactly what to do — especially if you’re planning to share your video with loved ones or customers.
Holidays and family gatherings are a great time to create videos to watch with a group. Setting up your television so that it can play your Animoto videos lets you share your video more easily and helps build a sense of togetherness. If you do try out one of the methods above, let us know how it went in the comments below!
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