[Hidden-tech] large screen for watching movies on Netflix?

[ed at edbride-pr.com]

Thanks, Jan,

It's a pretty old laptop, but I'll look into the specs to see what level of USB it supports. Failing there, it probably gets wiped and then off to Good Will (or Staples, which will probably give me $5 for it).

Ed


-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Werner <jwerner at jwdp.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2020 11:45 PM
To: ed at edbride-pr.com; hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] large screen for watching movies on Netflix?

Chromecast requires Chrome and Google stopped supporting Chrome on Windows XP several years ago.

If your laptop has a USB 3.0 port, you can get a USB 3 to HDMI dongle for less than $20 from Amazon, e.g:

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Graphics-Converter-Projector-Compatible/dp/B088B8CRM8

USB 2.0 won't support more than 800x600 resolution, which won't do you much good for Netflix or most internet content.

Jan Werner
___________


On 9/29/2020 4:12 PM, ed--- via Hidden-discuss wrote:
> I am thinking of using an old XP laptop as a platform for accessing internet content (including Netflix and that ilk) and displaying it on our large-screen TV. No HDMI connection, I guess I'd just use the RGB (ahem) connector to use the TV as an external monitor, yes? Not sure if Chromecast works on XP.
> 
> Ed Bride
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hidden-discuss <hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net> On 
> Behalf Of Jan Werner via Hidden-discuss
> Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 4:43 PM
> To: Diana Hardina <dianahardina at gmail.com>
> Cc: Hidden-Tech Listserv <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>
> Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] large screen for watching movies on Netflix?
> 
> The Chrome browser resides on your PC so you need to run it on the PC in order to show the output on the TV screen.
> 
> You can do that with a physical connection (connect the video port on your PC to a TV HDMI input) or via screen mirroring, which duplicates a PC screen on the TV.  Most Windows 10 PCs and Android devices allow you to cast the screen over WiFi to a Roku and directly to many smart TVs without needing any other hardware.
> 
> Macs and iOS devices usually require either an Apple TV device and Airplay, or a 3rd party app to cast the screen to a Roku or smart TV.
> 
> Jan Werner
> _______________
> 
> 
> On 9/28/2020 4:18 PM, Diana Hardina wrote:
>> oh, one more thing. I would want to access my chrome internet browser.
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 28, 2020, 1:57 PM Jan Werner <jwerner at jwdp.com 
>> <mailto:jwerner at jwdp.com>> wrote:
>>
>>      Any TV you buy today is going to be “smart,” but I’d recommend
>>      getting a
>>      Roku too.  In my experience Roku works far better than any of the smart
>>      TV operating systems.
>>
>>      The Roku remote has dedicated buttons to launch Netflix and Hulu, which
>>      you said are the only two things you are interested in watching.  If
>>      you
>>      get the Streaming Stick+ or Ultra, you can also use the Roku remote to
>>      turn the TV on and off and change volume. Just make sure that at least
>>      one HDMI port on your new TV supports ARC.
>>
>>      If you really need a keyboard, the Roku mobile app provides an
>>      on-screen
>>      keyboard on any phone or tablet.
>>
>>      Jan Werner
>>      ____________
> 
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