Five Ways To Get YouTube On Your TV
Jun 19th, 2008 | By James Lewin | Category: General 
YouTube has announced that it’s going to test out hosting long-form videos and even full-length movies, with its new site feature The YouTube Screening Room.
As Internet videos get longer, though, viewing them on your computer starts to look pretty lame. Fortunately, there are a growing number of ways you can get YouTube and other Internet videos onto your TV.
Here are five options for watching YouTube videos on your television:
- Apple has helped pioneer the idea of turning Internet video into Internet television with its Apple TV set top box. It gives you access to millions of free videos, including the top featured, most viewed, and top rated. Apple TV also lets you rent and purchase movies from iTunes, and play your own media.
- TiVo has introduced YouTube support also. In March, it announced that YouTube support will be available later this year to broadband-connected subscribers with TiVo Series3 DVRs, including the new TiVo HD, which retails for around $299. This offers DVR features missing from Apple’s solution.
- Sony’s Bravia Internet Video Link is a small module that attaches to the back of a selection of the company’s BRAVIA LCD flat-panel television models, giving them support for Internet television, including YouTube. A broadband connection of at least 2.5 Mbps is recommended. The Bravia Internet Video Link retails for about $300.
- HP MediaSmart TV is sort of like Apple TV for Windows users, except that it’s integrated with HP’s HDTVs. It lets you access content on PCs, shared with Windows Media Player 11, and lets also access free and commercial Internet video content, including YouTube. Other HDTV manufacturers, including Panasonic, have introduced solutions based on this concept.
- Finally, there’s Verismo Networks‘ PoD. It’s sort of a poor-man’s Apple TV. The $99 device uses your broadband connection to deliver Internet television to your HD TV. It can play videos from YouTube, BitTorrent and other sources, without the need for a PC.
What to buy?
If your budget is tight, you should check out Verismo’s PoD.
Otherwise, your two best options are probably Apple TV and TiVo Series3 DVRs. Apple TV’s emphasis, is Internet video, while TiVo’s is DVR. They aren’t integrated with specific televisions, so, as technology changes, you can swap out a relatively inexpensive box and add better capabilities to your Internet TV solution.
Update from the Comments: Dave notes that you can use the WII, too.
Hi, I’m really confused about the new layout of the site. The old site was so much more interactive with others and here it seems that we are at the mercy of the only the authors and people who may comment back. What about the forums / chats? I LOVED those!! I got so many ideas from people and was able to share so much myself as well…..and speaking of sharing, I would like to add more podcasts to the directory here, but like I said, the new layout of the site is totally throwing me off…..Help??!!!!
You forgot about the Wii. You can watch YouTube and Google Video through the Wii browser.
Dear Dave,
I have bought a new HD-TV & I want to connect it to the Internet to play YouTube & Browse other Internet content.I was just about to buy Apple TV – but,read that you can pretty much do the same with the Wii !! SInce,I am planning a Wii for my kid,thought this would be a better option so I can have 2 things in one…Can you please reply back with some info as can we play YouTube on TV & Browse Internet using Wii ? Am not sure how we browse the internet with Wii…Do I need to connect some keyboard etc..
Thanks,
Sham
Dave – thanks for the feedback about the site. We had continuous problems with spam in the forums & directories, and we’re in the process of reworking them. Sorry about the inconvenience, but we’re trying to make the site more useful overall.
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Found another $99 device — the Kiwi from Behind The Set (www.behindtheset.com). Seems to have a larger feature set than Verismo’s VuNow (photo sharing, fantasy football, lots of internet content formatted to TV) — looks pretty cool.
you forgot about wii, ps3 and xbmc
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Dear Dave, I have saved a lots of youtube videos down load on my pc and I want to watch on TV . Is there any thing that I can watch nice and clear just like youtube ? I connected with video out from my pc to TV input video but it is not geting a good picture not even color, but comes linings and black and white,
Please help me for my problem, I dont have money to spend atall, Right now I am unemployed so I can’t spend a penny even. But I have a hope for my problem.
thank
jay
ps, Please don’t give my email address to any one.
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It seems like a key element that is missing from YouTube’s push into TV is long-form TV content. While they have a Shows page (i.e. a page for TV shows), the content they’ve acquired for it is abysmal. Check out my scathing review of the Shows page at http://greenscreencinema.com/article.php?story=20090605152604373
Thanks!
GreenScreenCinema.com
The Six way to watch youtube videos on TV is to burn youtube on DVD and watch with DVD player.
Here is how to watch youtube video on TV tutorial.
http://www.photo-to-dvd.com/tutorial/play-youtube-video-on-tv.html#125
There’s a sixth way to do it, and it’s a lot easier than any of the five mentioned. You need to have WiFi in your house. Also, a laptop makes this much easier, though I bet some of you geeks will know how to get around that.
1. Change the setting on your TV to accept a PC.
2. Connect your TV screen to your computer.
3. Open YouTube and reduce the size of the window. Then drag it onto your TV screen.
4. Expand the window to full size, and you’re ready to go.