Today it is much easier to watch movies or connect to video sites like YouTube from your television, also thanks to the Smart features integrated on practically any modern TV with Internet connection. But on many TVs, the apps offered on the Smart side are fairly scarce or old, and on others there is just a multimedia part, so we will have to provide otherwise. Instead of spending money on expensive hard drives or well-packed multimedia stations, solutions are available for everyone to create a home-cinema system at home to watch any type of multimedia video on the Web. We find out in this guide how to create a home system- cinema TV to watch movies and videos online, also streaming from the internet on sites such as YouTube, Netflix or Facebook.
The solutions we can view are different, suitable for all budgets.
1) Chromecast
Using the Chromecast to watch videos and movies streamed from your PC on TV is probably the easiest method we can use, also considering the ease with which it can be installed and used from your mobile phone.
It connects to a free HDMI socket on the TV, supplies energy via USB cable (connectable to the TV itself or to the power adapter) and is configured to access the WiFi network, ready to be used by PC or mobile.
If we have a FullHD TV we can be satisfied with the classic version, but if we have a 4K TV better bet on the Chromecast Ultra to take advantage of the maximum resolution for compatible content.
We can deepen the discussion on Chromecast in the dedicated guide -> Watch TV videos and movies streamed from your PC with Chromecast .
2) Amazon Fire TV Stick
A good alternative to the Chromecast is the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which compared to the Google dongle has a real integrated operating system where you can install all the apps we need, so as to control them using the appropriate remote control.
The connection is completely identical to what has already been seen on Chromecast: it is placed in a free HDMI port on the TV and provides electricity via USB cable, then provides access via your WiFi network to connect to the Internet.
If we are interested in this solution we can read the dedicated guide here -> Amazon Fire TV Stick guide with tricks, apps and hidden functions .
3) Android TV Box
Another very convenient solution to create a home-cinema TV system and watch movies and videos online is to connect an inexpensive Android TV Box, which will allow us to take advantage of the many multimedia apps in the Android world to watch streaming video on any TV, as well as playing all the games so far released for the Android world.
Connecting an Android TV Box is relatively simple: an HDMI cable is used to connect it to the TV, electricity is supplied via the charger supplied and, using the supplied remote control, we can access the Internet via WiFi or Ethernet and start installing the favorite multimedia apps (primarily Kodi, YouTube and Netflix).
To choose a good Android TV Box we can read the guide available here -> Best Android TV BOX to watch movies on TV .
4) Raspberry Pi
Who still does not know what it is, should read the article on the Raspberry and other 20/60 Euro card computers .
It is a real computer at a very low price, which is sold without casing, without keyboard, without hard disk, without mouse and without screen, therefore suitable for those who want to develop but which can be used as a small multimedia PC if necessary .
On this small PC we can install Linux, we can connect a monitor and keyboard and we can insert an SD card.
The unit is small and can be connected to a TV, on the back, with an HDMI cable, and as a remote control you can simply use an Android smartphone or an iPhone connected to the same WiFi.
On the Raspberry you can install the Osmc multimedia software, attach an external hard disk to the USB port or an SD card, connect it to the internet with an Ethernet cable or with WiFi, attach the keyboard and mouse for the initial configuration and see everything on the TV.
Excellent also the LibreLec program to which you can add all the plugins to watch streaming videos supported by Kodi.
In another article we can find the complete guide with all the details on how to use the Raspberry from a computer or from Mediacenter for TV .
5) Apple TV
Apple TV could be the perfect device but it is a very closed system so we can only get closer to it if we intend to spend money on the various premium services (however YouTube is there and it can be used for free).
We can view it from here -> Apple TV .
Unfortunately only with a jailbreak (which is not too simple for everyone) you can free the device from the limits imposed by Apple (check if there is an unlock mode for the version currently on sale).
The Jailbreak on the Apple TV will allow you to install Kodi on it, maintaining the functionality of AirPlay and the integration of iTunes.
As an alternative to Kodi it is also possible to use Plex, another of the best media center software.
6) Portable PC
As we have already seen, we can connect a computer to the TV in different ways, in this case we can connect an old still working laptop to the TV to make the most of all multimedia programs and the web browser to watch videos on the Internet.
To make a high-level multimedia station to keep in the TV cabinet, we can also use an old laptop that is however equipped with HDMI or DVI outputs and that is powerful enough to support the viewing of HD video (at least dual-core CPU and 2 GB of RAM).
The ideal is a small fanless laptop, which does not clutter, costs little and is equipped with WiFi, USB ports and HDMI / DVI port.
On the laptop we can leave Windows and install one of the Media Center programs such as Kodi, MythTV or Plex on it.
A better solution can be had with a Linux Live distribution to be started via a USB stick (without installing it instead of Windows, see how to create a Linux Live USB stick to be used on any computer).
The choice is Librelec, an optimized version of Kodi, an operating system that turns on in 10 seconds, light and perfect for the purpose.
With Openelec installed on a USB stick and started when the laptop starts, you immediately enter the multimedia console where you can browse the streaming websites or scroll through the titles of the films saved in the PC.
READ ALSO: With Kodi every PC becomes a media player even for TV
