4 Methods to Play MP4 Files on TV (Convert Mp4 to TV Included)
by Christine Smith • 2023-11-16 10:34:36 • Proven solutions
Play MP4
Why can't I watch MP4 files on my TV?
There are times, usually while using laptop computers, when the screen looks too small to watch the movies, and that is when you want to play MP4 on TV that has a big display and allows you to enjoy the films at full. Since you're here, you may want to stream MPEG-4 and MP4 videos from your PC to the TV (Samsung TV included). That said, the following sections explain various ways to connect your computer to a TV, and you can pick the one you find the easiest, cheapest, and best for your needs. You can also convert MP4 to iPhone if you don't want to spend much time on TV.
(You may want to know about URL to mp4 details)
- Part 1. Play MP4 on TV via HDMI Cable
- Part 2. Play MP4 Videos on TV by Wi-Fi
- Part 3. Display MP4 Videos on TV via a USB
- Part 4. Bonus: Best MP4 to TV Video Converters
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Part 1. Play MP4 on TV via HDMI Cable
Connecting your computer to the TV via HDMI is pretty simple as long as both the participating devices have an HDMI port. Assuming that they do, the only additional hardware you need is an HDMI cable to connect the two.
The process given below explains how you can use an HDMI cable to connect the computer and TV and configure your television to receive inputs from your PC:
Step 1: Connect a TV to a PC
Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI port on your PC and insert the other end to the port available at the rear or side portion of your TV (Samsung TV as an example).
Step 2: Configure Your TV
Grab your TV remote, go to the Inputs section (or something similar to that), and choose HDMI as an input port to connect and play MP4 on Samsung TV with an HDMI cable.
Part 2. Play MP4 Videos on TV with Wi-Fi
Suppose your TV is new and has a built-in wireless network connectivity option. In that case, you are lucky because you can connect it to your computer over a Wi-Fi network and play MP4 on TV without many complications. Setting up your PC and television to discover each other and share the media is simple and explained below:
Note: The procedure can be completed in two phases.
Phase 1: Set Up Your Computer
Note: Here, it is assumed that you are using a Windows 10 PC with a built-in or external wireless card connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Step 1: Enable Media Sharing on the PC
Go to Start > Settings and click Network & Internet on the Windows Settings window. On the next window, click Sharing options from the right pane. On the Advanced sharing settings box, expand All Networks, click Choose media streaming options from the Media streaming section, click Turn on media streaming on the next box that opens up, and click OK to allow your PC to stream media to the devices connected to your local wireless network. Close all the boxes when done, and proceed to the next step.
Locate and right-click the folder that contains the MP4 files you want to watch on TV, click Properties from the context menu, go to the Sharing tab, click Share, choose Everyone from the drop-down list available on the Network access box, click Add, and ensure that the Permission Level next to the Everyone group is set to Read. Click Share to allow the PC to share the folder to send MP4 to the TV.
Phase 2: Set Up Your TV
IMPORTANT: Depending on the manufacturer of the TV and the operating system, the configuration options may be named differently and found in different menus. You are highly encouraged to go through your television's Owner Manually thoroughly for detailed instructions.
Step 1: Ensure Your TV's Wireless Connectivity
Use your TV remote to go to Settings/Setup/Quick Setup (or something similar), select Network Configuration and Wireless, and check and confirm if the television is connected to your PC wireless network is connected to. If not, use the method explained in the Owner's Manual to do so before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2: Play the MP4 File on the TV
On your TV, go to Media, locate and go to your PC's icon, go to Videos, go to Folders, go to the folder that you shared on your PC, and select and watch MP4, or play MP4 on Samsung TV if you are using one.
Part 3. Display MP4 Videos on TV via a USB
Since most TVs nowadays have USB ports at their rear panel, watching MP4 on TV is way simpler than it used to be earlier. You can follow the instructions given below to learn how to play MP4 on TV via USB:
Note: A Samsung TV is used here for reference.
Step 1: Connect USB to TV
Grab the USB stick with the MP4 files, locate the USB port at the rear portion of your TV, and connect the drive to the port.
Step 2: Play MP4 on TV
On your TV remote, press the Home button, go to Source, and select USB Device USB, USB Device, or Connected Device (or anything similar). Next, locate and select the MP4 file that you want to watch on your television, and press Enter on your remote to play MP4 on Samsung TV from your USB flash drive.
Note: Some Samsung TV models don't have the 'Home' button on their remotes. You can directly press 'Source' in such televisions. Likewise, some new TVs automatically pop up a menu when a USB is connected, and allow you to select the drive and play the media files from there.
Tips
Except for the ways mentioned above, you can also stream video to TV with VLC >.
Part 4. Bonus: Best MP4 to TV Video Converters
If you are worried about the incompatible format and/or resolution of your MP4 files that need to be played on your Samsung TV, an efficient MP4-to-TV converter could be your solution. There are a couple of decent conversion tools that can come in handy in such cases. These PC and online apps include:
Converter 1: Wondershare UniConverter
With more than 1000 supported formats, Wondershare UniConverter is one of the best programs for Windows and Mac that can help you convert your MP4 files to TV-compatible displays. The process of getting this done is given below:
How to convert MP4 to TV-supported formats?
Step 1: Import MP4 to UniConverter
Launch Wondershare UniConverter, ensure that you are on the Convert tile, click Add Files from the center, and import the MP4 file you want to watch on TV (Samsung TV is used here for example).
Step 2: Pick an Output Device Preset
Click and open the Convert all files to from the top-right area, go to the Device tab, select TV from the left pane, and select Samsung TV from the right.
Step 3: Convert MP4 for TV
Once you are back on the main window, choose a destination location from the Output field at the bottom, and click Convert to convert the file so you can play MP4 on Samsung TV.
Conclusion
Playing MP4 on TV is not rocket science as long as you know the process, have access to the correct cables and devices, and if the conversion is needed, have an efficient MP4 to TV converter installed on your Windows or Mac computer. Going further, to be able to play MP4 on Samsung TV, it is highly recommended to use device-specific presets that are present in Wondershare UniConverter.
Christine Smith
chief Editor