Ask LH: How Can I Watch My Google Play Movies On My TV?

Dear Lifehacker, I like Google Play, I get all my music, apps, docs, mails, news, books, all sorts of things through there, and after reading your article on Game of Thrones, I am considering looking into the movie/video side of things. My biggest issue is that my Google Play interactions are largely from my smartphone. What methods are there to watch my newly acquired HD movies on a TV screen? Thanks, Google Player

Dear GP,

It’s good to hear that you’re looking into legal ways of consuming media content, and one of the best things about using services like Google Play Movies is that there are so many easy ways to watch it on your TV. There are a number of different devices that will connect directly to Google Play, but first let’s start with the option that’s going to work with the most devices: Chromecast.

Google’s Chromecast, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a tiny dongle that allows you to stream content via WiFi through compatible apps on your smartphone. They retail for around $40 in Australia and setup is ridiculously simple — just plug it in, connect it to the WiFi network that your phone is using and away you go! To watch your Google Play content through Chromecast, open the “Play Movies” app on your phone, navigate through to the content you want to watch and then press the Chromecast icon (it looks like a screen with WiFi bars in the bottom corner).

If you have an Xbox One, PS3 or a PS4, you can also potentially watch your Google Play movies through your console. While I haven’t been able to test it myself, apparently you can access your Google Play library through the YouTube app on either of these consoles.

LG Smart TVs also support a standalone Google Movies app — obviously not worth replacing your whole TV for, but useful to know if you happen to own one.

The last option is pretty low-tech, but it’ll work in a pinch. Just load up your movie or TV show in Google Chrome on a laptop and connect it to your TV via HDMI cable. Easy!

Cheers
Lifehacker

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