Connect PC to TV via HDMI

[John Hopkins]

I'd like to connect my hard drive to my TV via the HDMI port. I tried a search at bottom left tool bar and it says "no results found". How do I connect via this port? Has anyone had this issue and resolved it?

 

[Tim Locke]

Do you mean: Connect your PC with its hard drive to the TV via HDMI?
An HDMI port on a PC is there to drive a display such as a TV and many computer displays can be connected HDMI. I can do it with my laptop if I want to see a photo collection on a big screen.

On a laptop one would have to press the function key to enable the external display, most desktops with built in HDMI will just use it when you plug in the cable.

HDMI port on a TV is a destination port than can accept and display video and sound data after handshaking with the source HDMI port to ensure that the destination is 'legal'. Legal in the sense that it is a consumer of the data not a device than can decrypt the data and then pass it on. A silly thing but the owners of content insist on it.

So what do you expect your PC to do? Pull videos and such of the hard drive to display? Act as a DVD/BD player? Connect to the 'net and show Youtube videos.

 

[John Hopkins]

Hi Tim.

I want to be able to watch YouTube from the comfort of my couch rather than desk. I also just changed provider and am wondering now if that is the reason for my hdmi issue

 

[T_J]

I used to have a Linux PC connected to my TV, used a wireless Logitech K400r keyboard.

Now I only have a 2015 Roku 2 (4210R) and a Blu-ray player. My Roku 2 has a good YouTube app which appears identical to my 2016 Sony TV YouTube app. The Roku also has Sling TV app which my Sony TV doesn't have. I currently watch Sling TV orange $20 (CNN, ESPN1, ESPN2, ESPN3, etc.), Netflix, Amazon (Prime), Pandora, 'Nowhere TV', Weather Underground, Weather4us, 'What's On?' on my Roku. Rokus are pretty cheap (start at $29.99). I live in US, channels may not work in other countries. I have 3 Rokus, and may buy one on Black Friday to replace a 2009 Roku N1000 which doesn't work with some newer apps such as Sling TV.
I have 'Nowhere TV' app (private channel) on all 3 of my Rokus. Nowhere TV has France24, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle, TWIT, NASA, AP, etc. This channel works in US, may not work in other countries.
'What's On?' is a private channel with grid TV guide. I use this for OTA and Sling TV show schedule. I selected my local DISH provider and then selected the channels for local OTA and Sling TV Orange.
Private channels are not in the Roku channel store, have to Bing search for them on internet and add channel that way.

 

[Grizzly]

Hard drive and HDMI are as different as night and day. Do you want just youtube to play on your TV or do you want to play movies from your hard drive on your TV??
If the first, get yourself a Firestick,Chromecast or Roku. the latter you will need a mediaplayer you connect via HDMI like android box or something like that and use KODI to stream movies from all over the world (I do)...