A practical guide to enjoy your favorite videos on the big screen
In the last couple of years, media consumers have been quite accustomed to enjoying non-cable video content on TV through platforms like YouTube and Netflix. However, despite the vast offerings these two platforms have, certain content is still only available through websites or platforms outside of these two services.
Worse yet, one cannot simply navigate the contents on TV with a remote or with a built-in TV casting function. If you’ve had these issues, do read on! Here I have summarized several methods to play videos on TV:
1. HDMI
A traditional, and perhaps the most reliable, way to show your videos on TV is just simply connecting your PC to the TV with a cable, and playing the videos on your PC. However, this results in messy cables and a physical distance required from the screen to where you sit; a short walk is necessary if video scrubbing/pausing is needed.
2. Screen Mirroring
Screen mirroring is usually a built-in function on your phone which allows you to show exactly what’s on your phone screen on the TV. This is one of the most popular ways these days and works well for some people, but it has its limitations as well. First, it has to be within the same ecosystem of devices, e.g. within Apple’s own product ecosystem, or Android to certain compatible brands. If you have an iPhone or Mac, your TV needs to be an Apple TV or an AirPlay 2-enabled smart TV; the same applies to the Android system, if you have an Android phone, your TV or TV box needs to be built on the Android system or Android screen mirroring enabled. However, even with all these, plus fast WiFi, a smooth experience is not guaranteed. A hot device and a less-than-stellar user experience are potential outcomes.
3. Chrome Browser to Chromecast
Another popular choice is Google’s Chromecast. For Chrome browser users on a laptop, click the “cast” function on the top right corner of the window and cast the content of any tab. However, to do so, a Chrome browser must be used on a laptop or PC. If you are mostly a mobile user and want to share the amazing content on websites that do not have a native mobile app on the big screen, Chomecast can’t help you much. Also, the basic version of Chromecast only supports content resolution up to 1080p. Come on. It’s almost 2023 and who would want to watch blurry motions on my amazing 85-inch 4K OLED TV? To make matters worse, at times the resolution is even lower, as Chromecast needs to adjust the resolution in order to ensure smooth playback quality.
4. Third-party Casting Apps
If all options above are exhausted, you still have the last resort: third party casting Apps. There are plenty of Youtube videos out there introducing different casting Apps so I will not make any recommendations here. Essentially, one would need to install the app on both mobile phones and TV to connect the two. I don’t have much experience on third-party Apps, because they always force you to watch lengthy ads.
Now, I’d like to introduce a new, and probably the smoothest, way to enjoy these contents on TV:
Puffin TV
This is where our product comes in. Available in Google Play, you can browse any website, and play videos directly from your TV.
Thanks to Puffin’s proprietary cloud rendering technology, Puffin TV is not your typical slow, unintuitive smart TV internet browser. All data processing is done through our cloud servers, which eliminates any performance throttling from local processing. With Puffin TV, you can even enjoy almost any Internet service beyond just videos, such as ordering food, sports betting, and many more. Watch your favorite anime on Crunchyroll, or browse TikTok. Whatever you desire, welcome to a new way of experiencing Internet content on the big screen!
