How to Watch Netflix Movies on Your TV Without the Netflix Device Box

I love Netflix; I think that the idea of getting movies in the mail works very well. I was skeptical at first but what really cinched it for me was their constant email communication; especially emails informing me when they received a movie that I mailed back. That gave me a very comfortable feeling about the process.

I also love the idea of having selections of movies that can be accessed online. What I was not interested in doing was paying a hundred bucks to be able to see them on my television. I can watch them on my computer screen but it would be much more relaxing to watch on the bigger screen in front of my easy chair. Fortunately if you have a laptop and a wireless router or a desktop computer located near your TV there is another way of doing it.

You can use the TV as a large monitor to your computer. By the way, this is also an alternative to running out and buying the new big computer monitors. Most digital TV and most computers have a VGA connection. TVs with a VGA connection will have a setting to set your TV to VGA in the same way you set it for your DVD player. The VGA connector will be marked and it looks like a trapezoid containing three rows of five holes. The audio will come from the computer so it would be best to use a set of external speakers. If you don't have external speakers you can get them for as little as twenty bucks.. You can buy a VGA cable at electronics stores such as Radio Shack or Best Buy; they only cost a few bucks.

The following are the steps to use your TV as a computer monitor.

1. Find the VGA connection on your TV. On some sets the connector is in the back and it is positioned for the cable to be connected vertically; this makes it hard to see unless you turn the TV on its side. If your set doesn't have a connector then this method won't work.
2. Find the VGA connection on your computer. It is usually on the side of a laptop and in the back of a desktop.
3. Make sure that your laptop can get a good signal from the wireless router. The best thing to do is position the laptop where it needs to be and attempt to access the Internet from there. If it works normally; you're good to go.
4. Identify power sources for the extra equipment. If you don't have a surge protector on your TV; it is well worth getting one. A surge protector is also a power strip and, if you have one connected, you should have enough plugs.
5. Buy a VGA cable. I would suggest a reasonable length to give you room to work with.
6. If you don't have external speakers you may want to try it with just the computer audio; it may be enough.
7. Position the computer and the speakers and plug in the units.
8. Attach the VGA cable.
9. Turn the TV on and set it to VGA.
10. Turn on your computer. Once it has booted you should see your computer screen on the TV.
11. Get on the Internet and go to Netflix. Click on Watch Movies Instantly and you're ready to enjoy Netflix online movies on your TV.

As I had mentioned earlier; this method is also an alternative to buying a big monitor. It is really cool playing computer games on a big TV screen.