YouTube MP4 how to play on TV ???

[TenOC]

First of all, I am not very tech smart so if I write something that does not make sense please forgive me.

I have inherited a WD passport portable drive that has a number of YouTube MP4 videos. The previous owner had downloaded these videos from YouTube. I would like to play these on my “smart” TV. Is it a simple as plugging the passport into the USB port on the TV? I am currently not a place to try the above with my smart TV. My RV only has a dumb TV.

A second option would be to get an old inexpensive laptop computer and play these videos on the laptop. If I go the laptop option what would you recommend for an inexpensive older laptop that would play videos very well. I tried to play a few of the videos on an old laptop that originally had Windows XP on it but had been upgraded to Windows 10. This laptop would not synchronize the audio with the video. I think I can lay my hands on an old laptop with Windows 7; however, I think it originally was a Windows XP laptop that had been upgraded to Windows 7

[proofycate]

valhalla360 wrote:
You should be able to plug straight into the TV.

If you do get a laptop, don't bother with an old used one. You can get new for around $300 and it will do fine for playing videos.

It will be cheaper to do this with software, but you will need a laptop this

[MikeDupont]

We've (so far) successfully avoided having a smart TV due to their ability to gather and sell our private data ( i know many folks dont care and i am not trying to raise the issue. to each his own). So our TVs wont take a hard drive direct. We use an old laptop to play all our videos, but i agree with valhalla360 that basic laptops are so cheap, that it would a good option. And it never hurts to have a backup laptop.

[MrWizard]

AviDemux
Good program for changing video file types without losing quality of the original
For those that don't known
Sound and picture/images are separate tracks correctly timed and "Muxed" aka digitally intertwined referred to as Muxed meaning interleaved or multiplexed aka woven together ( hope I described that correctly enough , if I'm wrong 1492 can state it correctly )
Users like my self call the mode or profile of the mixing a wrapper holding the sound and video together mp4 AVI(audio video interleaved) are extension names that tell the computer or player what the file holds and how it is to be displayed
Any way AviDemux is one of several programs that will unwrap the sound and video and then recombine them In another format that your phone, tablet, TV, or digital player will accept, depending on the format for your end use equipment , the playback display quality of the rewrap can be identical to the input display quality, no loss in changing format wrappers as the wrapper is simply a holder, a container,
Think plastic bottle, glass bottle, thermos
A way to take your juice out of the glass bottle and store it in the plastic bottle or thermos for consumption, the juice is not changed just moved, to another type of holding container
AVI was one of the earliest maybe the first digital format for film , storage and playback,
Hence the name AviDemux, a way to separate the audio and video streams
other formats flv flash video, mp3,4,5...entertain industry, TS MTS transport stream ... television industry all came later
Hopefully this more clear than muddy water
I can't seem to describe anything in oonly a few sentences

[ferretgrandpa]

No 'Smart' tv here, but have used my old super cheap DVD player (has a USB port on the front) to play .mp4 and others (like .flv).

Newer Blu-Ray won't convert so run the old LG.

We have quite a collection of shows that I've downloaded and burnt to a data DVD disk.

If the player won't play a file type, I convert with Avidemux (free, and easy to learn and use).

Tom

[valhalla360]

1492 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
You should be able to plug straight into the TV.

You can with many recent smart TVs. The OP mentioned only having access to a dumb TV for now.

OP said he didn't have access to his smart TV right now.

[1492]

valhalla360 wrote:
You should be able to plug straight into the TV.

You can with many recent smart TVs. The OP mentioned only having access to a dumb TV for now.

[valhalla360]

You should be able to plug straight into the TV.

If you do get a laptop, don't bother with an old used one. You can get new for around $300 and it will do fine for playing videos.

[1492]

No need to use a laptop. As long as your WD Passport is ≤ 2 TB, you could use your HD with a USB media player such as this $34. device or similar from Amazon. It connects to your TV via an available HDMI input.

[MrWizard]

Media player classic "MPC"
&
VIDEO LAN PLAYER CLASSIC. "VLC"

Are both excellent choices for Windows computers

I have been using both for many years

But your smart tv should be able to play mp4 files from the drive,
If not try copying some videos to a thumb drive memory stick
And plug that into the USB port on the tv

[philh]

A smart TV should be able to play the videos

Media Player Classic is a great video player for the computer