Connect Xbox 360 to TV Instead of Laptop

Chances are you're visiting this site because you want to figure out how to connect your laptop to your TV. You're likely looking for some cable or adapter that will allow you to mess with some settings on your laptop and get it to successfully connect to your television. But, what if I told you you didn't need to connect your laptop to your TV if you already have an Xbox 360? If you're just looking to stream video, music, Netflix, or Hulu from the Internet to your TV you can probably leave your laptop in its bag.

Connecting Xbox 360 to Your TV

The Xbox 360 has dropped significantly in price since its launch price of $399 back in November of 2005. Now you can purchase the basic model for around $199 and have your media connected to your TV within minutes of taking it out of the box. The Xbox 360 allows for HDMI connection (via a $5 cable) so you can connect it to your TV with 1080p crystal clarity. You can control your media with the standard Xbox 360 controller or a proprietary remote control designed by Microsoft.

To play your media on your Xbox, you'll first need to copy the videos or songs you wish to play to a USB device. The USB device must be FAT32 formatted, not NTFS. If you don't know the difference between the two, thumb drives generally will work as they are FAT32, whereas larger external hard drives will not as they are generally NTFS. This 32GB flash drive from SanDisk should work just fine.

NOTE: Make sure that your videos are converted to AVI, MPEG4, or MP4 before copying them to your USB drive. If your files are not in one of those four formats you can convert them to one using the free Videora conversion software.

1. Once your videos are in the proper format and stored on your USB drive, plug the drive into your Xbox 360 and power it on. 
2. Once your Xbox has booted up, scroll to the My Xbox menu and select the Video Library option.
3. From the list of storage options, select your USB flash drive.
4. Select the video you wish to play and hit Play.

Xbox 360 Internet Streaming Options

If you don't have many videos downloaded, have no fear. The Xbox 360 is a native supporter of Netflix (meaning it has its own Netflix software built in). All you need to sign into your Netflix account and start streaming movies in full HD is a subscription to Xbox Live.

Simply buy the Xbox Live subscription card featured on the left, create or login to your Xbox with your Xbox Live account, and launch the Netflix program on your Xbox from the Video menu on your Xbox. All of your Netflix Instant Queue titles will appear on the screen and be available to watch.