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Question from Marcella: I used to watch Netflix on my computer but it got fried by lightning.
I’ve decided that I don’t really need a computer now so I won’t be replacing it.
I now watch Netflix on my iPhone but I’d really like to watch it on my 32 inch Samsung TV.
My boyfriend said I should be able to connect my phone to the TV through its HDMI port somehow, but he isn’t sure how to do it because my phone has a lightning connector instead of HDMI.
My first question is do you think I can connect the phone and TV together?
If I can, what exactly dol I need to buy? And will it be very expensive?
Rick’s answer: Marcella, the answer to your first question is yes, you can indeed connect your iPhone to your Samsung TV (or any TV, computer monitor or projector that has an HDMI port for that matter).
And while it won’t won’t be dirt cheap, the items you need to purchase are very affordable in my opinion.
First of all, you’ll need a Lightning Digital AV Adapter.
One end of this adapter will plug into your iPhone’s Lightning connector. The other end has a female HDMI connector on it.
Next, you’ll need an HDMI cable
If you plan to simply lay the phone down and not touch it while you’re watching a movie or TV show you can get by with a really short cable.
Just be sure to buy a cable that’s long enough for your needs.
Note: You don’t need an expensive HDMI cable. The cheapest one you can find that has decent user reviews will work just fine.
Once you have these two items in hand, simply connect the adapter to your phone, then connect the other end of the adapter to your TV with the HDMI cable.
Once connected, the contents of your phone’s display (including your Netflix movies) will be mirrored on the TV screen.
Alternative option: If you still have a high-speed Internet connection and a WiFi router you can use a Roku device and skip the iPhone altogether.
That’s all there is to it. You now know how to connect your iPhone to your TV for watching Netflix (and you also know that there’s a second fantastic option thanks to Roku).
I hope this helps, Marcella. Good luck!