Easy Computer Basics, Windows 10 Edition (2016)
Chapter 13. Watching TV and Movies Online
Want to rewatch last night’s episode of The Voice? Or the entire season of Big Bang Theory? How about a classic music video from your favorite band? Or that latest “viral video” you’ve been hearing about?
Here’s the latest hot thing on the Web: watching your favorite television shows, movies, and videos online, via your web browser. If you have a fast enough Internet connection, you can find tens of thousands of free and paid videos to watch at dozens of websites, including YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix. You can even purchase and download videos to your PC—and watch them anytime, at your convenience.
Playing Movies with the Windows Movies and TV App
Watching Movies on Netflix
Arguably the most popular site for streaming movies is Netflix (www.netflix.com), which offers a mix of both classic and newer movies, classic television shows, and original programming. You can watch Netflix in your web browser or via the Netflix app for Windows.
Launch the Netflix app from the Start menu. The first section you see displays videos you haven’t yet finished watching (Continue Watching). Scroll right to view other sections.
Click the title of any section to view more options of that type.
Click the Options button to view the available genres.
Note: Netflix App
Download the (free) Netflix app from the Windows Store. After it’s installed, you can create a new Netflix account or log in with an email address and password from an existing account.
Tip: User Profiles
The Netflix website lets you create separate user profiles for up to five viewers in your household; each profile includes recommendations specific to that viewer. To change viewers from within the Netflix app, click the user profile at the top-right corner and make a different selection.
Click a genre to view movies of that type.
Tip: Subscription Fees
Netflix isn’t free. You pay $8.99/month for unlimited streaming video online.
Tip: Netflix on the Web
You can also access Netflix directly from any web browser. Just go to www.netflix.com and sign up or sign on.
To search for a specific movie or show, click the Search (magnifying glass) icon to display the search pane.
Enter the name of the movie or show into the Search box and then press Enter.
When you find a movie or show you want to watch, click it. The detail page for that movie or show displays.
Note: Streaming Video
Most movies and TV shows you watch online are not downloaded to your computer. Rather, they flow in real time from the host website to your PC, over the Internet, using a technology called streaming video. With streaming video, programs can start playing back almost immediately, with no time-consuming downloading necessary.
Note: DVD Rental
Netflix also offers a separate DVD-by-mail rental service, with a separate subscription fee.
Click the Play button on the image to watch the program.
Netflix begins playing the movie or show you selected. Click the Full-screen button at the top of the window to display the movie full-screen.
Right-click anywhere on the screen to display the options bar. Click the Pause button to pause playback; the Pause button changes to a Play button. Click the Play button to resume playback.
Click and drag the scrub (slider) control to move directly to another part of the movie.
Tip: TV Shows
If you choose to watch a TV show, you can usually choose from different episodes in different seasons. Select a season to see all episodes from that season and then click the episode you want to watch.
Watching TV Shows on Hulu
If Netflix is the best website for movies, Hulu is the best site for television programming. Hulu offers episodes from major-network TV shows, as well as new and classic feature films, for online viewing. The standard free membership offers access to a limited number of videos; a full membership is $7.99/month for a larger selection of newer shows.
From your web browser, go to www.hulu.com. Hulu’s home page displays a series of featured programs. Scroll down to view recommended programming by type.
To view television programs by genre, click TV at the top of the page.
Note: Hulu App
There is also a Hulu app available (free) from the Windows Store. Unfortunately, this Universal app works only with a full Hulu subscription ($7.99/month). When you use the Hulu website, you can access both the free and the subscription service.
To view programs by genre, click the Genres tile.
To search for a specific show, enter the name of the show into the top-of-page Search box and then press Enter.
Tip: Movies
Hulu also offers a variety of movies for online viewing. The standard free membership has a very limited selection of movie programming, typically documentaries and movie trailers. The $7.99 Hulu Plus membership offers a much larger selection of movies.
Tip: Network Websites
Most major broadcast and cable TV networks offer their shows for viewing from their websites. These include ABC (abc.go.com), CBS (www.cbs.com), Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com), CW (www.cwtv.com), Fox (www.fox.com), NBC (www.nbc.com), Nick (www.nick.com), Showtime (www.sho.com), TNT (www.tntdrama.com), and USA Network (www.usanetwork.com).
Click the tile for the show you want to watch.
When the detailed program page appears, scroll down to view available episodes, clips, and extras.
To view seasons by episode, click Available Seasons and then click the season you want.
Click the tile for the episode you want to watch.
Hulu begins playing the program you selected. Move your mouse over the screen to display the playback controls.
Click the Pause button to pause playback; the Pause button changes to a Play button. Click the Play button to resume playback.
Click and drag the scrub (slider) control to move directly to another part of the program.
Click the Full-screen button to view the program full-screen on your computer display.
Watching Videos on YouTube
The most popular video site on the Web is YouTube. This site is a video-sharing community; users can upload their own videos and watch videos uploaded by other members. YouTube also offers a variety of commercial movies, TV shows, and music videos.
From your web browser, enter www.youtube.com into the Address bar, and then press Enter. You now see YouTube’s home page.
To search for a video, enter one or more keywords that describe the type of video you’re looking for into the Search box, and then press Enter or click the Search (magnifying glass) button.
When the list of matching videos appears, click the video you want to watch.
Tip: Movies
In addition to its user-uploaded videos, YouTube offers commercial movies. Some movies are free; others can be rented on a 48-hour pass for as low as $1.99.
Tip: Playlists
To add a video to a playlist, click the Add To button under the video player, and then click a playlist. You can view your playlists by clicking the Menu button next to the YouTube logo (at the top of the page); click a playlist to begin playback.
When the video page appears, the video begins playing automatically.
Click the Pause button to pause playback; click the button again to resume playback.
Click the Full-screen button to view the video on your entire computer screen.
Click the thumbs-up button to “like” the video.
Tip: Sharing Videos
Find a video you think a friend would like? Click the Share button under the video player. You can then opt to email a link to the video, share the video on Facebook, or tweet a link to the video on Twitter.
Tip: Uploading Videos to YouTube
To upload your own home movies to YouTube, click Upload at the top of any page. On the next screen, click Select Files from Your Computer, and then navigate to and select the video you want to upload. After the video is uploaded, you can add a title and description and choose a thumbnail image for the video.
Purchasing and Downloading Movies and TV Shows from the iTunes Store
One downside to Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming video services is that they don’t offer more current theatrical movies. When you want to watch a movie fresh out of the theaters, you have to purchase or rent it, instead—which you can do online via Apple’s iTunes Store.
Launch the iTunes app from the Start menu, and then click iTunes Store at the top of the window.
From within the Store, click either the Movies or TV Shows icon in the top-left corner.
Navigate to and click the movie or show you want to purchase.
Note: Install the iTunes App
To access the iTunes Store, you first need to install the iTunes software on your computer. You can do this, free, from www.apple.com/itunes/.
Tip: Other Online Video Stores
You can purchase movies and TV shows from several other sites online. These include Amazon Instant Video (www.amazon.com/primeinstantvideo), CinemaNow (www.cinemanow.com), and Vudu (www.vudu.com).
If a program is available for purchase, you see a Buy button with the price listed. Click Buy to purchase and download the item to your PC.
If a program is available for rental, you see a Rent button with the price listed. Click Rent to download the movie for limited-time viewing.
Tip: Apple Account
Before you can purchase items from the iTunes Store, you have to create an Apple account and enter your credit card information. You might be prompted to do this the first time you click to purchase, or you can create your account manually, at any time, by clicking the Sign In button at the top right of the iTunes window and, when prompted, clicking the Create New Account button.
Note: Purchase Versus Rent
When you purchase a movie or TV show, it downloads to your computer and you’re free to watch it as often and as long as you like; it’s yours, you bought it. When you rent a program, however, it’s available to you only for a limited time. With most rentals, you have 30 days to start watching the program, and then must finish watching it within 24 hours of first clicking the Play button.
Watching Videos with iTunes
The iTunes app isn’t just for browsing Apple’s iTunes Store. You also use iTunes to watch all the movies and TV shows you download.
Launch the iTunes app from the Start menu, open the iTunes Store, and then select either Movies or TV Shows.
Click My Movies or My TV Shows at the top of the window.
Double-click the program you want to watch.
When the video begins to play, move your mouse to display the playback controls.
Click the Pause button to pause playback; click the button again to resume playback.
Click the Full-screen button to view the video on your entire computer screen. Press Esc to return to the normal iTunes window.
Watching Digital Videos with the Movies and TV App
Windows comes with its own app for viewing digital videos stored on your PC. You can use the Movies and TV app for viewing home movies you’ve created or videos you’ve downloaded from elsewhere.
Launch the Movies and TV app from the Start menu, and then click the Menu button to expand the navigation sidebar. (You might also want to expand the window to make it larger on your desktop.)
Click Videos in the navigation sidebar to view those videos stored on your PC.
Click the video you want to watch.
Note: Movies and TV Stores
Microsoft offers its own Movies Store and TV Store for purchasing and renting movies and TV shows online. You access these stores from the Movies and TV app; just click Shop in the navigation sidebar.
Mouse over the video to display the playback controls.
Click the Pause button to pause playback; click the button again to resume playback.
Click and drag the scrub (slider) control to move to a specific point within the video.
Click the Full-screen button to display the video full-screen.
