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[HOW TO] Stream Netflix on your Smart TV or games console

Some savvy South African internet users have been streaming Netflix shows for years now, despite the fact that the service has not officially been available in the country.

As of earlier this week, Netflix HQ finally flipped the switch that allowed South Africans to sign up en masse without needing any of the tricks those early adopters used to gain access.

So now that the service is here, we thought we’d write a little something to help you set up your home so that you can enjoy everything Netflix has to offer in as short a time as possible.

Before we begin you’ll need to make sure you not only have a Netflix account, but the right type. We suggest Netflix’s Standard $9.99 option; that works out to R166,15 at the time of writing but of course that could change. This gives you access to HD streams of all your shows and movies, and will allow you to watch on two devices simultaneously.

We also suggest having your notebook, smartphone or a tablet close at hand because you may need to type a verification code into a browser and it’s easier doing this on a second screen. Keep in mind that these steps assume that you do not already have the Netflix app installed; if you have the app installed simply log in to your Netflix account and start streaming.

On your PS3 and PS4

The steps for setting up Netflix on Sony’s consoles are exactly the same whether you have the PS3 or the PS4.

PS4_controller
Image by Farley Santos
  1. Download the Netflix app by going to the Playstation Store and selecting Apps.
  2. Navigate to Movies/TV and select Netflix
  3. You will see a prompt telling you to download the app, select Yes and wait for the download to complete.
  4. Navigate to TV/Video Services from the home screen, enter the section to find the Netflix app and Sign In.
  5. You may be asked to sign into your PSN account before continuing. Simply sign in with your credentials, and make sure “Sign In Automatically” is selected. Once completed you will be redirected to the Netflix page. Enter the email address and password associated with the account you will be using and you’re done.

On your Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Xbox 360

  1. From the Xbox 360 Dashboard navigate to Apps.
  2. Search for and select the Netflix tile to begin the download.
  3. Once the download is complete, navigate to the Apps section and select the Netflix tile.
  4. Select “Yes” when asked “Are you a member of Netflix?”
  5. Enter the email address and password of the Netflix account you are using and Sign In.
Image CC by Josh Ferris
Image CC by Josh Ferris

Xbox One

  1. From the Home screen navigate left to the Pins screen.
  2. Search for and select Netflix, then install the app.
  3. Once the Netflix app is installed select Launch.
  4. Select “Member Sign In” and enter the email address and password associated with the account you’ll be using.
  5. Click Sign In and enjoy.

On your Wii and Wii U

Wii

  1. Select the Wii Shop Channel from the Wii Home Screen.
  2. Once in the Wii Shop Channel select Start then select Start Shopping.
  3. Navigate to Wii Channels, select it and search for the Netflix app.
  4. Select the app, and in the details screen select either Download: 0 Wii Points or Free: 0 Wii Points.
  5. When asked for a Download Location select Wii System Memory then select OK at the Selection Confirmation screen.
  6. Confirm the download by selecting Yes and wait for the download to complete before selecting OK.
  7. Navigate back to the Wii Home Screen and select the Netflix Channel and select Start to enter the channel.
  8. Select Sign in, enter the email address and password of the Netflix account you will be using and select “Continue” to log into Netflix.
Image CC by Herman Yung.
Image CC by Herman Yung.

Wii U

  1. From the Wii U GamePad select the Nintendo eShop icon.
  2. Search for Netflix in the Nintendo eShop and select Netflix from the results.
  3. You will need to select Download twice; the second time is simply a confirmation.
  4. Follow the instructions on-screen selecting Next to proceed through the steps.
  5. Once complete, navigate to the Wii U Home Screen and launch the Netflix app.
  6. Once launched, select Member Sign In.
  7. Punch in the email address and password for the Netflix account you’ll be using and enjoy.

On your Sony Smart TV

  1. In your Sony menu navigate to the Video option and make your way to the Netflix icon.
  2. Select Netflix. You may be prompted to register the TV with Sony at this point. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and complete the registration process.
  3. Once registered select Yes when asked “Are you a member of Netflix?
  4. You will be asked to Activate your TV as an active device on Netflix by navigating to a web page. You will need to input the code displayed on-screen before you can begin watching.
And you thought the battle for the remote was over. Image by CC W Baldwin.
And you thought the battle for the remote was over. Image by CC W Baldwin.

On your Samsung TV

Unfortunately at the time of writing there is no Netflix app available to download on the Samsung Smarthub Store, so you may have to hook up your console or notebook and access Netflix that way instead.

Just in case the Netflix app comes out as we write this, we will talk you through the presumed steps.

  1. Press the Smart Hub button on your remote.
  2. Scroll across to the Netflix icon and select it.
  3. Select Yes on the “Are you a member of Netflix?” page
  4. Enter the email address and password of the Netflix account you’ll be using and sign in.

On your LG Smart TV

  1. Select the Internet TV option from your Home screnn
  2. Search for Netflix and select the icon.
  3. Once the app has started up simply select “Yes” when asked “Are you a member of Netflix?”, sign in with your credentials and start watching.

No Smart TV? No Problem.

For those that don’t have a smart TV there is another solution. You can connect your notebook to your TV using an HDMI cable and share the screen before accessing Netflix through your browser. You can use that same HDMI cable to send sound from your notebook to your TV. All you need to do is simply switch the audio output to the TV by selecting HDMI instead of the default audio output option.

For added convenience, you can turn your Android smartphone into a remote for your laptop with the Gmote 2.0 app. Simply download the app on your phone and download the server software from the Gmote website onto your notebook.

Once complete, pair your smartphone with your notebook and select the touchpad option. You can now use your smartphone as a remote instead of awkwardly wrestling with your laptop any time you want to change something.

How do you connect to Netflix? Let us know in the comments below.

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