Dec 3, 2014

How to Stream iTunes Movies & Episodes to HDTV without Apple TV


“Before I started to purchase movies and TV shows from iTunes, I didn’t realize the problem that those iTunes movies are not playable on my Samsung TV even after being renamed from M4V to MP4. They just appear in the list but don’t play. Someone told me that iTunes movies only play on TV via Apple TV because they are DRM protected. But I don't want to spend another $100 to buy an Apple TV just to watch the legally purchased TV shows on a TV. So does anyone know a way that I can watch the iTunes movies and TV episodes on my home TV without Apple TV?”

Two Effective Solutions to Watch iTunes Videos on TV without Apple TV

Watching movies on home television with family and friends can be a great way to spend leisure time. But things will be different when you are trying to watch iTunes movies or episodes on TV. You will be told that you can’t play iTunes movies and TV shows on home TV unless you use a related device - Apple TV to stream the movies from iTunes to capable TV for playing on the TV screen.

So, if you don’t have an Apple TV but need to play iTunes movies and TV series on your HD TV, you may refer to the following methods which will show you how to make iTunes movies watchable on TV without Apple TV.

Method 1. Watching iTunes Movies/Episodes on TV via Computer

One common way to watch iTunes videos on a TV is to connect the TV with computer while you are playing the movies using iTunes on your computer. But the condition is that your TV should have a HDMI cable with which it can connect to the computer. In this way, what displays on your computer will simultaneously display on your TV screen. You can then use the remote control of the TV to switch the TV's input to the proper port and set the graphics adapter and choose TV screen as the primary monitor.

Note: This solution is recommended only when your TV has a HDMI port to connect to computer and your computer is available for using in the meantime. Otherwise, you may switch to the second way below in order to play iTunes movies on TV.

Method 2. Watching iTunes Movies/Episodes on TV via DVD Player

Another popular way to play iTunes movies on TV without Apple TV is to burn those video files to DVD and then watch the movies on TV screen via DVD player. But unlike the common video sources, movies and TV series sold in iTunes can’t be directly burned to DVD because they are saved in .M4V format with DRM protected. To burn iTunes movies to DVD and play the movies on TV, you’ll need to remove the DRM protection from iTunes movies in the first place. In this case, you can use some iTunes to DVD video converter tools, like TunesKit iTunes Video Converterfor Mac to bypass the DRM and convert the protected M4V iTunes movie rentals and purchases to DVD burner supported video formats, such as MP4 before burning the movies to DVD discs.

Tips: The advantages of this method are varied. It not only enables you to watch any protected iTunes movies on TV at anytime you like, but also offers you the chance to play iTunes videos on non-Apple devices and keep the rentals as long as you wish. This would be the best option if you want to fully enjoy iTunes movies not only on TV but also on all kinds of media playing devices.

Please note that TunesKit is only workable on iMac of Mac laptops running Mac OS X 10.8, 10.9 or 10.10.


Once installed, open the program on your Mac. Click “Add Files” button in the program to load the iTunes movie list. Select those movies and TV series you want to watch on TV and click “OK” to import the files to the software. Then you can customize the output folder and audio tracks according to the instruction. After that, click “Convert” button to start to remove DRM and convert iTunes movies to MP4. Once converted, you can find the DRM-free iTunes movies and burn them to DVDs by using DVD burner software like iDVD on your Mac. Then you can freely watch the iTunes movies on TV via your DVD player.

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