Q I have an iPhone 4, and I like to use it to make short video clips of friends and family. Is there an easy way to play the movies back on my HDTV?
The movies are in my iPhoto program on my MacBook Pro. If it helps, I have a 55-inch Samsung plasma HDTV with an Onkyo 709 receiver and a Samsung BD-D6500 Blu-ray player.
A In your case, the answer is easy.
Your Blu-ray player has a USB port that will play many kinds of files. All you need to watch your movies on the big screen is a USB flash drive.
Insert the flash drive into your computer and launch the iPhoto program. Drag the files you want to watch onto the desktop (it should copy them there), and then from the desktop to the flash drive. Eject the flash drive and connect it to the Blu-ray player's USB port. The files will pop up in a list, and you can select which ones you want to watch with your remote control.
Although this question involves specific pieces of equipment, the takeaway for all readers is that your Blu-ray players and HDTVs have USB ports and memory card slots that add useful and fun capabilities. Sadly, they often go unused.
Do you have an AVCHD camcorder or a digital camera that records pictures and movies onto SD or SDHC memory cards? If your Blu-ray player or HDTV has a memory card slot, it will often play these movies and pictures.
Specific capabilities depend on the age and model of your television. For example, a friend has a three-year-old Panasonic plasma HDTV with an SD card slot. The television will display photographs but not movies. For movies, he uses the SD card slot on his Blu-ray player.
