As an owner of a smart TV, I was frustrated to discover that Netflix movies couldn’t be downloaded directly onto my device. After a bit of research and testing, I’m here to share what I’ve learned and how I was able to solve this issue. In this blog post, I’ll discuss the various ways you can download Netflix movies onto your TV so that you can watch them without an internet connection.
TVs are not on the list of devices Netflix allows for downloads. However, there are ways to watch downloaded Netflix movies and shows on your TV through other devices like your mobile phone, tablet, or computer that have the Netflix app installed. You could then connect these devices to your TV.
| Tips: |
|---|
| TVs are not supported devices for Netflix downloads. |
| You can download Netflix movies and shows on other devices. |
| There is a limit of 100 different shows, titles, or movies. |
| You can watch downloaded Netflix movies and shows on your TV. |
| Downloaded titles may expire, so you will get a notification. |
Table of Contents
Can Downloaded Netflix Movies On Your TV?
TVs, including Android TVs, are not listed as a supported device for Netflix downloads. There are ways to watch Netflix from another device supported for download and show it on your TV while offline.
How To Download On The Netflix App
On the device you are using, your Netflix app, you just search for the title you would like to download, and next to the options to play the movie or episode, you will see the download icon.
You may download any movies or shows on the Netflix app with the download icon, and you can find them in your downloads tab in the Netflix app.
All the downloads you have done with Netflix depend on the app and device you have used to download them. If you delete your app, end your subscription with Netflix, or try to log in on another device, you will need to download those titles again.
How To Watch Downloaded Netflix Movies On Your TV
You may download movies or shows on the Netflix app to your mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, including your PC.
Once you have downloaded the show you want to watch, you can connect the device to your TV and watch it from the device over to your TV; you won’t need an internet connection.
Smart TVs have the option for you to either mirror your mobile device onto the TV or connect the device with an HDMI cable. Once your device is showing on the TV, you can watch Netflix what you have downloaded on the Netflix app off the device.
Why Won’t A Netflix Movie Download To My device?
Since Netflix has made it clear that TVs are not included in their list of capable download devices, the download option will not be present on your Smart or Android TV.
Therefore you will need to use another device from the list of supported devices if you intend to download movies and shows on the Netflix app.
There are a couple of reasons why your previously supported device, which perhaps in the past you have used for downloading or you have seen, is compatible according to the official Netflix specifications list.
No Space Left On Your Device
Although these downloads can only be played through the Netflix app, they still take up space on your device.
When your device doesn’t have adequate space for a title you are trying to download, it is impossible to download it, and the app should notify you of the issue.
Selected Title Can’t Be Downloaded
Selected titles won’t be available for download on Netflix for various reasons, from Netflix not owning the rights to the title only being available seasonally.
When you notice a title isn’t available to download, it could fall into one of these categories as an exception. Netflix generally strives to make as many of its titles available for download as possible,
Subscribing Already Downloading On Too Many Devices
There are four different types of subscriptions to Netflix, the mobile user, the basic user, the standard user, and the premium user. Each type of subscription restricts downloading to a certain number of devices.
The mobile and basic subscriptions only allow one device to download at a time, while the standard subscription could have two devices downloading simultaneously.
The premium subscription allows up to four devices to be downloaded at once, so how many devices are allowed to download depends on your subscription type.
Is There A Limit To How Many Shows Can Be Downloaded On Netflix?
The limit for storing downloads at one time is 100 different shows, titles, or movies on a single device.
The amount of downloaded items also depends on the space on your device, and you cannot move these downloads; only delete them to make more room.
Do Downloaded Movies Or Shows On Netflix Expire?
Titles available on Netflix vary from time to time, and some shows or movies are removed from their database to make way for new additions. There is often an expiration for any titles downloaded, varying from show to show.
The Netflix app is wonderfully developed, and they put their users first; you will always be notified when a title is about to expire when there are seven days remaining, and if for some reason the title is automatically available for less than seven days, there is transparency about how much time is left too.
Conclusion
Although you can’t download directly to your TV from Netflix, you can download movies and shows on other devices through the Netflix app that can then be shown on the TV. Mirroring your smartphone to the TV to watch a downloaded title on the Netflix app is a really simple and convenient way to watch Netflix while offline.
You could also connect to the TV with an HDMI cable, which can connect to any device and may provide a more permanent solution for watching TV with the Netflix app. The Netflix app offers great titles for an affordable subscription and this solution to watch while offline is great too.
Read more: Can you place a bigger TV on a smaller stand?
References
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/54816
https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-download-Netflix-video-on-my-Smart-TV-if-it-has-storage-capacity
https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/how-to-download-movies-and-tv-shows-from-netflix/
