Video Streaming Audio Problem

Video contents are freely available online. You only need an internet connection to view the latest movies and TV programs. Fast and more convenient than renting a physical disc. And if you like to get the ambiance of a real movie theatre rather than from a laptop screen, there is no problem, as you can connect it to a big screen TV.

This is easy with paid for legit streaming sites. All you need is a connector, the HDMI. This type of connection carries both video and audio signals. But if you are accessing video contents from free sites, you might need to have additional connection for the audio output. This is because most free sites do not support HDMI audio signal! This means when you plug in your laptop to your TV with the HDMI connector, only the video is mirrored into the TV. It seems like you are watching a silent movie. The laptop's speaker no longer receive the audio signal as the default audio playback is taken over by the TV.

Below is a streaming movie from a free site. The laptop's default audio playback is automatically disabled. And you can notice that the audio level is grey, meaning there is no signal detected. You can bring up the audio playback options by right clicking the speaker icon at the bottom right of the screen and by selecting playback devices.

If you are contented with your laptop's audio output, then you can just use your laptop as the default sound playback. To do this, first you need to right click on the TV's playback icon then click disable from the menu.

Then right click on the laptop's speaker and click enable. Do not forget to click on the OK button.

This will bring back the audio playback to your laptop. 

And if you are not contented to the audio output, you can enhance it by connecting to a sound system with a 3.5mm male to male stereo connector. This is the same size connector that your earphone has!

If you do not have a separate sound system then check if your computer still have a VGA output and an VGA input on your TV. If your TV have this, it is automatic that there is a 3.5mm audio input near the VGA input. You then need a VGA connector, like the connector from a desktop PC, and a  3.5mm male to male stereo connector to connect into your TV for the sound.

If you do not have these equipments, then you can try to download the video first before playback. If you are successful in downloading, the HDMI should work.