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Most modern smart TVs are capable of playing video files in MKV format. Here’s how to do it:
Playing MKV files on your TV via USB
- First, check whether your TV has a USB port and whether your model supports MKV playback. You can find this information in the user manual or on the manufacturer’s website, for example.
- Copy the MKV file to a USB stick or an external hard drive with a USB port.
- Connect the USB storage device to your TV and switch it on.
- Navigate to the option for playing files from your USB device in your TV’s menu. With most manufacturers, this is done by selecting your USB device from a list of inputs, or by first launching the TV’s built-in media player and then navigating to the MKV file and playing it.
Playing MKV files on a Blu-ray player
Unfortunately, some manufacturers do not support playing MKV files directly on the TV. In such cases, you can use a secondary device: your DVD or Blu-ray player with a USB port.
- Connect your USB storage device to the relevant port on the player and switch it on.
- On most manufacturers’ devices, you can access playback either via the player’s main menu or a media player app on the device. From there, select the desired MKV file and play it.
Streaming MKV files to your TV
If your hardware isn’t compatible, you can also stream your MKV file to your TV from a streaming-capable device.
- Provided your TV supports streaming via the home network, in most cases you can access media content on your PC via a DLNA connection. Here’s how to do this on Windows 7, for example.
- Some manufacturers offer their own streaming solutions for their TVs. We’ll show you how to stream from your laptop to your Samsung Smart TV.
- You can also use HDMI sticks such as Google’s Chromecast to send local files to your TV via your home network.
Playing MKV files via a laptop or PC
If none of these solutions work for you, this final option involves connecting a PC or laptop to your TV so you can watch your MKV file on your TV.
- To do this, connect a PC or laptop to your TV using, for example, an HDMI cable, and switch on both devices.
- Normally, your PC will automatically detect the connection and mirror your desktop onto your TV. If this does not happen, you can enable the output in your graphics card settings.
- Finally, start playing the MKV file on your computer.
