Okay, here's a dumb TV in a hotel question.

[macphanatic]

To access the ports on hotel tv's you will need to use the buttons on the tv. Most of the remotes won't access them. So, if the tv recognizes the flash drive, you may not have a way to get the media to play.

I travel with either a Fire Stick or a Raspberry Pi media player. Most of the hotel tv's have at least 1 HDMI port. In some cases, I can power the Fire Stick with the USB port on the tv. The port won't power a Pi 4.

I really wish that Apple (or someone) would make a HDMI dongle that creates AirPlay access. Using an Apple TV in hotels can be a real pain as you typically need a webpage to sign into the wifi. There are ways around this, but it requires carrying more hardware. Now that you can install the Apple TV app on a Fire Stick, this may be the best solution available now.

[Zoidberg]

I think the last time we were on an extended trip -- and it was a long time ago -- I just brought my AppleTV & used the condo's wi-fi. It worked fine; I think I got one buffering problem at the load of a movie.

[Ombligo]

Robert M wrote:
Ombligo,

The issue is when two (or more) people want to watch simultaneously. That's when watching off a laptop/tablet/phone becomes an issue. Was on the couch with Little M watching frozen on an iPad mini. It wasn't particularly comfy. She kept hogging the screen!

Robert

I agree that is an issue for multiple viewers, but the OP was going to be watching alone.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

.

[macphanatic]

Zoidberg wrote:
I think the last time we were on an extended trip -- and it was a long time ago -- I just brought my AppleTV & used the condo's wi-fi. It worked fine; I think I got one buffering problem at the load of a movie.

Hotels are a different animal. Most require wifi login via a webpage. Apple TV doesn't like this. Not sure if one can share wifi password via iOS to an Apple TV for a hotel network or not. Might have to try doing so the next time I drive to a hotel.

[Robert M]

Ombligo,

You and I read his post differently. Came across to me that more than one person would be watching the content. If it was just him, it'd be easier to watch on the device and be done with it. Really no need to play the video on or send it to the TV.

Robert

[pqrst]

I’d call the property and ask if you hook up your own device. Maybe fudge it a bit and say you’ve got home movies you want to show friends in the room. Have a good time.

[space-time]

pqrst wrote:
I’d call the property and ask if you hook up your own device. Maybe fudge it a bit and say you’ve got home movies you want to show friends in the room. Have a good time.

Pron movies!

[macphanatic]

space-time wrote:
[quote=pqrst]
I’d call the property and ask if you hook up your own device. Maybe fudge it a bit and say you’ve got home movies you want to show friends in the room. Have a good time.

Pron movies!
You jest, however, hotel staff in many cities look for clues of people using hotel rooms to shoot pron. It's not as uncommon as one would think.

[wurm]

Speedy wrote:
Not as small as a USB stick, but I would use my laptop and an HDMI cable.

That's what we ended up doing. Worked out great. Thanks.