If you're reading this, you have probably borrowed an eBook or audiobook from our collection, but did you know your library card can unlock thousands of hours of free movies, TV series, concerts, and online courses? Yep, you're all set for an entertainment marathon, educational deep-dive, or a jam session and it only takes a few simple setup steps to get going.
Keep reading below to learn more about how to access Kanopy, Hoopla, Qello, IndieFlix, and LinkedIn Learning videos! This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of content, but they all have one thing in common...
The Easy Option
Almost universally, if you install any of our eLibrary app for video streaming on your smartphone, and have a TV connected to your home network, you'll see one of the following icons in the upper right corner of the video once it starts playing:
Clicking these buttons for Chromecast or Airplay is by far the easiest way to enjoy our streaming collection in the least number of steps.
The Pro Option
Here's the thing, if you find yourself streaming a lot, you may also want to install a Smart TV app for these streaming services too. Just be aware the step by step instructions to do this takes more time, but it's almost always a 1-time setup. Personally speaking, installing these app versions on your TV is also a nice reminder to check out new releases because you'll see it listed alongside other pay services like Netflix, Max, Hulu, YouTube, etc.
Rather than list all of the possible options, here's the how-to list for Kanopy, our biggest video streaming collection. It's easy, I promise!
- Watching Kanopy on Amazon Fire TV
- Watching Kanopy on Android TV and Google TV
- Watching Kanopy on Apple TV and AirPlay
- Watching Kanopy with Chromecast
- Watching Kanopy on Roku
- Watching Kanopy on Samsung TV
- Watching Kanopy on Telstra TV
Tips & Tricks
For the true film aficionados, here's how I stream and why.
- Always start your search from the library catalog. This lets me know if we have a Blu-Ray version, which I always prefer. For new releases this is often the fastest way to see them because sometimes it takes a few months for a new title to reach our library vendors.
- If we do have the streaming option, I like to borrow it immediately or bookmark it within Kanopy or Hoopla.
- Now that the title is bookmarked it's a lot easier to find from the TV app. I skip the smartphone app and go directly to my list in the TV app. This is important with services like Hoopla or Kanopy because they use a credit system for borrows which expire every month. You don't want to lose those credits to a film you didn't get to watch!
Still Confused? We're Here to eHelp!
Check out our FAQs, watch tutorial videos, or send us an eHelp ticket. It's that easy 😉
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