Spectaculum
How to watch OneDrive videos on your TV
OneDrive is one of the most common places to keep videos: it comes with Windows, Microsoft 365 includes 1 TB, and lots of people back up their entire phone there. The trouble starts when you want to watch them on the TV. There's no official OneDrive app for Android TV, the TV's browser isn't up to long videos, and copying everything to a USB drive every time is slow and falls short with files that are several gigabytes.
In this guide we go over the options, with their real pros and cons, and walk through the steps with Spectaculum on an Android TV or Google TV.
The options, from simplest to most convenient
| Option | Works well for | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Casting from your phone (Chromecast) | A short video every now and then | You often have to mirror your whole phone screen, which keeps the phone busy and draining battery, and quality drops over Wi-Fi |
| USB flash drive or hard drive | A couple of movies for the weekend | You have to copy files every time, and many TVs can't read NTFS drives or MKV files with DTS audio |
| A server like Plex or Jellyfin | Large libraries on a drive at home | It needs a computer or NAS running all day; with OneDrive as the source, the server first has to download the files |
| An app that reads OneDrive directly on the TV | Having your library always at hand with nothing to maintain | It depends on your internet speed, since the video comes from the cloud |
If your videos are already on OneDrive and you don't want to keep a computer running, the last option is the most convenient. That's what Spectaculum does.
Step by step on Android TV or Google TV
1. Install the app on your TV
Get it from the Google Play Store on your TV, or from play.google.com on your computer by choosing your TV as the device. It works on TVs with Android TV or Google TV and on devices like Chromecast with Google TV, Xiaomi Mi Box or Nvidia Shield.
2. Connect OneDrive with a code
Typing an email and password with the remote is a pain, so on the TV the app shows a short code and a web address. On your phone or computer, go to that address, enter the code and sign in with your Microsoft account. The TV connects on its own within a few seconds.
The permission it asks for is read-only access to your files. The app can't delete, move or share anything in your OneDrive.
3. Pick your videos folder
A typical OneDrive has thousands of photo and document folders. Instead of going through all of it, open the Files tab, find the folder where you keep your movies or shows and use Scan here. You can repeat this with several folders: the library adds them up instead of replacing them.
As it explores, titles start showing up with their posters. In a folder with a thousand videos, the first ones appear in under a minute.
4. Watch and resume
Pick a movie or an episode and hit play. Use the arrows on the remote to skip forward and back, and change the audio language or subtitles from the menu. If you stop halfway, next time it shows up in Continue watching at the exact minute.
How much internet speed you need
The video travels from Microsoft's servers to your TV with no conversion in between, so the speed you need depends on how the file is encoded, not on the app. As a rough guide:
- A typical 1080p video (2 to 4 GB per movie) needs about 5 to 8 Mbps of steady speed.
- A high-quality 4K copy (40 to 60 GB) can need 50 Mbps or more.
- Over Wi-Fi, a TV far from the router is usually the bottleneck. If it pauses to buffer, try an Ethernet cable or move the router closer.
Common problems
The video plays but there's no sound
This happens with files that have DTS or AC3 audio on players that don't support it. Spectaculum on Android TV uses the mpv engine, which decodes those formats without relying on the TV. We explain it in detail in MKV with DTS or AC3 audio on Android.
A movie shows up with the wrong title
Recognition is based on the file name. Long-press the poster to search for it manually, or check out how to name your files so it doesn't happen again.
Subtitles don't show up
If the subtitle is inside the MKV, it appears in the subtitles menu. If it's a separate .srt file, put it in the same folder as the video: it shows up in that same menu, ready to pick. If you don't have the file, you can also search for it on OpenSubtitles from there.