Disney+ is officially part of the world panorama of digital streaming services. Its catalog offers to the public the best of Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel titles, as well as National Geographic documentaries and many other films of various genres and productions.
Although Disney+ is available on all platforms, from desktop to mobile version for smartphones and tablets, many people are now used to group all their digital streaming applications on a single device: their smart TV.
New generation televisions are always connected to the internet, which allows you to have at your fingertips the entire world panorama of streaming subscriptions, among which you can freely choose. Watching a movie or TV series should be relaxing. No one wants to be forced to set up different systems to access their subscription, even connecting their laptop to the TV.
So can you download the Disney+ app to your Smart TV? The answer is yes. This guide will give you all the information you need to do so. It's good to know that Disney+ is compatible with all major brands of Smart TVs. In case the one you bought or wanted is not included in the list, no problem. In fact, there are methods, which will be explained in this guide, to get around the problem. The same goes for non-smart televisions.
What is Disney Plus and how it works
Disney+ is a new digital streaming service, active in Italy since March 24, 2020. This is the proposal of The Walt Disney Company in a highly competitive landscape, which sees giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video battling to the sound of original productions, whether movies or TV series. Inside there are the best of the worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. All this is possible thanks to the agreement signed with 21st Century Fox, which has significantly enriched the catalog available from day one. The home page is very intuitive, with an easy-to-navigate interface, so that everyone can really find the desired content in a few clicks.
You can subscribe and enjoy content with a 4K Ultra HD resolution, with Dolby Vision. On the audio front instead, the platform boasts Dolby Atmos and object-based audio. A truly immersive surround sound effect is thus guaranteed. È inoltre possibile collegarsi alla versione desktop e a quella mobile, con quest’ultima disponibile con una comoda e ben realizzata app, scaricabile per iOS e Android.
Una volta effettuata la registrazione, il servizio di streaming potrà essere utilizzato su un gran numero di piattaforme. Scaricata l’apposita app, ad esempio, si potrà godere di tutti i contenuti, alla massima risoluzione, su Smart TV, smartphone e tablet Android ed Apple, così come console di vario genere:
- PlayStation
- Xbox
- Nintendo Switch
Per quanto concerne il discorso abbonamento, le vie da poter seguire sono due. La prima prevede un pagamento mensile, pari a 6,99 euro. La seconda è invece annuale, dal costo di 69,99 euro, che consente un risparmio di circa 14 euro nell’arco di 12 mesi. È consentito creare sette profili per ogni singolo utente registrato. This means that seven different viewing histories are available, so that you can comfortably resume a documentary, a TV series or a movie right from the moment you stopped watching it before.
Although Disney+ cares a great deal about the protection of minors, within its catalog you can find content of various kinds. This includes titles that might be deemed unsuitable for an underage audience. For this reason it is possible to set up child profiles, in order to limit the viewing of the catalog.
While it is true that the creation of a maximum of seven different profiles is allowed, there is a limit to the devices on which the account can be connected, equal to ten. On the other hand, there are four screens on which you can stream Disney+ content at the same time.
How to download Disney Plus on a smart TV
The first step is to make sure your smart TV is properly connected to the internet. You can opt for a Wi-Fi connection or, alternatively, for a wired connection, using an Ethernet cable. The second option is preferable because it avoids annoying drops in performance, always ensuring maximum connectivity.
To set up a Wi-Fi connection on your TV, you need to go to Settings. Each TV has a specific button, but it's easy to find it on the bottom of your remote control. The steps are always the same, reaching the gear symbol, clicking and entering the settings section. Then you have to reach the Network and Wi-Fi connection section. In the next screen you will have to locate your home internet network by clicking on its name and then entering the password. After a few moments the connection will be established.
Setting up a wired connection is much faster and simpler. All you have to do is get an Ethernet cable and connect it to the corresponding socket, usually located at the back of your TV set. The other end must be plugged into the Ethernet port of your router.
Every Smart TV has a virtual store in its internal system. This is a store very similar to the one that today's smartphones and tablets have. To access it, you need to press the Menu button on the remote control and then scroll to the store. Press the icon, and you'll be taken to a page where you can search for the Disney+ app.
Once you've clicked on the download button, you can have the app available on your Smart TV. During the first access, and only in this case, until the next log out, you will have to enter your access data. In case you don't remember them by heart and don't have them handy, you can operate in two ways. The first is to start the password recovery process through the Disney+ website. Alternatively, you can start the app on your Smart TV and, at the same time, on another mobile device, such as a smartphone or a tablet. By connecting the latter to the home Wi-Fi network, the same one that sees the television connected, the internal system of the streaming platform will allow free access. The login previously made on your cell phone, or other device, will be valid also for the TV.
In case you have not yet created an account, you will not be able to register through your television. You will have to access the Disney+ web page, start the process, click on the registration button, and then choose the type of subscription, either monthly or yearly.
After logging in to your television, you will be able to choose the viewing profile from the various ones that may be generated. In case you want to add a profile, you can do it by expanding the navigation bar on the left of the Disney+ screen. Just click on Add Profile, then select the icon with the Disney character you prefer. Then you'll have to indicate the name of the profile, and finally click on the Save button. To create a child profile you must instead activate the specific settings, moving to ON the relevant option.
See Disney+ on non-compatible smart TV
You can also access Disney+ from a non-Smart TV or a Smart TV that is not among the few compatible with the digital streaming platform. It is necessary to take advantage of external devices, to be connected to your television.
In this case it will be possible to overcome the problem of internet connection, which is impossible in older televisions. It is not the TV that connects via Wi-Fi, but the device connected to it. These are products that have the Disney+ app in their home screen, or the possibility to download it through internal stores.
One example is Amazon's Fire TV Stick. This is a stick produced by the e-commerce giant, which boasts a very varied home inside, full of applications. In the new models, the Disney+ app is already available, but in case it should not be already installed, alongside Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, you can download it from the internal store.
The connection to the television is via HDMI cable, provided inside the packaging of the stick. The socket will be present in the back of the television. Same process for Apple TV, which boasts the shape of a box. Also in this case you can download the app in the internal store, connecting the box to the television via HDMI cable.
Apple TV offers a particular service, AirPlay, which allows you to broadcast Disney+ content directly from the application opened on your iPhone and iPad. The same discourse is valid for Chromecast, a key that can be connected through an HDMI cable, but which offers the only possibility of projecting on the television the contents launched on Android or iOS mobile devices.
The last alternative is represented by game consoles. Whether you have a PlayStation or an Xbox, you can download the Disney+ app from the internal store, launching the console and enjoying content from the rich catalog.