TIRED of watching YouTube videos on small screens?

How about doing it on a plasma screen or LCD TV?

For one thing, the video quality for the most part is surprisingly good on a large screen.

With YouTube moving to higher resolution video progressively, things will only get better, although HD quality is still out of the question due to bandwidth issues.

And you can always use other online video portals like Veoh (www.veoh.com) if you prefer their quality.

Try playing YouTube on a big screen TV the next time you throw a party.

Here are some likely scenarios:

Retro fans can try streaming music videos from the 1980s to jazz up a class reunion.

American Idol fans can set up an endless audition of singing performances from the show.

Comedy fans can organise a 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' marathon with non-stop skits from the famed stand-up comic show.

The main advantage of YouTube is the breath of video offerings, thanks to the current 'anything goes' environment.

In any case, there are a few ways to YouTube your living room.

The key assumption here is that you already have a wireless network in your home, to let your devices share your broadband Internet connection.

One option is to plonk a computer like the Sony Vaio VGX-TP2G ($2,499) and the Apple Mac mini (from $1,048), or use a notebook computer.

Of course, the computer should have the necessary video output connections and the requisite cables to hook up to your TV.

Also, make sure you connect the audio output to a rocking home theatre speaker system, for the best results.

Alternatively, get a device like the Apple TV (from $497) that can connect to the Internet to watch YouTube videos.

In my case, I am using the Sony PlayStation 3 to access YouTube, via a Wi-Fi Internet connection.

The game console's web browser has a nifty zoom effect to upsize the YouTube video window, by using the controller.

Remember to set up a playlist on YouTube, so that you can chain together all your favourite clips to play consecutively.

But first, you have to sign up as a YouTube user, for free.

Then, search for the videos you wish to watch on a regular basis.

Next, just click on the 'Add To Playlists' link.

The new video is then added to an existing list - which can be labelled '1980s videos', for example.

You can also set up a new playlist with a different theme, which is pretty much a 10-second exercise.

If you are too lazy to search and compile, simply subscribe to a pre-set playlist set up by say, the Universal Music Group.

Just remember to click on the 'Play All Videos' option, and you're all set for larger-than-life YouTube fun.

Enjoy!

This story was first published in The New Paper on 04 April, 2008.