How to Play Internet Radio Through Your TV or Hi-Fi

Updated 14 September 2026

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The most straightforward way to play internet radio through your TV or hi-fi is to mirror or cast your phone or laptop screen — or simply connect an audio cable from your computer's headphone output to an amplifier's input. All of these approaches work with any browser-based radio player, including 72FM, with no dedicated TV app required. This guide covers every practical method, their audio quality implications, and where a native casting integration would improve the experience.

Why getting radio to a hi-fi matters

Laptop speakers and phone speakers are adequate for background listening. A good hi-fi or a TV's soundbar is where audio quality becomes genuinely audible — and where the difference between a 96kbps stream and a 320kbps one stops being theoretical. If you listen to music seriously, the hi-fi is where you want your radio.

Connecting a high-bitrate station to a proper amplifier and speakers is where the sound quality conversation becomes relevant — the bitrate is the broadcaster's, on either tier.

Method 1: Cast a browser tab to a Chromecast-connected TV or speaker

If your TV has a built-in Chromecast or an attached Chromecast device — or if your hi-fi includes a speaker or streamer with Chromecast built in — you can send audio from your Chrome browser directly.

1. Open 72FM at 72fm.com in Google Chrome on your computer or Android phone.
2. Start playing a station.
3. In Chrome on desktop: click the three-dot menu → Cast → select your device. On Android Chrome: tap the Cast icon in the address bar or use the share menu.
4. Select Cast tab to send the 72FM audio to your TV or hi-fi speaker.

The TV's display will show your browser tab. Audio routes through your TV's speakers or the connected hi-fi system. 72FM has no Cast button of its own, so the browser's own tab-cast is the route.

Method 2: Screen mirror from iPhone (AirPlay to Apple TV or AirPlay-enabled speakers)

AirPlay allows an iPhone or Mac to mirror audio and video to an Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible receiver.

1. Open 72FM in Safari on your iPhone or Mac.
2. Start playing a station.
3. On iPhone: swipe to open Control Centre → tap the AirPlay icon → select your Apple TV or AirPlay speaker. On Mac: click the AirPlay icon in the menu bar → select your device.
4. Audio routes to the selected output. The TV display shows your browser, or audio-only goes to a speaker.

Method 3: HDMI cable from laptop to TV

A direct HDMI connection between laptop and TV is the simplest, most reliable method — no wireless, no compatibility questions.

1. Connect your laptop to the TV via HDMI.
2. Set your TV to the HDMI input.
3. Your TV becomes a second screen (or the primary display). Your laptop's audio outputs through the TV's speakers.
4. Open 72FM in any browser, find a station, press play.

For audio-only to a hi-fi: connect the laptop's headphone output to the amplifier's line input with a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable (or 3.5mm-to-3.5mm if the amp accepts it). This carries the audio without sending a video signal — the TV need not be involved at all.

This is the highest-reliability method. No pairing, no apps, no network hiccups. Audio quality depends on the stream bitrate; the cable itself introduces no additional degradation.

Method 4: Smart TV browser

Many modern smart TVs have a built-in web browser. If yours does, you can open 72FM directly on the TV without involving a phone or laptop. On Amazon Fire TV the browser is Silk; radio on Fire tablet and Fire TV walks through it, and radio on a smart TV covers Samsung, LG, Roku and Google TV.

1. Open the smart TV's browser.
2. Navigate to 72fm.com.
3. Search for a station using the remote (or a Bluetooth keyboard if your TV supports one).
4. Press play.

Remote navigation of a web player isn't as smooth as mouse control, but for setting up a station to play in the background, it works. The Ctrl+K search shortcut may not function on TV remote keyboards — navigate to search manually.

Method 5: DLNA / network streaming (audio only)

If your hi-fi or AV receiver is network-connected and supports DLNA or UPnP, you may be able to push audio from a phone or computer to it using a DLNA controller app. This is a less common route for web radio and depends heavily on your specific equipment; 72FM does nothing to support it directly. Many of these apps and receivers also accept a station's direct address; how to find a radio stream URL shows where to get one.

Comparing the methods

Getting the best sound quality

The method you choose affects the audio path, but the bottleneck is usually the stream itself:

• Standard public-directory streams vary in quality — 64kbps to 192kbps is common.
• Bitrate is per station, not per tier — the figure on each station card is what you'll hear on the free tier and on Premium alike. On a good hi-fi, this is where quality becomes audible.
• Wired connections (HDMI, 3.5mm cable) eliminate wireless compression and network jitter.
• Use a premium browser tab on a wired computer for the cleanest signal chain: Ethernet to router → browser → 72FM → cable to hi-fi.

Premium is worth considering for TV and hi-fi listening if the radio stays on all evening — it lifts the one-hour daily limit; the sound quality depends on the station you choose, not the tier.

In short

An HDMI cable or a 3.5mm audio cable from your laptop to your hi-fi is the most reliable way to get 72FM through a proper sound system today — no compatibility uncertainty, excellent audio quality. Chromecast and AirPlay are excellent wireless alternatives if your equipment supports them. Smart TV browsers work but depend on the TV model.

For serious listening, a high-bitrate station makes the most obvious difference — and a good amp is where you'll notice it; 72FM Premium doesn't change the bitrate, it removes the daily hour.

Ready to hear what radio sounds like on a proper system? Start exploring on 72FM — or read about what bitrate actually does to the sound first.