How to stream the content of your smartphone on to a television wirelessly
Do you want to stream the content of your smartphone on to a television or through a projector wirelessly via Google Chromecast, Miracast or Apple's iOS Devices? If you want to play your favorite games on LED TV or watch a new movie from mobile phone on big screen, this article tells you different ways of connecting up wirelessly.
In these times of smart devices, you do not need to carry a laptop to make presentations or get that big screen effect. Now stream the content of your smartphone on to a television or through a projector wirelessly. If you have been waiting to play your favorite ,games on your LED TV or if you want to watch a new movie from your mobile phone on a big screen, this article tells you different ways of connecting up. If you travel too much and need to make and carry your presentations along, you will definitely appreciate the wireless alternatives now available. The seamless connections via Google Chromecast, Miracast and Apple's iOS Devices may need some extra equipment but are trendy in today's world of high-technology.Options to stream smartphone content onto TV
Forget the hassles of wires. Read below to know how easily you can get the big screen effect wirelessly.
Miracast
If your smartphone or tablet runs on Blackberry Operating System or on Android, your device must be having a micro HDMI port. Some Blackberry or Android devices lack this port but the chances are high that the port is present. You already know that you just have to plug in a micro HDMI to HDMI cable and you will be able to see the screen of your smart device on a TV or projector with HDMI port but if you want to do this wirelessly, check if your device supports Miracast. Miracast is very common in devices running on Android's 4.2 or higher versions. Blackberry Q5, Q10, Z30 and other latest models also support Miracast. It does not need a Wi-Fi network to be set up. However, if you own an Apple TV, Miracast would need Wi-Fi network also. If your smart device also has it, the next step is to buy a Miracast dongle. It is available at most computer accessories stores for around Rs. 2900. The dongle needs to be plugged in to your television's HDMI port. It will use a micro USB to power up. You don't have to worry about power connections if your television has a USB port. Miracast would set up its own Wi-Fi between your smart device and the dongle and you will be ready to stream.
The drawback of this method is that if the screen of your smartphone or tablet goes into power save mode or into anti-lock mode, the TV will go blank. Make sure that the device is charged well and if the screen-lock is active, go to the settings and disable it.
Google Chromecast
First, let me clarify the difference between Miracast & Chromecast. Many technology users are confused between the two. Using Miracast, your television or dongle remains dependent on the Android device for the period of usage and if the Android goes to sleep, the television screen blacks out. However, Chromecast relies on your Android only during the initial setup to know the content it is supposed to play. That's it, your Android is free after this and the it will hold no load.
Google Chromecast works through a dongle that costs around Rs. 2200 but retails in India for more than Rs.3000. This dongle is very similar to Miracast dongle and it also plugs into your television's HDMI port taking power from a microUSB source. Just plug it in to your television's HDMI port and Chromecast would set up its Wi-Fi between the smart device and the dongle. This way, you will be ready to stream.
However, unlike Miracast, you won't be able to solve the remote display, run whiteboard utilities, play DRM protected content or make all kinds of presentations using Chromecast but it lets you watch YouTube videos and use the applications which are Chromecast enabled. In my opinion, going for the previously stated (Miracast) dongle is better. When you purchase the dongle, do ask the shopkeeper about the product's specifications and functions.
Apple's iOS Devices
Last year, a small modification was made in iOS devices. The 30-pin analog pin in the USB cable and charger of the iPhone Touch, iPhone and iPad was replaced by a digital lightening connector. This new connector is not only smaller but also much faster. However, if you prefer the wired way and do not like the new digital way of connecting the device, you have the option of buying a 30-pin to HDMI, 30-pin to VGA, Lightening to HDMI or Lightening to VGA adaptor. Make sure that you have the right cables for the devices you use. The required cables from Apple should cost in between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 5000. For this method, you need to connect an Apple TV or projector using an HDMI cable. You can also connect the TV to your office or home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. An Apple TV is small, portable and should cost around Rs. 9000. Once the device is connected, your iPhone Touch, iPhone, Macintosh computers and iPad will show an option called Airplay. Airplay is meant basically for securing the presentations. Do not forget to set up a password for Airplay. Else, other devices may hijack your work. Make presentations using the device to read speaker's notes while the slide runs on projector/TV or you have another option of mirroring your device's screen on the Apple TV. The choice is yours but the device and the TV should remain on same network for proper display.
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Singh,
Thank you for the nice article about streaming from iPhone to TV.
I want to stream the content of my Android phone on to my TV. Does Motorola Moto G has any option to stream to the TV? Please suggest the best ways to watch the screen from my phone to the TV.