Owners of mobile devices, even with a sufficiently large screen size, often prefer to view photos or videos not on their gadget, but rather connect the phone via TV. Modern models of both mobile devices and televisions have all the prerequisites for making such connections. Well, the advantages of data transfer are completely undeniable.
What can be transferred from the phone to the TV panel?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of users are limited only to watching photos, movies, and videos stored in the device’s memory on the Smart TV panel. But the possibilities of modern technology are much wider.
Here the whole point is that with any connection option, which will be considered separately, it is possible to carry out not only the transfer of video or graphics to the big screen. With the same ease, when installing the appropriate software, you can watch online TV, play clips from the same YouTube resource or even manage it from your phone or tablet, if such a service is provided on the TV. Finally, on the TV panel, you can easily broadcast games or programs used on mobile devices. As you can see, there are no restrictions. But the most important question in solving the problem of how to transfer the image from the phone to the TV, in any case, remains the choice of the best way to connect the gadget to the panel. Consider the most common options.
How to transfer image from phone to TV: basic connection methods
Conventionally, the options for connecting a mobile device and a TV panel can be divided into two main types: wired and wireless. Almost all modern TV models support at least one technology for transmitting reproducible data or have built-in Wi-Fi modules. However, aging panels also have their own solutions, although they seem somewhat cumbersome.
Among all that is currently offered on the market for such developments, the main options are the following:
- USB cable
- regular cable with connectors like "tulip";
- wired connection via MHL / HDMI cable;
- Slim Port cable
- connection via home Wi-Fi networks;
- use of specialized technologies (Miracast, AirPlay and their analogues).
In the simplest version, you can use a conventional TV panel that connects via USB, rather than modern Smart TV models. In this case, the mobile device will be recognized solely as a flash drive from which the image, video or audio files recorded on it are played. This is too primitive, you should not dwell on such connections, especially since it will not work to broadcast programs, games or streaming video from the Internet to the screen. You can use UPnP technology, but it is also something like a USB transfer, but without wires. Let us dwell on more functional connection methods.
Using an HDMI cable (MHL connection)
So, we will make a reservation right away that issues related to how to relay the image from the TV to the phone screen will not be considered for reasons that it is simply impractical. In this case, we are interested in connecting mobile devices to TV panels with the corresponding data transfer direction.
So, the simplest way is to connect two devices using the most common HDMI cable. In a sense, such a connection resembles the establishment of a USB connection, however, the phone or tablet is no longer perceived as a removable storage device, but is recognized as a fully functional gadget. Although the presence of wires may seem to many yesterday's technology, such a connection has several advantages, since there are no delays in transmitting the image at all. It is absolutely easy to broadcast video in Ultra HD quality with 7.1 sound (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD) and even charge mobile devices whose power does not exceed 10 V. Three types of cables can be used to display the image:
- Standard HDMI with an adapter in conjunction with a micro-USB cable for connecting external power.
- An MHL cable that connects to the TV panel via the HDMI connector directly.
- Samsung special 11-pin cable. An adapter is required to connect devices with 5-pin connectors.
The first option can be called universal, but the rest of the connection types are supported by a limited number of TV panels and mobile gadgets.
Prerequisites for establishing a wireless connection
Another simple solution to the question of how to transfer the image from the phone to the TV can be called the combination of two devices via a home wireless network.
True, in this case, the TV must have a built-in Wi-Fi-module. If not, you can purchase an external plug-in device that uses a USB port. In addition, for example, on Android devices, it is supposed to enable Wi-Fi Direct mode. The activation of such a connection on different models of TV panels will be considered separately.
Wireless DLNA
When establishing a connection through your home network, you can use the built-in DLNA tools that are available on Android systems. Unfortunately, activating such a connection in apple devices is rather problematic, but you can install applications like My Remote from Phillips Corporation as a kind of bridge.
By the way, on Android, you can also abandon the standard tools and install programs like PlugPlayer or make a connection through the universal media player WD TV Live. However, this is not the most convenient option, since with a fairly high load on the wireless network, transmission delays can be observed, and the connection speed set by the provider for the home wireless network also plays an important role.
Miracast Technology
One of the most universal means is the use of specialized technologies directly designed to solve the problems of broadcasting images from mobile devices to TV panels. This is Miracast technology. Different manufacturers may have a different designation. So, for example, Samsung has a similar Screen Mirroring function, Sony has Mirror Link, Apple has AirPlay.
But the pioneers were still Android systems. To connect on a smartphone or tablet, you first need to turn on Wi-Fi and enter the Wi-Fi Direct settings, and on the TV, select Miracast as the source. On a mobile device, a TV is further selected, which should appear in the list, after which multimedia output is set in the settings. It should be noted that not all smartphones support screen rotation. But on Sony Xperia ZL, when you change the orientation from portrait to landscape, the picture on the TV panel automatically rotates. And as already clear, the image from the phone to the WiFi TV is transmitted only if the panel is a generation of Smart TV.
Connect via AirPlay
Now a few words about the "apple" technology AirPlay. In fact, it is almost a complete analogue of Miracast TV. However, the transfer cannot be carried out without the need for the first thing - a special Apple TV set-top box, which connects directly to the TV.
To use the video replay function on the device, double-tap the Home button, scroll down the list of available applications and find AirPlay. Upon entering the section, all currently available devices that can receive a signal will be displayed. Just select the connected media player and activate the transfer.
Using Streambels and WiDi
The Streambels software product developed by Clockworkmod can hardly be called the likeness of Miracast or AirPlay. The screen of the mobile device is not duplicated when connected. It is only possible to play files, as happens with a normal USB connection.
But WiDi technology was originally developed as an alternative to Miracast, but it has not received much distribution. Until now, it is mainly used in Intel laptops, although recently there have been attempts to integrate it into mobile gadgets.
Features of connecting to some TV models
Now let's look at some of the nuances of broadcasting a signal to certain models of TV panels.
The easiest way is to display the image from the phone to the LG TV. When the connection is activated in the smartphone on the TV, the network and the Wi-Fi Direct section are selected in the main menu. After that, it just remains to wait until the panel determines the mobile device.
On Sony TVs, the "Remote Control" section is selected using the remote control button, then the "Guide" menu, then the "Other Methods" section, where you need to remember or record the SSID and WPA parameters. They will then have to be entered when the smartphone is connected.
On the Samsung panels, in the main menu, the "Network" section is selected, after which the switch opposite the "Program.AP" line is set to the on position. After that, go to the security key section and set a unique password to access the connection. Only after that, the access point is selected on the Android device, the network is connected, and when the file is selected, the Share button is pressed.
Possible playback problems
So, the question of how to transfer the image from the phone to the TV has already been addressed. However, when using any type of connection, you need to pay attention to some possible problems associated with broadcast violations.
First of all, this concerns the use of Miracast. With this connection, disconnection may occur if there are obstacles between the TV and the mobile device. It is believed that the smaller the distance between devices, the better.
Some devices have the ability to transmit copy-protected files, but the same Phillips TV panels do not support their playback.
The load on the wireless network can increase many times, since when playing streaming video, the image is first transferred to the mobile device, and only then it is displayed on the TV. As a result, there is a delay, braking, lagging sound from video, etc. Finally, not all mobile devices support the creation of two connections. For example, some models of Sony smartphones can connect either to the Internet or to Miracast (Mirror Link).
Instead of an afterword
But in general, the question of how to transfer the image of the phone to the TV is solved quite simply. In any case, from the above, you can choose for yourself something suitable. Among the many tips, we can separately highlight recommendations regarding the fact that for any type of connection it is desirable to have both a mobile device and a TV of the same manufacturer. In this case, there will be no problems at all.