Modern technology has reached the point where data transmission over wires no longer surprises anyone. Moreover, now everyone is trying to use a wireless connection. Be it Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Of course, working with wireless devices is much nicer than getting confused in a bunch of unnecessary wires. Many even manage to broadcast the image using wireless technology. A wireless display is already the harsh truth of life, not fiction. An ordinary TV can also act as this device. The main thing is to know how to connect it to a computer, smartphone or tablet. This is what we are now trying to figure out.
Why is this needed?
This is a good question. Most average users do not need such features. But sometimes you want to quickly connect a tablet, laptop or smartphone to the TV to view photos or do something else. Connect the wire, configure the settings and connection for too long. It’s easier to do without wires. Some manage to watch movies like that. And even play. The Wireless Display feature is quite interesting in this regard.
To connect this option, the TV must have a Wi-Fi adapter. It is also highly desirable to have the option Smart TV. But this is no longer necessary. Using a wireless connection, you can even connect a camera to a TV or other display device to view pictures. It’s more convenient than looking at the small screen of the device. The "wireless display" allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices to the TV and simply move between them as needed. Now consider some of the nuances of such a connection.
The risks
Of course, there is little chance that something will go wrong. But she is scanty. However, you should warn all users that the quality of the image transmitted using a wireless connection is not comparable to the full digital HDMI format. If you want to watch movies or play games this way, then know that nothing will come of it. The fact is that Wi-Fi cannot yet provide an ultra-wide channel for transferring all data in an uncompressed form. Before being transmitted over the air, the data is compressed and already in this form is transmitted to the wireless display. And this is fraught with slowdowns and low picture quality. You can still view photos, but high-definition video in this mode will not be available.
Opportunities
So, if everything is not so rosy, then what can you do when connecting a wireless display? A lot of things. You can, for example, surf the Internet using a PC. Just the image will be transmitted to the TV. You can view photos and some not very dynamic videos. You can work with documents. You can chat on Skype. Just keep in mind that the image will all be in pixels. And they will be of gigantic size. It is likely that in the near future, wireless data transmission technologies will also allow transmitting HD content. But you need to wait a little longer. In the meantime, we will be content with what we have. Now let's answer the question of how to connect a wireless display.
Connect a PC running Windows 7
There are several possibilities to connect a PC or laptop to the TV wirelessly. However, you need a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Intel WiDi or Miracast. Without this, nothing will come of it. Well, and, of course, you need a TV that supports both of these standards. But there is no problem. All modern "boxes" are equipped with appropriate adapters. And if not, then buying an external adapter is not difficult. So, configure the "Wireless Display" in Windows 7.
First of all, you need to turn on the TV and activate it in the Intel WiDi settings. Then open the utility of the same name on the PC. You may need a special code for the connection, which will be displayed on the TV screen. You just need to enter the code in the appropriate window on the PC and click "OK". The connection is picked up and configured by itself. If not, then you need to update the drivers of the Wi-Fi adapter and video card. In the case of using Miracast, you just need to open the Charms panel, click "Devices", then - "Projector" and add a display.
Connecting the display in the "top ten"
Now consider the question of how to connect a wireless display in Windows 10. In the case of Miracast, everything is ridiculously simple here. It is enough to press the key combination Win and P. After that, a dialog box will appear in which all displays will be displayed. If there is nothing there (in the case of using this option for the first time), then you need to click on the link at the end of the "Connect to a wireless display" window. The computer will begin to search and identify available devices. You just have to choose your TV and connect to it. At first, brakes and image glitches are possible. But over time, everything should stabilize.
If after pressing the specified key combination there is not even a hint of activation of Miracast, then this problem has several explanations. The first is irrelevant wireless adapter drivers. This can often be the case if you are using standard Microsoft drivers. Solution: go to the official website of the device developer and download the latest drivers for the network adapter. The second explanation is unlikely to please users. In Windows, the wireless display may not work because the PC or laptop is too old and simply does not support this option. There is only one way out: try setting up a DLNA server. But this is a completely different story.
Configuring DLNA on Windows 10
So what should I do if the Windows “Wireless Display” does not work due to outdated hardware? In that case, if you need to broadcast movies to a TV, you can set up a DLNA server and use it. You need to find "Multimedia streaming options", click "Enable multimedia streaming", give a name to the DLNA server (any) and designate the folders that can be viewed on TV. After all these manipulations, it will be enough to right-click on the desired multimedia file and select "Send to device". Also, the "shared" folders will be available in the built-in browser of the TV. Subject to the availability of SmartTV.
Of course, this is not the only way to configure a DLNA server. There are many third-party programs that work immediately, out of the box, and do not require any settings. However, it is worth noting that HD movies cannot be watched in this way. The wireless channel is not wide enough. With this connection, you will have to disconnect all torrents, smartphones and tablets from Wi-Fi and not even breathe towards the router. Then it will be possible to achieve a more or less sane picture. You can also use an advanced and expensive router, but not the fact that such a solution will help.
Connecting smartphones and tablets
In the case of mobile devices, connecting to a wireless display will have to be done exclusively using DLNA. There is simply no other option. Although the iPhone has a proprietary option AirPort, but for this you need a proprietary display from Apple. As usual with the Yabloko. So, we will not consider such an opportunity. Connecting a smartphone to Android or iOS to a TV using DLNA is very simple. It is enough to launch the corresponding application on the device and select the connection using DLNA in the TV settings. Then everything will happen by itself.
It is worth noting that the possibility of such a connection is available on almost all devices. Unless you have some ancient "Android 2.3". The "wireless display" with "Android" works quite adequately. However, surfing the Internet is inconvenient due to the presence of a touch screen. But view photos and videos - as much as you like. To play using such a connection is also not very successful. But you can, however, communicate via Skype or some other VOIP application. There are no restrictions.
Xiaomi technology connection
There are subtleties here, since these devices are almost the only ones that support Miracast. Xiaomi's “wireless display” is connected in the settings menu. You need to go to "Settings", select the menu "Screen". There will be an item "Wireless Screen". It needs to be pressed. First you need to turn on the Wi-Fi transmitter on the smartphone itself. You must also enable the WiDI-Miracast option on the TV itself. If everything is done correctly, a dialog box with the name of the connected device will appear on the TV screen. You just need to click on the "Connect" button. On the smartphone, the connection will be established automatically. Probably Xiaomi has the easiest way to set up a connection to a wireless screen using Miracast. No special knowledge is required from the user. Only you need to clearly follow the instructions.
What to do if the smartphone does not see TV?
This is a very common problem. And the point here is not at all in the smartphone. To successfully use DLNA or Miracast on a mobile device, you need to have an appropriate TV. It is known for certain that there are no problems with TVs that are equipped with the SmartTV system and built-in Wi-Fi adapters. Other devices may not work correctly. Somehow to fix the problem in this case is very difficult. It remains only to purchase the appropriate TV.
Some smartphones with Intel WiDi support (there are few of them, but they are) completely refuse to connect to the wireless screen due to the lack of Intel graphics in the device itself. This is a software glitch. And he is treated by replacing the firmware. It is known that at one time the advanced Lenovo K300 suffered from such a “disease ”. But with modern devices, everything is fine.
Feedback from users using this option.
Most of those who use this option are owners of PCs and laptops. They take full advantage of wireless connectivity and are therefore wildly happy. If you have a wireless mouse and keyboard, users say surfing the Internet, working with documents or photos is a pleasure. And indeed it is. But there are big problems with the video. Especially with HD and Full HD. The fact that the popular MKV files are displayed crookedly and incomprehensibly brings a lot of problems. But it should be so. Wi-Fi is far from HDMI. And this has to be reckoned with.
Those who use mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) with the “Wireless Display” option are not at all happy, because there are frequent crashes, glitches and brakes. Of particular note is the ease of use. He is not there. Still, the use of such technology in tandem with touch devices is a big mistake. We have to constantly pay attention to the small screen of the device and "poke" into it. However, tablets with keyboard and mouse support have no such problems. Things are best on devices using Windows as the operating system.
Finally
So, we examined the question of how to connect a wireless display to various devices. The conclusion is: it is most convenient to use this option on laptops and PCs. You can work very productively, surf the Internet, view captured photos. But there will be problems with the video. Mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), although they have this option, can not boast of special comfort when using it. But the only opportunity to broadcast an image from a smartphone to a TV without wires is an unhealthy interest. Therefore, many try. And they are satisfied.