Have you ever wanted to share a trending TikTok, YouTube, or Facebook video onto a large TV so your friends aren’t huddling around a tiny smartphone? Perhaps you’d like to display a document or spreadsheet so everyone in your conference room can see it on the big screen? If yes, there are many ways to pull this off. Of course, with all the different competing brands of smartphones, smart TV’s, and streaming devices, we have some methods to parse through. Let’s dig in so you can start sharing your smartphone media to a bigger screen like a pro.
Screencasting vs. Screen Mirroring
Perhaps the best place to start is to break down the two main ways to get content from your phone to a TV.
Screencasting
Screencasting is when you send photos, music, or video from your smartphone or tablet to a streaming media player that is connect or integrated with a larger television. After sending media to a target streaming device, your mobile device or computer is freed up to do with what you please. The streaming device, coupled with the TV screen, does the heavy lifting of downloading the media from the internet and playing it. With screencasting, you will save battery on your device and you don’t have to worry about a text message or email popping up while you’re showing something on the TV.
Screen Mirroring
Screen Mirroring “reflects” everything about what is happening on your smartphone, tablet or computer onto the television for everyone in the room to see. This is great for demonstrations or displaying a spreadsheet where it would be helpful for everyone to see realtime changes in a file. When Screen Mirroring, you’d want to keep in mind that text alerts and other notifications may need to be silenced if you think it might be a distraction.
So now that we have basics of the technology down, let’s get into the specifics of platforms and brands.
Screen Mirroring
iOS with Airplay
The only way to Mirror an iOS device is with Apple’s own Airplay protocol (there are options for screencasting to other platforms.)
To get started, go to “Control Center”, select “Screen Mirroring”, and select your compatible Airplay TV or Device. Compatible devices for AirPlay include the Apple TV streaming devices, select TVs made in the last two years from Sony, LG, Visio, and Samsung. Airplay uses WiFi, so your devices will need to be on the same network.
Roku
- Android devices with Smart View, Quick Connect, SmartShare, AllShare Cast, Wireless display, Display mirroring, HTC Connect, Screen casting, Cast should be able to mirror to current Roku devices.
- Windows PCs are also able to screen mirror to Roku media players.
For more details on getting your Android or Windows PC mirroring to a Roku device, check out this article: https://support.roku.com/article/208754928
Amazon Fire TV
Navigate to Settings —> Display and Sound -> Enable Display Mirroring. If you aren’t sure if your Fire TV device is able to mirror, hold the Home button and you should see a Mirroring icon if it’s available.
Screencasting
Android
Screencasting from and Android device varies depending on the brand of phone but it’s usually found under Network or Display Settings. Screencast may be branded as: Android SmartVue, Wireless Display, Cast, Screen Casting, Quick Connect, Smart Share, All Share Cast, or HTC Connect.
Roku
- Windows 8 & Window 10
Open the “Action Center” -> “Connect to a wireless display” -> Pick the Roku device on your network. - iOS
Download the Roku app from the App Store. After launching the Roku App, choose “Play on Roku” and start casting your photos, videos, and music.
Chromecast (and Chromecast Ultra)
- Android users should use the updated Google Home App to screencast
For PCs and Macs, you’ll need to download the Chrome web browser to cast web based content to the Chromecast. If you’re an owner of a Sony TV from the last four or five years, it likely has Chromecast built-in. - iOS
iPhones and iPads can easily screencast within supported apps such as YouTube.
Screencast with MiraCast
With MiraCast you simply need a MiraCast HDMI dongle that utilizes it’s own WiFi network. You can find one these here: Amazon Link
If you have any questions about how to take advantage of this technology for your home or business, or perhaps you have a tip or correction, please email us!
