By Tim Brookes
Don’t get stuck watching video or playing games on the small screen, your iPhone or iPad can also be used with larger displays. There are a few ways to watch iOS content on a TV, projector or any HDMI-compliant display.
There’s also a difference between mirroring, and simply outputting video. This means you can use your iPhone or iPad to watch videos or listen to audio, while browsing Facebook or the web at the same time!
Here’s how it works.
1. Send Video or Mirror Your Screen With AirPlay
AirPlay is Apple’s proprietary wireless display technology, and it allows you to send an image to an AirPlay receiver completely wirelessly. In order to make use of AirPlay, you’ll need a compatible receiver — the most common for video is the Apple TV (from $149).
The Apple TV connects to your display via HDMI, functions as a set-top box, and has its own apps and App Store. It can do other neat things like display your recent iPhone photos and play music from iTunes or Apple Music. Check out our review of the latest Apple TV here. Apple TV 2015 Review & GiveawayWith competition from Google's Chromecast and Amazon’s FireTV reaching fever pitch, can Cupertino still hold its own in the battle for the space under your TV?READ MORE
If you want to output to a Mac or Windows PC instead, you can do so with an application called AirServer ($18.99). You can also buy audio equipment that is compatible with AirPlay, for streaming music.
One thing to keep in mind: You can either mirror the display, which will maintain your device’s screen aspect ratio (e.g. 4:3 for an iPad), or you can output the current video or other media which only sends music, videos, and some games to the TV. In most cases, you’ll want to do the latter.
To mirror your iPhone or iPad’s screen to an AirPlay receiver:
- Swipe up from the bottom of your device’s screen to reveal Control Center.
- Tap the AirPlay Mirroring button.
- Choose your AirPlay receiver when it appears.
Or to simply output the current video, without mirroring the entire screen:
- Swipe up from the bottom of your device’s screen to reveal Control Center.
- Swipe left to reveal the iOS media controls.
- Tap the name of your device at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose your AirPlay receiver when it appears.
As AirPlay is a wireless connection, interference, slow Wi-Fi, older Bluetooth devices, and sometimes plain old bad luck can negatively impact performance. There will likely be a visible delay between input and what you see on the screen if you’re playing a game.
But for watching videos, listening to music, giving presentations, sharing a photo slideshow with family members, or even displaying a website so that others can see the screen too; AirPlay is a great choice.
2. Use a Wired Adapter
There are a few drawbacks to using a wired adapter, but the current model is better than it used to be. The problem stems from the fact that the Lightning port on the iPhone and iPad is not built to output video signal. Whatever Apple’s reasoning (smaller devices probably), the functionality was moved to the adapter itself.
An ExtremeTech article from 2003 explains the problems with the first batch of Lightning-to-HDMI adapters, which topped out at a resolution of 900p. The adapters actually contain ARM-based system-on-chips with 256MB RAM or more. They also cost $49.
Though the current models promise 1080p, reviews aren’t good. The price remains the same at $49, but issues like frequent black screens and sudden hardware failure aren’t uncommon. For the money and hassle involved, an Apple TV doesn’t seem like such a bad investment.
To mirror your screen using a Lightning to HDMI adapter:
- Connect your adapter to the lightning port of your iPhone or iPad.
- Connect your display or projector via HDMI cable (you’ll need to provide your own).
- Switch to the correct source on your display to see your device mirrored.
You can also get Lightning to VGA adapters, which seem to have many of the same issues and don’t support HDCP. How CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Copy Protection Software Works [Technology Explained]READ MORE
3. Also Consider Chromecast
Google’s own wireless “casting” technology can also be used to watch content wirelessly from your iPhone or iPad, though it works a little differently. Chromecast is Google’s answer to the Apple TV, and for $69 allows you to stream content from your mobile device to your TV via HDMI. Check out our review for a closer look.
It’s not possible to mirror your whole screen using Chromecast, as Apple limits the technology to their own first party products. However many iOS apps like YouTube, Netflix and Spotify include support for Chromecast inside their own apps. Check out Wikipedia’s list of supported Chromecast apps for more.
Each app handles Chromecast integration slightly differently, so there’s no single way to stream video or other media from an iOS app — just look for the “cast” button in the app you’re currently using. The video above explains how Chromecast works within YouTube on various platforms.
What Do You Use?
AirPlay is arguably the best way to mirror or send media to a remote display or audio device, but it’s also the most expensive. Wired solutions are inelegant and problematic given the way the Lightning standard was designed, and Apple seems to be pushing wireless streaming. If you already have a Chromecast, or feel that you can live without true mirroring and make do with compatibility on an app-by-app basis, then this too could be a compelling option.
Personally I have the latest Apple TV at home, and I use AirPlay at least a few times per week.
Do you prefer AirPlay, wired or Chromecast?
Original article written by Simon Slangen.
Source: www.makeuseof.com
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