Can I Connect My Tablet To My TV

How To Connect A Phone Or Tablet To Your TV Via Usb

Plus reasons why you want to do this

Smartphones and tablets provide a convenient and ideal way of accessing content for on-the-go use, but there still remains something to be said for viewing on a big screen television.

You may be watching something on your phone, and want to see it on a larger display or share with others in the room.

Thankfully, smartphones and tablets are built with multitasking capabilities such as listening to music, gaming, and streaming video. Most of them also pack the power of computers in a portable device, and this includes the ability to connect it to another screen or monitor, such as your TV.

Android and iOS device users have an arsenal of devices and wireless options to connect a phone or tablet to a TV. In this guide, were going to show you how to link up your phone or tablet to your TV via USB.

Plug In An Hdmi Cable

The most obvious approach is to simply connect an HDMI cable between the phone, tablet, or laptop and the TV. Of course, while virtually all modern televisions will have a spare HDMI port, the same cant be said for mobile devices. A few tablets and laptops have mini- or micro-HDMI sockets, but less so in recent times. Current smartphones definitely dont.

There are plenty of cables to help get around that issue, but as usual, the devil is in the details. A high-quality USB C to HDMI cable will do the job for modern devices with a USB C port, but the device needs to support both USB C 3.0 and DisplayPort Alternate Mode.

None of my phones or tablets, even brand new ones, have that support built in. You may have better luck with other devices, especially Samsung ones, so just be sure to double-check the exact specifications and reviews of your device before you buy. Recent laptops are much more likely to support this: the above cable works perfectly with both a Macbook Pro and a Lenovo Yoga 920.

If youve got an older Android device with a micro-USB port, you may be able to use either a Slimport or active MHL adapter to do the same thing. Again, its important to make sure your phone or tablet supports one or the other standard before purchase.

Iosusing A Lightning Cable

This process is similar to connecting your Android phone or tablet to TV via USB, except youll need a Lightning cable, which differs with your iPhone model.

Most people have an iPhone 5 or newer with a Lightning connector, but for HDMI outputs or VGA connections, you need a Lightning digital AV adapter or a Lightning to VGA adapter respectively.

For iPads, all models use the Lightning cable for iOS to TV connections, except the iPad 3 and older use the 30-pin cable, but youll pick either a digital AV or VGA adapter depending on your displays input.

There are many third-party cables but most of them dont work if you want to watch video-streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, or on-demand video like DirecTV or Comcast Xfinity.; They lack HDCP , which protects against pirates capturing the content.

Plug in the adapter and connect video output to your TV and your screen will mirror to the display. Remember to plug the USB end of the cable into the adapter and the other end to a power source, as it needs to be charged to play.

Note: The Digital AV Adapter for iOS devices comes in two models, serving different purposes. One connects your iPhone or iPad to a TV with HDMI output, while the VGA adapter plugs into VGA-compatible peripherals, so be sure to pick the right version.;;

Connect With a DLNA App

Also Check: How Can I Mirror My Phone To TV Without Wifi

Using The Second Screen Or Cast Experience

Whether you own an older tablet or one of Amazons newer models, youll be happy to know that streaming your favorite Amazon videos to your Fire TV or Fire Stick is easy to do.

Grab your Fire tablet and make sure your Fire TV device is on and active, and, unlike a Chromecast, ensure that both devices are connected to the same Amazon account.

If both of your devices are not connected to the same Amazon account, you will not be able to make this work. Therefore, dont skip this step!

Head to the home screen on your device and swipe along with the menu until you reach the Videos tab. Then, select the Store. This will load your rented, purchased, and Prime-capable films that can be automatically streamed from your device. Select any title on your device, and youll see the typical options to watch your movie.

Your device will list both the Watch Now option, which will play the film or TV show on your tablet, and the Download option that stores the film for offline watching.

Between both of these options, youll see an icon that reads Watch on Fire TV/Fire TV Stick, depending on the device you have plugged into your television.

As we mentioned above, some appsincluding the Netflix app and the YouTube app available in the sideloaded Google Play Storehave the ability to stream not just to the Fire TV, but to any device with their apps installed.

This is on an app-by-app basis and depends entirely on who developed the app youre using.

How To Stream Content To Your TV

So, if youre ready to start streaming content to your television, youll want to grab your tablet and make sure you have an internet-ready device.

If you want to get the most out of your tablet, purchase a Fire TV or Fire Stick device; theyre cheap and small enough that adding it to your existing technology should be rather easy.

For this example, well be primarily looking at how to stream content to a Fire OS-branded device.

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How To Connect Any Phone Or Tablet To Your TV Using Usb

Wondering how to connect your phone to a TV using USB? Here’s how to connect your Android or iPhone to a TV with a USB cable.

Connecting a phone to your TV isn’t as simple as you might think. Whether you want to enjoy Netflix, share photos, or use it for home working, hooking up a cable between your phone and TV can be tricky.

But it’s not impossible—it’s all a matter of selecting the right cable.

Here’s what you need to know about how to connect an Android or iOS phone or tablet to a TV using a USB cable.

Device Requirements And Limitations

Not every Fire tablet can properly mirror content on another device. If you arent sure whether your Fire tablet, youll need to dive into the settings of your tablet and select Display. Look for the option labeled Display Mirroring in the settings menu.

If you see the option to mirror, congratulationsyou can use device mirroring. However, you need an Amazon Firestick or TV in order to mirror your tablet, unless your Fire tablet supports Play Store sideloading. Then, the device can install third-party apps that support Google casting to Chromecast, Android TV, etc.

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Using Apple TV On iPad

Go Wireless With A Google Chromecast

Google’s Chromecast is the cheapest alternative if you don’t have a Micro HDMI port on your device. But don’t mistake it for similar streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV the Chromecast dongle doesn’t actually do anything on its own. It relies on your Android device to be the brains behind the operation, while it simply casts your Android screen onto your television set.

The biggest advantage of Chromecast is the price tag, which comes in at under $40. Another really cool feature is the compatibility with both Android and iOS devices. While you can only do true display mirroring with an Android smartphone or tablet, you can still cast video from Netflix, Hulu, or any other Chromecast-compatible app from your iPhone or iPad. This versatility is great for households that have both major mobile platforms.

And Chromecast setup is easy. After you plug the dongle into your TV and attach the power cable, download and launch the . This app will detect the Chromecast and establish a connection to help set it up. It can even transfer over your Wi-Fi information device automatically on some devices. Google Home is also the app you use to mirror your display, although, with many popular apps like YouTube, you simply need to tap the cast icon, which looks like a box or TV with the Wi-Fi symbol in the corner.

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You Need To Know How To Connect The Tablet To Your TV Via Wifi

Configuring a wireless connection using WiFi is very simple, there are several ways to do this, and for everyone, a Wi-Fi receiver is required. However, with such a connection it is impossible to achieve high image synchronization.

The wireless technology of Wi-Fi Direct data transmission and the Miracast protocol built on it are convenient because they do not require the inclusion of a TV and a tablet in a single local network with the help of a router

Poor synchronization is not very convenient if you are going to play games.

For gamers to use this method of connection is not recommended. Step-by-step instructions for connecting to a TV via WiFi with the use of third-party programs is simple.

The easiest way to connect to a TV is:

• Install;
• We start, then the module will make an independent synchronization.

These were simple but effective ways to establish a connection between the tablet and the TV using WiFi. Next, another method of wirelessly connecting to a TV using Miracast technology will be described.

How Do I Display My Android Screen On My TV With Hdmi

The simplest option is an HDMI adapter. If your phone has a USB-C port, you can plug this adapter into your phone, and then plug an HDMI cable into the adapter to connect to the TV. Your phone will need to support HDMI Alt Mode, which allows mobile devices to output video.

Recommended Reading: How Do You Stream To Your TV

Connect Android To Your Hdtv With A Micro Hdmi To Hdmi Cable

The cheapest, the easiest and perhaps the best way to connect your Android device to your HDTV is with an HDMI cable. It isn’t as common for manufacturers to include a Micro HDMI port in their device as it was just a few years ago.;But if you are lucky enough to have one, it makes the entire experience much easier. Micro HDMI to HDMI cables are roughly the same cost as a regular HDMI cable, so you can get one for as cheap as $20 or less. You can find them in local electronics stores.

After you plug your device into one of your TV’s HDMI inputs, switch the TV’s source to the HDMI port and you are good to go. Ensure the Android device is in landscape mode to obtain the best viewing experience. While Apple has stuck with the 4:3 aspect ratio with the iPad which is great for browsing the web, Facebook and the computer side of tablets most Android tablets sport a 16:9 aspect ratio that looks great on those big HDTV screens.

The big disadvantage to going with a wired solution is the difficulty in using the device while you have it connected to the TV.;If you are watching a movie, this limitation isn’t a big deal, but if you want to play a game or watch YouTube videos, it isn’t ideal.

Connect Using Netflix 2nd Screen

The Netflix app on your mobile device has the ability to sync to select TVs and streaming media players, allowing you to control your Netflix experience from your phone or tablet.

To use your Android mobile device as a remote:

You can now fast forward, rewind, pause, or change the audio or subtitle settings from your mobile device.

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View Your Mobile Device Media On Your Big Screen

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No matter how big your Android smartphone or tablet display, there are times when youll want to view your photos and videos on something even bigger. Good news: There are several ways to share your media on your TV, even if its not the latest model. All youll need are some inexpensive apps or adapters and to get started.

Why Use Usb To Connect Phones Tablets And TVs

With the ease and prevalence of casting to mirror a phone screen wirelessly, you might be curious why you should use a USB to TV connection for your phone.

If you hook a phone to your TV with a hardwired connection, you benefit from a low-latency signal. For instance, if you plan to mirror your phone to a television for gaming, you’ll want a USB connection rather than a wireless configuration. This vastly reduces lag.

Plus, for situations where you lack Wi-Fi or have a weak wireless signal, you’ll need a wired connection instead.

To connect your phone or tablet to a TV, you can use one of the following methods:

• Android:

Which option you use depends on your specific device and operating system. Although all methods are similar, the process differs for connecting an iPhone versus an Android device.

Similarly, your connection method varies depending on your needs. Simply viewing photos on a compatible television requires your charging cable and mobile device. But for screen mirroring, you’ll need a USB adapter.

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Stream Wirelessly Using Miracast

Miracast is one of those tech features that feels a bit like magic when you first discover it. Built into most recent versions of Android, Windows, and Linux, it lets you stream video and audio to the majority of smart TVs without needing a cable. It has been described as HDMI over Wi-Fi, which gives a pretty good idea of how it works.

Like an HDMI cable, Miracast mirrors your devices display on the television screen. The exact method for setting it up depends on both the TV and your devices operating system, but Ive outlined the general approach. below

To get it working, youll first need to switch your TVs input so it starts listening for an incoming connection. The input will likely be called Cast, Miracast, or something similar. My TV calls it Anyview Cast, for example.

To make the connection on Android, select Screen Cast from the Quick Settings menu, or go to SettingsBluetooth & device connectionCast. Ensure that Enable Wireless Display is checked in the hamburger menu, and you should see the television listed either by name or a generic phrase like Smart TV. Select it and wait a few seconds, and all going well, a copy of your phones display will appear on the screen.

Windows has a similar approach. On Windows 10, click the Action Center icon on the right of the taskbar, then click Connect. Choose the television from the list of audio/video devices that appears, and wait a few seconds for the connection to be made.

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Using Screen Mirroring On Android

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