8 Ways to Connect Phone to TV Without HDMI Cord
A smartphone has countless features and functionalities, making it essentially a minicomputer. The majority of consumers purchase and use smartphones primarily for watching content, which also explains why phone display sizes are increasing with each passing generation. The huge-screen experience offered by a TV cannot be replicated by a phone screen, which can only be made so big.
Use connection techniques like screencasting and mirroring to link your phone and TV without utilizing an HDMI cable. For those who prefer to keep things connected, USB and MHL cables are further possibilities. To stream content wirelessly, there are even gadgets like Roku and Google Chromecast.
There are numerous ways to connect your TV and phone, depending on the device you use and the OS platform you are using. Techpotamus can help you to watch movies from your phone to TV without HDMI. Keep reading this post for the solution.
Why Connect Your Phone to Your TV?
With each new model, phone displays grow larger. The colors are more vibrant than ever before, and screens are getting bigger. Even smartphones with 4K displays are available. However, there is still a sizable difference between what you see on your TV and the screen of your phone.
In addition, it is simpler to display images, videos, and other media to a crowd on a TV as opposed to having everyone swarm your phone.
Phone Screens Are Big, But Not Big Enough
The initial generation of iPhones had diminutive (by modern standards) 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) screens. On the other hand, Android phones had already surpassed the 5-inch (12.7 cm) display limit. The door was opened for smartphones with larger displays when Samsung released the first Galaxy Note with a 5.3-inch (13.4 cm) screen.
Now, smartphones with screens up to 6.7 inches (17 cm) or larger are available for both Android and iPhone users. Because of their large screens, improved picture quality, and higher screen resolutions, these large-screen phones have made it possible for multiple people to use the same device at once to watch media.
Smartphone screens, however, are too small to accommodate more than two individuals viewing media simultaneously. This is the situation where a phone and TV connection is required.
Even if there aren’t many people present, sending content from your phone to a large screen and viewing it there still provides a better experience, especially when watching movies or displaying holiday photos to friends and family.
To Play Specific Files
The majority of newly released televisions are “smart,” meaning they can connect directly to the Internet and stream apps like Netflix, YouTube, and others. If your TV isn’t smart, you can play the majority of the streaming media or videos you probably want to access and watch on set-top boxes or streaming sticks.
However, connecting your phone to your TV (wirelessly or with a cable) becomes crucial if you wish to download files, especially from your tablet or phone, use apps that are only available on mobile devices, or play specific files from your phone again.
How Does HDMI Work?
The connector and wire that transfer high-bandwidth, high-quality video and audio streams between devices are known as HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). The technology is utilized with a variety of devices, including HDTVs, DVD players, projectors, Blu-ray players, and more. It essentially sets the bar for connecting two devices.
There are other reasons, though, why many consumers may prefer a non-HDMI option over HDMI. Which are:
- a cable mess
- impeded movement
- damaged, misplaced, or stolen HDMI cables and adapters
- the connecting instructions are unclear
- intricate, pricey in-wall and floor wiring
Here are a few alternative methods for physically connecting your phone and TV if you don’t want to deal with wires or want to use a physical connection other than HDMI.
1. USB Cable
Most phone charging cables have USB connectors so they may be quickly connected to laptop power adapters. However, not every TV has a USB port. It will be simple to transfer your phone files to the large screen if your TV has one.
By using a USB cable to connect your phone and TV, you are essentially moving files from your phone to open or play on your television. If you don’t have the appropriate port and cable, your TV won’t receive or reproduce the phone’s display. Therefore, using this technique to view your own videos and photos is ideal.
You must be able to select the USB option under “Source” on your TV platform, just like you can on your desktop and laptop computers. Once finished, a prompt allowing you to move files will appear on your phone’s screen.
Here is a video that briefly describes each of the various USB cable types:
2. Screen Casting
Playing content from your phone, tablet, or other comparable devices onto a TV is known as casting. It enables you to see films, television programs, and other types of entertainment directly from the source device, in this case, your phone.
Many well-known streaming services, like Netflix and Hulu, allow for screencasting. The “cast screen” feature is absent from a lot of other applications, though. In these circumstances, screen mirroring comes to the rescue.
Devices like Google Chromecast and Roku streaming players can be used for casting. Third-party apps are also integrated into smart TVs to support casting.
The apps you cast to your TV won’t replicate the screen or user interface of your Android phone, in contrast, to screen mirroring. Instead, you’ll view films and photos in a shape and resolution better suited to your TV.
A Drawback With Screen Casting
Unfortunately, if you play media at a speed greater than 1x, you might experience problems. You might be out of luck if, like me, you enjoy listening to Audible at 1.5x speed while watching YouTube videos.
3. Screen Mirroring
You can replicate or mirror your phone’s display on your TV using screen mirroring. The approach is ideal for apps without a built-in “cast” button, as was already mentioned. To put it another way, this mirroring technique is independent of the app. You’re good to go if your phone supports screen mirroring and your TV is connected.
Since Android 5.0 up to the most recent releases of the mobile OS, Android phones have supported screen mirroring. Quite obviously, the most recent phones or devices with the most recent OS versions are better optimized for the task and, as a result, operate much more smoothly and consistently.
Install Google Home on your phone to mirror your Android phone’s screen to your TV. To begin, open the app and navigate to Account > Mirror Phone/Device > Cast Audio/Screen. Some recent Android smartphones may already have Google Home installed.
A proprietary app for screen sharing may be available on some smartphones. For instance, Samsung’s Smart View function enables you to exchange material from and to your mobile device while also allowing you to connect your Samsung smartphone to your TV.
A Drawback With Screen Mirroring
Screen mirroring has a problem in that it completely mirrors the actions of your phone. For instance, if your phone screen dims when it is plugged into your TV, both screens would dim.
Your phone’s screen should be set to stay awake while it is connected to your TV in order to prevent such problems. However, this would deplete your phone’s battery.
You cannot use your phone for any other purpose while it is connected to your TV if you are mirroring it.
This is not an issue while using screencasting. You can use your phone for any other reason after casting phone content on your TV, like checking messages, making calls, browsing social media, and even leaving the room where your TV is placed. While you are occupied with other activities on your phone, the broadcast content will continue to play on your TV.
Screen mirroring might not be the best option if numerous people are watching the video and you want to use your phone for something else. Screen mirroring is still very much relevant and useful for many things, despite the fact that the screencasting option is only available in a select few apps.
4. Cast With Google Chromecast
You can link your phone to your TV and watch material there if your TV is equipped with Google Chromecast functionality or if you have the necessary adapter. However, not every app on your phone may be compatible with Chromecast. A few of the supported apps are Google Photos, Netflix, HBO Now, and others.
To connect, confirm that your phone and smart/Chromecast TV are using the same Wi-Fi network. Select the device you want to cast to once the network is established and the status is verified. Not all apps offer the ability to cast. The screen mirroring technique is advised for those apps.
Apple and Android smartphones are both compatible with Chromecast. Once you’re connected, you can control content by pausing, rewinding, or skipping it using your smartphone as a remote. Access to more than 1,000 applications, including streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube, is provided by the small, straightforward attachment.
5. AirPlay (iOS)
Use AirPlay, a feature exclusive to iPhones and Apple TVs, to wirelessly cast video and audio. Unsurprisingly, non-Apple hardware is incompatible with AirPlay. Basically, the technology is used to transfer content from your iOS phone to your iPad, Apple TV, etc.
Start by joining the same Wi-Fi network with the source and receiving Apple devices. When the two devices are linked, they will automatically detect one another, and you can then select the AirPlay connection option in your iPhone’s settings. Similar to how Bluetooth connects to devices wirelessly, this is how it works. However, AirPlay is not Bluetooth because it relies on Wi-Fi and—more importantly—uses Apple-exclusive technology.
AirPlay allows for much greater distances between devices when playing or streaming content. This implies that you wouldn’t need to worry much about losing connection as you moved around a room.
Most importantly, AirPlay uses lossless compression, which ensures that the source data is reproduced in its entirety on the receiving device. Additionally, there is more synergy because AirPlay enables direct communication between two Apple devices. For instance, the volume controls on your iPhone or iPad can be used to adjust the Home Pod’s volume.
A Drawback With AirPlay
Unfortunately, if you play media at a speed greater than 1x, you might encounter problems. The video played when I Air played a YouTube video from my iPhone to my Apple TV at 1.5x, but the sound wasn’t transmitted.
6. Miracast
A smartphone, PC, or tablet can wirelessly display or mirror its screen to a TV using the Miracast standard without using actual HDMI cables. The Wi-Fi Alliance, which developed the technology in 2012, has a long-term goal of fully eliminating the need for HDMI cords.
Instead of physically attaching your device to a TV, Miracast provides a wireless standard that enables various devices to find, connect with, and wirelessly mirror the contents of their screens.
Miracast is a cross-platform technology, unlike Apple’s AirPlay and Google’s Chromecast. It has therefore been created just as a protocol for “screen mirroring.” It cannot hand off streaming and display a different interface on your phone while your TV or another device connected to your phone is showing some other content, making it less “smart” than comparable protocols.
In other words, despite what its name might imply, Miracast is only capable of “screen mirroring” and not “casting.”
What Miracast can do
- Windows PCs (Windows 8.1 and higher)
- Amazon Fire OS or Android 4.2 or later
However, iOS and macOS are not supported by the wireless standard. And since Apple would want to promote its AirPlay technology in its place, that is unlikely to happen.
Currently, Windows and Android are supported by Miracast. Although there isn’t any official support for Linux PCs, there may be workarounds. Additionally, Chromebooks lack native support for Miracast. However, Roku streaming sticks support Miracast. Other than the ones described above, there are a number of specific Miracast receivers available on the market.
7. Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)
A lesser-known wired technique called mobile high-definition link (MHL) enables you to connect your smartphone and other mobile devices to your TVs, projectors, and audio receivers. In essence, it is an HDMI modification for mobile devices.
You need an MHL cable that connects to the micro USB port on your phone and the HDMI port on your television in order to create an MHL connection. Please take note that the connection requires MHL support on the HDMI port. Not every HDMI port will accept an MHL link with ease.
Like HDMI, MHL is compressed, allowing you to operate in real-time. This also elevates it above the majority of wireless options. The distinctive characteristic of MHL is that it enables TV remote control access to phone functionalities.
Your mobile device has to have a micro-USB port in order for this connection to function. However, if you want to take advantage of MHL, get a USB Type-C to micro USB adapter or connector since more and more smartphones, tablets, and similar devices are adopting Type-C USB ports (and rightfully so). For the job, the JXMOX USB Type-C Adapter is a reliable little connector.
8. Stream With DLNA
Your smart TV should be able to stream content via the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) protocol. You can stream media to your television using DLNA from your smartphone or any other device.
However, DRM (Digital Rights Management) characteristics shouldn’t be included in the media files you stream. You could only broadcast your own music and videos, in other words. Netflix-like apps won’t be supported.
Other streaming applications like Local Cast, All Cast, Plex, and others make use of the DLNA capabilities of your TV.
Media management software called Plex also has DLNA streaming capabilities. Your computer’s Plex server can store videos, music, or photos and stream those files to your TV. Look through your library using the Plex mobile app, select the media files you want to stream, and then send them to your TV using DLNA or Chromecast.
Why Go “Wired” in the Age of “Wireless”?
It may seem unusual and needless to insist on having wired connections in the modern era of wireless technologies and devices. However, wired connections offer an advantage over wireless technologies in several aspects, which keeps them current. The advantages of wired connections include the following:
- Low latency: Low latency is a hardwired connection’s hallmark. In other words, the lag is significantly decreased if you connect your smartphone to your TV via wires rather than wirelessly.
- No signal issues: You need a strong, dependable Wi-Fi signal in your area for wireless phone-to-TV connections to function. In order to avoid potential connection problems and streaming hiccups, a cable connection is advised if you don’t have Wi-Fi or if your wireless signals are poor.
- Less complex: There are several wireless connections you may make between your phone and TV. Apple products operate in a unique way. There is a Chromecast from Google. Additionally, OEMs like Samsung are releasing proprietary technology. It might be challenging to stay current with all of these varied requirements. Although laborious, wired connections are rather easy to set up.
Conclusion
The HDMI port is required for quite a few of the aforementioned ways to connect your phone to your TV. For instance, the HDMI connector on your TV accepts the HDMI dongle that you use to wirelessly connect your two devices and stream media. In other words, even if you can do without the HDMI cord, the HDMI port is still frequently needed.
However, you may connect your phone to your TV without using an HDMI wire. Consider using the very powerful but underappreciated MHL technology if you prefer to keep things conventional and cannot stand lag times of even a few milliseconds between your phone and TV. Numerous wireless techniques are available if you wish to do away with cords.