Which is better: cable or Wi-Fi

To connect Samsung Galaxy S5 S4 S3 Note 2 Note 3 smartphones to a TV, you can use several different accessories, including: an original docking station or an MHL-HDMI adapter. Each of the options has its pros and cons, but today we will focus on the latter.

If the original docking station costs about $ 100, then the original adapter can be purchased for $ 40 - $ 50. However, here a logical question arises - why pay more if there are excellent analogues from China, which cost only $ 8 - $ 10? Solved - go to Aliexpress and order this accessory there. We are waiting for 2-3 weeks and start studying.

The adapter comes in a neat package, which is similar to all Samsung accessories. On the back side we see some information about the adapter and other information that we do not need.

We open the package and see that there is nothing but the adapter, but should it be?

Everything is packed quite neatly. There are no markings on the gadget, except for "MHL" on the microUSB plug and "TDK" on the "barrel".

We remove the adapter and try to connect it to the Galaxy Note 3.

Wow - it fits!

There is also a microUSB input on one of the edges of the box. It is designed to connect an external power supply. It can be either a charger or a Power Bank, which we used for tests.

But enough words. In the video below you can see how this wonderful adapter for Note 3 works, and also see how you can turn your smartphone into an Android game console.

Video: testing HDMI adapter and Galaxy Note 3

Where could I buy?

You can search the radio market in your city, but most likely you will not find it. It is much easier to order this adapter on Aliexpress, since it is very cheap there.

Most modern mobile phones with the Android or iOS operating system have a powerful filling, providing the user with the functions of a full-fledged PC, as well as equipped with advanced cameras, which turns them into a real machine for making amateur photos and videos. Of course, all of this simply requires the ability to connect to a TV in order to show your family and friends your vacation photos and videos.

However, not every user knows how to connect their favorite gadget to their home TV. If there are no problems with household players - the connection is made via an HDMI cable, then you cannot plug it into a smartphone. Even with a modern Smart TV (a TV with an Internet connection function and various built-in applications), setting up the ability to transfer content from a smartphone or tablet to a large screen is not so easy.

Which is better: cable or Wi-Fi?

Today, not many people remember that most smartphone models had a not so high-speed Wi-Fi module, and manufacturers, seeing the need to transfer content to TV, equipped their devices with a special video output chip via HDMI. For example, the LG 2X smartphone had a separate Micro HDMI port on the upper edge for these purposes and made it possible to broadcast to the TV everything that was happening on the smartphone screen in original quality.

Today this connector is a thing of the past, and it has been replaced by the universal USB-C and several other convenient ways to connect a smartphone to a TV.

1. Connection via USB Type-C

This method is suitable for Android devices. Flagship models of smartphones with a connector USB Type-C, can be connected to different TVs using an adapter. The adapter must have a USB Type-C plug on one end, and HDMI, VGA, DVI, Display Port, or miniDP on the other, depending on the input on your TV.

It is best to purchase universal adapters: they have several ports into which you can insert cables from different TVs, as well as monitors and projectors.

You can find out if your smartphone supports USB Type-C TV connection by following this link (look for your model in the table):

• List of smartphones that connect to TV via USB Type-C

2. Connection via MHL

Later, manufacturers of even inexpensive models of smartphones and tablets on MTK processors began to implement the MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) standard in their devices, which allows you to take a video signal directly from the data transfer port and Micro USB charging. However, this required a special MHL adapter. Thus, the user was able to watch any video content from his smartphone, including photos and videos taken on vacation, as well as play games on a large TV screen.

The downside of this adapter was that in order to transmit the signal, it was necessary to connect a separate 5 V power cable to it in order to amplify the signal transmitted to the large screen. But at the same time, the smartphone did not receive recharge and was rather quickly discharged. In addition, lags are observed at maximum image quality of 1080p.

Currently, inexpensive mobile devices - smartphones and tablets with support for MHL technology - are practically not on sale. If this function is vital for you, it is worth choosing a device from very ancient models, including the Galaxy S5.

In some old flagships, for example, the Z2 Tablet, the MHL 3.0 standard is implemented, which allows you to broadcast an image from a smartphone to a TV in 4K format (3840 × 2160 pixels) at 30 frames per second. MHL 3.0 is compatible with Blu-Ray audio formats - True HD and DTS HD MA.

Alas, the latest Samsung flagships, starting with the Galaxy S6, do not support the MHL standard.

3 Connection via SlimPort

The main competitor to MHL almost immediately became the SlimPort (Mobility DisplayPort) standard. But it was implemented mainly in LG and Samsung devices. It provided a better picture because the broadcast goes without decoding the signal, which eliminated lags in image transmission. At the same time, a special microUSB-HDMI adapter did not need to be connected to a power source. Although there is such a port in the adapter, it is already designed to power the smartphone itself, which is very convenient for long demonstrations of video content or games. The maximum image quality transmitted to the TV screen is the same - 1080p.

Among the minuses, we note the high quality requirements for the HDMI cable. If you have one that is cheap, then there may be noise and even no signal.

The only thing is that your device has no alternative to support it instead of MHL (as the Galaxy Nexus smartphones did). You can find out if your smartphone can be connected to a TV via SlimPort here:

4 Stream content wirelessly to TV via Wi-Fi and apps

Alas, manufacturers did not see the prospects for cable connection and focused on wireless standards for transferring content to TV. Its main advantage is the absence of the need to fiddle with wires - to send a photo or video to a large TV screen, you just need to organize their pairing via Wi-Fi. For example, YouTube allows you to display videos from your smartphone on your smart TV screen right through its app.

The disadvantages of such a connection: the impossibility of broadcasting everything that happens on the smartphone display - only video. However, manufacturers did not completely deprive the user of the opportunity to watch videos from a smartphone and offered special wireless adapters - more about them.

So what is there for a wireless TV connection today?

5 Wi-Fi Direct connection

Wi-Fi Direct technology is implemented on all Smart TVs equipped with a Wi-Fi module. It is also available on most modern smartphones. Its essence lies in connecting devices to each other without the mediation of an access point. The phone is then recognized by the TV as a multimedia device and not a storage device. To establish a connection, you need to activate the Wi-Fi Direct mode on the smartphone, and the Share mode on the TV. On devices with any OS version, it is located in the wireless settings.

With this connection, it is only possible to use the Photo Album application on the smartphone to view the pictures. Videos cannot be viewed. The display speed, especially for large pictures, is quite slow.

You can find out if your TV supports Wi-Fi Direct here by entering its model in the field Keywords:

6 DLNA: a classic for Android

DLNA is one of the most widely used wireless standards. Most TVs that can connect to wireless networks support it. Android users will need a dedicated BubbleUPnP app to transfer music and photos from their smartphone to their TV.

The image resolution in this case depends on the receiving device, for new TVs this is usually HD or Full HD. Unlike Miracast and Airplay (we'll talk about them below), DLNA does not provide the versatility of displaying content - it only transfers music, photos and some video file formats.

7 Chromecast: Simple But Expensive Streaming

Those who want to organize a wireless broadcast of media files from an Android mobile phone to a TV in the easiest way, you should use the help

9 Streaming Data Wirelessly with Apple TV - AirPlay

Apple's third generation set-top box is currently the most convenient solution to display content from an iOS mobile device on a TV. Connecting the iPhone / iPad to the streaming device is quick and easy, and the picture quality is very good thanks to support for 1080p. The latency is about half a second, so sometimes you can even play not very lively games.

10 Miracast: a competitor to AirPlay

Android supports Miracast from version 4.2, Windows Phone from version 8.1. This wireless standard evolved from Intel's WiDi (Wireless Display) and was conceived as a competitor to AirPlay. But Miracast has not yet succeeded in implementing the conceived: the delay when broadcasting an image from a mobile device to a large screen is too large.

Despite the 1080p resolution, due to the large number of artifacts, the picture on the TV does not look very good. However: many new smart TVs support this standard.

Although modern manufacturers of mobile gadgets strive to make the display diagonal of their products as large as possible, the most comfortable way to watch movies and photos is the TV screen, to which entertainment content can be transferred from the same smartphone.

There are many options for connecting a phone to a Samsung TV, you can use any of them yourself, and enjoy home watching a movie or even hold a business presentation on a large television screen without any problems. On Smart-TV, you can not only transfer files, but also broadcast everything that happens on a mobile display: the second feature is perfect, for example, for games or web surfing.

The smartphone can be connected to a TV monitor as a removable disk: you only need a complete USB cable used to connect the communicator to a computer data. After determining the cellular in the system, the smart TV will launch the file manager, which will display all the documents stored on the mobile gadget. The user will only have to choose, using the remote control, a movie or open the desired album with photos, after which the content will start playing automatically.

The USB connection does not require the installation of additional applications or the purchase of expensive accessories, and is also supported not only by devices with Smart TVs, but also by ordinary TVs - all this makes this connection method the most popular among ordinary users. The micro-USB cable costs a penny, you can actually buy a copy up to 100 rubles. But there is a risk that the smartphone will not see the cheap accessory.

To get advanced features: for example, mirroring content or outputting online broadcast of films, you must use one of the methods, which will be discussed in the article below.

HDMI connection

The advantage of the HDMI interface is the ability to broadcast any high quality image (from Full HD to 8K) from a smartphone to a TV screen. The main disadvantage of this method is that to connect devices to each other, you must have not only an HDMI cable, but also a special adapter for a mobile gadget. You can buy this adapter at most retail stores, but be sure to make sure it is compatible with your smartphone before purchasing. There are several types of HDMI connectors:

1. Standard (Type A),
2. mini-HDMI (Type C),
3. micro-HDMI (Type D).

The algorithm for connecting via the HDMI interface is as follows:

• Select the HDMI signal source in your TV settings.
• Connect the devices with a cable and adapter.
• Adjust the ScreenMirroring section on your phone to the optimal resolution of the broadcast image (if it didn't happen automatically).

For the convenience of using a large monitor, we connect a keyboard or even a gamepad to a mobile gadget, thereby turning the TV set into a full-fledged computer running Android OS. Third-party custom accessories are connected via the USB port.

WiFi connection

Today, the most convenient and functional way to transfer media content to television screens is to synchronize devices via a home Wi-Fi network. This method does not require the use of any cables, and the quality of the transmitted picture is no worse than with a wired connection. The only thing you need is to install special utilities on both devices.

The AllShare app is a standard Samsung Smart-TV application and allows you to use your TV monitor to display custom files. You can download the previously deleted AllShare from the Samsung Apps store. For a smartphone, the proprietary Samsung Smart View application is suitable, which is distributed for free on Google Play. After installing the required software, you should:

1. connect a TV and a phone to one (there is an option with a bluetooth connection, but this technology is shamelessly outdated);
2. bind devices through Smart View;
3. select a file (photo, video, audio or working document) and send it to the big screen.

For these purposes, you can use the Chrome Cast prefix created by Google. This accessory is inserted into the HDMI port of an old (not "smart") TV and acts as a signal receiver from the communicator. The Screen Mirroring system function (available on Android 4 and higher) is perfect for those users who want to broadcast the display of their gadget to a large monitor: to start using it, just go to the appropriate section "Settings" and select the desired external display from the list that appears.

Miracast wireless connection

Android smartphone users can use the Miracast wireless data transfer interface, which is an analogue of AirPlay technology. Miracast allows you to directly (that is, without using a network router) synchronize two devices with each other and set up mirroring of the smartphone display on the TV panel.

To start using this technology, you must:

• Activate WiFi-direct function on your Smart-TV
• Go to the settings of your mobile device and find "Screen mirroring Miracast" (for example, in devices from Sony, this submenu is in the "Xperia Connections" section).
• Click on "Start".
• Select a TV from the list of devices available for connection.

Further, duplication of media content will automatically begin. Although Mirakast allows you to view videos in 4K resolution, you will not be able to enjoy dynamic gameplay on a large display: the desynchronization time between devices is about 1 second.

Conclusion

So, connecting your phone to a Samsung Smart-TV will not be difficult: just choose the method that suits your purposes and pair your devices according to the instructions. Practice shows that most modern Android smartphones will perfectly connect to smart TVs both over the air and in the traditional, wired way.

Video

Today, modern smartphones are comparable in functionality to ordinary personal computers, and very often users want to connect their phone to a TV, for example, for comfortable Internet surfing or watching a video, this is especially in demand when a full-fledged computer is not at hand. However, at the moment, a standard for outputting images to a TV that is suitable for all devices has not yet been created.

We will try to help and tell you about the most common technologies.

Let's consider several basic options for connecting TV with mobile devices using the example of Samsung smartphones, which are very popular in the market and are used by numerous users.

How to connect a Samsung smartphone to a TV to display images

In the first way,the simplest not today is using the Screen Mirroring Assistant application. It can be easily installed from the Google Play Market, this software is already preinstalled in many Samsung smartphones.

Open the app. If a TV that supports such a connection is in range of a wireless network, then its name will be displayed on the phone screen, which must be selected.

After these actions, the image of the smartphone will be broadcast on the TV screen, the sound is also transmitted.

Alternative connection methods

One of the most widespread and well-supported technologies is MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), which combines the capabilities of the HDMI and microUSB standards, with which you can transmit a high-definition signal, and also charge the device.

In order to connect a smartphone to a TV, you need to have an additional MHL adapter, which on one side connects to the phone in the charging jack, the other end has an HDMI output and connects directly to a TV or monitor. It is also important to understand that for Samsung smartphones, manufacturers have developed their own type of MHL connectors, which differ in the use of an 11-pin connector, which allows additional use of peripheral devices that are not compatible with standard 5-pin connectors. Therefore, when setting up the connection of devices from this Korean manufacturer, consider this fact.

Second way connection is based on wireless data transmission via a Wi-Fi connection and is associated with the use of Miracast technology, therefore it is convenient to use and requires only a special adapter that connects directly to the TV to the HDMI connector, as well as a built-in Wi-Fi transmitter on your smartphone Samsung.

The standard used has a high data transfer rate and allows you to wirelessly connect a smartphone to a TV, transmit a Full-HD signal and 5.1-channel sound, and also does not require the purchase of additional wires, which greatly simplifies setup. But the use of this technology will be justified for those users who need to constantly interact with a smartphone and often display an image on a wide screen (for example, for presentations or video reports).

Owners of Samsung smartphones also have a personal proprietary ability to connect their devices directly through the special AllShare Cast software, which is supported by all modern TVs of this brand.

The program has a similar functionality in Miracast, but is a special standard only for a Korean electronics manufacturer.

I would also like to note that the company has already launched a proprietary HDMI adapter on the market, which allows you to easily connect a smartphone to a Samsung TV.

What can be said in the end. If desired, each user can easily connect his smartphone to a large screen TV or monitor without any problems. To do this, just read this article and purchase the necessary adapters.

Good luck with your settings.