17 May 2022
Smart TVs, or intelligent televisions, are an increasingly common standard in the world. Thanks to their modern functions we can easily use the Internet, browse the web or watch films from our phones on TV. However, a dozen or so years ago the only way to see a production, outside the framework of available programmes, was to connect an external device via HDMI cable or use a DVD player. Learn a few ways how to connect your phone to your TV.
How to connect your phone to the TV — wired connection
If you have an older generation television set without Internet access - nothing is lost! It is enough to use more traditional methods of data transmission. In this case, all you need is the suitable cable. The most popular cable for duplicating images and transmitting sound is the HDMI cable. Until recently, the standard ends of this cable did not allow direct connection to the phone, but now we have this possibility! As long as we have a smartphone with a USB type C port, we can use the new variant of the cable. On the market we can also choose a number of different types of multifunctional USB-C - HDMI adapters.
How do I connect my phone to my TV using a cable?
Your TV is without smart features, but you want to watch movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime or HBO Max? There's a solution for that too! All smartphones that are available for regular purchase have a USB connection. Most of them also support MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) or the newer DP Alt Mode (DisplayPort Alt Mode). MHL Mode is available in older devices with a Micro USB port. It allows the transmission of 1080P video and 8-channel audio. On the other hand, DP Alt Mode, also known as USB-C Alt Mode, is more common on newer phones. It makes the device's USB Type-C port act like a video Display Port. So you can feast your eye on movies in great quality up to 8K x 4K. All you need is the right cable to connect the two devices. There are various combinations of cables available on the market. Among them, you can find USB Type C cables ending in DisplayPort, VGA, as well as HDMI. One of them is the USB C - DisplayPort cable designed mainly for multimedia transfer. The copper core of the cable supports the data transfer and provides an undisturbed connection. The cable can be easily connected to any monitor or TV equipped with the popular DisplayPort socket.
How to connect your phone to your TV — Thunderbolt 3 connector
Another solution noteworthy is the symmetrical Thunderbolt 3 cable. It combines the strengths of two standards, namely the USB-C connector and the Thuderbolt plug. It is a multifunctional cable, which allows not only simple image sharing, but also power your mobile devices with high power. It will prove useful when you want to connect your laptop to a monitor or TV with a suitable connector. And it's good to know that a Thunderbolt 3 cable will give you superior picture quality like HDMI or DisplayPort cables.
How to play movies from your phone on TV — wireless connection
One popular and quick way to connect your smartphone to your TV is to connect the two devices wirelessly. If you have a TV with internet access, watching movies from your phone on your TV is trivial. The constant development of modern technology has meant that we can now connect our phone to the TV without getting up from the couch. Smart TV functions allow us to pair the mobile phone with our TV set, which in turn allows us to transfer data directly to the silver screen, literally with a single click. The smartphone can be used as a remote control, which significantly improves the comfort of daily use of the medium such as television.
Movies from your phone on your TV — Miracast technology
Miracast is becoming increasingly popular among users of smartphones and Internet-enabled TV sets. It can be compared to a virtual HDMI cable. The Miracast protocol allows you to freely share and exchange data between two connected devices. Additionally it is worth mentioning that the Miracast technology allows for duplication, i.e. displaying the entire content of a smartphone on a large screen, which significantly facilitates the search for content of interest.
How do I connect my phone to the TV using the Miracast technology? First of all, you need to check whether your smartphone is supporting the functions you need. To do this, in the settings of the phone you need to search for phrases (depending on the model of the phone) such as:
- Smart View,
- Screen Mirroring,
- Quick Connect.
In case we can't find any of these options, we can download Miracast application that will allow us to connect our smartphone wirelessly to the TV. The next step is to pair the devices, according to the TV's manual. After synchronising the smartphone a list of devices should appear from which you should choose your TV model and that's it! Now we can freely stream interesting content from our smartphone straight to our TV screen.
Watching movies from your phone on your TV has never been easier!
Modern technology opens up many opportunities for learning, development and entertainment. If you want to watch movies from your smartphone on your TV, use one of the ways to connect the devices together. If you choose to use a cable, make sure your phone has MHL, DP Alt Mode or is Thunderbolt 3 compatible. If you have any questions, our advisors will be happy to help.