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HOW DO I WATCH THE VIDEO

ON MY TV WITH A CABLE?

Fortunately, there are several options for sending video from your small screen to your big screen. If you have a relatively recent device, you can connect it to your HDTV with an inexpensive cable and, in some cases, an adapter. 

 

It may sound better to connect your device and TV wirelessly, but in some cases, wireless streaming isn't the best option — for instance, when your wireless network doesn't offer a strong signal.

 

Plus there's the cost of buying a wireless receiver, such as the Google Chromecast, if you don’t have a Smart TV or Apple TV.

 

If you’d like to know how to stream content on your computer or mobile device to your TV, read on for a variety of options.  

 How to stream from PC to TV using a cable

 

  1. HDMI cable
    Most modern TVs and PCs come with an HDMI port, so all you have to do is to is to connect a HDMI cable from your laptop to your TV.   

    The port highlighted in red in the image above is an HDMI input. Note that some devices (primarily tablets) also carry smaller versions of this port known as Micro HDMI, or Mini-HDMI. If your laptop or PC has an HDMI port, it's likely to be of the full-size variety, which measures around 14x4.5mm. This is also known as Type A. If you have the Micro- or Mini-HDMI output port, you will need an additional adapter to connect to your TV. 
     

  2. VGA cable or HDMI to RCA adapter
    If you have an older TV or laptop, they may not have any HDMI ports. In this case you'll need to connect the two using either: 

    • ​a VGA cable and a 3.5mm audio lead. The VGA port is the blue one in the image below, marked PC IN, 

    • an HDMI to RCA Adapter which works with the red, yellow and white composite jacks found on older TVs.  
       

  3. USB or USB-C port to HDMI adaptor
    Conversely, if you have a very new laptop, it might have a single USB-C port rather than HDMI. You can purchase adaptors for turning both a standard (full-size) USB port and a smaller USB-C port to HDMI.   

 

How to connect from PC to TV wirelessly

There are plenty of gadgets out there that can act as a bridge between your laptop and your TV, allowing you to 'cast' content from one to the other. You'll also hear the term screen mirroring used, though technically the two are slightly different, with one streaming content from within an app and the other simply replicating your laptop's screen.

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  1. HDMI wireless display adapters: 
    Wireless HDMI dongles are the same as using an HDMI cable, except that the cable itself is replaced with a proprietary wireless system. 

  2. Streaming devices: 
    A media streamer plugs into your TV over HDMI and allows you to install apps for various catch-up TV services and movie-subscription services. It also allows you to cast from a compatible device. 

    • Google’s Chromecast 
      The Chromecast plugs directly into an HDMI port, but it needs power either from the mains or a USB port on your TV. Once set up, you can stream or 'cast' content from devices in your home. The Chromecast works with various iOS and Android apps, specifically YouTube, but you can stream almost anything you want from your PC using the Chrome web browser. Following the instructions on the how to watch the video wirelessly page.

    • Miracast’s Roku 
      It's most popular model looks like a small thumb drive which plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and connects to your internet through Wi-Fi or an ethernet cord. Roku’s software is built into some of the most popular smart TVs around, including models from TCL, JVC, Sharp, Philips and more. Following the instructions on the how to watch the video wirelessly page.

    • Apple TV
      On an Apply TV device, you can either install the YouTube App to view the video or you can use Apple's proprietary system that allows you to stream videos, photos, music, and more from any Apple device (iOS, HomePod or Mac computer) to your Apple TV or AirPlay 2–enabled Smart TV (see Smart TVs) over a home network. Following the instructions on the how to watch the video wirelessly page.

  3. Smart TVs
    If you’ve bought a TV in the past 5 years, chances are it’s considered “Smart” — that is, it connects to the internet and has streaming apps built-in, specifically YouTube.   You are able to either install the YouTube App to view the video or follow the instructions on the how to watch the video wirelessly page.

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How do I connect an Android smartphone or tablet to my TV? 

 

  1. Micro USB-to-HDMI cable 
    You can push video from most Android devices to an HDTV or 4K TV set through Mobile High-Definition Link, or MHL. To check that your TV can accept the feed, first look for an MHL logo above one of the HDMI ports on the back of your set. 
    In most cases, if you have an HDTV with MHL built in, all you need is a micro USB-to-HDMI cable that plugs into the port on your mobile device and into the MHL-enabled HDMI input on the TV. Many newer Android phones use the reversible USB Type-C port, but similar cables are available for those phones. Take note, however, that some Samsung Galaxy devices, just to be different, require a special cable to connect to an MHL TV.  

  2. MHL-to-HDMI adapter 
    HDMI ports on older TVs don't support MHL, so you'll need an MHL-to-HDMI adapter to supply the power. You may need to plug your device's charger into the adapter to provide extra power (the phone's screen usually has to stay on during playback). 

 

How do I connect an iPhone, iPad to my TV? 

The good news: Your TV doesn't need to support MHL to make the video connection to an iOS device. 

  1. Lightning digital AV adapter 
    Apple sells a Lightning digital AV adapter that accomplishes the same thing as the Android cables. This is essentially an HDMI adapter for your iOS device: On one end, there's a Lightning plug and on the other end is an HDMI port. Use any HDMI cable to go from the adapter to your TV's HDMI port.
    The Lightning adapters can handle 1080p video, and they work with all iPhones, iPads and iPod touches that have the Lightning port. 

  2. Alternatively, you can wirelessly send the video from the device using Apple's proprietary system that allows you to stream videos, photos, music, and more from any Apple device (iOS, HomePod or Mac computer) to your Apple TV or AirPlay 2–enabled Smart TV (see Smart TVs) over a home network. Following the instructions on the how to watch the video wirelessly page.

 

How do I make Windows 10 use an external display? 

When you connect your PC to a TV over HDMI or even VGA, Windows should automatically detect and display an image on it. Just make sure the TV is turned on and set to the right video input. 

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If not, you can try the Windows 10 shortcut: Windows Key + P. Hold down the Windows 

Key and press P multiple times to cycle through the various options: Laptop Screen Only > Duplicate > Extend > Second Screen Only. You will probably want Duplicate or Second Screen Only. 

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If that does not solve it, on your laptop right-click on the Windows 10 desktop and choose Display Settings:  

If you don't see two displays (similar to the image below) it means that your laptop cannot detect the TV. The problem could be that the cable is faulty, so try a different HDMI cable or a different input on your TV. 

Once you do see the number 2 screen appear in Display Settings, you can scroll down to see the Multiple Display options. In this menu you can choose whether to mirror (duplicate) your laptop screen, extend these displays (so you can show different content on each display) or show only on the TV (which is usually screen number 2). 

Cost Implications of the various options above 

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Here is a quick Google search result of the costs for the options above: 

WHY NOT TRY GIVE IT A TRY?

Once you have your device setup, why not try what you just learnt with our WayMaker video to see if it works:

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