Miracast connects but fails to send video - help!

[andrewkeith5]

Sorry if this has been covered, I can't find anything particularly useful when it comes to diagnosing Miracast problems

I have a Lenovo Yoga 13 setup with Windows 8.1 Pro and the latest drivers which I have read in a few places work with Miracast, which I am trying to use with a Panasonic DMP-MST60EBS media streamer which claims to be Miracast certified.

I am not at all impressed with the Panasonic in general - the first one I had I couldn't get to stream any sort of video from anywhere (it could connect to wifi but as soon as you started to stream it gave in), and the second one is biblically slow and full of bugs (the first time I streamed from iPlayer the video played twice as quickly as the audio; it doesn't actually switch off when you press the power button; and various other aspects).

My problem is that I can't work out whether it's the Panasonic or the Lenovo that's causing me my Miracast-related stress. When I try to set it up, the Lenovo finds the Panasonic and happily installs it as a Miracast device (it claims to be connected and a Miracast display appears in device manager), however the Panasonic just sits there on it's blue/black 'background' screen. When I try to select a projection mode (Extended/Duplicate/etc.), the Panasonic bombs and gives a generic 'cannot connect' error message. A short while later the Lenovo will reflect this saying the Panasonic is not connected.

Does anyone else have any experience with this Panasonic box? In my limited experience it seems blindingly unreliable, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth me returning the second one and spending ?30 more on the Netgeat PTV3000, but I'm not really willing to do that unless I know it's the Panasonic that's at fault As far as I can tell the Lenovo is doing everything OK and the Panasonic is causing the problem, but I'd like to get other's opinions.

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer in case it makes any difference I'm using a BenQ EW2420 monitor.

 

[foxbat121]

Miracast is still in its infancy. Certification means absolutely nothing. I have seen issues both related to the adapter side and PC sides. Heard a few complaints about Panasonic that won't work with Google's new Nexus 5 smartphone at all.

On PC side, the wifi adapter driver plays a big roll in Miracast. Make sure you have the latest driver for it. Some driver works better than others.


NetGear seems a little bit more mature than others. But it can still be problematic from time to time (I have one). A few times, I have to reboot it or remove the device from my Win8 PC and re-connect again.


Also, Win8.1 uses your current wifi internet connect channel for wifi direct connection to the adapter. So, try different channels on your router to see if it works better than other channels. Try 5GHz vs 2.4GHz if available.

 

[andrewkeith5]

Thanks for your help - it seems pretty clear that Miracast is definitely in it's infancy!

I can now happily report that it was the Panasonic unit that was at fault - if anyone is considering buying one, it is utterly rubbish - slow, laggy (if you can get it to do anything at all) and difficult!

I know this because, having returned the second of the Pansonics to Currys PC World, I picked up a Netgear PTV3000 which - once I'd got it out of the impossibly difficult "easy-open" packaging, worked first time - faultlessly I'm writing this on my laptop now whilst it streams 4OD to my monitor wirelessly

Thanks for your help again - and to anyone else, if you want a Miracast receiver for Windows 8, the Netgear is my firm recommendation.