Microsoft on the TV

[AdamHunterATC]

So I have a WP8 device, and I'm planning on getting a W8.1 tablet in the future. I was wondering the best ways to get my content from the phone/tablet to the TV. I know I could use an HDMI cord, but I was thinking wirelessly.

Apple has the Apple TV you can AirPlay to. Google has Chromecast. What can I use?

 

[anony_mouse]

Some TVs and some Windows devices support Miracast.

 

[Markham Ranja]

So I have a WP8 device, and I'm planning on getting a W8.1 tablet in the future. I was wondering the best ways to get my content from the phone/tablet to the TV. I know I could use an HDMI cord, but I was thinking wirelessly.

Apple has the Apple TV you can AirPlay to. Google has Chromecast. What can I use?

Both of those are hardware solutions - the only similar device MS has is the Xbox, but that might be too much for your needs. Depending on the specific tablet and on the TV, you could use the Miracast protocol to stream to the TV over Wifi, but that'll probably work only if you've got a smart TV.

Though, if you buy a full Windows tablet, like the Surface Pro or Dell Venue Pro, you could just install Chrome and get a Chromecast. Roku also just announced a $50 HDMI stick similar to, but far better than the Chromecast. I personally have a soft spot for the WDTV Live range of media devices.

 

[Cleavitt76]

I personally am not a fan of "smart TVs" because the technology that is considered smart today will be considered fairly stupid and outdated in a few years. At that point you may have to replace the whole TV to upgrade. Also, TV manufacturers tend to implement things in a more proprietary way. I just want my TV to be a TV. I don't want to be forced to use a Samsung Galaxy phone to get the most from my Samsung smart TV for example. Intel WiDi, Apple AirPlay, and ChromeCast have similar issues as far as being locked into specific hardware, devices, or uses. You are better off getting an add-on device and connecting it to your TV. An Xbox is a good way to integrate Microsoft mobile devices with your TV, but Miracast is the way to go in my opinion.

I use this device with my Surface Pro 2 and it works great...

Amazon.com: NETGEAR Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter with Miracast (PTV3000) Certified for use with Kindle Fire HDX: Electronics

I have also used it with a Kindle Fire HDX, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and a Dell Venue Pro 8" Windows 8.1 tablet.

Miracast is a relatively new open standard for wireless audio/video. It is similar to DLNA, but it's implementation is much simpler/modern and therefore less likely to suffer from all of the compatibility issues that plague DLNA. The only downside to Miracast is that older hardware and operating system may not support it.

Windows phone does not currently support Miracast, but I believe it might be included in the upcoming WP8.1 release. Windows has support for Miracast as of 8.1, but the wireless network hardware/drivers also have to be fairly up to date to support the protocols needed for Miracast.

 

[AdamHunterATC]

Thanks for that info, Cleavitt. Is Miracast supported by both regular and RT W8.1? And I'm assuming Miracast uses a WiFi network to communicate with the device, right? Sorry, I'm just not well versed in this kind of tech.

It's good to hear that it'll work with the DV8P tablet as that is the one I am considering.

 

[Cleavitt76]

Yes, Windows RT and full Windows 8.1 both support Miracast. WP8.1 will support it as well (I confirmed it after my previous post).

Miracast uses WiFi Direct so an access point/network is not needed to "project" your screen to the TV. However, if you do have a wireless network you can be connected to it and the Miracast adapter at the same time. This is important because in many cases the tablet will need an internet connection and the Miracast connection at the same time. Streaming Netflix and projecting it to the TV for example.

Save yourself some frustration and update the Netgear PTV3000 firmware and apply all Dell and Windows updates before you try to use the Miracast functionality with the DVP8. There were some issues out of the box with the DVP8 when it was first released, but they were corrected within a month or so. The issues/limitations were related to the tablet using a default portrait orientation/resolution instead of landscape like most larger tablets, laptops, and TVs have. It caused screen mirroring (aka duplication) mode to fail which is the most common mode most people would want to use.

Here is some info on how Miracast functionality is accessed in Win8.1...

Initial config: How to connect Windows 8.1 to PTV3000

Once you have done the initial config only the first three steps apply when reconnecting.

More info about Miracast: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracast