And because Miracast uses the industry-standard H.264 codec, nearly every video format is supported, even copyright-protected media.
Push2TV and other Miracast devices can transmit data at 1080p resolution with 5.1-channel digital audio, which makes them ideal for sharing videos and music on your television.
Once connected, your Android device will mirror its screen directly onto the television, provided your TV or receiver is set to the same HDMI input as the Miracast device. Just as with Wi-Fi access points, any in-range devices should simply appear in the list. To enable Miracast on your compatible Android smartphone or tablet, go to the Settings app’s Display settings or to the Media Output settings, depending on your device model, and select the Miracast device in range. Miracast devices can also be found in the form of dongles that plug directly into a TV’s HDMI port. (Sadly, manufacturers haven’t quite met the Wi-Fi Alliance’s interoperability goals for Miracast.) The Push2TV looks very much like an Apple TV: a small box that connects to your TV or receiver via an HDMI cable and directly to your mobile device using Wi-Fi Direct (not via the wireless LAN). To test Miracast, I used the Netgear Push2TV because it’s the only currently approved Miracast device for use with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX.
Some require only a driver update to enable Miracast check with your manufacturer if you don’t see the Wireless Display option in your devices’ Settings app. Both Android and Windows 8 support the standard, though not all manufacturers have enabled it. The devices need to have a recent Wi-Fi radio, plus they need to implement the Miracast protocol in their operating systems. Miracast works by directly linking two supported devices, such as a television dongle and an Android device, using a dedicated peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection (aka Wi-Fi Direct). The Wi-Fi Alliance is the group that made the 802.11 protocols interoperable under the Wi-Fi name, and with Miracast it now aims to make video-sharing interoperable across devices. Miracast isn’t a brand, manufacturer, or a specific product-by definition, it’s the wireless video-sharing standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance that extends the Wi-Fi Direct networking protocol for video streaming. This all begs the question: Which video-sharing device fits your needs? Miracast also made its way into Android’s source code as of version 4.2 Jelly Bean, and so is now available on most new Android devices through the Wireless Display settings.īut Miracast isn’t without competition-2013 also saw the release of Chromecast, Google’s own $35 video-sharing device that can be controlled from both Android and iOS devices.Īll video-sharing technologies aren’t created equal, and they vary in terms of both function and price. On the provider side, 2013 saw Miracast gain widespread availability thanks to big-name backers like Belkin, NetGear, and Asus, each of which released its own Miracast-enabled devices. It’s all possible thanks in large part to Miracast, the wireless video-sharing standard that was first introduced in 2012 and began showing up in products in mid-2013. Smartphones and tablets have finally made the jump from the lap to the living room thanks to new technologies that cut the HDMI cord and wirelessly integrate mobile and television.