How to transfer a movie from phone to TV Xiaomi over Bluetooth: the complete guide

Streaming movies from your phone to the big screen of Xiaomi TV via Bluetooth is a convenient way to enjoy content without unnecessary wires. However, many users face problems: poor sound quality, image delay or complete lack of synchronization. In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to connect an Android smartphone to Xiaomi TV over Bluetooth, including bypassing restrictions, stream optimization and solving typical errors.

It's important to understand that a Bluetooth connection isn't designed to transmit video, but it's primarily about audio, so it's going to require a combination of technology or workarounds to watch movies, and we've tested all of these methods on Xiaomi Mi TV 4S/5 Pro, Redmi Smart TV and Xiaomi TV A Pro to make sure that the instructions are up to date.

If you're looking for a way to stream videos from YouTube, KinoPoisk or torrent players, this guide will help you choose the best option for your TV and phone, and if the standard connection doesn't work, we'll show you how to get around restrictions through ADB or third-party apps.

Why Bluetooth is not good for video (and what to do)

Bluetooth technology was originally designed to transmit audio, not video. The maximum bandwidth even in the latest version of Bluetooth 5.2 (which is equipped with flagship Xiaomi TV) is only 2 Mbps – enough for music in high quality, but not enough for Full HD or 4K video.

When trying to stream a movie over Bluetooth, you will encounter problems:

• 🎬 Lags and delays – the video will “brake” or lag behind the sound for 1-3 seconds.
• 📶 Low resolution: The TV will show the picture as a 480p even in the original 1080p.
• 🔊 Just Sound – Most of Xiaomi TV Bluetooth only supports audio stream (protocol) A2DP).

However, there are 3 working scenarios when Bluetooth will come in handy for watching movies:

1. Use your phone as a remote + sound source, and stream your video over Wi-Fi (e.g., via Google Cast).
2. Connect your phone over Bluetooth for sound only, and display the image via HDMI or USB-C.
3. Use specialized applications that encode low-resolution video for Bluetooth transmission (e.g. LocalCast).

Preparing Xiaomi TV for Connection

Before pairing devices, you need to activate Bluetooth on the TV and update the firmware. On Xiaomi TV models until 2020 (Mi TV 4A/4C), you may need to manually turn on detection mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the TV and go to Settings → Bluetooth and devices.
2. Activate the Bluetooth slider (on some models you need to click Add Device).
3. Choose Device Search and wait for the TV to find your phone.
4. Confirm the pairing on the phone (it may be necessary to enter) PIN-code, usually 0000 or 1234).

If Xiaomi TV doesn’t find the phone:

• 🔄 Reboot both devices – sometimes resetting the Bluetooth module helps.
• 📱 Update the TV firmware: Settings → On TV. → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Reset network settings on the TV: Settings → Network → Resetting network settings.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi TVs with firmware below MIUI TV 3.0 (released before 2021) may not support Bluetooth LE. In this case, use Wi-Fi Direct for a stable connection or HDMI.

Method 1: Bluetooth + Wi-Fi (optimum)

The most reliable method is to use Bluetooth only for control and sound, and to stream video over Wi-Fi via Google Cast, Miracast or DLNA, this will avoid lags and get quality up to 4K.

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone and TV to the same Wi-Fi network (or use Wi-Fi Direct).
2. On your phone, open the movie in the app (like VLC or MX Player) and select the option to Broadcast or Cast.
3. In the list of devices, select your Xiaomi TV (should be displayed as MI_TV_XXXX).
4. Connect your phone to your TV via Bluetooth to transmit sound (if necessary).

Advantages of the method:

• 🎥 Full HD/4K without lags – the video goes over Wi-Fi, which provides bandwidth to the 50 Mbit/s.
• 🔊 Synchronization of sound - delay does not exceed 100 ms (imperceptible to humans).
• 🎮 Control from the phone - you can pause, rewind or adjust the volume.

Applications supporting such broadcasting:

💡

If the video slows down, reduce the bitrate in the application settings. In VLC, this is done in Settings → Stream → Bitrate (recommended value: 8000 Kbps for Full HD).

Method 2: Pure Bluetooth (audio only)

If you only need to stream sound (for example, to listen to podcasts or music from a movie), and the video will go through the video. HDMI or USB, Bluetooth is perfect. It's a good method for Xiaomi models. TV without built-in Wi-Fi Direct (e.g. Mi) TV 4A 32").

How to connect:

1. On your phone, open Settings → Connected devices → Bluetooth.
2. Choose your Xiaomi TV from the list (the name will be in the format) MI_TV_XXXX).
3. Confirm the pairing on both devices.
4. In a player on your phone (such as YouTube Music or Spotify), select Xiaomi TV as your audio output device.

Limitations of the method:

• 🔇 No video, the picture will remain on the phone.
• 🎧 Mono Sound – Some Xiaomi Models TV Accept Bluetooth audio only in mono mode.
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge – simultaneous operation of Bluetooth and phone screen increases consumption by 20-30%.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi TVs with firmware MIUI TV 2.0 and below may not support aptX codecs or LDAC. In this case, the sound will be transmitted in a compressed format. SBC, quality-deteriorating.

Method 3: Bypasses for Bluetooth video

If you really need to stream both video and audio over Bluetooth, you can use specialized applications that compress the stream to an acceptable quality.

Top.-3 Bluetooth streaming apps:

• 📱 LocalCast – supports video transmission in resolution up to 720p There's a synchronization function for sound.

Instructions for LocalCast:

1. Install LocalCast from Google Play.
2. Open the movie in the app and select Devices → Xiaomi TV (Bluetooth).
3. In the broadcast settings, set: Resolution: 720p (maximum for Bluetooth). Bitrate: 2000 Kbps. Codec: H.264 (optimum for compression).

10 seconds.

On Xiaomi TV A2 2023 and later, the built-in Bluetooth 5.2 supports the LE Audio protocol, which allows you to transmit video in resolution up to 960×540 with an acceptable frame rate (24 FPS).

💡

For stable Bluetooth video transmission, reduce the resolution to 720p and use the H.264 codec. Higher settings will have strong lags.

Typical problem solving

Even with the right connection, there can be errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them:

Problem 1: TV can't see your phone over Bluetooth

• 🔍 Check the visibility of the phone – Bluetooth settings should enable Visible for all.
• 📵 Disable other devices – Xiaomi TV It can support no more than 2-3 Bluetooth connections at the same time.
• 🔄 Reset network settings on the TV: Settings → Network → Reset.

Problem 2: Videos are slowing down or out of sync with sound

• 📶 Switch to 5GHz Wi-Fi – if you use a hybrid method (Bluetooth) + Wi-Fi).
• ⚙️ Reduce bitrate in player settings to 1500 Kbps.
• 🔊 Enable sound synchronization in the application (for example, in the VLC: Audio. → Synchronization).

Problem 3: Low quality sound

• 🎧 Check out the supported codec – on Xiaomi TV s MIUI TV 4.0+ AptX is available and AAC.
• 🔊 Turn off sound processing in TV settings: Settings → Sound. → Effects. → Off..
• 📱 Update your phone’s firmware – on Android 12+ improved support LDAC.

Alternative ways to connect (if Bluetooth is not suitable)

If Bluetooth is not up to the task, consider alternative methods of connecting your phone to Xiaomi TV:

Comparison of methods:

Selection recommendations:

• 🎮 For games, only HDMI (minimum delay).
• 🎬 For the movies in 4K — Google Cast or HDMI.
• 📱 Temporary connection: Wi-Fi Direct (no router required).

If your Xiaomi TV doesn’t support Miracast (relevant for budget models), use a USB-C/HDMI adapter. Xiaomi/Redmi phones will suit an adapter with DisplayPort Alt Mode (for example, Baseus HDMI Adapter).

FAQ: Frequent questions