How to connect Xiaomi phone to TV via USB: watching movies

Modern Xiaomi smartphones have powerful screens and enough memory to store a media library, but sometimes you want to enjoy your favorite movies on the big screen of the home theater. USB-And we're talking about cable, thinking it's the easiest and most reliable way to transmit data. TV The situation with a wired connection through a standard USB-The port has its own technical features and limitations that you need to know before setting up the port.

Directly connecting two devices with a USB-to-USB (male-to-male) cable will not lead to the desired result in most cases, since both devices act as hosts or storage devices, but not a video output. To broadcast an image or play files stored on a phone through a cable, you need to support the MHL protocol or use digital adapters, such as USB-C to HDMI. However, there are effective alternative methods to use the USB interface to access files or organize wireless signal transmission, which is often even more convenient.

In this guide, we’ll look at all possible scenarios, from using a flash drive as an intermediary to complex schemes with digital hubs. You’ll learn why a standard charging cable doesn’t transmit video, how to properly set up a file manager on Xiaomi, and what applications will help organize the streaming of content over the local network if a wired connection is not possible.

Why Direct Connection of Your Phone to a USB TV Cable Doesn't Work

Many users mistakenly believe that the USB-The port on the TV and the smartphone allows you to connect them with a conventional cable to transmit a video signal. USB-The protocol was originally designed to transmit data and power, not to output images in real time. When you connect an Android smartphone and a TV with a conventional wire, the TV sees the phone as external storage (if the drive mode is on), but not as a source of video signal.

To transmit the image over the wire, you need support for MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) technology or use an alternative USB-C port mode known as DisplayPort Alt Mode. Most budget and mid-range Xiaomi phones do not have hardware support for video output through the charging port, which means that even with a special adapter, the image will not appear on the TV screen.

⚠️ Note: Using cheap USB-to-USB cables (with two Type A plugs) to connect your phone and TV can short-circuit and damage the motherboard of both devices!

However, if your TV is equipped with an Android operating system TV or has a built-in Wi-Fi module, you can arrange data transfer via USB-Understanding the connection architecture helps to avoid buying unnecessary accessories and choose a really working method.

USB-drive method: transferring movies to a flash drive

The most reliable and versatile way to watch a movie from a Xiaomi phone on a TV USB-The interface is basically using a flash drive as an intermediary, and it doesn't require an Internet connection, a stable Wi-Fi signal, or complex network settings. USB-storage device and possibly adapter OTG (On-The-Go) if your flash drive has a standard connector USB-A, The phone is equipped with a Type-C port only.

The process starts with connecting the flash drive to your smartphone. Modern MIUI and HyperOS shells automatically recognize external drives. Once you connect to the notification curtain, a message will appear. You need to copy the video files to the internal memory of the drive, observing the file system. For TVs, the most compatible format is FAT32, although many modern models support NTFS.

After you write the files, you need to properly remove the drive so that you don't damage the data. USB-The remote control should switch the signal source to the USB Or run a built-in media player, and the TV scans the contents of the drive and suggests a list of files that are available to play back.

Use of the OTG-cable HDMI-adapter

If you absolutely do not want to use wireless technology and you need a wired connection, the only working option for most Xiaomi smartphones is to use a digital adapter. A standard USB cable will not help here, you will need a USB-C to HDMI adapter. This gadget converts the digital signal from the phone into a video stream that is understandable to the TV.

It is important to understand that support for video output via USB-C is not available in all models. flagship line Xiaomi Mi and Xiaomi 13/14 are more often equipped with ports with support for DisplayPort Alt Mode. Budget series Redmi and Poco may not have this feature hardware. Before buying an adapter, it is recommended to check the specifications of a particular model on the official website or through applications like USB Device Info.

The process of connecting is as follows: an adapter is inserted into the charging port of the phone, and an HDMI cable goes to the TV is connected to it. Some adapters have an additional port to connect the charger, which allows you to watch a movie and charge the smartphone at the same time, since the video output mode consumes a significant amount of energy.

Broadcasting over Wi-Fi and DLNA (Alternative to USB)

While the topic of this article is USB, the most convenient way to view content from a Xiaomi phone on a TV is wireless technology DLNA or Cast. It allows you to stream video directly from your phone’s memory or from the Internet to a TV screen without using wires. Both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

To implement this method, a DLNA-enabled media player (often called Media, Gallery, or built into a Smart TV) must be running on the TV, opening a video file in a standard player or file manager MIUI, pressing the Translate button (a wave screen icon) and selecting your TV from the list.

This method is ideal for viewing photos and videos taken with a smartphone camera, as well as for launching online cinemas. The quality of transmission depends on the speed of the Wi-Fi router. When using the 5 GHz band, you can transmit heavy loads of video. 4K-files without delay and buffering, which is often better than using old ones USB-television port.

Setup of file manager and codecs

When working with media files, whether via a flash drive or a network, the right codec and container play a crucial role. TVs, especially budget models, may not support modern compression formats, such as HEVC (H.265) in a high-bitrate MKV container, in which cases the video can be played without sound or jerks.

To solve compatibility problems, it is recommended to use third-party video players on Android TV, if the TV runs on Android, or broadcast the entire screen. On Xiaomi phones, the built-in video player is quite functional, but for complex files, it is better to install VLC for Android or MX Player, which have built-in codecs and can recode the stream on the fly when broadcasting.

⚠️ Note: If, in the course of reproduction, USB-The problem is not in the cable or the port, and in the absence of the desired codec in the firmware TV. Try to convert the video on the computer into a format MP4 (H.264) Or use a screen broadcast.

Solving Connection Problems

Even if you follow all the instructions, users can face difficulties. Often the phone sees the flash drive but doesn't see the files, or the TV doesn't respond to the connection. One common reason is to format the drive into an exFAT file system that older TVs don't read. Reformatting to FAT32 solves the problem, but limits the size of a single 4GB file.

Another problem is the lack of nutrition. USB-TV ports often give out current of only 0.5A or 1A. If you plug in a capacious external hard drive, it may not have enough power to start. USB-powerhouse.

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Use the File Manager Explorer on Xiaomi for quick access to hidden folders. Enable the display of hidden files in the settings to find the Android/obb folder or other system directories where cached videos can be stored.

It is also worth checking the settings. USB-Although you don't need them to just watch movies, you sometimes reset your settings. USB-Connection helps. Go to Settings. → Advanced settings → For developers, make sure that the mode USB-configuration set to "File Transfer" (MTP), Not "Only charging".

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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The most versatile way to watch movies with Xiaomi on TV is to burn files to a USB flash drive (FAT32 format) or use DLNA technology over Wi-Fi. Direct USB-to-USB cable connection for video transfer does not work.