Modern smart TVs from Xiaomi (or running Android TV and Google TV) offer a lot of multimedia content, but often there is a need to play a video file that is directly in the memory of your smartphone. This can be a family video shot on camera, or a movie downloaded from the Internet, which is not supported by the built-in player of the TV. Fortunately, there are several proven ways to sync devices without using unnecessary wires.
You don't need to be an expert in networking to connect. The whole process takes one to five minutes if both devices are in the same environment. In this article, we'll take a look at every method, from built-in features to the use of specialized applications, so you can choose the most convenient option for your situation.
The most common and versatile way is to use Miracast technology (often called “Wireless Monitor” or “Translation” on Xiaomi devices), which allows you to duplicate the screen of a smartphone on a large display in real time. To get started, make sure your phone and TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, which is a critical condition because you have different types of Wi-Fi connections. IP-The device addresses will not “see” each other.
On the Xiaomi TV remote, find a button with a house or app icon to go to the main menu. You need to run a system application called the Wireless Display. In some firmware, it may be called Broadcast or have an icon with a screen and waves.
Why can't the TV see the phone?
Once you run the app on your TV, you'll see a waiting screen that says "Ready to Connect" or a countdown timer. Now we'll move on to setting up your smartphone. Owners of Xiaomi phones (MIUI shell or HyperOS) just drop the notification curtain and find the Broadcast icon. The system will start looking for available displays.
If you have a smartphone from another brand, such as Samsung, Huawei or Honor, the feature can be called Smart View, Projection, Broadcast or Multi-screen. Find this item in the quick settings or in the screen settings menu (“Connected Devices”). When the search is over, your Xiaomi TV should appear on the list.
⚠️ Note: When using Miracast smartphone can significantly heat up, and the battery will discharge faster than usual, as there is an active encoding of the video stream in real time.
Once you select a device, you may have a request to confirm your connection on your phone screen, and you pick it up, and the mobile device will show up on your TV. You can now open any video player, gallery, or browser, and the content will be displayed on the big screen. However, you should consider that latency can be between 0.5 and 2 seconds, which is noticeable when playing games, but almost invisible when watching movies.
☑️ Miracast Diagnostics
If the standard feature doesn’t work or the connection quality is poor, you can try an alternative method through Google Chrome’s built-in browser or any other Chromium browser on Android.This method uses Chromecast built-in technology, which often works more stable than direct Miracast, especially if the router is old.
Open your browser on your smartphone, click on the menu (three dots) and select Cast. Your phone will start searching for devices. If your Xiaomi TV is connected correctly, it will appear in the list. You can choose to stream a specific browser tab or the entire screen of the device.
This method is especially useful if you want to show someone the content of a web page or run a video from a site that does not have its own app on the TV. The quality of the picture depends on the speed of your Wi-Fi channel. It is recommended to use 5 GHz to transmit high-resolution video (Full HD and 4K) to avoid compression artifacts.
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To reduce latency when broadcasting via Chrome, close all background apps on your smartphone that actively use the network, such as torrents or cloud syncs.
However, this method has its limitations: Browser tab broadcasting can be less smooth than system screen broadcasting, especially if the web page is “heavy” and contains many scripts. In addition, some sites block the output of protected content (DRM) through the browser tab, and instead of the video you will see a black screen.
The best way to watch movies is not by duplicating the screen, but by transferring the media file itself to play back on the TV, using DLNA or Cast protocols inside the player apps, which frees up the phone's resources: you can turn off the smartphone screen, answer the phone, or go online, and the movie will be on the TV.
To implement this method, you will need a third-party file manager or video player with support for cast functions. A great choice is the VLC for Android app, MX Player or standard Google Photos. Open the video file in the app on your phone.
In the player interface, find the Cast icon (a rectangle with waves in the corner). It is usually located in the upper or lower corner of the play screen. Click on it and select your Xiaomi TV from the list. The TV will download the buffer itself and start playing the file directly, receiving data over the network.
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Broadcasting via DLNA/Cast inside the player saves battery power and allows you to use the smartphone for other tasks while watching a movie.
The advantage of this method is that the TV uses its own decoder, which often provides better picture and support for a wider range of audio formats than a smartphone. If the film has an MKV format with heavy subtitles, the TV can handle them better than a phone when broadcasting on screen.
For advanced users who have a file manager like ES Explorer or CX File Explorer, Media Server is available. By enabling this option in the Explorer settings, your phone will become visible to the TV as Network Storage (NAS).
On Xiaomi TV, open the Media Player or Explorer app. From the source list, select Network or LAN. Your phone should show up there. Once you go in, you'll have access to all the folders of photos, music and video. This is the perfect way to browse archives when you need to quickly find a specific file without first flipping.
Despite the convenience of wireless technologies, they can sometimes work unstable due to interference in the air or weak routers, in such cases, and also if video transmission is required in maximum bitrate without compression (for example, for the purpose of the transmission of video in the maximum bitrate). HDR-content 4K 60fps), It is better to use a wired connection.
You will need a dedicated USB-C to HDMI adapter. Note that the USB-C port on your smartphone should support the MHL or DisplayPort Alt Mode standard. Budget phone models often don't have a video output through the charging port, so it's worth checking your model specification before buying an adapter.
Connect the adapter to the phone and to it — HDMI-Switch the signal source on the TV (Input or Source) to the appropriate port. HDMI. The image will appear instantly, without delays or freezes, and it is the best option for presentations or games where every millisecond counts.
⚠️ Note: When connecting through HDMI-The adapter phone may not charge as the port is busy transmitting the video signal.
To systematize the information and quickly select the appropriate method, compare the main characteristics of each method in the table below.
| Method | Quality. | Delay. | Phone load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miracast (Translation) | Good (depends on Wi-Fi) | Medium (0.5-2 sec) | High (screen active) |
| DLNA/Cast (Player) | Excellent (native) | Minimum | Low (background) |
| HDMI Cable | Maximum. | Absent. | Medium (discharge) |
| Chrome Cast | Medium/Good | Tall. | Medium |
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the phone sees the TV, but the connection is broken or there is a constant buffering. Most often the problem lies in the router. If there are many walls between devices or the distance is large, the 2.4 GHz signal can be unstable.
Try restarting your router by simply turning it off for 10 seconds. Also make sure your Xiaomi TV has the latest system update installed. Go to Settings → TV → System Update to check for new versions of the software that often contain patches of network modules.
The Secret to Stability
In conclusion, the choice of method depends on your current tasks: for a quick demonstration of a photo or a short video, the built-in Broadcast will do; for long-term viewing of films in high quality, you should use the Cast function inside the video player; and for games or work without lags, you can not use the Cast function. HDMI-cable.
Xiaomi and Android technologies provide flexible tools for creating a home theater. Experiment with different methods to find the optimal balance between picture quality and ease of control for your particular smartphone and TV model.