Modern technology allows you to turn any Smart TV into a powerful multimedia center, using your smartphone as a remote control and a source of content. Owners of the Xiaomi and Mi Box ecosystem often wonder how to make the most of the bundle of gadget and large screen to watch movies, photos or games. The process of setting up can seem difficult due to the many options for connecting, but in practice everything is much easier if you know the right sequence of actions.
In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of image transfer built into the Android operating system and the MIUI for TV shell. You do not need to look for third-party applications, since the basic functionality of Xiaomi TVs allows you to broadcast the screen without installing additional software.
Connectivity and image stability are directly dependent on the protocol chosen and the speed of your Wi-Fi router. We will look at both standard system tools and specialized solutions for those who want to get the best quality of streaming. Understanding the difference between simple mirroring and streaming video will help you avoid delays and desynchronization of sound.
Preparation of equipment and network
The first step before setting up is to ensure a stable connection between devices. Both the smartphone and the TV must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. If you use a dual-band router, make sure that both devices are running at 5 GHz, which will provide higher bandwidth for high-resolution video transmission.
Check the software version on your Xiaomi Mi TV. Often manufacturers add support for new codecs or data protocols through system updates. Go to the settings menu and find About TV → System Update to make sure the firmware is up to date.
⚠️ Note: If your phone is connected to the mobile Internet (4G/5G), If you have a TV to Wi-Fi, you don't have a live stream. Make sure the router distributes the network to both devices.
Also worth paying attention to the power saving settings on the smartphone: Aggressive battery optimization algorithms can interrupt background data transfer processes, which will cause the connection to break during viewing.
☑️ Checking before connection
Using the built-in Cast feature on Android
The easiest way to display an image is to use the native feature of the Android operating system, often called Translation, Smart View, or Wireless Monitor. On Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, this option is usually built into the control panel. To access it, swipe down to open the notification curtain, and find the Broadcast icon.
Once activated, the phone will start searching for available devices on the local network. On the Mi TV screen, a request for confirmation of connection may appear, which must be accepted by the remote control. If the automatic search did not give results, try manually selecting your device from the list that will appear on the smartphone screen.
Some TV models require you to pre-enable the signal reception function. On the remote, click the app menu button and find the Wireless Display or Miracast app. Once it starts, the TV will go into standby mode and become searchable.
What to do if your phone can’t see TV?
It is important to understand that when using this method, the phone screen is completely duplicated on the TV, which means that all notifications, incoming calls and user actions will be visible on the large screen.
Broadcasting through the Google Home app
If the built-in tools don’t work or you’re using a device with a clean Android, the official Google Home app will be a great solution, allowing you to manage smart home devices and stream content through the Chromecast built-in protocol, which is supported by most Xiaomi TVs with Android TVs.
To get started, download the app from the Google Play Store and log in to your account. The program will automatically scan the network and find connected devices. Select your TV from the list of available gadgets and click the Broadcast screen button at the bottom of the interface.
The advantage of this method is the stability of the connection and support high resolution. Protool Chromecast is optimized for video stream, so the load on the processor of the smartphone is lower than with conventional mirroring. the battery of the phone will be spent more economically, and the picture quality will remain high.
It’s worth noting that Google Home allows you to stream not only the entire screen, but also the content of individual apps that support this feature, for example, by running a video in your Chrome browser, you can click on the broadcast icon and send the video directly to your TV, while continuing to use your phone for other tasks.
Features of connecting Apple devices (iOS)
Owners of iPhones and iPads need to consider that Apple’s ecosystem uses its own AirPlay 2 protocol. Xiaomi TVs with Android TV shell often have built-in AirPlay support, but it can be hidden or require activation.
If native support is not available, the solution is to install a special emulator app on the TV, such as AirScreen or AirPin, which creates a virtual receiver that tricks the iPhone into thinking it is connected to an Apple TV device.
The connection process is standard: open "Control Point" on your iPhone (swipe down from the top right corner or bottom up for older models), select "Screen Replay" and find your TV's name. AirPlay transmission quality has traditionally been considered one of the best thanks to efficient video stream compression.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party emulator apps on your TV (like AirScreen), advertising in the free version may overlap part of the image.
To ensure a smooth picture without jerking, make sure the router supports 802.11ac or later.The AirPlay protocol is sensitive to network delays, so an overloaded 2.4 GHz channel can cause unstable operation.
Third-party applications for enhanced capabilities
When standard features are not enough, specialized applications such as Web Video Caster, LocalCast or BubbleUPnP come to the rescue. They allow you to broadcast not only the screen, but also files of certain formats that the TV may not support out of the box, or videos from sites that have copy protection.
The way these programs work is that they take a link to a video stream and send it directly to the TV, which itself downloads and plays the content, and this takes the load off the phone's processor and allows you to turn off the smartphone screen or use it for other tasks while you're watching it.
| Annex | Support for formats | Advertising | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Video Caster | MP4, MKV, AVI, Web pages | Got it. | A convenient browser for finding videos |
| LocalCast | All popular video and audio | There is. | Support for subtitles and cloud storage |
| BubbleUPnP | DLNA, Chromecast, AirPlay | No (basic) | Powerful settings for advanced users |
| Xiaomi Mi Remote | Photo, Video, Music | No. | Official annex, stable operation |
Using such applications is especially important if you want to play a file stored in the cloud or on the NAS network drive. You do not need to download the file to your phone, just specify the path to it in the application, and the TV will play it directly from the source.
💡
To play heavy 4K files with high bitrates, use applications that support hardware decoding on the TV side, such as VLC for Android TV in conjunction with LocalCast.
Wired connection via HDMI (MHL/Slimport)
In situations where wireless connectivity is not possible or maximum quality is required without compression, you can use a cable. For this, your smartphone must support video output technology via a charging port, known as MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) or DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB-C.
V