Display What’s on Your iPhone or iPad’s Display on an HD TV Using AirPlay
- The AirPlay Feature Works With Many Different Apps
- How to Turn on AirPlay Functionality
- Final Thoughts...
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If you want to share photos, digital slide presentations (using the Keynote or PowerPoint app), TV shows, movies, or other content you’re streaming from the Internet to your mobile device with other people, one of the easiest ways to do this is to take advantage of the AirPlay feature in order to showcase what’s on your device’s screen on a nearby HD television set.
This can be done wirelessly using AirPlay in conjunction with a second-generation Apple TV device ($99.00, www.apple.com/appletv) that’s connected to any HD television set. Then, both the Apple TV and your iOS mobile device need to be connected to the same wireless (Wi-Fi) network. Once this setup is completed and AirPlay is turned on, just about anything that’s displayed on your mobile device’s screen can be wirelessly displayed on the HD television set.
The AirPlay Feature Works With Many Different Apps
You’ll discover that AirPlay works with many different apps that can be used for showcasing iPhone or iPad content. For example, if you want to present a digital slide presentation created using the Keynote or PowerPoint app, AirPlay can be used.
If you want to showcase digital photos stored within your mobile device, this can be done using AirPlay via the Photos app. Then, individual photos within an Album can be displayed, either one at a time on an HD television set, or you can quickly create a slideshow, complete with animated slide transitions and background music from within the Photos app.
Likewise, if you have TV shows, movies or music, for example, that was acquired from the iTunes Store, and that’s currently stored within your mobile device, you can use AirPlay from within the Videos or Music app on your mobile device to send that content from your smartphone or tablet to your HD television set.
AirPlay is also built into many other apps, including the official YouTube, Netflix, and HBOGo apps, for example. These apps allow you to stream video programming from the Internet to your mobile device. The programming can be viewed on your smartphone or tablet’s screen, or you can just as easily display that programming on a nearby HD television set with a single tap on the AirPlay icon within the app. When streaming content, however, the programming is not stored within your device.
You’ll also find AirPlay functionality accessible when using apps that allow you to stream music or audio programming from the Internet to your mobile device. AirPlay compatible apps for this purpose include: Pandora, Spotify, or the Music app (to listen to iTunes Radio). The audio is received from the Internet by your iPhone or iPad and immediately and wirelessly transmitted to your home theater system or directly to AirPlay compatible speakers to be heard. The Audible app allows you to experience audiobooks stored within your mobile device. When used with AirPlay, those audiobooks can be heard using external speakers or through your television set’s speakers.
The AirPlay feature also has a mirroring function. This means that anything that’s displayed on your iPhone or iPad’s screen, such as a webpage when using Safari, can be simultaneously displayed on an HD television set. Using this feature, it’s possible to share content from apps with an audience, or experience iPhone or iPad games, for example, on a large size HD screen, complete with the stereo surround sound offered by your home theater system.
Some iPhone or iPad games are designed specifically to work with AirPlay and are capable of displaying two separate screens during game play. Thus, your mobile device can be used as a controller, complete with specialized menus and animations, while you’re viewing the game’s action on the big screen.