How to Stream From Android Phone to Old TV?
You should never feel confined to the small screen of a tiny phone in your pocket – or a giant phone, depending on your preference for plus devices. It’s pretty easy to bring whatever you’re watching on your phone to a big screen like your living room TV. At least that’s how it should be.
In this week’s tech tips column on Lifehacker, Edward writes:
“Hi David, how are you? I have a technical problem. You probably have a solution.
So, I want to mirror the screen of my Android phone to my TV. The problem is my phone has a micro-USB port and the TV only accepts RCA input. Can you pair them with a mirror? “
Hey! Here’s a short answer to that question: No. At least you won’t be able to do this with the devices at your disposal: your phone and your TV. You will need more equipment to make this happen, and this is a process that does not guarantee great (or working) results. Whether it’s your device, adapter, or TV, things can break along the way – honestly. (Save these checks!)
I don’t have a variety of cables and adapters on hand to try them out, so I’ll shoot a little with this answer. Based on my research, I believe you will need the following:
- Micro-USB cable to HDMI
- HDMI to Composite Converter
- RCA cables
The whole process looks like this – and yes, the presenter shows you how to mirror an Android screen on a car display, but the principle is the same:
Another option that you might consider as a sensible long-term solution is the adapter and Chromecast combination. Listen to me. While it may cost you a little more upfront, grabbing an adapter like this and pairing it with a powerful enough Chromecast will at least give you a device that will also benefit your life if you ever decide to upgrade your TV.
Of course, you won’t need an adapter anymore, but you also won’t invest in any additional cables other than the ones it comes with. And then there’s the convenience factor: I don’t think you want to buy a giant micro-USB to HDMI cable and then have to deal with the hassle of pulling it from the TV to the coffee table or whatever. your customization happens – every time you want to stream the screen of your android device .
A Chromecast is also much more useful to have on hand than a simple cable for any other streaming you might want to do, rather than just mirroring your device’s screen. You can use it to play Google games if you want, and it is very easy to transfer it from TV to TV (or receiver, or computer monitor, etc.) for any purpose.
I would go this route if I was trying to mirror my Android on an old school TV. It’s not fancy – there are never adapters – but at least it gives you a good, future-proof device that can be used in a wider variety of situations. Plus, it saves you the hassle of a lot of cables, and it also isolates potential problems from just one device (adapter).
Let me know if this or a smaller solution works for you. If not, then Black Friday TV sales aren’t that far …