AIRPLAY MAC TO TV NVIDIA SHIELD ANDROID

Doesn’t affect battery life, and content keeps playing even if the casting device disconnects, but may not work with all apps.ĪirPlay: The iPhone or iPad beams music or video to the television, but doesn’t mirror its own display. It’s a battery hog, but can work for watching certain apps or showing off some photos from your phone.Ĭasting: The phone or tablet tells the set-top box to start streaming music or video from the Internet. Screen Mirroring: The basic act of duplicating your phone or tablet display on the television. Check out the chart below for which streamers offer the following features: However, each media streamer handles this differently, so they’re not all compatible with the same devices. The only other option is the $50 Roku 1, which has composite video output but is slower than newer Roku models.Īs couch potatoes become more likely to have a phone or tablet in hand, controlling your TV from that device is becoming more important. If you have an older TV without HDMI input, none of the devices on our list will work without a converter. You’ll find a chart comparing each device’s specs at the bottom of the “Phone and tablet controls” section:Įthernet allows for faster and more reliable streaming if your Wi-Fi router is not nearbyĭigital audio out can connect directly to external sound systems, which is useful if passing the audio signal through your TV isn’t an option, or if you want to listen with higher-end speakers than what your TV is outfitted withĪ USB port and a MicroSD slot are usefulful for playing media from a thumb drive or a digital camera While a simple HDMI output is all you really need to enjoy streaming video and music (provided your display, sound bar, or A/V receiver also has HDMI), most boxes have at least another port or two to address specific needs. The Roku 3 supports the largest number of apps, but no media streamer delivers everything you might want.

AIRPLAY MAC TO TV NVIDIA SHIELD ANDROID

The Nvidia Shield Android TV covers for its ho-hum app selection through Google Cast support, which lets you launch content from a phone or tablet (marked GC on the chart), but it lacks support for Amazon Instant Video. Meanwhile, Apple TV is missing apps for Amazon Instant Video, Sling TV, and Plex.

Roku 3, for instance, has the most complete app selection, but like all other non-Apple devices it can’t access iTunes purchases. Still, each platform has its quirks and missing pieces, so you’ll want to pay close attention to our app comparison chart at the bottom of this section. The good news is that every set-top box covers the basics, like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and YouTube.

Airplay mac to tv nvidia shield