Connect Your PC to a TV, Wirelessly!
Wouldn't it be great to pipe whatever is on your computer screen directly to your big-screen TV? Now you can wirelessly send Hulu, YouTube videos, and computer games from your PC screen directly to your television screen. Even browse the web on your fancy big-screen HDTV. Here's how to make a wireless PC to TV connection... |
Making a Wireless PC to TV Connection
If you have a laptop or desktop computer with an average sized screen, you've probably thought "Wouldn't it be great if I could magically beam my computer screen to my nice big flat panel HDTV in the living room?"
Poof... you can! Some computers can connect directly to a television set with an HDMI cable, effectively turning your HDTV into a second monitor. But this is practical only over relatively short distances, and the cables can be messy and expensive. Computers that don't have HDMI outputs can still make a wired connection to an HDTV by using a converter box such as the Manta VGA to HDMI with 1080p Scaler by Sewell.
But hey, we were trying to do this wirelessly. So enter the age of the wireless video sending device. By connecting a wireless video transmitter to your computer, and a wireless receiver to your television, the problem is neatly solved. So how does it work, and which device is best for wirelessly sending websites, YouTube videos, photos, games and other content from your computer screen to the TV?
Let's look at several wireless PC to TV devices to determine which is right for you.
Wireless PC to TV Options
Sewell Direct's Wireless PC to TV Converter connects to any PC, video game console or other VGA source with the included cable. The SW-28760 sends both audio and video signals to your TV from up to 150' away. Connect the receiver to your TV via video/audio cables. In addition, this unit can be utilized as a wired VGA to TV converter box with S-video, RGB and composite outputs. This unit is 480i VGA (not HD), so it's not recommended for text based applications such as email, unless you use a font of 14 points or larger. And although it'll send whatever is on your screen to your TV, the relatively low-res VGA signal may result in grainy videos. The Sewell Converter is very reasonably priced at $79.95.
If you want to send HD quality video wirelessly from your PC to your TV check out the InternetVue PC to HDTV Converter IV-2020. This wireless PC to HDTV conversion box can send computer video wirelessly to your TV or projectors. If you want use your large screen TV to read your email, browse the web, or play online games, this little box can make it happen. You can even stream high definition video up to 100 feet from your PC to your TV. Priced at $209.95. The downside is that this device is not a general purpose "send what's on my computer screen to the TV" device. It will transmit content from the Internet, but not content stored on your hard drive, or a movie played from a DVD drive. If you were looking for a way to beam Hulu, Youtube or other web video to your TV, this will work.
The Veebeam HD wireless PC to TV link, more moderately priced at $99, promises that anything you see on your PC can be sent to your TV. Surf the web, or stream from Hulu, Netflix, or YouTube to your HDTV over a wireless link. Simply plug the USB antenna into your computer and "Veebeam it" to your TV in HD 1080p (high-def) video. The Veebeam is for in-room use, and cannot transmit through walls, making it best suited for laptops. Works with Windows Vista/Win7 and Mac OS X (10.5 or higher)
AItek's ProPC/TV Wireless Converter not only looks good, it does more than just conversion. Connect your laptop, desktop or Media Center PC to a TV up to 100 feet away, through walls, floors, ceilings and doors. With this device you can play a DVD, see what your kids are up to, display presentations and even send a greeting from your cubicle at work to the lobby, all from your PC. Add more receivers and send the media to multiple TVs. The ProPC/TV needs no software and has a price of $171.95, cables included.
Grandtec USA calls their converterUltimate Wireless. Use it for gaming, presentations or just browsing on your Mac or PC. With four channels, it has a range of 125 - 150', needs no software and has menu controls as well as zoom. Although the Ultimate's sending module has composite, S-video and RGB output, only composite video is available on the receiver. So you won't be getting HD quality video. But hey, you can always connect that composite output to a VCR or a video camera if you want to record what's happening on your computer screen. The Ultimate Wireless includes a battery pack for portable usage of the transmitter and has a price of $89.95.
Another option from Grandtec is the YFi2TV HD media streamer. This unit can connect to your PC (or your smartphone or tablet) over a wireless network, and stream music, photos and videos to your TV, in HD quality.
For completeness, I'll also mention the ROKU box, which I have previously reviewed. Priced from $59 to $99, it's a great solution for streaming HD quality movies from the Internet to your TV, using a wired or wireless connection. But it's not a general purpose "send your PC screen to your TV" device, either. ROKU connects to your Internet router, and pulls content from ROKU partners such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and a variety of free and paid TV channels.
Summing Up...
All of the wireless PC to TV devices do pretty much the same thing -- sling content via wifi from your computer to your TV -- yet each has features that are unique. You may not need HD quality video, or the ability to stream wireless video 150 feet through walls. And of course, there's always the wired option for sending your PC screen to the TV. (See the first gadget mentioned near the top of this article.) Although the wires may be unsightly, you'll get better video quality, and eliminate the potential for interference from appliances and other signals floating around.
When choosing, check compatibility with your computer, operating system, and personal requirements. Look for actual customer reviews to how they perform in real-world situations.
Have you used a wireless device to transmit from your PC screen to a TV? Post your comment or question below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on 8 Feb 2013
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Connect Your PC to a TV, Wirelessly! (Posted: 8 Feb 2013)
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Most recent comments on "Connect Your PC to a TV, Wirelessly!"
Posted by:
Adrian
08 Feb 2013
Love my Veebeam HD. Always connects as expected and streams well. Minor irritant is slight video delay, but lower the laptop screen so you only see the tv, and you won't notice the difference.
Posted by:
Dave S
08 Feb 2013
I'd like to be know other's experiences on these items.
One of the problems I've found with Hulu Plus is that some of the programs are available on web only and cannot be watched via Roku....so it would be great to bring up those shows on the laptop and 'beam' them to the TV!
Posted by:
G Lud
08 Feb 2013
Since you didn't mention the Apple device , I guess all the devices you mentioned work only with Windows......Hardly a complete review of the issue.....
EDITOR'S NOTE: Why would you assume that? I specifically mentioned that two of them work with Macs...
Posted by:
ArtM
08 Feb 2013
Hi Bob,
I've been running this very similar converter for a couple of weeks now with no glitches. And it costs less than 30 bucks at Amazon. It's great fun to cruise the Net on a 55" screen.
See:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VJ9RCO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01
Posted by:
Roberto
08 Feb 2013
I use my Acer netbook connected with HDMI cable to my TV. I can watch everything from the internet this way. I had to upgrade my DSL service from 3 MBps to 12 to avoid interrumptions on streaming movies.
Posted by:
Ira
08 Feb 2013
Vizio also makes a HD wireless unit. It has four HDMI inputs on the transmitter and one output on the receiver plus a remote to switch inputs.
Posted by:
VanPike
08 Feb 2013
Aren't there new WiFi standards specifically for PCs and SmartTVs? What's WiDi? I think mny laptop has WiDi or something like it, so I would just need a receiver for my non-smart HD TV
Could you please clarify what's going on in this space? I'd rather not get stuck with a proprietary format, if there's a generic solution as convenient as WiFi is for LAN.
Posted by:
Richard
08 Feb 2013
We have a PC and a laptop. Our Sony LED TV does not have WiFi. We have transferred our photos from the digital camera to the PC. How is the best way to display a slideshow on the TV? Also, if we were to purchase a TV with WiFi, how would that work?
Posted by:
Huffy
09 Feb 2013
The HP Wireless TV Connect Kit sells for $160 and supposedly you transmit from you PC or Laptop in HD anything you see on your screen. No downloads required. Might be of interest.
Posted by:
Murray
09 Feb 2013
One question, and I hope it's not ridiculously stupid...
If you are using the large screen as your monitor (for whatever reason...surfing, watching a movie, etc) And using a PC, Presumably you are sitting some distance back from the screen and computer source. Wouldn't you need some kind of wireless mouse on steroids to navigate?
I understand how you could navigate remotely with a laptop/touchpad.
Posted by:
TheRube
09 Feb 2013
I would love one day to see everything on my big screen laptop without having to use a TV - -
(I have not had a TV in Many Many Years!)
Posted by:
Nation
09 Feb 2013
Thanks, Bob.
We've just been using a long VGA cable from a laptop to the TV (it has VGA input). Mainly for Netflix, etc.
My other laptop (HP dm4-1160us) has Intel Wireless Display built in, but my TV doesn't, so I'm considering getting an adaptor/receiver for the TV. They cost from $40 to over $100 on Amazon, for instance. Any advice on this type of system?
Posted by:
ManoaHi
13 Feb 2013
I know this is late, but for the poster who said:
"Since you didn't mention the Apple device , I guess all the devices you mentioned work only with Windows......Hardly a complete review of the issue.....
EDITOR'S NOTE: Why would you assume that? I specifically mentioned that two of them work with Macs..."
If you are looking for the best device for a Mac, iPad or iPhone, get the Apple TV. If your Mac is newer than mid-2011, then you can use Apple TV using AirPlay mirroring. It should work on all iPhones or iPads that can run iOS 6 (which means the original iPhone won't work). Also, Apple TV has Hulu Plus and Netflix out of the box. If you use iTunes, then your entire library is supported.
Posted by:
ribeirojc
23 Feb 2013
I work on a laptop, 12 hours a day, and use a TV set as alternate monitor. Mostly text based activity.
I'd like to use the TV also as an option for video, but HDMI does not transfer the audio track to the big TV speakers. Win7 Standard.
What have I not done right?
Posted by:
andy
24 Feb 2013
i have my laptop connected to my TV with an HDMI cable, however i use the free android app ''unified remote'' to use my phone as a mouse/keyboard. works beautifully and possibly the cheapest option, if you have a laptop that can handle HD video.
Posted by:
Cindy H
06 Mar 2013
ribeirojc
Sometimes the problem with no audio is the HDMI cord itself.
I was using a cheap one, and the audio wasn't working at all.
I started using a more expensive HDMI cord from my Windows 7 laptop to our LD TV, and it worked beautifully.
Posted by:
Fred
14 Mar 2013
Hi Bob, The A1Tech Pro PC/TV wireless ($171.95)looks promising as it needs to beam thru a ceiling (wall)from my den downstairs up to the family room. The distant is about 12 feet at most. I tried a Sewell #3100 HD Deck which could be used a small boat anchor...but that is a long story.
So, your report above gives "thumbs up" on this item. My PC (desktop) is a HP Pavilion p6750f with 500 watts PSU and a Galaxy GeForce GT610 GC graphic card. Will all this work to complete a smooth wireless PC to a Samsung 45: HDTV?
EDITOR'S NOTE: It sounds like it should. But wireless connections can be so temperamental. So make sure you read the return policy first. :-)
Posted by:
Peter
08 Apr 2013
Hi Bob- thanks much for these reviews/comparisons- very helpful. I'm wondering which would be the best solution for me. I want to wirelessly transmit video/audio from my recording studio DAW on 1st floor to HDTV on 2nd floor. Audio and video need to be in sync. Basically I want clients to view /hear video in real time as I narrate to it from studio. I've tried Apple TV and although it works, I can only choose to output audio in studio OR upstairs on HDTV not both. Do you have any suggestions on this? I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with best solution short of trying to run wire through walls and floors.
THanks!!
Posted by:
JC
23 May 2013
Hi Bob,
Your explanations and comments are excellent and very helpful, thank you! However, I have a question:
If you have recorded on the hard drive of your desktop or laptop, blu ray movies (1080p) in files with different formats such as mp4, mkv, avi, rar, etc, etc, which of these devices, or others not mentioned in your article, as Warpia, Iogear, etc, etc, are actually able to playback from the PC to your TV wireless, these movies files in real (1080p)HD and 5.1 surround sound?
Thank you so much for your help,
JC