ADD SUPERB FEATURES TO YOUR SMART TV
Mirror your phone or tablet screen
Whether you want to browse the web, view photos and videos, or read emails and documents, duplicating the content of your phone or tablet on your smart TV’S much larger screen can help you see things much more clearly. You shouldn’t even need a cable or extra hardware to mirror your device’s screen, because phones and tablets now offer this as a built-in feature. Provided your phone or tablet is connected to the same Wi-fi network as your TV, you should be able to mirror its screen with a couple of taps.
On an Android device, swipe down from the top of the screen and look for an option called Cast, ‘Screen cast’ (see screenshot right), ‘Screen mirroring’ or similar (the name varies between manufacturers). Select this and your phone or tablet will search for a compatible TV set. Tap your TV’S name when it appears (see screenshot far right) to connect the devices and mirror the smaller screen on your TV.
On an iphone or ipad, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open the Control Centre. Tap ‘Screen mirroring’ and choose your smart TV to connect the devices using Apple’s Airplay technology. If this doesn’t work, you may need to activate Airplay on your TV. On a Samsung set, for example, go to Settings and select General, then ‘Apple Airplay Settings’. Select Airplay and switch it on.
Many Android and IOS apps now provide their own options for mirroring video and photo content from your phone or tablet. Look for the Cast icon (rectangle with three curved lines) or Airplay icon (rectangle with smaller triangle) in an app – this is usually in the top-right corner – then tap it to mirror your device’s screen. This is a useful trick for viewing content on streaming services that aren’t installed on your smart TV, such as Disney+, NOW TV and Britbox.
Stream files from your PC to your smart TV
One of the most useful hidden tricks for your smart TV is streaming videos, music and photos from any computer or other network-connected device with a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) server. This means you can enjoy locally stored content on the big screen from the comfort of your sofa – and you don’t need to install dedicated software.
Windows 10 has a built-in DLNA server that you need to turn on to stream media files from your PC to your smart TV. Open the Settings app in Windows 10 and select ‘Network & Internet’, then ‘Network and Sharing Centre’. In the window that opens, choose ‘Media streaming options’ in the left-hand menu, then click the ‘Turn on media streaming’ button (see screenshot below).
By default, this will let you stream all compatible files stored in your Pictures, Music and Video folders to other DLNA devices on your home network, including your smart TV. Give your media library a suitable name, then click OK to confirm and exit.
You can now browse and stream content from your PC’S media library on your smart TV, though different TV models offer different methods for accessing your DLNA server. On a Samsung TV, you should find it in the Sources menu. If you have a Panasonic TV, press the Home button on your remote control and select Devices. On an LG TV, go to Sources, then Smartshare. Sony Bravia owners should press Home on their remote and look for their media files in the Photo, Music and Video folders. Android TVS let you install dozens of DLNA streaming apps from the Google Play Store, including our favourites VLC ( www.snipca.com/39384) and Plex ( www.snipca.com/39385).
Create a custom photo screensaver
Most smart TVS display a screensaver when you’re not using them. This prevents them from suffering ‘screen burn’ by showing the same still image for too long and also conserves power. The screensaver, which your TV may call ‘Ambient mode’,‘gallery mode’ or similar, starts automatically after a set period of inactivity and cycles through attractive images and abstract designs from the manufacturer’s collection. Some TVS let you make your screensaver more personal and interesting by using your own photos, though this depends on the model and you may be limited to just changing your home-screen wallpaper.
On an Android Tv-powered set, the easiest way to do this is to use the Google Home app for Android ( www.snipca. com/39379) and IOS ( www.snipca. com/39380) in conjunction with Google Photos. Open the Home app on your Wi-fi-connected phone or tablet, select