**Note: Found this in another post - This is essentially the technology we are using in the school. Teachers are projecting their Laptop displays to TVs in classrooms. This is essentially replacing the "Whiteboard".**
**What troubleshooting steps need to be taken, when the TV is displaying tiling, pixelation, and audio is choppy and broken.??**
2. PROJECT: Project or Screen Mirroring allows a Windows 10 PC to project its Screen to a Smart TV by using the Miracast technology. Unlike Cast, Screen Mirroring allows any type of file that displays on the PC screen to be projected
on to the TV, be it a text document or a movie played from the DVD drive.
Miracast is a standard introduced in 2012 by "Wi-Fi Alliance" – a non-profit organisation, for wireless screen mirroring of devices with an operating system like PC and Mobile, on to Displays such as TV, LED panels and Screen Projectors.
Microsoft is one of the main promoters of Miracast in their Windows OS, while Google dropped Miracast support in their Android OS starting Android 6 Marshmallow, in favour of Google's own proprietary Chromecast technology. Miracast in android devices is
now possible through miracast apps in Google Play Store. Some mobile device manufacturers with customised android provide Miracast built into their OS.
At the core of Miracast standard is the WiFi Direct technology originally developed by Intel but subsequently discontinued, on adoption by the Miracast organisation. Much like bluetooth, WiFi Direct devices creates its own hotspot to network with other WiFi
enabled devices without the need of a Wireless Access Point. WiFi Direct must be built into the hardware of one of the communicating devices. In contrast, Chromecast works on a WiFi network hosted by the Router.
Miracast serves to establish a peer-to-peer WiFi Direct connection between a OS device and a Display device, and allows streaming of up to 1080p HD video and 5.1 surround sound.
The objective of Miracast is to separate the streaming network from the Home WiFi network used to access the internet. A PC on a home network use the WiFi direct path to stream data to a TV receiver, without having to consume the bandwidth of the home network
used by other devices for inter-communication and accessing the internet. The PC can simultaneously stream data and access internet, but that could strain the WiFi port on the PC unless it has two separate WiFi ports – one configured for Miracast and the other
for internet access.
Windows 10 implementation of Miracast requires that (i) the PC take ownership of the media streaming part of Miracast to effect pixel data streaming of the PC screen, and (ii) the Display Device (TV) take ownership of the WiFi Direct networking part of Miracast
to establish a direct communication path with the PC, by incorporating the WiFi-Direct hardware technology which we shall henceforth refer to as a Miracast adapter.
In Windows 10, the Miracast feature is part of Windows installation depending upon the capability of the hardware. In other words, it is upto the PC manufacturer to provide the necessary hardware to ensure that the media streaming part of Miracast is in
place. The hardware elements that engines the Miracast feature in a PC are the Processor, Graphics driver and the WiFi adapter driver which should correspond to the Windows 10 Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) version number.
Miracast is natively available on a TV when the Miracast adapter is integrated into the TV electronics. Even if a TV has Miracast built-in, it might not support the Windows 10 Wireless display protocol. Miracast can also go entirely missing on an android
TV.
Whatever may be the case, a TV can be made to support Windows Wireless Display by attaching a Miracast dongle, which among others is also offered by Microsoft specifically for Windows PC projection. The dongle called Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter has
to be connected to the HDMI port of the TV with the USB end of the adapter connected to an USB port - preferably the one on the TV set, to draw power.
To project a PC screen to a TV, the following steps are necessary:
(i) Enable WiFi on the PC and the TV. They can be on the same / different network.
(ii) First determine if the PC is Miracast compliant. Press Windows Key + P on the PC keyboard to open the Project action bar (Charms Menu) which must contain the link "Connect to a wireless display" at the bottom. Miracast is not available on the PC if
the link is not seen on the action bar.
(iii) Ensure that the TV has a built-in Miracast adapter Or a Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter is attached to the TV.
(iv) Mirroring is enabled on the Smart TV.
(v) Set the Signal source for the TV with a built-in Miracast adapter to the Mirroring port; Or set the signal source to the HDMI port where the Microsoft Wireless Display adapter is attached.
(vi) Press Windows Key + P on the PC keyboard to invoke the Project action bar / Charms menu and select the "Connect to a wireless display" link at the bottom. The action bar will now broadcast the Microsoft adapter name Or the TV-name if it has a built-in
Miracast adapter Or both including all nearby devices which are ready to connect via Miracast. Select the one applicable to start mirroring the PC screen on to the TV. If the TV-name or the Microsoft adapter name is not found on the Project action bar, ensure
that you add the TV-name / adapter within Devices of Windows Settings.
If Miracast is not available / not possible on a PC, then the fail-safe alternative is to go for the legacy wired connection by a HDMI cable between the HDMI port of PC and the HDMI port of TV, provided the TV and the PC are in close proximity. Set the Signal
source for the TV to the HDMI port where the cable is attached. Press Windows Key + P on the PC keyboard to invoke the Project action bar / Charms menu and choose the Duplicate option to simultaneously display the PC screen on to the TV.
Since Miracast evolved as an WiFi extension to HDMI, it is sometimes referred by the mnemonic "HDMI over WiFi".
A TV with Miracast will contain a Setting within the Networks section, which will show the SSID and Password of the WiFi Direct Access point. This access point on being enabled will show up as a hotspot on the "WiFi available networks list" of a PC. A PC
can use the WiFi Direct hotspot for Cast and DLNA without the need of a Home network. However, Miracast will not be possible when using the WiFi Direct hotspot as a WiFi access point.
Caution ! A Smart TV can broadcast two names: The system defined Miracast SSID for Screen Project and the user defined name when using the Home network for Cast and DLNA.
