mirroring phones onto a TV

[luv2liv]

my friend is opening a restaurant and thought it would be cool if some of the TVs can be used by the customers while they wait or done eating, especially for the kids.
what's the easiest way for people to wirelessly project whatever is on their phones (android or ios) onto a TV?
overall, i think it's a bad idea. sooner or later, somebody is gonna throw XXX onto the screen or something worse. but i still like to know for guests visiting the house.

 

[mmntech]

AppleTV can do this, and I believe Chromecast can as well. However, I don't think there's one solution to rule them all. Plus you'd need a separate device for each TV. Neat concept but not really practical.

 

[TheStu]

Yes, the AppleTV will work for iOS. Yes, it's a bad idea.

There's no way for Customer A to prevent Customer B from taking over the feed (which is both a good and bad thing). There's no way to limit what stream the AppleTV will capture (so you can't block porn). There are some streams that the AppleTV will not play due to either codec or rights limitations, and that becomes aggravating for the user.

 

[Oyeve]

Chromecast can do this. As for blocking unwanted stuff, you can set up firewalls on the wifi router to prevent such things.

 

[gorcorps]

Chromecast can do this. As for blocking unwanted stuff, you can set up firewalls on the wifi router to prevent such things.

Not if they already have stuff on their phone

 

[sweenish]

And the question was specifically about mirroring phones.

I'd give it a day before someone who doesn't even have to go inside just throws up something absolutely disgusting.

 

[destrekor]

Not if they already have stuff on their phone

Not to mention that can't do anything to prevent the use of 4G for streaming.

 

[sweenish]

Turn off guest mode on a Chromecast, and a device is at least required to be connected to the same wireless network. Don't know about other devices.

So, something nasty would have to be on the phone. Doesn't mean you can't disconnect, download, and then mirror.

 

[destrekor]

Turn off guest mode on a Chromecast, and a device is at least required to be connected to the same wireless network. Don't know about other devices.

So, something nasty would have to be on the phone. Doesn't mean you can't disconnect, download, and then mirror.

True.

But while on the network, you can still run a VPN or proxy. Proxies might be easier to block with the right management, but preventing a VPN doesn't seem feasible. That opens up to the whole internet.

 

[Graze]

Chromecast for sure.
I would throw up inappropriate content on that screen in a heart beat though if I ever walked into a place that did this.

 

[luv2liv]

wait, can chromecast mirror games too? i thought it was just videos. seems google is giving me conflicting answers

 

[sweenish]

Chromecast for sure.
I would throw up inappropriate content on that screen in a heart beat though if I ever walked into a place that did this.

You're one the reasons why we can't have nice things. I'm not being facetious, either. I already don't like you.

wait, can chromecast mirror games too? i thought it was just videos. seems google is giving me conflicting answers

It can mirror a phone's screen. I can't remember if it just got the functionality or if it's still being developed, but the Chromecast will support casting a game to the TV and actually using the phone as a second screen, likely just a controller.

 

[Oyeve]

wait, can chromecast mirror games too? i thought it was just videos. seems google is giving me conflicting answers

Chromecast screen casting is still in beta but will cast exactly what is on your phone. I play some games on my TV.