Tip | Displaying Zoom to a large screen TV

by Kevin English and Dennis Mouy

Kevin and Dennis gave a presentation on screencasting in January 2021 - click here to view the presentation.

Introduction

Do you attend one of our online Zoom classes and find the screen on your device is a bit small, especially for an exercise class or when watching a video in your class?  Would like to see it on your bigger tv screen?

You can connect your device to your TV and you can see everything both on your device and your TV.

You join your Zoom class on your device, but you can then move somewhere else and watch your class on your TV.  Remember that you will only be seen or heard by others in the class if you return to being in front of your device.

There are 2 broad ways to connect your device to your tv: via a cable or via wireless.  Further details are provided below.

Some basic assumptions:

  • The source device (running Zoom) could be any laptop/desktop, tablet or smartphone.
  • The device to be projected to is a flatscreen TV with at least one free HDMI input.
  • The zoom user requires the option of supporting two-way audio and video communication but must return to their device to be seen or heard by others.
  • The TV may or may not be a Smart TV, that is a TV supporting wi-fi connectivity. A Smart TV is assumed to be configured to access the user’s home wi-fi network.

Flowchart

A high level flowchart of the connection options is given below, identifying 4 broad options which are discussed in the later sections.

Option 1 – Wired connection via HDMI

A wired connection via HDMI will in most cases provide the simplest method of broadcasting content to a TV. In the simplest case, both the source device and TV support an HDMI interface looking like this:

All that is required is a standard HDMI male to male cable sufficiently long to reach from the source device to the TV. Suitable cables are:

Cable Typical Cost
HDMI (5 metre cable) $15 (Scorptec)
HDMI (10 metre cable) $25 (Scorptec)

For source devices not natively supporting a female HDMI interface a relatively low-cost adapter can often be purchased. A few of the most common interfaces are listed below including the cost of an interface adapter from Officeworks to plug into a standard HDMI cable.

Interface Eg. supported on Adapter cost (Officeworks)
15-pin VGA female interface Older laptaps/desktops $34 (not from Officeworks)
Apple Lightning connector iPhone or iPad $74
USB-C Some MacBooks $43.88
Mini Displayport Some MacBooks $24.88

Article here lists the interfaces supported on recent Apple devices. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201736

Joining a zoom session is relatively straightforward, involving the following broad steps:

  1. Connect the source device to the destination device via a standard HDMI cable in series with the appropriate adaptor device (as above) if necessary.
  2. Select the appropriate HDMI input on the destination TV (procedure differs between TVs)
  3. Set the source device to broadcast to the HDMI interface, eg.
    Windows laptop/desktop: press windows key  plus P then select duplicate
    IPhone: swipe up from bottom then select Screen Mirroring
    Apple Mac: refer to https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204388
  4. Sign in to zoom class in the normal way.

Option 2 – Smart TV

Many modern TVs support inbuilt wi-fi capabilities which enable content to be sent directly from a source device to the TV screen without a physical connection. However, there are some differences in the capabilities and operating procedures between different TV brands so only the general approach is outlined here.

A good option is to use Google Chrome browser on the source device, supported on windows, Linux, iOS and Android operating systems. Ensure than the source and destination devices are configured on the same Wi-Fi networks and the TV is set to the appropriate HDMI channel. To activate screen sharing, click on the vertical ellipsis (⋮) symbol in the top right corner of the Chrome browser screen then click cast, which will bring up a list of compatible destination devices. There is also a dropdown menu labelled sources, which allows selection of browser tab, desktop or file screen casting. Select cast to desktop then click the desired destination device.

If “cast to desktop” is selected (continuously mirroring the source screen to the destination) a popup window will appear, click the image on your desktop to highlight it, then click the Share button.

So, in summary, to access zoom:

  1. Select three dots menu
  2. Select Cast
  3. Open Sources dropdown menu then Select 'Cast desktop'
  4. Click the destination to cast to
  5. Popup window appears; click the image of your desktop to highlight it
  6. Click the Share button
  7. Go to u3app.org.au, sign-in then start zoom class from the appropriate link.

Note that after clicking Cast, the black symbol  will appear in the top right corner. This will change to a blue symbol while casting is in progress. Using cast to desktop, everything will be cast from the source to the destination device until casting is stopped.

Selecting file at step 3 above allows a file (eg. Movie) on the source device to be selected then cast to the destination device and the source device to then continue with other functions.

Note that Chrome browser on iphones does not directly support casting.

However, for any iphone apps displaying the chromecast icon symbol , simply click this icon then select the appropriate destination device (TV) to initiate casting.

Option 3 – Apple TV device

Airplay is a casting protocol developed by Apple supporting video and/or audio. It is implemented in Apple devices running the IOS operating system and some 3rd party products. It is implemented as a display device in the Apple TV and in selected Smart TVs from Sony, LG, Samsung and others.

Users with an Apple device can choose to connect wirelessly to an HDMI equipped TV with the Apple TV hardware device. There are three current versions of Apple TV

  • Apple TV HD 32 GB $209 (includes 12 months AppleTV+ subscription)
  • Apple TV 4K 32 GB $249 (includes 12 months AppleTV+ subscription)
  • Apple TV 4K 64 GB $279 (includes 12 months AppleTV+ subscription)

An Apple TV (all models) needs to be connected to the home network by WiFi or network cable and is connected to the TV with an HDMI to HDMI cable.

The Apple TV will make any TV with HDMI input smarter because it can have its own apps installed to watch streamed content (ABC iView, SBS OnDemand, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan to name a few) and does not require any other smart device to do this. The Apple TV hardware device has its own remote control or can be controlled with the Remote app for iPhone and iPad

Your Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Macintosh) wirelessly connect to the TV via AirPlay. AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV, your favourite speakers and popular Smart TVs.

For ZOOM meetings, use Screen Mirroring to see the entire screen of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV.

  1. Connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV.
  2. Open Control Centre:
    • On iPhone X or later or iPad with iPadOS or later: Swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
    • On iPhone 8 or earlier or iOS 11 or earlier: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen.
  3. Tap  Screen Mirroring.
  4. Select your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV from the list.
  5. If an AirPlay passcode appears on your TV screen, enter the passcode on your iOS or iPadOS device.

Your TV uses your iOS or iPadOS device's screen orientation and aspect ratio. To fill your TV screen with the mirrored device screen, change your TV's aspect ratio or zoom settings.

To stop mirroring your iOS or iPadOS device, open Control Centre, tap Screen Mirroring, then tap Stop Mirroring. Or press the Menu button on your Apple TV Remote.

Mirror or extend your Mac display

With Apple TV or an AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV, you can mirror the entire display of your Mac to your TV or use your TV as a separate display.

  1. Connect your Mac to the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV.
  2. On your Mac, click  in the menu bar at the top of your screen. If you don't see  , go to Apple  menu > System Preferences > Displays, then select "Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available".
  3. Choose your Apple TV or AirPlay 2-compatible Smart TV.
  4. If an AirPlay passcode appears on your TV screen, enter the passcode on your Mac.

Change settings or stop mirroring

To change the size of your desktop mirrored on your TV, click   in the menu bar. Then select Mirror Built-in Display to match the size of your desktop or Mirror Apple TV to match the size of your TV.

AirPlay also lets you use your TV as a separate display for your Mac. Just click  in the menu bar, then select Use As Separate Display.

To stop mirroring or using your TV as a separate display, click  in the menu bar, then choose Turn AirPlay Off. Or press the Menu button on your Apple TV Remote.

Option 4 – Google Chromecast

For non-Apple devices (laptops/desktops, etc.) where a Smart TV or wired connection is not available, the Google Chromecast device is a good option.

Google cast is a proprietary protocol developed by Google and built into the Google Chromecast device. The protocol was published in 2014 and has since been built into a range of 3rd party Android TV products from Sharp, Sony, Toshiba and others.

Chromecast is a line of digital media players developed by Google for screen casting via Google cast to any device supporting an HDMI interface. It presently comes in two main variants:

  • Google Chromecast 3rd Generation ($55 in Officeworks) supporting Full HD resolution video
  • Google Chromecast Ultra ($96 in Officeworks) supporting Ultra HD (4K) video

In both cases, the small dongle plugs into any HDMI interface and has a USB interface for charging. It is then setup via the Google Home app on an Android phone or iPhone. This mainly involving configuring Wi-Fi. The host TV needs to be set to the appropriate HDMI channel into which the dongle is plugged, then it should be ready to start displaying anything from a Google cast compatible device.

Using Google Chrome browser, the procedure for casting a zoom call is then identical to that for a Smart TV, ie.

  1. Select three dots menu at top-right of Chrome screen
  2. Select Cast
  3. Open Sources dropdown menu then Select 'Cast desktop'
  4. Click the destination to cast to
  5. Popup window appears; click the image of your desktop to highlight it
  6. Click the Share button
  7. Go to u3app.org.au, sign-in then start zoom class from the appropriate link

Google Chromecast will not easily work to wirelessly connect ZOOM from Apple devices to a TV. There is an additional app (Apowermirror, lifetime cost of $59.95) that enables ZOOM from Apple iPhone and iPad to Chromecast.

At $55 the Google Chromecast is good value to “smarten-up” any TV, so a relatively low-cost entry point. I believe for many people this could be a good starting point to check out wireless connection with a larger (TV) screen.

Note that use of Chromecast is likely to add to the data that Google collects about its users. All the “free” stuff we get from Google has to be paid for and Google gets revenue from selling information about us to providers of goods and services. On the other hand, Apple is very deliberate about not collecting any more data than is necessary and does not sell it on to other parties, which, in part, is the reason that Apple devices always seem to cost more.

How to Enrol

On-line: after bookings have opened

On-line enrolments are preferred as this significantly reduces the amount of back-office work for our volunteers.

  • Login to the U3APP.org.au website.
  • Go to the Courses & Enrolling page.
  • Scroll down to find the course that you are interested in.
  • Does the course have spaces available?
    • Click on the course name to go to the booking page.
    • Click on “Book for this course or event”.
    • You will receive a confirmation email.  Please check your Junk/Spam folders as these automatically-generated emails often finish up there.
  • OR is the course shown as FULL?
    • Click on WAITLIST.

Paper Enrolment Form: before bookings open for First Semester

  • Obtain a paper Enrolment Form either from the Office or by printing an online copy available here.
  • Complete the paper Enrolment Form and submit it to the Office.

The start date for acceptance of paper Enrolment Forms for first semester is published on the U3APP website and in the e-Bulletin. Enrolment Forms received before this date are treated as though they had been received on the start date (ie there is no advantage to be gained by submitting early). On the start date and thereafter, paper Enrolment Forms are numbered in order of receipt.  Paper Enrolment forms are processed by U3APP volunteers on the same day as on-line bookings.

If your enrolment is successful, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please check your Junk/Spam folders as these automatically-generated emails often finish up there.

If your enrolment is unsuccessful,  you will receive an email telling you that you have been waitlisted.

Via the Office: after bookings have opened

  • Contact the office in person, or by email or phone.