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App to Display on TV?

zackman2091

Well-Known Member
This coming weekend I am putting on an event and we will be raffling things off. In the past we have just read the numbers on the tickets but this year we are trying to do something different and be able to display the ticket itself on a TV or a screen. I have a chrome cast and thought I could do something with that but I don't know if that would work or how good it would work. The ticket needs to be displayed on 2 different TVs at the same time. Any ideas?
 
EarlyMon: Interesting app. But can LocalCast simulcast to 2 Chromecasts?
Lol didn't think of that - not sure.

There are other equivalent apps - maybe running two of them would work?

For just a picture, still think DLNA is better if available.

DLNA is happy with an ad-hoc network, no router. Not so for a Chromecast.


If all else fails, OTG USB to a couple of sticks, plug sticks into TVs.
 
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So, while you look that up, let's run down how it all works.

Chromecast - as you know, Chromecast is simple and works great.

But it has a rule. Whether getting content from your phone, or your pc, or an internet service like Netflix - it gets it through your wireless router. No exceptions.

In theory, you can hack your phone to fake it - but that's actually silly. You can buy a travel wifi router for cheap and that's what regular travelers do to watch Chromecast in a hotel for example.

And it has a constraint - your phone works as the remote control using your Google Play Services app. The constraint is that it's probably unlikely you can cast and control two at once from a single phone.

So: 2 TVs = 2 Chromecasts + 2 phones + a router + a free app on the phone to send the drawing pictures.

DLNA.

Long before there was casting, there was the first of the smart TVs with DLNA. It promised a lot, didn't do everything promised - but is a great way to get jpg pictures (phone pictures) from a phone via wifi.

I first got it on my TV in 2009 and started beaming my phone photos to my TV in 2010. It used to be a high end feature but now it's pretty common.

Most TVs call it something else - Media Play, Anynet, etc etc etc.

It only takes a simple app and some phones have it built in to the Gallery sharing.

Your phone becomes a DLNA Server - and when you do it, your phone says, via wifi - "Hi! I have a friendly picture available to broadcast to any DLNA Client (read: TV) who wants it. :)"

If the phone and TV (or TVs) are connected through a router, the picture goes through the router.

If there is no router, most phones will follow the DLNA standard and just broadcast over wifi to anything listening.

You check the phone wifi settings, tell the TV that's where the network is, and the TV remote to connect. Samsung remotes often have a Media button. Tap that, choose Picture, your phone name magically appears, repeat at the other TV.

If the TVs have networking but no wifi, once again, a cheap travel router is your friend.

Next option -

If none of that will work out (the TVs don't have networking and require purchase of an expensive dongle to get it) there's always sneaker net.

The pictures move around courtesy of a human wearing sneakers. :)

Many phones will let you plug in a USB stick using a cheap OTG USB cable (couple of bucks at Amazon).

Copy the picture from the phone to a USB stick, one per TV.

Using sneakers, walk the usb stick to the TVs, tune in the picture to the usb source, choose the picture with the remote, done.

Slower but it works.

Final option, good for one TV only -

If your phone has MHL, for less than $20, get an adapter and HDMI cable and plug the phone directly into the TV. What the phone screen shows goes right to the screen.

~~~~~~

I hope I made sense.

Probably good for you to say what your phone is too.

Does any of this make sense?
 
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