How to connect an Android phone to a TV

What's the easiest way to hook up my Android (Apple) phone to a plasma TV?
Just a heads-up, the TV isn't a smart TV.
Is that screen mirroring app stuff only for smart TVs?
My TV doesn't have a USB port, just HDMI.
I want to watch more than just YouTube—I'd love to stream other stuff from my phone or even just check out photos on the big screen.

If your television—or even the receiver you’re using to watch your shows—doesn't come with built-in DLNA support, then you really only have two paths forward: you can pick up a Fender or perhaps look into a more budget-friendly alternative like a Roku (just give them a quick search on Google to see what they're all about!). Now, a Fender usually runs you somewhere around $50 or more, though if you're savvy and hunt around on eBay, you might snag one for a bit less.
Personally, I think for that same price point, there's a much better way to go—an Android TV box! It's such a versatile little gadget because you can actually install practically anything on it that you would normally run on your smartphone.

The receiver is a Nytrobox Opticum
Can't I just connect using one of those apps from the Google Play Store?
Isn't this the one I'm looking for?
https://www.optimumshop.com/artm.php?id=126
Also, any tips on checking if my TV supports DLNA? It's a Sony, but it's definitely seen better days—probably over a decade old now.

Morgan Chavez4 said:Is this actually what I'm looking for?

How can I tell if my TV supports DLNA? It's a Sony, but it's easily over a decade old.

Honestly, just forget DLNA altogether. If you grab that device from the link, you can just plug it right into the HDMI port and you'll be all set to go.

ps: Which specific TV is it? There should be a little sticker on the back of the set that lists the exact model number...

Morgan Chavez4 said:The receiver is a Nytrobox Opticum
Is it really impossible to connect even using an app downloaded from the Google Play Store?
Isn't this exactly what I'm looking for?
https://www.optimumshop.com/artm.php?id=126
How can I check if my TV supports DLNA? It's a Sony, but it's over 10 years old

That receiver you mentioned—it most likely doesn't have DLNA support.
As swiftowl7 pointed out, the most budget-friendly route is that exact device from your link; for that specific unit, the only requirements are that your TV has an HDMI port and a USB port, since it draws power through the USB.

I'm not quite sure what your budget looks like or how much you're willing to shell out, but—if you can swing it—I truly believe that if you set aside a few extra dozen dollars, you should just grab an Android TV box! It turns any basic TV into a Smart TV—which, in my humble opinion, is actually a superior option to a built-in Smart TV because those integrated systems usually have such tiny internal memory that you can't install much of anything.
With an Android TV box, you can basically install everything you would on a smartphone—movie streaming apps, series, games... the whole nine yards!

But hey, if you're on a strict budget, then sticking with the device from your link is perfectly fine.

analogwalker2 said:That receiver you mentioned probably doesn't support DLNA.
Like swiftowl7 said, the cheapest way to go is that device from your link. All you need is a TV with an HDMI port and a USB port, since the USB provides the power.

I'm not sure what your budget looks like, but if you can swing a few extra bucks, I'd honestly suggest getting an Android TV box. It turns any regular TV into a smart TV—and in my opinion, it's actually better because built-in smart TVs usually have tiny amounts of storage, so you can't really install much.
With a box, you can basically download everything you'd put on your phone, like movie apps, streaming services, games...

But hey, if you're on a strict budget, just stick with the one in your link.

Said, not said 😁
I think I have some random Android thing, maybe a Gica, but it only has 1GB of RAM and honestly, I wouldn't bother plugging that in next to my digital tuner—too much clutter.
My TV unfortunately doesn't have a USB port; it's a Panasonic TX-P42S20E plasma.
Does the TV really need a USB port to watch stuff from my phone?

Morgan Chavez4 said:He mentioned—not she, let's be precise! 😁
I have some sort of Android device, I think it's Gica, but it only has 1 GB of RAM, and honestly, I wouldn't bother hooking it up again alongside my digital antenna receiver; it's just too much clutter.
My TV unfortunately lacks a USB port; it's a Panasonic TX-P42S20E plasma.
Does a TV really need a USB port just to watch content from a phone?

Well, if the TV doesn't have its own USB port, you could potentially—though I haven't personally tested this—use the USB port on your receiver or any other gadget that has one available. Regarding that device in the link above, the USB connection isn't actually for transferring image or video data... no, it's strictly to provide power to the unit itself!
Oh, I forgot to ask—does the TV have an HDMI port (and not just the old SCART ones)? It almost certainly does if you're already connecting a receiver to get those modern broadcast signals.
And once you've linked the device to your phone, you might find yourself needing to download a specific app to handle the mirroring. I used to use the EZmir app, but most likely, the device will suggest which specific app works best with it.

analogwalker2 said:If your TV doesn't have a USB port, you could probably get away with using a USB port on your receiver or some other gadget that has one (haven't actually tried it though). For that device in the link above, the USB isn't even for transferring video or data... it's just there to power the thing itself.
Oh, and I forgot to ask if your TV has an HDMI port (not SCART)—but it probably does if you're already hooking up a receiver to catch the new signals.
Once you've got the device hooked up to your phone, you might need to grab an app for screen mirroring. I used to use the EZmir app, but the device will likely suggest whichever app works best with it.

Yeah, my TV doesn't have USB, but it definitely has HDMI.
So, I just connect the TV and this Nytrobox receiver with an HDMI cable? Because that's how it's set up right now.
The Nytrobox has a USB port. So basically, I just plug the device from the link into the receiver via USB, install the app on my phone, and I'm finally good to go??

Morgan Chavez4 said:Right, so the TV doesn't have a USB port, but it does have HDMI
So, you just connect the TV and this Nytrobox receiver via an HDMI cable? Because that’s exactly how I have it set up right now
The Nytrobox has a USB port. Does that mean I also need to hook up the device from the link above to the receiver using a USB cable—and then just install the app on my phone, and that's finally it??

Look, you only need the receiver because of the USB port where you'll plug in the USB from the wireless HDMI adapter MirrorScreen from the link you posted. That USB connection to the receiver is strictly for power—just so the adapter actually has enough juice to run! The receiver itself isn't doing anything else; you could have grabbed power from any random device with a USB port—like a DVD player, a stereo system, or even a TV (though yours doesn't have one), and I could go on forever

As for the app, honestly, it might not even be necessary on your phone—you won't really know until you get that HDMI adapter plugged in

You'll be connecting the device from the link through the HDMI port

Morgan Chavez4 said:He said, not she, 😁
I think I have some kind of Android, maybe it's my Gica, but it's only got 1 GB and honestly, that wouldn't

Unfortunately, the TV doesn't have a USB port; it's a Samsung TV plasma model.
Does a TV really need a USB port just to watch stuff from a phone?

By the way, you’d probably be better off dropping a few hundred bucks on a used LED smart TV instead, because man, that plasma pulls 400 watts. A used LED TV would basically pay for itself in six months just from the savings on your electric bill.😁

I haven't checked out the specs for the device you're looking at yet, but if it runs on USB power like
analogwalker2 mentioned, you could just use any standard USB power source. For example:
- You can grab one of those power strips with built-in USB ports at Walmart right now for $13 a decent price—just plug the device into that and then run an HDMI cable to the TV, and you're good to go (assuming they aren't sold out already).
- Or you could just pick up a wall outlet adapter that has those USB ports built-in, which usually costs around 10 bucks.

Unless the device strictly requires exactly 500mA... in that case, an old iPhone charger might actually do the trick, assuming it's a micro USB port, which I'm guessing it is.

swiftowl7 said:Btw, you'd be better off dropping a couple hundred bucks on a used LED smart TV. That plasma unit pulls 400 watts, man. A used LED TV would pay for itself in six months just on the electricity savings alone. 😁

I haven't checked the specs on the device you're looking at, but if it runs on USB like analogwalker2 mentioned, you just need any standard USB power source, like

- you can grab one at Walmart right now for $13 a power strip with built-in USB ports; just plug the device in, run an HDMI cable to your TV, and you're good to go (if they aren't sold out already)
- or you could just pick up a wall outlet adapter with those USB ports (they're like 10 bucks)

Unless the device specifically needs 500mA... then an old iPhone charger might do the trick, assuming it's a micro USB port, which I'm guessing it is.

A plasma pulls that much??
Honestly, I've had mine for 10 years and haven't noticed any crazy spikes in my electric bill
How much would an LED TV actually pull?
My TV isn't my main priority so I'm not exactly obsessed with the tech side of things
I'll check out those USB power strips at Walmart, thanks

Morgan Chavez4 said:Wait, a Plasma pulls that much power??
I mean, I've had mine for a decade now and honestly—I haven't noticed any massive spikes in my electric bill!
So, how much would an actual LED TV draw by comparison?
A TV isn't exactly my main obsession anyway—I'm not one of those tech fanatics who lives for screen specs.
I'll go ahead and hunt down that specific USB stick at Walmart—thanks for the tip!

Look, if you already have a receiver with a USB port, what's the big deal? It's practically plug-and-play.
Just pop the USB from the adapter into the receiver, hook up the HDMI to your TV, and you're golden!

analogwalker2 said:If you’ve already got a receiver with a USB port, it’s basically plug and play.
Just pop the USB from the adapter into the receiver, run the HDMI to the TV, and you're good to go.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The only issue is my TV only has one side HDMI port, which is currently taken up by the receiver.
There’s another HDMI port on the back, but since the TV is mounted on a stand, I can't reach it at all.😁
So if I want to watch stuff from my phone on the TV, I’d have to swap cables every single time.

Morgan Chavez4 said:So if I actually want to stream stuff from my phone to the TV, I’m gonna have to swap out this cable then?

Yeah, makes sense... you can just grab an angled HDMI cable specifically designed for setups like yours. Honestly, if you keep asking questions this blind, it's like watching a teenager at a wild house party—you're never gonna figure anything out on your own! 😁 😂

I suggested using an external power supply via USB because most ATSC tuners aren't built to pull enough juice through their own ports to run external hardware. To be honest, almost no device is designed to handle that load, not even a high-end TV. It’s just not great for the capacitors.

And yeah, those old plasma sets are total power hogs. Those "newer" ones might pull around 220 watts on average, but a modern LED TV that size usually sits around 80 watts—maybe even less depending on how it's built.

*****
Anyway, it’s pretty straightforward... just go ahead and grab that HDMI thing from the link. You'll definitely need that angled HDMI cable since your wall is right in the way, and as for the power situation, that's the easier part to solve once you decide which route to take.

That adapter looks like it runs on Miracast, which is honestly pretty garbage. If you try to stream anything, it’ll probably stutter like crazy. I'd suggest grabbing something more reliable, maybe a decent streaming stick or a TV box instead.

Or, if you've got the budget, just put an old plasma in the bedroom or the vacation house and get a big smart TV with Android for the living room. You can ditch the ATSC receiver entirely and just watch whatever you want.

Honestly, there are a million tutorials on YouTube showing you how to sync your phone to your TV, so just dive in and have fun with it!
Amazon
If you ask me—and I really think you should consider this—an Android box is a much better, way more budget-friendly solution than relying on the built-in Android on your smart TV.
Most TVs typically come with less memory and a much weaker processor, don't they?