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Screen Mirroring on the Surface

pallentx

New Member
Have you ever tried to give a presentation and while doing it walk the room to get into closer contact with your audience? I own an iPad and a Surface RT and it is only with the iPad that I can do it.
I cant imagine why you couldn't also do that on a Surface or Nexus, or any tablet for that matter...
 

kricke

New Member
If you want to walk the room AND show info on your device you would need a long long long cable, would you not? With the iPad and AirPlay there is no need for a cable.
If you can show me a solution to do this with a Surface RT or android tablet I will be very grateful.
And I am not talking about having a presentation on a PC or notebook and using a nexus or so to remotely forward the slides.

Knut
 

kricke

New Member
yep, that is close to it.
Now replace a TV with a projector and it even gets more complicated with a Surface RT or Android tablet.
As far as I know there is only the airplay alternative left. And this leaves us with an iPad.

Knut
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Airplay is just a wireless standard made by Apple. There is nothing special about it (except maybe that it is widespread). You still need to have something connected to the projector that is running Airplay and acting as a receiver. In that case you can do the same thing with Android or Surface. All you need is a small PC running as a media client (doesn't have to be a laptop) to plug into the projector (e.g. https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_Q?id=nexus_q&hl=en and HTC Media Link HD review | The Verge). You can also use WIDI and Miracast to do this (https://www.google.com/search?q=wid...96,d.cGE&fp=c74d8c142bd99d00&biw=1200&bih=963).

Check out the first section.
The AirPlay-Alternative Guide to Streaming Your Media

Of course none of this is as easy as Apple, which is excellent at implementing such things and has the closed vertical structure to do it, but it can be done. Besides how cool would it be to bring your Xbox or PS3 into a meeting ;)

http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/microsoft-surface-pro/4310-airplay-equivalent.html

http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/...wireless-surround-sound-5-1-possible-pro.html
 

kricke

New Member
Airplay is just a wireless standard made by Apple. There is nothing special about it (except maybe that it is widespread). You still need to have something connected to the projector that is running Airplay and acting as a receiver. In that case you can do the same thing with Android or Surface. All you need is a small PC running ....

Of course none of this is as easy as Apple, which is excellent at implementing such things and has the closed vertical structure to do it, but it can be done. Besides how cool would it be to bring your Xbox or PS3 into a meeting ;)

Yes, you are correct, it can be done. With a "little" screwing here and setting up there and a higher price tag. But I am not the guy who wants to continuously "optimize" my gadgets.
And yes, AirPlay is a proprietary concept, but with AppleTV it works out of the box, always and everywhere. This is especially "sexy" when you come to a conference with little time to set everything up and start.

But let us come back to this thread's topic and the - for me - implied message that you cannot productively use an iPad mini - that is like seeing your surroundings through binoculars and focussing on one spot. Everything depends on what you want to do with it. (I remember reading somewhere that more than 90% of top 500 US companies use iPads or pilot the usage of them. - I would love to read something like this about Surface RT or Android tablets. - German train conducter use Android phones for their traveller information system.)

Knut
 
OP
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pallentx

New Member
The trick is doing it with power point, not media. If you wanted to play a video or a picture slideshow, its pretty easy. Its just a matter of software having been written to support that particular use. Surface is certainly capable of doing it, but no one has written the software yet. I suspect it will come in time. I tried fiddling with Power Point on the iPad though and was very frustrated by the experience. I suppose if you author the files in the Apple software on a mac, it works better, but I couldn't find a presenter app that didn't screw everything up.
 

kricke

New Member
As far as PPT and the iPad is concerned I use a PC with PPT to start the presentation with my basic structure and outline. To get the ppt file into Keynote for iPad I use dropbox. Once inside Keynote I refine the presentation. Then I either use Keynote Remote from another iDevice or simply Keyote to present, depending on the setting of the venue infrastructur. Knut
 
OP
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pallentx

New Member
Yeah, that sounds about as good as it gets. Sure would be nice to author and present wirelessly on the Surface without all the hoops. Hopefully someone is working on that.
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Yes, you are correct, it can be done. With a "little" screwing here and setting up there and a higher price tag. But I am not the guy who wants to continuously "optimize" my gadgets.
And yes, AirPlay is a proprietary concept, but with AppleTV it works out of the box, always and everywhere. This is especially "sexy" when you come to a conference with little time to set everything up and start.

I guess I am not quite following you. You can't just walk into a room and connect by Airplay to any device in the room with an Apple product. You still need to have something hooked up to the display device that is also running Airplay. What is your setup process for giving a projector presentation from an iPad?

Granted some devices have Airplay built into them and while some built in Airplay is better than none it is far from common. To setup an Airplay alternative can be just as trivial as setting up Airplay without having to continuously optimize your gadgets. You just need the Apple TV equivalent device of your choosing Getting started with media streaming.

I agree with you that an iPad Mini has its spot as do most tablets. If nothing else it can make a great ereader and youtube viewer. I think the problem most people have is really in the message that only Apple is capable of making devices that do things or if it is not an Apple device it is somehow inferior. The comment against the iPad Mini seems to be more in the realm pointing out that it is not actually a "magical" device :)
 

kricke

New Member
I guess I am not quite following you. You can't just walk into a room and connect by Airplay to any device in the room with an Apple product. You still need to have something hooked up to the display device that is also running Airplay. What is your setup process for giving a projector presentation from an iPad?

I agree, I cannot just walk in. But I can just walk in with an Apple TV which can be hooked up via HDMI or VGA - an HDMI to VGA converter is required - to a projector. And - you certainly know it - I need something like a hotspot or wifi to connect the Apple TV and the iDevice. But these all are standard devices - a netgear or d-link access point or Airstash or whatever will do the job. When I bought an Apple TV two years ago and a pocket access point shortly after, it took me at max half an hour to get it running. And since then I haven't touched the configuration. I don't need any Apple TV or access point updates. So I walk in, connect those two devices to a power outlet, get the projector's HDMI input cable and plug it into the Apple TV and I am set.

And this is what I would like to do with a Surface or android tablet, too.

The comment against the iPad Mini seems to be more in the realm pointing out that it is not actually a "magical" device

This is an -positive - interpretation of what the threat opener might have thought/ might have wanted to say. If it is meant like this then I do agree.
But as I am very bad at guessing other people's thoughts I go for the face value of their words.

But I think we should finish this discussion here, we are at a Surface forum to discuss Surface tips and tricks.

Knut
 

J515OP

Super Moderator
Well this is the off-topic area :) Even so what I am actually drilling down to is a MS tip and trick. This should be exactly the same using an Apple TV equivalent many examples of which have been given.

I agree, I cannot just walk in. But I can just walk in with an Apple TV which can be hooked up via HDMI or VGA - an HDMI to VGA converter is required - to a projector. And - you certainly know it - I need something like a hotspot or wifi to connect the Apple TV and the iDevice. But these all are standard devices - a netgear or d-link access point or Airstash or whatever will do the job. When I bought an Apple TV two years ago and a pocket access point shortly after, it took me at max half an hour to get it running. And since then I haven't touched the configuration. I don't need any Apple TV or access point updates. So I walk in, connect those two devices to a power outlet, get the projector's HDMI input cable and plug it into the Apple TV and I am set.

And this is what I would like to do with a Surface or android tablet, too.

I am trying to help get you where you want to go with Windows and Android. Theoretically the process should go something like this:

But I can just walk in with a digital media player (like a Roku, Netgear, boxee, WesternDigital, etc.) which can be hooked up via HDMI or VGA - an HDMI to VGA converter is required - to a projector. And - you certainly know it - I need something like a hotspot or wifi to connect the digital media player and the tablet. But these all are standard devices - a netgear or d-link access point or Airstash or whatever will do the job. It took me at max half an hour to get it running. And since then I haven't touched the configuration. I don't need any digital media player or access point updates. So I walk in, connect those two devices to a power outlet, get the projector's HDMI input cable and plug it into the digital media player and I am set.

Since this is off-topic in the off-topic this may not be widely seen but I am sure other here are running this exact setup with their Surface and Android tablets and can offer advice. It might even be worth posting a new thread in the help or general discussion section to get a better response.

JP
 
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