Photo show from the sofa - how to bring your pictures to the TV
22.8.2017
Translation: machine translated
"Believe me, it looked even more impressive in real life!" There's hardly anyone who hasn't uttered this phrase. Why will this phrase soon be a thing of the past? Well, you just need to know how to transfer the bits and bytes from your camera to your TV at home.
And while you catch yourself wishing you could beam yourself back to those places, new, nagging thoughts start to arise... In what form do I want to keep the captured moments? What is the best way to immerse myself in this collection of special experiences? How do I pass on all these fantastic impressions to friends and family?
Your TV, the perfect stage
Three reasons why you should definitely consider a (let's call it) "TV slide show":
The image resolution
The screen size
Another obvious advantage of a large TV: if you are showing your favourite photos to a larger audience, a correspondingly large TV is much more suitable than a small screen or even a smartphone.
And then, of course, there's HDR
HDR, which stands for "High Dynamic Range", is currently one of, if not the biggest, topic in the TV industry. But what exactly does HDR mean?
In summary: Compared to conventional TVs, HDR televisions can display even more colours and even more details thanks to high contrast. Colours appear stronger and richer, but still natural. The latter is mainly because the image shown corresponds more closely to the reality that our eyes perceive. You can find a detailed explanation of this exciting topic here:
What does this mean for your holiday photos? Well, obviously you won't be able to view them with more contrast and brilliant colours on almost any other medium. You'll find that you rediscover your pictures and recognise details that were previously lost. Once you've experienced this technology, you won't want to miss it again.
Our TV recommendation
The Frame's "art mode" goes far beyond the normal functions of a conventional e-picture frame. Practical: a motion sensor automatically detects whether someone is in the room or not and only switches on the "switched off" frame in art mode when someone is actually there.
Find out what else the Frame can do here:
This way to get to all 4K TVs with HDR!
And this is how the images get to your TV
Do you think transferring images from a medium to your TV is tedious and complicated? Far from it. The difficulty lies not in finding a way to manage the data transfer, but in choosing the most suitable one for you. You will quickly realise that there is definitely no shortage of options:
PC/laptop to TV
- USB interface
- HDMI cable
- DLNA/UPnP/Airplay (Apple TV)
Cloud to TV
- Network storage (NAS)
- Online cloud
- Cloud app on the smartphone/tablet
Smartphone/tablet to TV
- Chromecast
- Miracast
- MHL cable
PC/laptop to TV
Classic: The USB interface
The most common interface between your TV and another (storage) medium is the USB input and output. Regardless of whether you store your photos on a USB stick, an external hard drive or another "container" that can be connected via a USB adapter: This interface is simple, straightforward and requires no additional software to make it usable.
- Advantage: Uncomplicated connection, full resolution and image quality, high speed with USB 3.0 connection
- Disadvantage: Additional intermediate step when transferring data from PC to USB stick/hard drive and USB stick/hard drive to TV
To all USB sticks
To all external hard drives
Connect laptop/PC via HDMI cable
- Advantage: High speed, full resolution and image quality
- Disadvantage: Wired operation, maximum resolution is the same resolution of the PC/laptop screen if the image is actually only mirrored
Cloud to TV
Network storage (NAS) - your personal cloud
- Advantage: Simple, wireless operation, full resolution and picture quality. Even older televisions with a network connection but without smart TV functions support the DLNA networking standard; newer devices recognise network storage via WLAN almost without exception anyway
- Disadvantage: If in doubt, clarify NAS support!
To all network-attached storage (NAS)
Online cloud
Also a cloud solution, but where the data is not stored at your home on your own network storage/server, but with a third-party provider. Common clouds are Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. The latter is probably familiar to those who use Microsoft Windows as the operating system for their PC. If your TV supports one of these online clouds, photos can be viewed quickly and easily on the TV.
- Advantage: Full resolution and picture quality, wireless operation
- Disadvantage: Does not work with all TVs (TVs with Android TV or Android-based operating system have an advantage)
Cloud app on the smartphone/tablet
If, contrary to expectations, your TV does not have the option of using a network such as the personal cloud or the online cloud, there is a third cloud alternative. On most smartphones or tablets, you can install an app that allows you to access an online cloud (e.g. One Drive). Now all you have to do is connect the mobile device to the TV. You can find out how this works in the next section.
- Advantage: Wireless operation via smartphone/tablet
- Disadvantage: Maximum resolution and image quality depend on the transmission method (see next section)
Smartphone/tablet to TV
Mirroring smartphone/tablet with Chromecast
- Advantage: Simple, wireless operation via smartphone/tablet, images can be stored locally on the mobile or in the cloud
- Disadvantage: Full HD at most, lower speed than wired solution
Miracast
Depending on the TV and mobile device, it is possible to mirror your smartphone or tablet directly on the TV (so you see your smartphone or tablet screen 1:1 on your TV) without Google Chromecast as an "intermediate station". However, not all TVs support all mobile devices, and not all mobile devices support Miracast.
- Advantage: Simple, wireless operation via smartphone/tablet, images can be stored locally on the mobile or in a cloud
- Disadvantage: The resolution corresponds to the resolution of the mobile device - usually full HD
Smartphone/tablet via MHL cable
- Advantage: Simple connection directly between smartphone/tablet and TV
- Disadvantage: Not the full resolution and maximum picture quality, wired operation
Conclusion
So, that's a few ways you can transfer your pictures to a TV. Have I forgotten something important that should definitely be included in this list? Or made a complete nonsense somewhere? Then write to me in the comments. Not only would I be happy to receive helpful tips and tricks, but so would our Community =).
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
