Having a real nightmare finding Airplay 2 TVs

Danny_G13

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Hi, so I'm looking to upgrade my rather poor-pictured Samsung UE55NU7400. It supports Airplay 2 happily, but having seen some other TVs, the image quality on this thing is just not up to scratch.

However, I have a basic 3 requirements (budget irrelevent):

Must be centre stand.

Must have 4 HDMI.

And it must support, out of the box, Airplay 2 so I can stream happily from my iPhone.

My UE55NU7400 does, happily, but as I say the picture (and performance) is just no good. I want something better.

But the problem I have is Airplay 2, despite being announced for Sony and LG (and Samsung) TVs early last year, still doesn't seem to currently work on either of the first two. Forums are filled with complaints that AP2 isn't on them yet - Samsung *seem* to have exclusive compatibility.

NOW, I will say this - I simply want a stream button on videos (be they local on the phone or a streamed video on the phone) that allows me to select my TV and the stream instantly appears on the TV - like my present Sammie.

If there's a replacement for this that works in the same way as Airplay, I'm totally game for that.

For instance, I really like the look of the Panasonic TX55GZ950B but the only stream solution for that is Airbeam for Mirroring on Panasonic. If that works as Airplay does that's fine.

But yeah, I'm kind of drowning under the options and what does and doesn't work on different brands.

I'd appreciate any help to assist me in whittling the options down.

Thanks!
 
Sony Android TVs will have chromecast built in. The Sony/LG Airplay issues are probably just teething ones. Samsung models that better your one would be the RU8 series and QLED models.
 
Casting/screen sharing is kind of meh, chromecast will give you the best experience but I think even a designated one will be better than buying a TV with chromecast built in.

Other than chromecast and Airplay all TVs support the open miracast format (and call it something else on each TV). Basically this is your standard wireless display that works with windows computers and android phones. Problem is it maxes out on 30hz at 1080p, let alone offering 4k streaming.

Sadly apple don't support anything but Airplay, and whilst you can download the google app on an iphone or ipad, you can't screen share, only cast using selected apps: How to: Connect your iPhone or Mac to Chromecast for movies on the big screen

Long and short of it is, don't expect much from casting of any form, you are best just using a device direct connected to the TV such as an android box or a HTPC.

If you need some more help it would be nice to know what your use of airplay actually is, what do you want to do?

Also, what is it that you aren't satisfied with with the Samsung's picture quality?
 
Sony Android TVs will have chromecast built in. The Sony/LG Airplay issues are probably just teething ones. Samsung models that better your one would be the RU8 series and QLED models.

'Probably just teething' issues is sadly no guarantee they'll be fixed. And how useful is Chromecast as an alternative and what do I need?

I'm not totally against Samsung but been underwhelmed by this particular TV.
 
Casting/screen sharing is kind of meh, chromecast will give you the best experience but I think even a designated one will be better than buying a TV with chromecast built in.

I'm not absolutely sure what Chromecast is in comparison with Airplay?

Other than chromecast and Airplay all TVs support the open miracast format (and call it something else on each TV). Basically this is your standard wireless display that works with windows computers and android phones. Problem is it maxes out on 30hz at 1080p, let alone offering 4k streaming.

30Hz @ 1080P is fine for streaming - the only app I use 4K (aside TV itself and blu ray) in is YouTube and don't all TVs now come with it built in at 4K?

Sadly apple don't support anything but Airplay, and whilst you can download the google app on an iphone or ipad, you can't screen share, only cast using selected apps: How to: Connect your iPhone or Mac to Chromecast for movies on the big screen
https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/use-chromecast-iphone-mac-3655645/

I won't be using for movies, so that's not a concern.

Long and short of it is, don't expect much from casting of any form, you are best just using a device direct connected to the TV such as an android box or a HTPC.

Well it's fine with Samsung? Not perfect, but it works.

If you need some more help it would be nice to know what your use of airplay actually is, what do you want to do?

Play/stream localised content be it video or photo on the phone, plus streaming video on the phone like the NBA app or other sports live broadcasts.

Also, what is it that you aren't satisfied with with the Samsung's picture quality?

It's absolutely horrific to my eyes - filled with black crush, dull colours (and that awful home hub can't be disabled either) - and it lacks any good quality settings for any different environments. Maybe I got a bad model, I don't know.

I compared it with a budget Toshiba 55UL5A63DB and the picture on that one knocked spots off the Samsung out of the box - unfortunately it has awful black bars on the screen in certain scenes, and it obviously doesn't support any real Airplay or proper casting. Deal breakers, unfortunately.
 
Airplay, like Chromecast consists of a means to cast and a means to screen share. They are two different things integrated into one platform. Casting is just a way of using a phone, computer or tablet to "tell" your TV to open an app and play content instead of the TV remote control. Casting is limited both by the platform and limited by the TV. To cast from the NBA app the app itself on your mobile device has to support it, the TV has to support displaying the app and the platform,, in the case of Apple products; Airplay has to support it too. If you have support for all 3 you are good to go and it should be as simple as opening the app and pressing the cast button.

Screen sharing is something else entirely, also part of Airplay and Chromecast, this is where you mirror the screen of a phone/tablet or computer and technically lets you stream any content to the TV from the phone/tablet or computer. Its not the same as casting because you are actually using your phone/tablet/computer to process video and copy it to the TV. This streams the screen of your mobile device to the TV.

Most TV manufacturers have basic support for screen sharing without airplay or chromecast, they use an open format named "miracast"..which despite its name, isn't actually anything to do with casting and is instead screen sharing.
But unfortunately Apple being Apple do not support this open format, its Airplay or nothing. So if you are looking to share the screen using an Apple device you are limited now to only Samsung models, with support promised in the future by Sony and LG.

If you have a windows computer with WiFi, or an android mobile device you can use the open format with any TV, as could you use chromecast with a compatible TV.

The result of using plain ol' miracast, at least for me is very, very poor. Each TV may be different, but I don't think its uncommon to see a 1080p 30hz limit, with lag, artefacts and poor motion due to miss-matching frame rates. Not good for watching sport, but perhaps good enough if you want to show the grandparents some baby photos.

The last way is a propitiatory method used by some TV manufacturers and their own app. LG for instance have an app of their own designed for their TVs where you can share the screen. This may work better than the open miracast format but may come with drawbacks. It may be that you can only share certain content, possibly at most a website loaded within the app itself...I actually have no idea at all how these work, but you could always ask someone to check in the TVs owners thread.


And Panasonic have the "airbeam" you alluded too, same thing.

If you are wanting to use an apple device I'd suggest given LG have promised airplay support to look at one of the LG OLEDs instead of the Panasonic. In the interim you can use their own app. Their smart TV platform is just a lot better than Panasonic and will give you less trouble overall.

Other option is to look at a higher end Samsung TV, but overall for picture quality you are best sticking to an OLED, especially if you want more overall gains in picture quality compared to your old TV for all kinds of content, not just HDR.
 
Airplay, like Chromecast consists of a means to cast and a means to screen share. They are two different things integrated into one platform. Casting is just a way of using a phone, computer or tablet to "tell" your TV to open an app and play content instead of the TV remote control. Casting is limited both by the platform and limited by the TV. To cast from the NBA app the app itself on your mobile device has to support it, the TV has to support displaying the app and the platform,, in the case of Apple products; Airplay has to support it too. If you have support for all 3 you are good to go and it should be as simple as opening the app and pressing the cast button.

That's reassuring. Thank you.

Screen sharing is something else entirely, also part of Airplay and Chromecast, this is where you mirror the screen of a phone/tablet or computer and technically lets you stream any content to the TV from the phone/tablet or computer. Its not the same as casting because you are actually using your phone/tablet/computer to process video and copy it to the TV. This streams the screen of your mobile device to the TV.

Most TV manufacturers have basic support for screen sharing without airplay or chromecast, they use an open format named "miracast"..which despite its name, isn't actually anything to do with casting and is instead screen sharing.
But unfortunately Apple being Apple do not support this open format, its Airplay or nothing. So if you are looking to share the screen using an Apple device you are limited now to only Samsung models, with support promised in the future by Sony and LG.

If you have a windows computer with WiFi, or an android mobile device you can use the open format with any TV, as could you use chromecast with a compatible TV.

I may have been slightly ambiguous on this one - I have no interest in screen sharing and know what it is. It's of no use to me.

The result of using plain ol' miracast, at least for me is very, very poor. Each TV may be different, but I don't think its uncommon to see a 1080p 30hz limit, with lag, artefacts and poor motion due to miss-matching frame rates. Not good for watching sport, but perhaps good enough if you want to show the grandparents some baby photos.

The last way is a propitiatory method used by some TV manufacturers and their own app. LG for instance have an app of their own designed for their TVs where you can share the screen. This may work better than the open miracast format but may come with drawbacks. It may be that you can only share certain content, possibly at most a website loaded within the app itself...I actually have no idea at all how these work, but you could always ask someone to check in the TVs owners thread.


Chromecast looks like just the ticket as a backup if/when airplay doesn't work. Thanks for that too.

EDIT: ahh no, it needs an HDMI adaptor hardware - that's no use.

And Panasonic have the "airbeam" you alluded too, same thing.

If you are wanting to use an apple device I'd suggest given LG have promised airplay support to look at one of the LG OLEDs instead of the Panasonic. In the interim you can use their own app. Their smart TV platform is just a lot better than Panasonic and will give you less trouble overall.

Other option is to look at a higher end Samsung TV, but overall for picture quality you are best sticking to an OLED, especially if you want more overall gains in picture quality compared to your old TV for all kinds of content, not just HDR.

Yes, you've opened my mind to LG again - I already like LG given my PC monitor is one and it's impressive, but the issues with Airplay were a bugbear.

I will be sticking with OLED - that's one thing I'm learning along this research.

I did really like the look of that Panasonic, can you elaborate on its OS flaws and issues - I can deal with certain nuisances.

As for Samsung, I'm not against going Sammie for a higher-end OLED but if that home hub is forced upon me like my existing model I'm not really into that. I want exit to mean exit, not to mean 'return to hub' every time!
 
You can either buy a TV with Chromecast built in such as Sony or Philips models running Android TV or you can use a HDMI Chromecast with any TV. You will still be limited using chromecast with an apple phone or tablet though compared to android.

TVs are pretty clever and can be set to turn on and automatically change to the input being used, so its far more seamless than you may think, despite being an external HDMI adaptor. With the right set up you won't have to reach for the remote.

But aside from that, casting is highly dependent on the propitiatory system you use, eg Chromecast or Airplay. If you are only casting from a built in app and not screen sharing you may be disappointed since the apps manufacturers usually have for casting only let you do basic things like cast a web page or personal photos or video. Some TVs have web-casting, but the only app to use that so far as I've seen is Youtube, which is always castable from any platform.

There's nothing wrong with Panasonic's OS per-se, its just quite out of date compared to Samsung and LG. Its basic, but not very intuitive. I don't think their apps, or system as a whole is as well designed, so you are more likely to come across stupid bugs and usability issues.

I guess your options are slim, unfortunately.
With Panasonic you will be limited only to cast things from within the Airbeam app.
The Same with LG with their app, at least until they release Airplay.
With Android TVs from Sony/Philips you are limited to cast only a few apps from within the Google home app.

So if its strictly casting and you are using an Apple device, for now keeping with Samsung is best. In the future LG may be an option.
 
I'm trying to understand this better, but on my gz950 I can cast directly from my android phone or iPad for example, using say YouTube, to the TV. There's no need for any separate dongle. I assumed this just meant that the TV has chromecast built in?
 
I'm trying to understand this better, but on my gz950 I can cast directly from my android phone or iPad for example, using say YouTube, to the TV. There's no need for any separate dongle. I assumed this just meant that the TV has chromecast built in?

YouTube only needs the device it's casting to to also have YouTube - it's a seperate process and isn't actually a cast at all. All it's doing is instructing the TV to go to its own YouTube app and find the same video - transparently.
 
YouTube only needs the device it's casting to to also have YouTube - it's a seperate process and isn't actually a cast at all. All it's doing is instructing the TV to go to its own YouTube app and find the same video - transparently.

Ah ok. Thanks for clarifying..
 
You can either buy a TV with Chromecast built in such as Sony or Philips models running Android TV or you can use a HDMI Chromecast with any TV. You will still be limited using chromecast with an apple phone or tablet though compared to android.

TVs are pretty clever and can be set to turn on and automatically change to the input being used, so its far more seamless than you may think, despite being an external HDMI adaptor. With the right set up you won't have to reach for the remote.

Sorry, I wasn't too clear on that either - I need the four HDMI slots for functionality, not convenience. I have four devices already to occupy them all.

But aside from that, casting is highly dependent on the propitiatory system you use, eg Chromecast or Airplay. If you are only casting from a built in app and not screen sharing you may be disappointed since the apps manufacturers usually have for casting only let you do basic things like cast a web page or personal photos or video. Some TVs have web-casting, but the only app to use that so far as I've seen is Youtube, which is always castable from any platform.

NBA app has the feature. That's a crucial one that I need. Until NBA actually make a UK-based Smart TV app, which doesn't seem to exist, it's a non-negotiation.

There's nothing wrong with Panasonic's OS per-se, its just quite out of date compared to Samsung and LG. Its basic, but not very intuitive. I don't think their apps, or system as a whole is as well designed, so you are more likely to come across stupid bugs and usability issues.

Well there's where subjectivity comes in, because I find Samsung's UI and OS horrendous! So, I guess it really is just down to opinion and what works for an individual.

I guess your options are slim, unfortunately.
With Panasonic you will be limited only to cast things from within the Airbeam app.
The Same with LG with their app, at least until they release Airplay.
With Android TVs from Sony/Philips you are limited to cast only a few apps from within the Google home app.

So if its strictly casting and you are using an Apple device, for now keeping with Samsung is best. In the future LG may be an option.

Casting is only part of the puzzle, a big one, but only part!

It's essential the picture looks superb too.

Quite the enigma, this search /Yoda.
 
As mentioned already Youtube is "web casting" so you can do it from any platform, you could even send your TV a video when you aren't at home provided its on and connected to the internet.

From my limited knowledge and a quick search I can only see the NBA app being available to use with casting using Chromecast.

You need 3 things to match to be able to cast.

1. Your phone/tablet/computer needs to support the same casting tech as the TV.
2. The method you use to cast has to be available in the app you use. Some apps just don't have the feature.
3. The TV has to be compatible with the method you are choosing to cast from your phone/tablet/computer.

So with the NBA app, so far I see on their website they only they mention Chromecast, not airplay.. That means you need 1. An android device. 2. The casting enabled NBA app installed on your android device. 3. A chromecast supported TV.


In the future, or If info is just missing, for airplay to work in the same way you'd need 1. An apple device 2. Casting enabled in the NBA app. 3. An airplay compatible TV.

So if the NBA app in the apple store has casting enabled and you match those 3 together it will work, if it doesn't, it won't work.

You cannot cross-cast between different formats, nor can you cast anything unless the app has the function included.

You could just buy an android TV and run the app direct on there without the need of casting. But as it stands Android TVs are the only TVs that support chromecast anyway, so unless they have added airplay support to the NBA app you're out of luck using apple devices.
 

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