How to Plug Your iPhone, Android, Tablet or iPad into Your TV, Laptop, or LCD Projector

Smartphones and tablets have become the "go-to" video cameras and still cameras for many teachers. Thus, knowing HOW-TO show your photos and videos on a large screen to your entire class is a "must know."

Internet-connected cell phones and tablets are also a GREAT WAY to bring internet content to a large screen in your classroom. Sadly, many Sunday Schools don't have WIFI or wired internet access, so your cellphone's internet connection is the way to go (assuming you can get 'bars' in the classroom).

Whether you simply want to show some photos and videos you shot with your cellphone, or want to show a YouTube video or other internet content, the following simple connection is the answer to your prayers.

There are wireless methods and you could upload your videos or photos over WIFI to "the cloud" or send them to your laptop.

So here's what you need...

Remember that Apple and Android devices use different types of connectors. You can easily shop for connectors at online stores like Amazon.com. You can even find "hubs" that have several different types of connector options. 

Tip:  Have a "kit" of adapters, plugs, hdmi, and extra phone power cords for teachers to use.

How to connect your iPhone/Smartphone to a "Smart" TV Screen

To easily play your cellphone or tablet videos or photos on a TV screen, you will need an adapter to connect your device's cable to your TV's HDMI cable.

One end of the adapter plugs into your phone or tablet, the other end of the adapter plugs into your TV's HDMI cable.

Old School Tip: You're plugging your phone into your tv just like you would a DVD player.

Search for  “iPhone or Android phone to HDMI adapter” at Amazon and you’ll see plenty for sale. They're about $15.

OLD TV?

If your church's TV is "isn't so smart" (aka "old") --it may not have a modern HDMI port. It may have the old "three colored red-yellow-white RCA-style plugs. So you will need to search for an adapter that connects your Phone’s cable to the old-fashioned “RCA” - style plugs.

Test your connections ahead of time! Old TVS can make videos and pics display in odd sizes.

Bluetooth? Wireless?

I have NOT had good luck trying to wirelessly connect my iPhone 7 or 8 to my Sony "Smart" TV. The problem is my Apple iPhone and Sony with Android operating system don't like to play with each other. You'd think in 2018 they'd have it figured out. Fortunately, connecting via cable and adapter works a lot better. If you try to connect wirelessly, you may need to run some adjustments on your TV to connect to your phone's content, so preview this connection way ahead of time.

"Chromecasting" in the classroom

I have had reasonable success "chromecasting" content from my laptop's Google Chrome browser to my SmartTV that has Chromecast app built-in.  

Chromecast "casts" what's on your browser screen to appear on your TV screen. But you have to be viewing the photo in your Chrome Browser to "cast" it to your TV screen. If you're on a laptop, it's easy to right click any photo and "open with browser" to make it appear in your browser and "cast it." Can't do that on a phone that doesn't have a Chrome browser. (My iphone's Safari browser has a "sharing" or mirror feature, but so far, no luck with connecting that to my Android operated Sony.)

I've had not-so-good luck trying to wireless "cast" photos on my iphone to my Sony Smart TV. Sometimes your technology doesn't match up. I expect they will continue to improve these compatibility issues, but for now, I've found that my best bet is to show photos from my phone using the WIRED connection described above.

Updated 2018. Copyright Rotation.org Inc.

Copyright Issues Regarding Viewing Videos on Youtube, Uploading and Downloading YouTube Content, etc. 

The following are general guidelines based on a reading of Youtube terms of service and copyright laws.

Creating Videos and Uploading Them to YouTube

• the legalities of using copyrighted songs and videos
• how to

It's a new day. During the upload process, YouTube can automatically detect if your video contains copyrighted video and music, and will alert you during your upload process as to the owner's rights and permissions. 

Usually, the alert simply says the copyright holder licenses their content on YouTube and shares in the "ad" revenue. The copyright holder may request your content to be removed at any time (which they rarely do). Note: It is not removed from your "channel" (your logged-in YT account). YOU can still see all the content you upload, it is just blocked to everyone else.

In MOST cases, copyright holders allow their songs and videos to be covered, copied, mashed up on non-profit "fan" videos being posted on Youtube. They view it as free publicity and receive ad-revenue.    Disney, for example, allows their videos to be mashed by individuals and uses it as an opportunity to show Disney ads.  Fox Movies, on the other hand, has told YT that it doesn't permit, and wants to block all use of their movies.

Youtube PAYS the copyright holder a share of the ad revenue generated when the video is viewed on Youtube. As well, Youtube makes it clear to copyright holders that they may request "take downs" of fan videos (like yours) and has a notification process to facilitate that. 

Thus, here in 2019, you can assume that you can legally make and upload to Youtube a "fan video" of your kids performing to copyrighted content. At worst, you will be told by Youtube that it has been removed. In most cases, the artist permit Youtube and fans, provided they have a share of the ad revenue and final control over the existence of the video.

I have created numerous "video mashups" combining songs with video clips from favorite Jesus movies. YouTube has permitted most, but "blocked" some. Why? First of all, it's because their Content ID software picks and chooses. Not every use of copyrighted content is UNfair use!  "Fair Use" for the purposes of commentary, research, teaching and creating "transformative" works is protected in the USA. But sometimes YT's content bots don't understand that your work is protected. So they block it and you have to dispute it. Fun. In general, song owners want their material out there, and some video companies don't.

For the same reason, you can also "embed" Youtube videos in your website, such as we have done at www.rotation.org. We are legally able to do this because the embedding shows Youtube's ads. 

Uploading your video to Youtube is really easy. Just create a Youtube account, and click "upload." Youtube will walk you through the rest. Simple. Done.

Downloading videos from Youtube
instead of watching them on Youtube

There are third-party services, such as https://www.clipconverter.cc/ and https://keepvid.com/ which allow you to download SOME* videos from Youtube.  They come in real handy when your classroom doesn't have internet access to YouTube. 

*Re: "Some"   YouTube can now block certain videos from being downloaded. Typically, they are doing it at the artist's request/license, and only doing it for some music videos

Tip: Get internet access in your classroom and all these issues and workarounds go away! It's the 21st century. Either make sure the church classroom has wifi, or use your phone to create an internet "hotspot."

 WARNING:  Some "YouTube download services are designed to try and get you to download their software. You don't need to. Instead, just PAY ATTENTION and avoid their confusing button options.

Clipconverter.cc will not allow you to download a video that contains copyrighted music. Why? Because then Youtube cannot share its ad-revenue with the copyright holder, and clipconverter doesn't want to get sued.  Keepvid.com, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care, and because it is not illegal to teach with internet content, it is also not illegal to download and teach with that same content.  Just keep in mind that IF you are downloading a music video from YouTube, then you should also pay the $1.25 and download the song from iTunes so the artist gets paid.

See the Keepvid.com instructions below.

Here's the Legal Workaround for Showing Downloaded Music Videos

 You can legally download a user-created "fan" video that's been posted to a website when you are downloading it for teaching use, AND when you ALREADY PERSONALLY OWN a copy of the copyrighted song.  US digital rights law allows you to own one copy of a song, and make copies to play on several devices that you own (such as, your house stereo, and in your car).  Now...whether or not YouTube allows you to download the video is another thing!  Sometimes, they block it, or the download service will block it. Depends on how YouTube has coded the licensing info.

If you don't own a copy of the song, and download the video instead of watching it ON Youtube, then you are circumventing the ad-revenue sharing that Youtube does with the artists, and that's wrong. My instructions are for those who want to be fair, and understand the difference between fair use and ripping off someone.

Thus, IF you buy the song off of iTunes, or already own the CD of the song, and play then a downloaded video (that has the song) to your kids in a TEACHING situation (protected fair use), you have met your legal obligation. (Public performance is not okay.)  The only hitch is that Clipconverter does not know you own the song already, so you need to use another third-party online download service which circumvents the song issue. Messy? Yes. Difficult? No.  Bottom line: Buy the song for $1.25 on iTunes. Support artists and stay legal.

www.Clipconverter.cc is great for non-musical videos. Videos with copyrighted music, however, may be rejected by clipconverter for conversion.

www.Keepvid.com, to date, allows the downloading of music videos from YouTube. Please keep in mind what we said above about supporting the artist. After you download the video with Keepvid, go buy the song to stay in the right.

If the downloading services change, please notify us immediately.

What about Bible movies and Animated Videos on Youtube?

In some cases, the copyright holder has posted them.  In many cases, they simply tolerate others having posted the content . YouTube makes it extremely easy for a copyright holder to have their content removed from Youtube, and movie houses/publishers are generally vigilant about such things. YouTube's Content ID robots can identify copyright video and audio and determine whether or not a fan upload violates the wishes of the publisher.

Thus, if it is posted, you can "probably" assume the copyright holder has an ad-revenue agreement with Youtube. ...which is why the content has not been removed. However, some copyright holders are not aware or not entering into Content ID agreements with YouTube.  To be fair, I often look to see if the publisher is selling the video somewhere else, and if they are, then the copy on YouTube is probably bootlegged.

In general, you should not be viewing full-length copies of Christian videos (or any commercially produced video) on YouTube without knowing whether or not it's bootlegged. The bootlegs often are low resolution and have the credits cut off.

I believe that previewing people's uploaded copies of copyrighted videos on YouTube is a legitimate way to decide if you want to buy the video. Increasingly, the publisher's are monetizing their videos -which others have posted without their permission, ...including an advertisement to buy or download the movie. Keep your eyes peeled. Be fair and honest.

Other video producers are simply letting their stuff out there for free, while still selling it to those who want to buy the DVD.  Pay attention. Do the right thing.

The Legality of Downloading Content from YouTube

A researched opinion

Teaching with YouTube content, either online or OFFline, for non-profit teaching and commentary purposes is Federally protected "fair use," according to Section 107 of the US Copyright Statute. https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html.  

No copyright statement or "FBI Warning" can negate this historic and Federally granted right to teachers, researchers, and commentators who are using legally obtained copyrighted material for the purposes of teaching, commentary, parody, or research.  

YouTube's terms of service (TOS) which you may or may not have agreed to as a user, states that downloading a video and viewing it "offline" violates their terms of service,   Can they do that?  Can Terms of Service negate your Federally protected right to use media for non-profit teaching and commentary?  We don't think so, and neither does US Copyright Law.

YouTube wants its material to be shared across social media and on websites so that people will see the ads associated with the content. However, teachers and students CANNOT be compelled to view ads included with freely distributed or legally purchased content. If they controlled access by selling the clips, then you'd have to pay for them, but you could still fast-forward through the ads. That's your right -- to avoid ads.  Federal Copyright Law and precedence grants a large degree of latitude to the "end user" for the format they legally choose to share content with their students. For example, you can copy a DVD to a flash drive if you need to, or snap a photo of a painting and show the photo for teaching purposes. Teachers have the right BTW... individual users of material for personal use also have this right  -- meaning, it is perfectly legal for you to make a copy of a song CD you have purchased to listen to it on your computer.

YouTube, of course, doesn't want you to download their videos into an MP4 format for viewing "offline" because you'll miss their advertisements.  However, US Copyright Law makes no distinction about the FORMAT you get the material in, VHS, print, DVD, online, offline, MP4, whatever.  What copyright law says is that teachers have the right to format copyrighted material in a way that facilitates our teaching. Creating a handout, for example, or copying a video from VHS to DVD. Or compiling several video excerpts into a "montage" of clips. These are protected activities. And thus, file format (online or downloaded and viewed offline) is irrelevant to protected "fair use."    

As long as the change in format is for Federall protected non-profit teaching purposes, it is protected use.

YouTube makes money off the ads seen online and shares that revenue with the owners of the video content. So it can sue companies trying to make THEIR OWN BUCK by providing a way to download YT content with ads on the grounds of "infringing" on the licenses which YT's content providers have given them. However, a teacher has the protected right to convert media from one format to another for teaching purposes and to show the material WITHOUT ads. Thus you won't see YT suing teachers making "fair use" of the material. The only thing YT can do is put technical barriers in place and sue companies trying to profit.

Please note: This does not apply to pirated material. It only applies to material which the copyright holder has allowed to be circulated or sold. This is why you need to be careful about what you use from YouTube, ...making sure it has not been illegally posted. YouTube is continually evolving its tools to identify illegally posted content. And they are increasingly engaged with the internet legal community to protect legitimate "fair use." 

Recommendations:

In the case of music videos, if you need to download a music video from YouTube to show it outside of YouTube's wrapper in a teaching situation or for the purposes of commentary,  I strongly encourage you to BUY the song from iTunes or Google Play. It will cost you under $2 and meet your obligation to the copyright holder's rights and creativity.  (As far as honoring YouTube's right to ad revenue, you probably spent enough time watching the video with its ads already.)   

Purchasing a copy of the song and downloading to one device, while also downloading a music video with a copy of the same song obeys both the letter and heart of the law. Federal digital rights law allows you to purchase a song and have it stored in more than one format on multiple devices (such as, your computer and an iPod). That fact that you already previewed the clip (probably several times) on YouTube, means in principle that you have met your ad-watching obligation to YouTube as well.

In the case of YouTube videos that use copyrighted images or videos,  As a teacher you have a Federally protected right to make a copy of legally posted material in a format suitable for your teaching purposes, and teach with that material in a face to face teaching situation, and not have to show advertising or other YouTube content they have associated with that video. Just be sure the content you are showing your students HAS been legally uploaded. YouTube doesn't promise that everything has been legally uploaded  -though their technology is improvingly rapidly enough that they are now seeing and taking down "illegally" uploaded content. (A surprising number of publishers want their material to stay on YT, however.) Thus, In the case of animated Bible videos and the like, you need to check the credits, licensing links, and who uploaded it --to be sure it's not bootleg. In many cases, the publishers allow their material to be freely posted, though they continue to sell it elsewhere.

It's a brave new world, and as teachers, we need to do our best and have good intentions, but we should also not give up our historical and Federally protected right to teach with copyrighted material that is available to us, and indeed, being made available to everyone else!

Some Links:

http://fairusetube.org/guide-t...if-video-is-fair-use

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html

YouTube's own "Fair Use" Foggy "Maybe"
https://support.google.com/you...answer/6396261?hl=en

Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister, author, and multi-media producer. He has been researching and writing about copyright law for Christian Education for a number of years. 

In addition to connecting your PC or tablet directly to your SmartTV, you can "cast" or "mirror" your Chrome internet browser screen to your TV over your WIFI connection, if you have Chromecast either built-in to your TV (or  one of their USB keys plugged-in to the TV). It's really simple and very handy for displaying things like YouTube videos.

Note:  Sometimes it is not easy to get a phone to connect wirelessly to your TV. Incompatibilities between the TV's built-in software, your WIFI connection, and the type of phone you have can create problems. However, connecting with an HDMI CABLE ADAPTER is very easy and circumvents potential WIFI problems. See this article for the how-to.

How to make Google Chrome internet browser content appear on your SmartTV via "Chromecast."

Chromecast is a piece of software that is found in your WIFI-enabled TV, or found in a USB plug that you plug into your TV. Your Chrome Browser on your computer can "see" the signal coming from the Chromecast plug or being broadcast by the TV and transmit your laptop browser's content to the TV screen wirelessly.   

You'll need to purchase a Chromecast USB plug, or make sure your Smart TV has Chromecast installed on it. And you'll need to make sure your internet browser is Chrome. Other internet browser brands have "casting" ability, but many of them don't connect to certain brands of TVs. in face, "casting" and "mirroring" is still dicey, which is why I recommend going with a simple PHONE TO TV HDMI ADAPTER CABLE. It circumvents the compatibility issues just mentioned.

(Yes, you can also mirror non-browser content to your TV. All you need to do is connect your computer's display output using an HDMI cable to your TV or projector's HDMI input. Mirroring non-browser content, such as, software, can also be done wirelessly using your SmartTV's "Connect to PC" menu option. So many options.)

It's still easier to use a cellphone 2 HDMI adapter to make your cellphone or tablet content appear on your TV.

What you need to "Cast" your Chrome browser content to your TV:

1. WIFI Internet, to which both your laptop or tablet and TV are connected. (Chromecast allows them to find each other over your WIFI.)

2. A SmartTV with Chromecast either built into its operating system, or added via one of those Chromecast USB plugs. Check your TV's setup options. You may need to "enable" your Chromecast.

3. Google's Chrome browser running on your laptop or tablet.

Then all you have to do is open your Chrome Browser, RIGHT click a blank area of the browsing screen, and click "CAST" and it will magically appear on your TV screen.

The "cast" window will appear in your browser showing you which devices it can see and display to. In the image below the Cast window is showing my Sony Bravia TV to click on.

How and Why Chromecast It Works: 

"Chromecast" from Google is software technology that allows internet content to appear on your TV screen.  Like it's competitors (AppleTV and ROKU), Chromecast is essentially a wireless pipeline between the internet and your TV screen. If you're using Chrome as your browser, then Google has made it EXTRA EASY to display that content from your computer to your Chromecast enabled TV with virtually no setup.

In the past, Chromecast was available only as a USB key that you plugged into your TV to connect your TV to the internet. But on many SmartTVs, Chromecast software comes installed. If it's not built-in, you can purchase a Chromecast "USB plugin" in most electronic departments for under $40.

With the click of a browser button, your Chrome browser "CASTS" (or "mirrors") your internet content over your WIFI to your TV that has Chromecast software (or plug) installed. 

Apple TV and ROKU work the same way, though not with Chrome browser. There are a number of players in the "Casting/Mirroring/Screen-Sharing" arena. Device protocols and ease-of-connectivity is improving every year. But the basics are all the same.

Only have a hardwired internet connection and no WIFI?

As long as both your SmartTV and your laptop are connected to your internet network, Chrome and Chromecast can talk to each other. There are many "how to" articles on the web if needed.

Late 2018

Scroll down to see reasons why you want to be able to "cast" in your classroom.

Update on "casting" your tablet or laptop screen to a TV screen via WIFI 

First, all of this is just a whole lot easier if you connect your device to your TV using an HDMI cable adapter.  Virtually any device can "mirror" or "cast" its screen to a modern TV over an HDMI cable. Get one with a long cord! 

But ideally (or at least eventually) you will want to have a wireless connection between your device and TV, and that's what the rest of this article is about. 

If your tablet or laptop AND your Big Screen TV are both connected to the same WIFI connection, then you can "cast" content from your small device's Chrome Browser to the Big TV screen over that connection. All you need is a Chromecast "key" plugged into the TV to act as a device to TV go-between. 

However, if your smart TV comes with "built-in" chromecast capabilities, you will STILL want to use a Chromecast key device. 

Why? Because numerous TVs and devices become incompatible with each other when they try to talk through the TV's built-in Chromecast setup.  I know because I've run into this "built in chromecast not working" problem on my TV with various computer devices.

For whatever reason, many users have discovered that their TV's "built-in" Chromecast only allows them to cast YouTube videos to the TV screen and WILL NOT CAST other Chrome Browser content, such as a really cool webpage. When they try to cast a webpage, for example, they get a black screen. They can only "cast" their Chrome browser content when their TV has a Chromecast key plugged into it, or when their device is directly wired to the TV via an HDMI cable. 

Why is this happening?  Big companies not playing nice together, imagine that.

• We have tested this out using a Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Google Chromebook, Dell laptop, and a Toshiba laptop.  Only the Toshiba could "cast" its Chrome browser content to the Sony TV that had built-in Chromecast. The others could only do it when our Chromecast KEY was plugged into the TV.  They could all "cast" YouTube videos pulled up in the Chrome browser (Google owns YT). But only one of the four devices could cast webpage contents (other than YT).
  
  
• I talked to Google, Sony, and Samsung support trying to figure this out, and the only solution was to use an actual Chromecast KEY plugged into the side of my Sony TV that allegedly has Chromecast built-in (or use a cable).

Technical Mumbo-Jumbo Confusion Contusions:

As of this date, you cannot cast from the mobile version of Chrome on a cellphone. It has to be the desktop version of Chrome. Expect this to change.

Apple:  Apple products cannot wirelessly "cast" to a TV with Chromecast. Instead, you need to connect your iphone or ipad to your TV using an HDMI adaptor cable described in the article above this one.  To wireless "cast" on an Apple device (aka "screen mirroring")  your TV has to have the Apple TV console connected to it. What a pain.

I hope these manufacturers get all the code and compatibilities figured out soon. Wireless Casting Screens from a small device to a big screen has a lot of applications.

Why you want to be able to "cast" from Tablet to a TV

How cool would it be to bring in your touchscreen tablet to show scripture and photos WIRELESSLY on your Big Screen TV?   And be able to hand that small screen device to a child to have them read it?
Cool AND convenient, that's what.

How cool would it be to hand your tablet to a student and invite them to draw or type a message/answer so that all the class could see it? 
(The kids would love that.)

How cool would it be to play Bible Pictionary on your Big Screen TV (or projected on the wall) by handing your tablet to the student player who then uses the "drawing" app you installed as a Chrome extension? 
Now that would be fantastic.

How easy is it to pull up a YouTube video in your Chrome browser and make it appear on your Big Screen TV? 
It's amazingly easy.

How awesome would it be to pull up panoramic or "3d" Bible places content on your phone or tablet and have it appear on the big screen too?  ....Like this one on the Sea of Gallee:

Yep, pretty awesome.

More and more great teaching content is available online (especially YouTube.) "Casting" allows a teacher to control it on a small screen and put it on the big screen.

Chrome also offers a lot of game and doodle apps that work within the Chrome browser environment, and thus, can be "cast" to a big screen.  If you want to have a "doodle pad" to your TV from your tablet, you need to INSTALL a "doodle pad" or "drawing" app or "extension" to your Chrome browser. There are many to choose from in the Chrome Browser webstore.

Black screen when trying to cast Chrome browser content to TV

(2019)

Wirelessly "casting" a YouTube video
from your cellphone to your Smart TV
and then using your cellphone's YouTube App
to control the YouTube video on the TV

(instead of using your TV's clumsy remote control)

Instructional video below.

Why would you want to do this?

Because it's a lot easier to navigate your cellphone's touchscreen YouTube app than trying to navigate the YouTube app on your Smart TV with your clumsy television remote.

YouTube has a built-in "cast" feature that allows you to "cast" YouTube videos from your phone to your smart tv.

Your other option is to simple connect your cellphone to your TV with an HDMI adapter as described in the preceding articles. But if your cellphone and TV are using the same internet network connection (such as your home or church WIFI), then "casting" from one YouTube app to another is really SLICK. 

We use this approach at home when someone wants to show a YouTube video to the family on the big TV. Same thing in Sunday School when I want to show a YouTube video to a class on the big screen.

How to:

1. Turn on your TV's YouTube app.

2. Turn on your cellphone's Youtube app and pull up the video you want to watch.

3. Click the "CAST" icon on your cellphone's YouTube app. 

It will search for compatible devices (your TV) and stream the video from your cellphone;s YT app to the TV's YT app.  Select your Smart TV and like magic the video on your cellphone will appear in the TV's YT app 

Click this image to enlarge

As the instructional video below states, your TV and cellphone don't have to be on the same WIFI network to make the linking work (but it's easiest). 

We have a saying in my family:  "How do it know dat?"  I dunno, but it does. 

Again, the alternative is to connect your cellphone to your TV with an HDMI adapter cable.