I have connected my Surface 2 to my SP3 with Splashtop and then mirrored my Surface 2 screen to my TV. The only way that would be possible is if the network was still connected. This was not a practical configuration, just a whimsical exercise.
Can someone explain Miracast and streaming tech with surface?
- Thread starter Olvrick
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nipponham
Active Member
If by "wireless network" you mean Wi-Fi, then no. 2.4Ghz frequency is not only for Wi-Fi; baby monitors, cordless phones, and Sony's Screen mirroring also use the same frequency. These are all examples of a wireless network, but they are not Wi-Fi. Setting the TV to a particular frequency just ensures that it doesn't switch bands, whether it's for Wi-Fi or a p2p connection.
When you are using Screen mirroring, you have a p2p wireless network between the TV and Surface, but this is not Wi-Fi. The message just means that while you are using Screen mirroring, the TV won't be able to connect to Wi-Fi.
If a fixed frequency doesn't work, it could be a matter of having too many neighbouring devices/routers competing on the same 2.4Ghz frequency. There should be a setting on the TV that allows you to change bands. Try changing that.
ETA: Just looked it up and found the default band for Sony's Screen mirroring is channel 11. You can try channel 1 then 6 in that order. Make sure that fixing the frequency doesn't solve your problem first.
This has been thrashed about before, I doubt putting this in a vacuum far from the world would solve the problem... though a new Firmware from Sony would, if they fixed it.
I'm a little confused as to whether the OP is trying to connect his Surface wirelessly to his TV or if he wants to watch media such as TV, movies, etc on his TV without the use of cable or satellite. If the latter is what you need, I would recommend Roku3. I have both Roku3 & the FireTV from Amazon and like the Ruku better. There is an amazing amount of material with Roku3 to choose from including YouTube. I just ditched my satellite TV. It was way too expensive when all I watched were about 5 channels and some local ones. If you're just trying to connect your Surface to your TV, I would try the Microsoft Wireless Video adapter.
Arizona Willie
Active Member
I'm not sure about the band changing.
As I recall there is some setting about bands for something ... don't remember exactly what it says at the moment ... but it is dimmed out and I can't change it. Never have figured out what to do to make it usable / changeable or why it is dimmed.
[QUOTE="
If a fixed frequency doesn't work, it could be a matter of having too many neighbouring devices/routers competing on the same 2.4Ghz frequency. There should be a setting on the TV that allows you to change bands. Try changing that.
ETA: Just looked it up and found the default band for Sony's Screen mirroring is channel 11. You can try channel 1 then 6 in that order. Make sure that fixing the frequency doesn't solve your problem first.[/QUOTE]
As I recall there is some setting about bands for something ... don't remember exactly what it says at the moment ... but it is dimmed out and I can't change it. Never have figured out what to do to make it usable / changeable or why it is dimmed.
[QUOTE="
If a fixed frequency doesn't work, it could be a matter of having too many neighbouring devices/routers competing on the same 2.4Ghz frequency. There should be a setting on the TV that allows you to change bands. Try changing that.
ETA: Just looked it up and found the default band for Sony's Screen mirroring is channel 11. You can try channel 1 then 6 in that order. Make sure that fixing the frequency doesn't solve your problem first.[/QUOTE]
Arizona Willie
Active Member
bluegrass, I can stream media from my computer and NAS drive quite easily. That isn't the problem.
I am indeed trying to connect the Surface Pro I tablet to the TV without an adapter.
The Surface claims to have Miracast and the TV does too.
I can, sometimes, get the Surface Start screen to appear on the TV without and adapter but after 2 seconds it goes away and the screen remains blank and in Mirror mode.
No error messages from either the Surface or the TV.
Since the Start screen from the Surface < does > appear on the TV it is apparent that the Miracast does work for a couple of seconds. The question is --- what stops it.
Microsoft defenders claim it is a Whitelist on the TV although I find it hard to imaging that Sony and Samsung would both Blacklist Microsoft one of the biggest companies in the world. What benefit to Sony / Samsung is there to not putting Microsoft devices on the Whitelist ( the equivalent of Blacklisting )?
Microsoft's only answer is " buy another device from us ".
Neither Sony / Samsung nor Microsoft seem to have any interest in solving the problem. People have been complaining / asking about this since 2013.
I believe I could use the SurfacePro as a media server but that would only allow viewing movies / pictures from the Surface to the TV ... not games or programs.
I will try switching to the 2.4 ghz network on my wireless network and see if that helps. But nothing has so far
What makes it extremely aggravating is seeing the Start screen come on the tv and knowing a signal IS getting through and being displayed and then it stops .... grrrrr.
I am indeed trying to connect the Surface Pro I tablet to the TV without an adapter.
The Surface claims to have Miracast and the TV does too.
I can, sometimes, get the Surface Start screen to appear on the TV without and adapter but after 2 seconds it goes away and the screen remains blank and in Mirror mode.
No error messages from either the Surface or the TV.
Since the Start screen from the Surface < does > appear on the TV it is apparent that the Miracast does work for a couple of seconds. The question is --- what stops it.
Microsoft defenders claim it is a Whitelist on the TV although I find it hard to imaging that Sony and Samsung would both Blacklist Microsoft one of the biggest companies in the world. What benefit to Sony / Samsung is there to not putting Microsoft devices on the Whitelist ( the equivalent of Blacklisting )?
Microsoft's only answer is " buy another device from us ".
Neither Sony / Samsung nor Microsoft seem to have any interest in solving the problem. People have been complaining / asking about this since 2013.
I believe I could use the SurfacePro as a media server but that would only allow viewing movies / pictures from the Surface to the TV ... not games or programs.
I will try switching to the 2.4 ghz network on my wireless network and see if that helps. But nothing has so far
What makes it extremely aggravating is seeing the Start screen come on the tv and knowing a signal IS getting through and being displayed and then it stops .... grrrrr.
nipponham
Active Member
This is because the TV is relying on your router to auto-select band. Temporarily switch off your router and then change the band setting to 2.4. You can play around with specific channels too, but channel 11 (or 1) should be fine. If this adjustment ends up working for you, the dropped Screen mirroring connection may be a router security setting issue.
I wasn't talking about your router. I was talking about the setting on your TV.
Arizona Willie
Active Member
There are so many settings it does get confusing
Yesterday I had the Surface streaming to the TV for well over a minute ... more like a minute and a half.
I switched the tv to use the 2.4 ghz network then set the Surface to use the 2.4 ghz networking also. Both had been on 5 ghz.
After some fiddling I was surprised to see the tv mirror the Surface and it didn't go away after 2 seconds.!!!!
But the tv screen did begin filling up from the bottom with solid black lines until it was 3/4 to the top and then it stopped filling with black!
I have no idea what the hell that was!!
So I decided to try to switch to the Desktop on the Surface and see what happened -- lost it then.
BUT -- this proves that the Surface CAN stream to the Sony TV without using an adapter.
It has to be a matter of settings.
If only Sony and Microsoft engineers / programmers would bother to talk to each other ... it would probably take them an hour or two to figure this out and FIX it.
But they can't be bothered.
At least I am no longer convinced Microsoft did it on purpose to sell adapters.
This is some kind of setting problem that COULD be resolved.
It is really strange. Seems I can only get it to work like that when it is first turned on. I continued trying for awhile after the first < success > and wasn't able to get it to work again.
You have to do the steps in just the right order with, perhaps, the exact right timing to get it to do it.
But it worked once so I will try again this morning and see.
What does it take to get Microsoft and Sony to give a damn and put their people to solving this?
Yesterday I had the Surface streaming to the TV for well over a minute ... more like a minute and a half.
I switched the tv to use the 2.4 ghz network then set the Surface to use the 2.4 ghz networking also. Both had been on 5 ghz.
After some fiddling I was surprised to see the tv mirror the Surface and it didn't go away after 2 seconds.!!!!
But the tv screen did begin filling up from the bottom with solid black lines until it was 3/4 to the top and then it stopped filling with black!
I have no idea what the hell that was!!
So I decided to try to switch to the Desktop on the Surface and see what happened -- lost it then.
BUT -- this proves that the Surface CAN stream to the Sony TV without using an adapter.
It has to be a matter of settings.
If only Sony and Microsoft engineers / programmers would bother to talk to each other ... it would probably take them an hour or two to figure this out and FIX it.
But they can't be bothered.
At least I am no longer convinced Microsoft did it on purpose to sell adapters.
This is some kind of setting problem that COULD be resolved.
It is really strange. Seems I can only get it to work like that when it is first turned on. I continued trying for awhile after the first < success > and wasn't able to get it to work again.
You have to do the steps in just the right order with, perhaps, the exact right timing to get it to do it.
But it worked once so I will try again this morning and see.
What does it take to get Microsoft and Sony to give a damn and put their people to solving this?
Arizona Willie
Active Member
Well this morning I disabled my Avast virus protection and tried again. I got the Surface to appear on the tv but it stuck at the first image. When I changed the Surface today the picture on the tv stayed the same, it did not change. The same image was " stuck " on the screen.
I tried to run an app on the Surface and it said the resolution was too low.
Oh yeah, I discovered it automagically changed the resolution on the Surface to 1280 X 720 when it goes into Mirror ( Miracast ) mode.
So I went to the desktop but the screen on the tv stayed the same.
Instead of going away in 2 seconds it stayed on the screen unit I switched out of Mirror mode.
Here is a pic of the tv and the Surface is in the lower left corner so you can see the same pic is on the Surface and on the tv.
It< will > mirror without an adapter if I can figure out the right settings, it seems.
******
I tried to run an app on the Surface and it said the resolution was too low.
Oh yeah, I discovered it automagically changed the resolution on the Surface to 1280 X 720 when it goes into Mirror ( Miracast ) mode.
So I went to the desktop but the screen on the tv stayed the same.
Instead of going away in 2 seconds it stayed on the screen unit I switched out of Mirror mode.
Here is a pic of the tv and the Surface is in the lower left corner so you can see the same pic is on the Surface and on the tv.
It< will > mirror without an adapter if I can figure out the right settings, it seems.
******
