Wireless Display

Hello All,

I had emailed Camp Inn the other day about trying to find a solution for my situation of camping with a trailer while still bringing 2 off road toys (quad and dirtbike). Cary responded and suggested some ideas which I am exploring.

In any case, as part of our email exchange (some of which is below), I had suggested that Camp Inn might want to offer a wireless display option for their trailers. This is really not intended to be spam but he suggested I should post here as they were interested in your feedback.

For those that don't know, with wireless display (aka Miracast) you can connect your phone, tablet or laptop to a screen wirelessly so you can stream movies, share pictures, etc. from your mobile device to the TV easily. Bascially, it allows you to put your mobile device on a larger screen (like HDTV) without wires. It allows you to stream audio and video from your device...anything on your mobile screen can be put up on the display. It's built in to most Android smartphones and tablets as well as Windows 8.1 laptops and tablets.

I brought it up to Cary because my company makes such devices. I was not trying to sell anyone on anything, just thought it might be a good optional accessory device. Cary suggested I post something here about it so they could follow the feedback and see if it is something they should consider offering.

Again, it is not my intent to come in and push some products or spam the board with unwanted or unsolicited pitches. Per Cary's request, I just offered to start the conversation and let it flow.

Thanks
Jay T.
aka Java Jack


"Jay,
...
Neat idea for the TV. I myself am not near as tech savvy as my customers, heck I don't even carry a cellphone. But, even I can see where this would make sense. One of the comments I hear customers say regularly is they don't want a DVD player because they wouldn't use DVDs since they are using their personal storage devices.

A neat thing to try would be to sign up on the Unofficial Camp-Inn forum. This is a discussion board for Camp-Inn owners and it is a very great source of info. But, what I am thinking is if you talked about this device on there the feedback would be interesting to see.

Cary"

 

This does seem like a good option to add. I Have a small 13 inch lap top and really don't want a bigger one to lug around and store but would appreciate a bigger screen. I don't know anything about this so I suppose the questions would be, how much space does it take? Is it built into the screen or a seperate device? How much does it cost?? Seems like a great option for those using the cell phone for internet access.

 

Oh, one more thing? Is it propriatry and only able to work if you buy stuff from the same company. Example----Apple

 

Hmmm... maybe I'm missing something here, but Google's ChromCast is a little "Dongle" that you can plug into your TV or receiving and be received on a wireless TV set up for that.

Is that What you're talking about???

Example:
So I find something I want to watch on my smart phone, and if your TV is set up for "Wireless" plus HDMI, believe most of the newer ones are.. you simply bring up the video or whatever on your tablet/smart phone/laptop and once they make that connection it'll appear on the bigger TV.. It does need power USB or power brick...

I don't think it wouldn't work on the TD TV, don't believe there's enough room... and most laptops are bigger. Of course if you have Wireless on the phone, you can set it up as a "Hot Spot (Verizon)" but warning... movies chew up your Data Flow limits...

Chromecast $35



Hope that helps???

 

Hello All,

I have left my company's name and products out of the discussion because I did not want to come in and make it feel like I was trying to pitch something. I will try to answer questions as best I can without getting salesy on anyone. If you want to know more specifically about our products, feel free to PM and I will share.

To answer the questions so far:

Hello Frank,

Actually, Chromecast will not really work for what you are talking about. Chromecast works in what is called Infrastructure Mode. This means it requires it to be connected to a wireless router which is in turn connected to the internet. It does not establish a direct connection to your source device. Both your source device and the chromecast stick sit on your network and communicate with each other through the local network. However, Chromecast still requires it's own connection through the router to the internet. Your source device acts like a remote to start/stop playback but the Chromecast stick actually goes out and gets the content from the internet. Also, Chromecast is limited to a handful of applications (Netflix, Hulu, etc.), it will not let you push any content from your source device (like pictures, your movies, etc.) to the screen. Therefore, it would not work while camping unless you were at a campground that had a wireless network that you could connect it to...even then, you would have to go through a set up process every single time.

Now with wireless display, the same limitations exist for services like Netflix (need an internet connection) but if you have movies stored on your device or personal photos, etc. you want to display, you can do this with Miracast/wireless display because it creates a direct wireless connection between your phone/tablet/computer and the receiver which is connected to the TV. No router needed, no internet connection needed (except for services like netflix). It's a point to point connection between the 2 devices.


Hi Pat,
No, it is not a proprietary standard like Apple. It is based upon the WiFi Alliance standard called Miracast. Just about every Android phone/tablet today supports Miracast...Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, etc. all have Miracast support in their devices. New laptops and tablets running Window 8.1 also support Miracast. The only thing that does not right now is Apple.

For older laptops running Win 7, this can work as well but you would need a separate transmitter solution. My employer has solutions for both older systems as the newer stuff, PM me and I can give you more details if you want.

As for pricing, I cannot say what Tinycamper would price the option at. I can say our products sell for well under $100 and is about the size of a hockey puck or deck of cards.

Also note, things like Chromecast, Roku Streamer, etc. are all Media Streaming Boxes. They are designed to work with your internet streaming services (netflix, Hulu, Crackle TV, etc.). None of these media streaming devices create a direct connection to your source device and let you share content on that device.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Jay T.
JavaJack

 

Hello all,

Evan dropped me a note giving the ok to share more on our product. If there is interest to learn more, I am happy to share...just post a reply and I will provide more detailed info.

As an FYI, I am an engineer in the tech industry...if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will help where I can.

 

I would be interested in knowing more.

 

Me too.

 

OK, since there is interest I will share more.

I work for a company called Actiontec. Odds are you have used our stuff without knowing it. We do connectivity and video IP type equipment (broadband routers, gateways, etc.) for Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, etc.

We have some products we launched in 2012/2013 for wireless display (aka Miracast) called ScreenBeam Kit and ScreenBeam Pro.

http://www.actiontec.com/products/62.php

We have some better videos but I can't find the link but this will give you an idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNdplWpRQ1Q

As mentioned above, wireless display creates a point to point wireless connection between your phone/tablet/computer and our receiver allowing you to display your device's screen and audio on a Projector or HDTV. It's like having a HDMI cable connected between your computer and the TV without actually having a physical cable. This not a proprietary standard (like with Apple devices) specific to us, it's actually a standard called Miracast developed by the WiFi Alliance (a collective of industry companies like Intel, Microsoft, Google, Actiontec, etc.).

Google added Miracast support to their Android operating system (Rev. 4.2) and Microsoft added it to the latest release of their OS (Win 8.1). Therefore, just about any phone/tablet on the market today (except Apple) supports this technology and is integrated in the device (nothing special you need to purchase). Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC, Nokia, etc. all support this technology. HP, Dell, Microsoft Surface 2, Lenovo, etc. also support it natively in their devices.

These devices can easily create a wireless connection to our receiver (the size of a hockey puck) and then display it on a larger screen. Audio is also passed over so you can basically display anything on your device on the larger screen without the need of wires, etc.

There are a number of folks that make these receivers besides us including Netgear, Belkin, IO Data, etc. However, I think we have the most robust solution on the market. I know I am biased here but we have spent a great deal of time working directly with Microsoft, Intel and AMD to ensure ours works significantly better than competing solutions. Microsoft actually uses ours as their gold standard test device...in other words, every laptop/tablet that comes into to Msft gets tested specifically against our receiver as the standard that must be met to get Msft's approval. Intel selected our receiver as their "reference design" and sent it out to all their partners for their WiDi program (wireless display).

The MSRP of our ScreenBeam Pro is $69.99 and the MSRP of our ScreenBeam Kit (comes with Transmitter and Receiver and special s/w) is $79.99. The Kit product is for older Win 7 systems that do not natively support Miracast/Wireless Display. In other words, if you have a newer, Win 8.1 system, then you probably do not need the Kit. If you have an older Win 7 or early Win 8 system that does not support wireless display, then the Kit will give you the wireless display capability.

If you have an older Android phone (over a year old) then it probably does not support Miracast/Wireless Display. If you have a newer Samsung S3/S4, Galaxy Note 8 Tablet, HTC 1, Sony Experia, etc. these all natively support Miracast and nothing else is needed.

The challenge here is that the receiver runs off of an AC adapter. Now there is no reason it could not be wired into the same circuit the drives the TV and AC unit but it's just the plug right now is AC and no DC option is available at the moment.

If you have any questions on this or any technology, ask away and I will try to help as best I can.

By the way, if you do a youtube search for ScreenBeam Pro and Jay, you will find a video interview I did last year. Man, I need to lose a little weight. LOL

Regards,
Jay T.
JavaJack

 

This is Mick of Mickandsarah

First off I love the technology, direct from smartphone (or other) to display via wifi is very compelling.

But for us Apple users is the only option AppleTV? I have many movies on my iPad which we watch in .e (our campinn) and beaming to a display would be far nicer.

Another question: Does the streambeam utilize a wall wart or does the hockey puck design include the 110v to lower DC voltage inside it?

Cheers

 

Hello Mick

Thanks for the notel. I liked your battery array project...if we buy a 560, that will be the very first mod I do.

As for Apple, unfortunately yes. Apple TV is the only option right now and it too requires an infrastructure mode to work. There are rumors that Apple may open up their airplay standard at which point we would be able to support but these are unconfirmed at this point.

As for our receiver, it uses a 5v 2a ac power source. We are looking at USB powered device as a low power/low cost option to be released later this year. You could probably find a DC adapter that would work at best buy, amazon, or radio shack but I have not specifically looked for one. One place to try would be mono price.com...they are a great source for cables, wires, etc and may have a DC adapter that would work.

 

I've been using DC-DC converters like this one to power lower voltage DC products from a main 12v supply

http://www.amazon.com/SMAKN-Converter-Power-Supply-Module/dp/B00CXKBJI2

Wire this to a 12v socket, through the DC-DC and the to the correct plug jack to plug into your companies device. (I'm an electronic engineer)

Anyway.............

 

Cool, I too was a EE before my current role.

That could potentially work but I would be concerned about the 3A output.

I would need to check the datasheet for our receiver but I think 3A is outside the max current spec. I suppose with a little resistor network you could drop the current to get it to 2A though.

Unfortunately, still does not resolve the issues with Apple products.

 

I've looked at this before...great idea man! But apple support is a must. Second, and this is a Camp Inn specific need....I want a couple things....and they are all,power and cable related....sticking a small cube inside my behind Tv storage is fine....

1) is possible to pull power off the USB on the tv? My plugs for 110 are either not powered (boondocking) or are already being used by other things....fans, heaters, chargers, or AC Units. I don't have space for another wall wart.

2). The input on the side of the tv is pretty hard to get to....a cable that works well needs to be found....I'm not sure what's commercially available.

3) IOS support.

Love the idea....but it doesn't quite get there....

 

Hello Sweeney,

With the currently available product, powering off of USB is not quite an option because USB only provides 500mA of power and the device requires more than that for radios, etc. The thought here was to wire it in at the factory so that it is not taking up an outlet.

However, we are working on a new product that will be USB powered so it would work in the fashion you describe.

For number 2, since I don't currently have a CI, not sure what you are talking about. We do supply a short HDMI cable with the device but I am not sure where the ports are on the TV and how they are positioned. There are right-angle HDMI cords that might make the connection fit a little better. I think Monoprice has them pretty cheap.

We would love to support iOS. If only Apple would play nice with others we could do it. Technically, this would not be all that hard to do and we could do it today but we would not want to draw the attention of Apple's Legal Dept. Should the Apple either let others in on Airplay or support Miracast in their devices, you can bet we will add that in our receiver ASAP.

For non iOS users, this could be a pretty neat option to get content on the TV in the CI.

 

The 3A will certainly not be a problem, if you have a compatible connector it will work just fine. A power supply with a current rating above the device current rating is fine if the total draw of all connected devices is not above the supply rating, and the voltage is correct and properly regulated.

Be careful that the connector you use needs to be the correct size and very important, the polarity (+ and -) must be in the correct positions.

 

This sounds great, no wires. Are we still talking about camping or is this for my home system.

 

My thought too.

I can see the benefit of pushing content from one device to another at home with a high-speed internet connection but I am having trouble understanding the benefit of pushing content while camping?

Without internet connectivity, content would have to be pre-loaded into one device (say a smartphone) to be available to push to another device. If that is the case, why not pre-load the end-viewing device directly?

(or better still, leave the tech at home and enjoy the camping experience - you can catch up when you return)

 

Yes, you could certainly use it at home as well. We are getting ready to launch an HDMI dongle version in the next week or two.

http://www.actiontec.com/327.html

It will retail for about $40.00 and should be on store shelves soon.