Turn Your Mobile into a Movie Projector

To set up your own home theater you will need to connect your smartphone to a projector and speakers. At this point is where the hard classics can scare you … What projector do I choose? How do I connect it to the phone? What else do I need? This is exactly what we are talking about in the following lines.

What projector do I choose?

Choosing the best mobile projector is a world. What you should take into account is its potability, its connectivity (if possible with Wi-Fi) and, above all, its price. But the quality of playback (no less than 1080p) and lumens (the higher the better) is something that we cannot leave out.

In the market there are millions of options, but here we leave you three that can satisfy all your needs, depending on your budget and how demanding you are.

• Best seller : 1080P Full HD WiFi projector with 6500 lumens, for less than 100 euros
• The most economical option : Small and light, this is the YG30 Pro0 capable of emitting in 1080p with 2600 lumens. Its price is 60 euros.
• The highest quality : Optoma is the benchmark in quality in projectors, but its prices can reach thousands of euros. If you want something cheaper and with exceptional quality, for 700 euros you have this Optoma EH400 with 4000 lumens and 1080P resolution.

How to connect the mobile to a projector

There are two ways to connect our mobile with the projection equipment . The most classic is by cable but nowadays a wireless connection, via Wi-Fi is the most comfortable.

By cable

For a phone, a wired connection is really your best option. An HDMI cable, with its 19-pin connection, will give us superior video and audio quality, even when the smartphone is the main source. The downside is, you can’t actually just wire the HDMI cable directly to the phone.

First of all, make sure that your mobile has the video output option. For this you can check the manufacturer’s page or search Google, for example, “Samsung Galaxy Note 10 video out” . If you have an iPhone, there is no need to search the Web, as all Apple phones have a video signal output.

After finding out you have it, what you will need is to connect it to an HDMI cable via an adapter.

• USB Type C to HDMI Adapter for Android
• Lightning to HDMI adapter for iPhone

Wirelessly

Connecting the mobile phone to the projector wirelessly is a process that may be different depending on the model. In those that have been specifically designed to connect via Wi-Fi, the option available in the Projector menu must be enabled and connected to the same Network in which we have the mobile. Then we will simply have to use the manufacturer’s app to send the content from the smartphone or, if you can’t manage it, use an app like ApowerMirror , which allows you to control wireless playback

These days, almost everyone watches their multimedia content on the big screen through an accessory such as the always useful Chromecast , Apple TV, and even a video game console. Both Chromecast and Apple TV are capable of working with the projector. You simply need to have a WiFi network to which all devices are connected to stream content from the phone to the projector wirelessly.

All you have to do is connect the Chromecast or Apple TV to the projector using an HDMI cable, as if it were a TV. In the case of Apple, once the connection between the computer and your iPhone is established, you can stream content from your mobile phone. Of course, Apple TV will only work with iPhone and iPad.

If you want to expand the possibilities, the Chromecast will work with Android, iPhone and even a laptop, making it the most recommended option. Also right now you have it for less than 40 euros on Amazon . As long as the Goolge device is connected via an HDMI cable to your projector, you can transmit content from any of the aforementioned terminals and watch it on a giant screen.

And the sound? Use Bluetooth speakers

In general, an HDMI cable will also allow the sound to be transferred to the projector, but in general, the quality of the integrated speakers in these equipment leaves much to be desired.

Unless you are going to enjoy long silent film sessions, we will also need to connect speakers to the device to be able to listen to the audio of our content. Instead of buying endless adapters to connect them by cable, we can use the Bluetooth connectivity of the phone to configure the sound of the projector.

All you need is to get yourself some quality speakers, like these from Logitech, which cost less than 100 euros quite regularly and have a power of 160 W. It is also not necessary to spend so much on it and you can buy something less powerful for 50 euros like this 50W sound tower that you can also use with a USB when you are not setting up your own home theater.

Extra accessories

If you want to enjoy a first-rate cinematic experience , it will not be enough for you only with the mobile , the projector and the speakers . You should also take into account other accessories such as screens where you can watch your movies series and some support to house all the elements.

Screen to project the image

You can project the image on a white wall or wherever you want but if you want to maximize its quality, it is best to buy a screen like the following.

• Tripod screen : For less than 100 euros you have a screen that you can install anywhere. By going with a tripod you can install it in the garage, the garden or even take it to the park, if you want. You have size options from 84 to 120 inches.

• Wall hanging screen: If you prefer something more comfortable and have enough space, you have a 100-inch tamale screen that can be screwed to the wall and rolled or unfolded on demand. Its current price is around 70 euros .

Support for the projector

The angle from which you broadcast is also very important because the more perpendicular it is to the screen, the better the image quality and the less the scene will deform. In amazon you have supports at a good price like this one from Vamvo that for less than 50 euros has everything you need to enjoy your best movie night.