The New Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter Could Be A Great RV Alternative to Apple Air Play And Chromecast

Have you ever been stuck in an RV Park or, gawd forbid, boondocking in the dry, barren desert with no cell or Wi-Fi service?  And, you happen to have a great movie on your tiny little laptop but no way to stream it to your TV? Or what about that dozen or more of your favorite DVD movies you carry around?

Yesterday, Microsoft announced a $59 Wireless Display Adapter that connects to the HDMI and USB ports on a TV — those without a USB port can use a USB power brick — and lets users mirror what’s on their smartphone, tablet, or laptop within a 23-foot range without having to connect to WiFi.  Microsoft uses Miracast which lets two devices that have Wi-Fi in them talk to each other without having to go through your internet network. You might want to think of it as super-duper Bluetooth.

Some Microsoft competition for Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast

If this sounds eerily familiar, it’s because Apple’s AirPlay, Google’s ChromeCast and Roku offer similar features however they require a WiFi connection to your local area network in order to stream content to your TV. Miracast does not. AirPlay Mirroring works with Apple TV and iOS devices. ChromeCast does most of its magic through web apps. As for Chromecast mirroring - fuggetaboutit. Chromecast let's you mirror your Chrome browser only. Miracast promises to work with both Apple and Android!

The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter plugs into HDMI & USB ports

Windows 8.1 supports Miracast or if you have a smartphone or tablet that runs Android 4.2 or later, you most likely have Miracast, also known as the "Wireless display" feature. Many new TV’s are coming out with Miracast capability built right in. But, unless you purchased a TV in the last year, it's probably not Miracast-ready. Instead, you'll need a dongle like the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter.

Wi-Fi Direct allows two devices to establish a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection

The foundation of Miracast is WiFi Direct. As mentioned earlier in this post this technology allows devices to connect easily with each other without requiring a wireless access point and to communicate at typical Wi-Fi speeds for everything from file transfer to Internet connectivity. Miracast can mirror videos in 1080p and 5.1 surround sound audio. Even copyright-protected materials like your DVDs and music can be mirrored, thanks to a DRM layer.

If you are interested, you can pre-order the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter  today online at the Microsoft Store or Best Buy, with a release date set for Oct. 31. And, in case anyone is thinking about asking, no I don’t get a commission from Microsoft, Apple, Google or anyone else. However, I can be bought, I would gladly accept any offers from any of those companies. In the meantime, as your humble tech servant, I will continue to try and keep you up-to-date as best I can.

Thanks for visiting!