If you're thinking about connecting your iOS device to your TV, you have a few wired and wireless options.
The method you choose will depend on how new or old your devices.
What kind of video quality you're going for and, of course, how much you're willing to spend.
Let's break it down.
If you have an iDevice
that uses the new lightning format, you have two options.
The cheapest is to use Apple's digital AV adapter, which mirrors your device's screen.
So anything you see here will show up there.
Just plug it in to your device like this iPhone 5, then hook up an HDMI cable.
You can also use this slot to keep your phone charged while it's mirroring.
But here's the catch.
This adapter mirrors up to 1080p.
But most times, you'll notice
it looks more like 720p.
Part of that is because it doesn't transfer raw video.
It converts it on the fly.
So if you look closely, the image actually looks compressed.
Still though, it does the drag.
Now, if you have an older iPad, iPhone 4 or 4s or a 4th gen iPod Touch, there is a digital AV adapter for you too.
It's a little different though because mirroring is only available
for the iPhone 4s and the iPad.
The other iDevices that used this dock connector can only use this adapter to play media on the device and some applications with video like YouTube or NetFlix.
Now, if you wanna get rid of cables all together, and you're willing to spend a hundred bucks, grab an Apple TV.
Once your iDevice is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the Apple TV, you'll see a new
button show up next to music and videos.
Just tap it and your media will be beamed to your TV.
A bunch of apps are also airplay-enabled like Ted and PBS-- and it gets better.
Some games are airplay-enabled too.
Letting you use your iDevice as the controller while playing a game on the TV.
Sometimes, you will get a little, but give it a try with the game like Ducati Challenge to see how it works.
The library of
airplay-enabled apps and games isn't huge right now.
But you should see more dub supporting it overtime.
You can also see my list of top 10 airplay-enabled apps on CNET.
If you wanna read up on all of these video connection options, check out my full written tutorial on CNET How To.
And as always, hit me up with any of your questions on Twitter.
For CNET, I'm Sharon Vaknin.
