Review: Microsoft Screen Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Back in September, Microsoft not only announced a couple new phones, but some new stylish accessories. One of those was the awkwardly named Microsoft Screen Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10, which is a fancy title for a Miracast device. The timing of the announcement was also a little bit strange as Microsoft also has their dongle now called the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter.

Apparently, the two products overlap, and it is safe to surmise that the HD-10 was made by Nokia and the dongle by Microsoft prior to the acquisition.

Today, I am taking a look at the HD-10 and showing you how it brings something new to the table, including a video demonstration using the Lumia 830.

What's it for

For those who are unfamiliar, Miracast is a wireless streaming standard based on Wi-Fi direct. It enables users to stream content from one device to another, with most cases involving phones or tablets paired to a modern TV.

Some TVs come with Miracast built in, but many do not, requiring the user to plug a Miracast dongle to a spare HDMI outlet to get streaming. Once set up, the user can just pair their Miracast-enabled device to the TV, and stream (or "mirror") the display.

Practically speaking, Miracast is great for sharing videos, photos, other media, or for use in presentations. Instead of passing your phone around to show those vacation pics, you can just put it on your 55-inch TV for everyone to see. Do you have a funny video you want to show everyone? Just stream it on a larger display. Here are some example uses of the HD-10 from Microsoft:

  • Enjoy movies or TV series in full HD (1080p) on the big screen, played directly from Lumia smartphone or streamed from on-demand services, without any content restrictions.
  • Internet browsing: Browse and enjoy websites, or try convenient online shopping on the big screen.
  • Showcasing photos: Take stunning pictures with a Lumia phone, and then relive the memories on a large screen with friends and family.
  • Office use: Perfect for presentations or group working sessions, it lets people project documents from apps and services like Microsoft Office (including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), OneNote, OneDrive and Lync.
  • Games: Play with games on the big screen, and enjoy them in more detail.

Why the HD-10 is different (and better)

Most Miracast systems plug into the back of the TV, never to be seen again. They are usually shaped liked USB flash drives and require external power to make them work. The HD-10 is meant to be out and in front of your TV to be seen. Because of this, it is much nicer looking, coming in glossy white, or black.

However, the real bonus feature is NFC. Near-Field Communication is thought of as a helper technology. In and of itself, it does nothing except to facilitate connecting two devices. For instance, you can use NFC to connect to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, your car, etc. Another standard will do the connection, but the NFC does the grunt work for pairing. The HD-10 has NFC built in and it is uncommon to be found in Miracast dongles.

The benefit here is that the NFC part can be removed from the device as a 'coaster'. You can then leave this on the coffee table or pass it around to friends who want to stream to your TV. So although you may know how to pair your phone, mom or dad may have no clue on what any of those words even mean.

What it works with

The HD-10 works with any smartphone that also has a 'Project my Display' function or Miracast support. This list of devices includes many – but not all – Windows Phone 8.1 devices, namely the most recent ones with the new Snapdragon 400 or 800 series chipsets.

The HD-10 can also work with many Windows 8.1 tablets and computers, including the Surface Pro 3, which runs very well over Miracast (although things can get warm). Even my Dell laptops connected up with no issues, whereas other Miracast systems have caused problems in the past e.g. Asus.

Audio quality was splendid with it never falling out of sync on the projected display.

Does it matter?

So, does having NFC matter? Well, it depends on if you are a person who knows tech, as you can get away with a normal, off-the-shelf Miracast dongle. If, however, you have a large family and like to frequently have people over, the HD-10 is more appealing.

The reason I bring this up is the HD-10 is significantly more expensive than comparative Miracast dongles with fewer features. The HD-10 from Microsoft should run around $79 when it soon goes on sale, whereas the Microsoft Miracast dongle is just $59. Even at $59, the Microsoft dongle is on the high-end as you can often find decent Miracast devices for less than $30.

So, this is a case of paying more for something because it has an extra feature, and it looks beautiful in front of your TV. Those are not useless things, although whether it matters to you, or not is something to consider.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Screen Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10 is a fantastic piece of hardware. It is also significantly more expensive.

Having a high-price is not necessary a bad thing if the device is of high quality and brings something new to the table. In this case, I think the HD-10 succeeds. It takes the 'technical' stuff out of pairing your phone to your TV, and makes it easier to use. The HD-10 also looks very attractive, dare I say Apple-esque?

The actual streaming of video and content quality will vary from device to device, but overall, I cannot see any significant flaws. The HD-10 delivers on its promise on easy connectivity, and it looks great. Whether or not that matters is up to you, but at least you know you are getting your money's worth.

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

193 Comments
  • I'm not all that familiar with Miracast, but is audio sent to the device too? So, with that said could I for example hook this into the HDMI passthrough of the Xbox One and enjoy streamed video+audio through my tv/stereo?
  • Correct. Watch the video to see it demonstrated. I have not tried the HDMI passthrough on the Xbox One though.
  • Will do! This is what I am thinking about doing since I don't use the HDMI passthrough otherwise. I have heard that Miracast on the Xbox One could come as a software update, but I'm not sure if this is actually possible. Probably do this instead of waiting.
  • I've been running my actiontec miracast reciever through my xbox one, and it works. Actually, i use an HDMI switch, so i toggle from the cable box to the miracast reciever. theres no reason that this shouldnt work as well.
  • Video, did I miss the link or the video in your article?
  • Now I'm left wondering why this capability isn't just built into the Xbox One. Also, Daniel - think you could do a comparison between this and the streaming capability added to the Roku 3/Rock Stick?
  • It is in them form of smartglass but they limit it for their own reason.
  • What if you are using the HDMI for say cable, no way to go through the xb1?
  • How does it pair with a tablet?  Do tablets have NFC capability?    My use case is to stream a video from my file server at home over either photo viewer or xbox video on the tablet.  Will that work?   If so, perhaps I can unplug the Apple TV.  
  • Yes and yes.
  • Does it work with the HTC One M8 for Windows, even though it's said to be for "Lumia Phones"?
  • As noted in the article, it works with any device with Miracast/Wi-Fi direct support. In this case, the One M8 is a modern Windows Phone 8.1 device with a Snapdragon 801 chipset, so yes, it suppport it.
  • Awesome.
  • so any device? Meaning anroid as well?
  • I would assume so, considering it supports laptops. But get a Lumia :P
  • Wish you would not say 'modern' Windows phone. 920 should have had Miracast.. Should use your amazing journalist powers to uncover why Microsoft has given Lumia 82x/92x/1020 users the cold shoulder ;)
  • The older 2nd Gen lumias lack the proper chipset and wireless configuration to support Miracast.
  • Still waiting for Lumia 420
  • Keep us posted.
  • He probably already forgot it...
  • Eating munchies, a bag of Doritos.
  • It's coming next year, along with the Lumia 3310.
  • I wish!
  • Here comes the negative people. WP has a lot more offers than lacks.
  • I think its a 420 joke.
  • Its coming, on April 20 at 4:20pm.
  • Would this work with 1020?
  • No. At the moment it only likes to okay with brainy handsets like the 1530 and 930/Icon.
  • Poor 1520 users... :(
  • It should work with that too, unless it needs Denim?
  • Works with the 1520 and 930 with Cyan. Until I drowned my 1520 it worked to my cheapish chinese import head unit in my car.
  • Head unit, need that for the missus
  • It's a feature of the SnapDragon chipset not the OS. Technically the older S4 in the (x)x20 devices supports it but it isn't enabled. So maybe... But in all likelihood nope...
  • When the 920 was released there was absolutely no functionality in the WP OS for WiFi direct.
    On the Nokia website they added Miracast support as a reason why they chose the S4 platform.
    WP Blue delayed
    Promises forgotten :(
  • It should work, Nokia said it would work, Microsoft decided to be d*cks and not add support for S4 SoC
  • Are you criticising Microsoft Mobile, Rod? Has Hell frozen? Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
  • How does it work with Netflix? Do I have to keep the movie going on on my phone during the entire time? That's so not a good thing.
  • Miracast is pretty much screen mirroring..... so, it's not like a chromecast where your device just tells the chromecast what to do. miracast is a "what is on your small screen is on your TV".   So yes, if you want to prohect ANYTHING, your device must stay on.
  • Well, that's not really useful, is it? I wish it worked like chromecast. Or at least I hope Netflix updates our WP app to support chromecast.
  • Roku just released an update for some of their products that can do Miracast and be a standalone streaming box. But I don't know if you can control it with your phone.
  • Well, I have a chromecast and I love the way it works. The only problem I have with it is that I have no longer an android phone with me to control it. And using a computer is not an option, it completely ruins the experience. I really wish there was something similar to chromecast for windows phone. This Miracast device is not an option, tho
  • While I do like MS releasing this, the $50 Roku HDMI stick does this and so much more. Now that Roku has added Miracast (they call it screen sharing) to Roku HDMI stick using a software update (still waiting for MS to do something like this on XB1 that I paid 10 times more money for), it totally owns Chromecast and just pure Miracast adapters like this.   Using Roku, you can - Either project your screen from WP, Windows 8 or android devices (Just like this device) - Or cast Netflix, YouTube, Pandora etc where it plays directly on TV and does not drain phone battery (Just like Chromecast) - Or use a ton of apps from the roku store - Netflix, YouTube, TimeWarnerCable, MediaBrowser, Pandora, UFC and so much more to play content on the TV and control it either with the remote that they ship with the device or use official remote apps that they created for Windows Phone, iOS and Android.   For $50, Roku HDMI stick is a no-brainer!
  • Of course it is useful. It is just not particulary useful for media streaming. Thats what DLNA is for.
  • Yea, you have. Although I found a kickstarter device that could work with WP, because of the open sdk here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-the-streaming... Hope he's going to consider an official WP app.
  • I'm 99% sure that Netflix and other drm videos are blocked from screen sharing. I know that the app for Windows doesn't allow Netflix and Xbox Videos but allows things like YouTube and personal videos.
  • That's incorrect. Miracast adapters work fine with every app on your phone or PC, including Netflix and Hulu. Imagine an HDMI cable without the cable.
  • ^^What he said.  I know I've been pushing netflix and Amazon for a while now.  99% sure?  Incredible odds to be wrong at 1%. lol.
  • Jackal, that's what people said about Project My Screen via USB, but it doesn't work once you choose which video to stream on Netflix and videos from Xbox Video don't work, either.
  • I just watched a video from my phone on my TV with issues. However I am using the Roku method...
  • Wrong again, Its Jazmac. No need to be evil. Accept that you found that 1 percent and judged wrong.  lol
  • Actually google just released an update that does allow for full tablet or phone mirror on the chromecast so it does display everything too.
  • All I need now are more WP apps that can run on chromecast. The SDK is already available
  • So in all of these articles about Miracast and this device and MS's other device, I've never seen confirmation on which phones and tablets have the ability to do this casting.  My assumption is that My Surface RT and my Lumia 928 do not have Miracast.  Is that correct?
  • If you have a 'Project my Display' function and it doesn't say you cannot stream wirelessly, then you can. In short, no, the 928 cannot.
  • I have a "Project" option on the Surface RT.  Swipe from right, choose "devices" and then "Project."  Is this not the same thing?  If I had a Miracast enabled screen, I'd just test it, but alas, I don't. 
  • Right, that should be enough. For instance, my Dell XPS 27 does not have that option. You should be able to hit 'Projected' and you will see 'add a wireless display', even if you do not have one to test (your device can still search for one).
  • Thanks for the replies all
  • Actually you DONT want to hit project lol the option you are looking for is Charms > Devices > PLAY There you can cast on your surface RT. The Devices > Project is actually once you have made the connection you can configure what type of projection you'd like :) Here I see PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, or second screen only.
  • The Surface RT does not include Miracast support. Sorry.
  • My RT does. I cast to my screen often with it.
  • Please expand. In all my reading, and based on other comments here, the RT does not have the ability to broadcast wirelessly. How are you broadcasting? Miracast? And to be clear, we're talking about the first Surface RT, not the Surface 2.
  • I'm talking Surface RT.  This box is more bad ass than you think. Like I keep saying, you can't know everything about Microsoft when you get all your information in one place. Its much too big for one site. Check it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FUherhyvI
  • Ah yes, I remember those videos. Good videos. Unfortunately I don't have an Xbox nor a PlayStation.
  • I have XBOXOne in my family room but in my office, I have a WDHD Tv Live box connected to the TV. I can cast to it from the Surface RT. If you don't have that box, its pretty inexpensive. about 100 bucks new.  You can also find them on Ebay for around 60 bucks used.
  • "Project", in this case, means a second screen (hdmi to TV).
  • Looking to buy Microsoft HD 10 Screen sharing device.Does that support mirroring 4k videos shot with L1520
  • On a windows 8/RT device it would say "add wireless display" along with project. Surface RT does not have Miracast, but Surface 2 and Pro 1/2/3 have it.
  • Not true. Surface RT can cast. I use it to cast Netflix, Plex etc to my WD HDLive and my XBOX One. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FUherhyvI
  • Should add a suggestion on Microsoft's website. Maybe if enough users demand for the 92x to get the support it should have had then maybe they will see it through ;)
  • Didn't you have the 1520? What's with the rally behind the 920? Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
  • I understand that it supports 1080p, but is there any loss quality in real life?
  • No, but streaming through certain apps or on a lower-end cpu may cause performance differences.
  • How much does this cost?
  • It is written in the article.
  • Sorry, I was skim reading as I already know what the product is, but didn't know what the RRP was supposed to be.
    It may be worth sticking the price in the opening paragraph or in the conclusion next time?
    Good article though...thanks
  • Daniel, where did you order your MD-10 from? I have been searching amazon, Microsoft store and the entire internet for weeks and cant find a place to pre-order anywhere!!!
  • I'm sure as a writer who frequently tests new items, Microsoft probably sent him an early release item to review.  Daniel, please correct me if I'm wrong.  Great article btw!
  • I want you try Miracast
  • It's awesome.
  • Is there anything that works with the 920? A wired connected device...?
  • Wp to PC and or WP to PC to tv (only options) Nothing else on the market supports a configuration like that.
  • Wish there was something you like this except you would plug in your phone to the Miracast sender and like set it on a plate or something. And a remote to control it.
  • Use an USB cable to PC, it is the only way.
  • Yes.  There is a WP app I use to pull Plex video from my desktop to cast to my WD HDTv Live wirelessly from my Lumia 920.  Look for an app called MediaBrowser for both WP and Windows 8.1. Works great.
  • Works great on my galaxy s3, streaming through my ruko device flawlessly. But then again, android comes stock with that capability. Cap lock is broken on my 2520 keyboard.
  • Somebody please feed the troll.
  • Awww you have the galaxy s3! Aww man that phone makes the best toilet paper!
  • No it doesn't. The cheap plastic brakes easily and can hurt your arse. Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
  • Lol. My Lumia 1520, 2520, & DV8Pro comes "stock" with Miracast!
  • My 2520 will mirror on my Roku but only for a few moments. The Galaxy will mirror it's screen until I disconnect it, don't know what the problem is with the tablet.
  • I hoped Microsoft came up with something much more useful than that. Why would anybody mirror a movie from the phone? Most probably the battery won't even last.
    Chromecast does all that stuff, and it works with all android phones, iOS and even Windows Phones. Even the older ones. Wished just more apps like Tube Cast would support it.
    And it is much much cheaper.
    At least they could have brought an alternative to android-, apple- and FireTV. But I guess it's just another train Microsoft will miss...
  • "Why would anybody mirror a movie from the phone? Most probably the battery won't even last."
    Services like Hulu often have restrictions. You can watch "on the web" but not your TV through Xbox or Apple TV. Using this, you could bypass that restriction. Re: this versus Chromecast, this too works with all devices, it is just marketed for Lumia phones in particular.
  • But miracast works only with a handful of windows phones, chromecast works with all windows phones.
    Chromecast also mirrors the whole screen if you want, but this only works on newer devices. On the other site you can send most videos from chrome browser to your tv.
    So to sum it up: It does everything Miracast does and much more for half the price. Miracast comes some years to late and will remain something for geaky guys or fanboys. Still hoping for windows TV with Xbox Video and Xbox Music and maybe Xbox live (windows RT games of course)
  • How does Chromecast work with Windows Phones? This is news to me.
  • Tubecast app in store, it is quite good. The killer feature of this though is the nfc pad. Setting any device to work with cringecast can be painful, same true for miracast. The nfc brings this mainstream. Just tap and go. I believe you get less buffering on chromecast
  • one advantage miracast has over chromecast is that you don't have to be on a wifi network for miracast to work.  yes it does use wifi technology, but the dongle itself is not attached to the network. 
  • Bingo, and thats where i see everyone at android central complaining about bandwidth and connection problems with the chromecast. 'To every pro, theres a con'
  • I mirror movies all the time. Why do it. Easy to torrent, then mirror, then delete. Damn, it's not hard to figure out.
  • This is Microsoft's answer to Chromecast: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wireless-display-adapter It's a different product. As for the *TV stuff, XBox One is supposed to have those capabilities, but I also wonder if they are going to make a less expensive non-gaming "XBox" to compete with Apple, Amazon, etc.
  • This is not an answer to chromecast. This is the exactly same thing as the Lumia HD-10. It only mirrors your screen. That's all
  • I think you are a little mistaken.  The only difference between the HD-10 and the MS Wireless Display Adapter is that the HD-10 supports NFC for a quicker set up process - just tap and go.  Both the HD-10 and the MS WDA mirror your screen and full audio to your TV, just like the Chromecast device. The difference between the two MS products and Chromecast is that Chromecast relies on your wi-fi network to connect your device to your TV.  HD-10 and MS Wireless Display Adapter use wi-fi-direct technology (your phone/tablet/pc, etc. connect directly to the HD-10 / MS WDA without going through your home network.)  The benefit of that is that if you have a slow wi-fi network at home, your Chromecast video/audio quality could suffer, or if you don't have a wireless network set up in your home, you can't use the Chromecast at all.  Wi-Fi-Direct technology eliminates that problem by sending the signal directly to the miracast device at a faster rate ensuring a much higher quality connection for video/audio.
  • miracast has been around for a couple of years... think of it as a wireless hdmi cable. on a pc (like my Surface pro 2) it's VERY useful to show off certain things. on a phone, you can show off pic or video clips recorded without having to transfer it off the phone. remember when phones had micro HDMI or MHL ports for video out? Miracast was the next logical step. sure, you probably won't be streaming a 2 hour movie from your phone, BUT you could if you want. Also, Chromecast tends to require app support, miracast doesn't. what you see (on the source device) is what you get (on the TV)
  • You mean widi has been out for years
  • WiDi is an Intel standard that requires proprietary hardware. Not the same as Miracast
  • no, i meant miracast.... widi was out a wee bit longer
  • Chromecast is limited to the apps that support it, Miracast works with any app on your phone (not DRM protected) or your PC. And on a PC you can use it as a second screen for multi monitor use. Chromecast is overrated.
  • As mentioned before: Chromecast has an option to mirror the screen. Not on many devices, but on much more than windows phones supporting Miracast.
  • "Not on many devices, but on much more than windows phones supporting Miracast." Like on just about every new Windows PC, tablet, and smart tv's? Is that what you mean, by "on much more..."? Wake up.
  • @Danial, it looks like Paul Thurrott's suggestion of a higher tip for your delivery driver paid off. ;)
  • Great for quickly showing something short, but as others have pointed out, requiring the phone to do all the heavy lifting (including the encoding and broadcasting of the video stream) will likely eat up your battery and make your phone get all warm. I would have liked to see the addition of something like Chromecast, which basically "picks up where you left off," streaming directly from Netflix or whathaveyou. Maybe later? "In the coming weeks"?
  • What if your phone is the only device connected to a Wifi network? In a hotel for instance, a chromecast would require its own connection which for most hotels is expensive. Plus Miracast is not restricted to an app or device, if you have a small Windows tablet you can use the TV as a monitor and with a keyboard have a full working PC.
  • this. people fail to realize that this is taking advantage of an industry standard whereas chromcast is essentially using a proprietary non-standard solution.  Throw a wireless charger on the device and it would be even better...
  • i will buy when it available in my region
  • Why do I find it so sexy?
  • It works with the 630. Isn't that a snapdragon 200?
  • It will work, but manually, as it does not have NFC
  • Yes it does :) No matter how low end that processor is, it is still a new generation snapdragon therefor Miracast is a standard built in.
  • O dangit. I was hoping for the behind the scenes history of the carved wooden dog  creature in the featured image.
  • I like it.  For all my hopes and dreams to come true, it would do the following also: Wireless charging Allow me to turn off my phone screen In addition to HDMI have an audio out so I could wirelessly stream pandora to my reciever without the tv going I know I can do all that with seprate devices, but wouldn't it be cool if one device did it all?
  • For a windows phone or windows 8 tablet does your display need to stay on the entire time you're watching a video over miracast? Because that would eat lots of battery and be real annoying.
  • Yes, it has to, is MIRRORING your screen ;)
  • I figured it would be like that for phones but for tablet & laptaps I was hoping it worked like when you use a cable and it give you the option to duplicate or switch displays or extend.
  • For Windows phone the display must be on, if you lock your device it turns off. On Windows 8, it is possible to use only the external display, just hit windows+P and select second screen only. You can also use extended mode in Windows 8, showing separate things on each display.
  • Thanks, that's great. I was hoping that it would at least work like that for laptops and tablets.
  • Yes I believe when bringing up the charms you can hit Devices > Project and there choose what configuration you'd like the screen to be on. here I see PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, or second screen only.
  • Yes for phones, but Windows 8.1 treats Miracast like any other second display, so you the full plethora of options where:
    -You can set resolution and quality of the Miracast display
    -You can chose where the Miracast display 'joins' your primary display
    -Your Miracast display can even be set as your primary display
    -You can chose Primary Display Only, Mirror, Extend, Secondary Display Only. So yes, if you chose that last option: Your device's screen with turn off, and everything will be displayed on the Miracast display. :D
  • That's pretty awsome. Thanks for the detailed info.
  • Yes, because it is mirroring your screen.  Same with Chromecast.  However, if you are sitting in your living room watching a movie, there's no reason  you couldn't plug your phone into a charger while watching the movie.  Even if you are projecting a PowerPoint slide at a conference, you should still have access to a charger, or you could connect a 12,000 mAh external battery to your phone/tablet like I've done with my Surface Pro tablet.   There is always a work-around for battery issues, but the point is MS Miracast devices using Wi-Fi Direct is a much better solution than Chromecast using a Wi-Fi Connect technology.  What if you were presenting a PowerPoint presentation to a company that doesn't have Wi-Fi in their building?  How are you going to give a PowerPoint slide presentation using Chromecast if there is no Wi-Fi network for the Chromecast to connect to?  With Miracast, that wouldn't be an issue.
  • Any idea when it will be available to purchase?
  • It is on Amazon.fr, but it's a huge rip-off
  • It's already available in US?
  • Too expensive
  • You get what you pay for, yea Miracast dongles are under $10 on ebay if you hunt a little but, this has the neat NFC feature that you cant get on a Miracast dongle.....
  • I think they can create an device to send signal wireless to the Hd10 to. So the 1020 can be used instead of plugin a usb cable to the tv.
  • yes, plug it into a windows 8.1 tablet or ultrabook and project the tablet/ultrabook screen to the HD-10.  
  • 1020 can support Miracast.. Blame Microsoft
  • Does it work without the denim update ??
  • Works with Cyan.
  • Works on supported Lumia devices with Cyan.
  • Any word on availability? I've been keeping an eye out for it for the last month or so (since the announcement), but there's nothing on https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F%2Fclick.linksynergy.co... about it. Do you have any information? :D
  • Yes I would buy it.
  • Can you do a demo of the Microsoft Wireless display adaptor (Another long-ass name)? I ordered that one and would like to see how it works.  :-/
  • Waiting for mhl..
  • +actiontec screenbeam pro with 1.1.9 firmware
  • Im curious does Microsoft have something to mirror a windows 8 device like a surface rt/pro to a tv ? I assume this is for phones but this hd-10 accessory work or mircast dongle ?
  • It's just a regular Miracast receiver, just more stylish (and more expensive) than most receivers, and it supports easy tap-to-pair functionality thanks to NFC. The Surface RT and first-Gen Surface Pro do natively support Miracast on Windows 8.1.
  • I say no... Still waiting miracast in my XBOX ONE as promissed
  • I think the Apple TV is a better solution, it's almost the same price but you get phoneless content like Vimeo, YouTube and Netflix. If this Miracast thing gets something like it and Windows 10 I will dump my iPad/Apple TV combo happily
  • miracast was designed for screen mirroring. It was never designed to me anything more than that.  granted, it should be cheaper as that is all it does. There are other devices that give you app features AND miracast. Tons of cheap android hdmi sticks, roku's now, blu-ray players and more. that is what you want.  
  • I just think the price is high for what it does, a dongle does the same, the NFC is kind of useless IMHO. And live tiles on my TV would be awesome, think about it
  • Basically we need a device like Apple TV. Miracast is crap in comparison.
  • If it's Miracast, can share Windows 8.x screen to? Or other services like Android or iOS?
  • yes  
  • Windows 8.1 has Miracast support built in. Windows 8 and lower require workarounds to enable it. Newer versions of Android (I think 4 and up) support Miracast. This is hardware and manufacturer dependent (an OEM can opt to enable or disable this functionality). Apple, with their glorious proprietary standards, only allows Air Play on their devices and software. Air Play works great, don't get me wrong, but it's only available to those within the walled garden of Apple's ecosystem. Other platforms can only use Air Play with some form of workaround.
  • This would be a great device if they could get it to work with the 1020 and similar older chipsets....Sure hope they find a way to make it work...
  • While they can (several Android devices with the exact same chipsets as the Lumia 1020 and 92X series are Miracast compatible), I guess Microsoft has deemed that the experience wouldn't be smooth enough, and won't allow. Very disappointing, but if they haven't enabled it by now, I don't expect them to ever.
  • No, they just did not want to add the support. Why else would Nokia include WiFi direct on WP8 when there was zero code to utilize it. Why else would Nokia say that the 920 was going to get wireless screen sharing with Miracast...
  • When did they say that? Genuinely curious.
  • Would it just be possible to program any generic NFC tag to pair with any generic Miracast receiver? After all, I already have this set up for some of my non-NFC Bluetooth devices. I just wrote the info to the tags, stuck 'em on, and now I can easily tap-to-pair with my Lumia 1020.
  • So far ive tried my aw m18 r2(using a centrino 6300) it paired with my roku stick but couldn't connect, tried my dad's tab3 7" couldn't connect either.
  • Will either of these devices work with the Lumia 1020
  • Lumia 1020 doesn't support Miracast at this time, and it's unlikely it ever will, meaning these accessories are rather pointless. Sorry bud. :(
  • It is just like one EZCast dongle (bellow $25) and one NFC sticker (max 1$) on it's back. Why people will be spending that much for only Miracast? It doesn't even have DLNA / AirPlay on it where EZCast have them all.
  • Well I can see dlna, but airplay eh.
  • Want. 
  • Microsoft could be a little less about this device
  • I want to like nfc, I really do. Maybe its just my phone but everytime I have it turned on my phones battery is dead like yesterday. Although I can't wait for a new flagship to get an try one of these devices out..... You can use it to project your phone screen and audio right?... So ultra violet digital movies should work yea?
  • Wish Miracast was as good as Airplay. I want to stream games..
    :-/
  • AirPlay is just the name of the technology lol not a device itself. Its like Apple ya know they dont wanna use 'Miracast' so they go ahead and name it AirPlay. What you are specifically talking about is the "Airplay" connection between an iPhone and an Apple TV. Which is pretty badass lol thats where Google released the Chromecast to compete. But as someone said above, both of those devices require to be on your network whereas the Miracast standard does not.
  • Airplay is not Miracast. If anything, airplay is closer to Chromecast.
  • I did not mean to say it was Miracast. That was confusing my bad. But you are wrong. AirPlay is a protocol. Not a device. You NEED an Apple TV to use airplay. Or any airplay supported speaker or player. Thats why i said airplay is the connection between an iOS device and an Apple TV.
  • It's still a severely different technology, and is more elegant in many regards. However, because it's Apple: It's also far more expensive, and limited to Apple's ecosystem + a few choice accessory makers. As such, Miracast still suits a majority of use cases. But there are definitely circumstances where Air Play wins out.
  • Oh no doubt. As usual where Apple has the upper hand against MS and Google. SUPPORT. So many apps on the store support airplay connection its crazy lol i think chromecast just started ramping up app support after a year of release. Yeah you saw Google's second attempt im this category? The Nexus Player lol same price 99$
  • Does it work with Lumia 520 with cyan update and project my screen option
  • Sorry, doesn't work with the 520.
  • Sorry bud, but the Lumia 520 is limited to using the PC app via USB connection on Windows 7 and 8(.1).
  • -925
    Not interested in buying unless Microsoft adds Miracast for the 925.
    It is very well possible to have this feature implemented with smooth performance.
    Afterall Nokia did advertise that the 920 would get this feature in the future.
    Why else would they spend extra supporting WiFi direct when there was absolutely no support for it in WP
  • Hey Daniel your Lumia 830 navigation buttons seem to be lighten up!
  • Is it support Lumia 720
  • Its nice that they created a solution for casting screens on TV but I don't know how this type of device is a benefit over a dongle such as chromecast. Posted via Nexus 5 WPC App
  • When is this due for release?
  • I'm already in love with it ;)
  • Microsoft made a mirror cast device stop talking about roku or fire tv or apple tv because Microsoft made something to be more supportive of their windows OS it's Not a tv subscription service so stop judging with one and just ask Microsoft to make it u can vote on it on there new ideas site
  • Questions.... 1. Is this HDMI 1.4 or do you know ? 2. Does it support the MAX of 1080p? With Denim on the way for 1520/930 and hope the ICON, with 4K video support, will it play it back or just down convert it to 1080p ? 3. Does this REQUIRE 8.1/Cyan ? Does this mean ICON users cant play (Dam U Verizon !!!)? And your right, Miracast dongles are not that expensive at all, in fact taking a quick look at ebay, you can get a generic one for under $10 in a lot of cases....
  • Daniel like the looks of the start screen background, where did you find it?
  • Really dissapointed to see the "stuttering" issue. If this thing can't be reliable then people.... don't buy it.  MS got behind Miracast because they like how it's a standard, but it's garabage unless you only want to show off pictures.  Super dissapointed. Hopefully firmware can fix this but I've seen this on 4 different miracast devices and 2 of those devices were at different houses.  -Chris
  • I've been trying to decide between this and the Microsoft dongle for my 925 and surface 2. Still confused on which one will be a better option.
  • Lumia 925 doesn't support Miracast.
  • Everyone keeps talking about chromecast and batteries dying using this for movies. #1 chromecast sucks. I returned it because it didn't work well with my windows phone. I had it when it first came out so I don't know if anything has changed by I need it for more than watching YouTube videos. This device answers a need which is the ability to show EVERYTHING on my screen. I don't pay for cable and use my phone for watching tv, movies, and sports games. I can play racing games on a bigger screen, and move all of those shows to a larger screen and still not have to pay for cable, and also show off 1,000's of photos to more than one person at a time. Use it in an office to show various graphs, or whatever, and use it during live broadcasts with my a/v team to put things up on the projector screen. Chromecast does not have this support. Put the phone on a charger while watching a 2 hour movie if your worried about the battery dying.
  • Not compatible with the HTC One? Does MS want to be Apple or Google? Make up your minds?
  • Meh.
  • When and where can this product be bought? Can't find it on the Microsoft Store, on Amazon or eBay. It was shown back on September 4th; how in the world is it not available to buy yet?
  • So amazing