Using Miracast with a Roku Streaming Stick, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone

Currently I am in the middle of reviewing a Roku Streaming Stick which so far seems like a really good device with plenty of features. While recording the review I tested screen mirroring Windows and Windows Phone and was really impressed with how well it works, so I thought I would break that section of the video out.

The Roku Streaming Stick uses Miracast to project the screen of your device onto the TV. Miracast uses Wifi direct so you don’t have to have the two devise setup on the same network which makes pairing very simple. I set it up with my Lumia 1520 Windows Phone and was able to project its screen straight on to the TV, there were a couple of visual glitches at times but system works very well. I should say it is not like Chromecast where you can hand off videos to playback on the device, it is an exact duplicate of the phones screen.

It also works with Windows 8.1 devices, I use it to project my Surface 2’s screen up onto the TV and just as it was with the phone it works very well, I tried playing a game on the Surface and it displayed on my TV with out to much lag and with just a couple of visual glitches. I should say as well mirroring the display it also plays the audio from the device so you can use it watch movies, play games or use with apps like Skype. It should also work with Android 4.4.2 and up but I didn’t have the option on my Nexus 5 running Android 5.0 and if you are thinking of using screen mirroring with an Apple device you are out of luck.

It is a really easy way of projecting your Windows device up on to the big screen without needing HDMI or VGA cables, plus you get all the additional features of the Roku Streaming stick. You can see my full review of the Roku Streaming stick soon and in this video I demonstrate Miracast with Windows Phone and Windows 8.1. The Roku Streaming Stick costs £44 on Amazon.