January 15, 2023 at 4:02 p.m. PST
- Over the past few years, a vast assortment of iPhone, iPad, and Mac-compatible projectors emerged to meet the needs of professionals and consumers.
- Some projectors offer compatibility with Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard.
- A cable or wireless connection can beam video and presentations from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a projector.
- Projectors vary in quality, with resolution, brightness (lumens), and contrast ratio being the most critical factors in choosing a suitable model.
- If you’re interested in using apps such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video with a video projector, these services typically won’t allow an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to project content due to digital rights management (DRM) issues.
- As with smart TVs, many projectors feature built-in apps, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Why You Should Use a Projector With Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Whether you’re giving a presentation or have friends over to watch the big game, the bigger the screen, the greater the impact. You wouldn’t want to watch the Super Bowl huddled around an iPhone. You can even play your favorite iOS games on the big screen by hooking up your iPhone to a projector.
iPhone, iPad, and Mac-compatible video projectors are remarkably inexpensive these days. There’s no excuse not to have one at home or in the conference room at work.
Video projectors are mature technology. I used to do audio-visual work in college a few decades ago. The video projectors we used back then were massive and expensive. They didn’t offer the greatest resolution.
I once served as the projectionist for John Lithgow’s premiere of World War II: When Lions Roared at UCLA. He signed my work order and asked if there was any way to get the image less pixelated. Back in 1994, video projectors did not offer high-resolution capabilities. Lithgow was amiable and accepted the situation.
Today, projectors costing less than $200 are much better than the ones we used in the 1990s. If you’re willing to spend more, you get a brighter, higher-resolution picture with high contrast.
Video projectors are so cheap and high-quality that there’s little excuse not to use one. Some people even replace their flat-screen TV with a video projector. Of course, a flat-screen TV will perform much better in daylight, but many projectors offer fantastic performance with ambient light, especially if you’re projecting onto a specialized screen.
One of the more recent trends in video projection technology is the “laser TV.” Essentially, this is a short-throw laser projector matched with a specialized ambient light-rejecting screen. If you want a really massive display, this setup works better than a flatscreen TV and costs much less, but it’s still pretty expensive.
Now that we’ve covered why you should project video and presentations from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, let’s look at how to do this. We’ll also recommend a few projectors best suited for Apple products.
How Do You Get Sound from Your iPhone, iPad, or iMac to a Video Projector?
Before we look at connecting your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a video projector, we need to address the sound issue. For the vast majority of people, this isn’t a problem. If you’re looking to have big movie theater sound, this section is essential.
Most modern video projectors come equipped with speakers. Many of these offer surprisingly high-quality audio. In fact, the sound is often so good you might not need a soundbar or stereo to enjoy a movie, sporting event, or TV show with your video projector.
If you require better sound, it’s typically best to connect your projector to a Bluetooth speaker or soundbar rather than have your iPhone as the audio source. This will prevent audio latency that could make your movies and TV shows look like old-school kung fu movies with out-of-sync sound and video.
Since there are so many projectors on the market, we can’t provide specific instructions for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker or soundbar. Follow your projector’s instructions to pair it with a speaker, stereo adapter, or soundbar. The most important thing is to use the projector as the audio source, as it will keep sound and video in sync.
Use a TV Device Instead of an iPhone, iPad, or Mac for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
Another item we need to clarify before we move on is that your iPhone, iPad or Mac might not be compatible with digital rights management technology when using a projector. Some streaming companies block iOS, iPadOS, and macOS from projecting their content. A standard known as High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) must be supported for streaming.
Unfortunately, AirPlay Screen Mirroring and direct cable connections from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac don’t support HDCP. The concern is that you’re connecting to some computer or device that will record the output for illegal distribution. HDCP ensures that you can’t rip off TV shows and movies from popular streaming services.
If you project Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other services, you need a streaming device from Amazon, Apple, Roku, or Google. Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac doesn’t offer compatible digital rights management technology with these services.
This is an easy problem to solve. Amazon, Roku, and Google offer inexpensive streaming sticks. Even Apple TV is super cheap these days. If you’re serious about replacing your TV with a projector, there are better video sources than your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Just plug them into the HDMI port on your projector and you’re good to go.
You also probably want to use your iPhone while you watch TV. You can do that in most situations if it’s connected via AirPlay 2, but you’ll only be able to play the projected media source. If you’re beaming a video to your projector and flipping through a social media feed, the latter will win once you reach a video and end up being projected on the screen.
If you connect your iPhone or other Apple device via an HDMI cable, you won’t be able to use it while it projects from most video apps. Your iPhone’s screen will usually display a playback UI. Don’t expect to take calls, send messages, surf the web, or do much of anything while using your iPhone, iPad, or Mac as a projector’s video source. Beyond presentations or short-term solutions, these are poor sources for video projectors.
How to Use Your iPhone or iPad Wirelessly With a Video Projector
Now that we’ve looked at all of the issues with projecting from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, let’s look at how to do it. There are two main options to connect your Apple device to a projector. You can use a cable or wireless connection such as AirPlay or a projector’s proprietary wireless technology (usually a Wi-Fi hotspot connection).
Keep in mind that if you use a wireless connection, you need a functional, Internet-connected router. Because services like AirPlay 2 need to check digital rights protection, they typically don’t work with a LAN-only Wi-Fi network.
If you don’t have a Wi-Fi network, using an HDMI cable is the only way to go. You’ll need to purchase an inexpensive adapter or cable for your iPhone or iPad.
Macs are a bit more complicated. Some models, such as the Mac Mini, come with an HDMI port. (In our opinion, the Mac Mini is the best model to own.) If you own a MacBook or iMac, you’ll need a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable.
Since we can’t cover every projector’s wireless technology, we’ll use AirPlay for our cable-free example. Many projectors come with apps that enable wireless content to beam from your iPhone or iPad to your projector. Other projectors have embraced Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard. Even Samsung’s projectors support Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard.
How to connect your iPad or iPhone to a Projector Wirelessly Using AirPlay:
- Connect your iPhone or iPad and projector to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi network can connect to the Internet.
- Activate AirPlay on your projector. Consult your projector’s user manual or browse the menus for more information.
- Swipe down from your iPhone’s or iPad’s top right corner to display Control Center.
- Tap on the Screen Mirroring icon. A list of AirPlay-enabled devices appears.
- Tap on the name of your projector in the list.
- If prompted to enter a 4-digit code, enter the code projected on the screen or wall.
That’s it. Now your iPhone’s screen and audio feed are beamed to the projector. This setup is ideal for presentations but might not work with apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. If this is your goal, attach a low-cost streaming device to your projector instead.
How to Connect Your iPhone or iPad to a Video Projector With an HDMI Cable
If you want to connect your iPhone or iPad to a projector with an HDMI cable, ensure the adapter is MFi (Made for iOS) certified. Some tech writers and influencers claim that only Apple’s HDMI adapter will work. This isn’t true, and Apple’s adapter is both expensive and incomplete. You’ll need a cable too. There are plenty of MFi-certified Lightning to HDMI cables that are inexpensive, rugged, and work just as well as Apple’s product. The best thing is, all you need is the cable, unlike Apple’s solution — an adapter and a cord.
Also, to set expectations, it’s probable that your favorite streaming apps won’t let you project from your iPhone (or will only allow this at lower resolutions). The most popular streaming apps enforce High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). Even Apple’s Lightning-to-HDMI adapter isn’t compatible with HDCP.
Again, if you’re interested in streaming from popular video apps, your best bet is to pick up an inexpensive TV appliance or streaming stick. These devices support HDCP and can project Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime without issue.
Assuming that you have an iPhone or iPad and an MFi-certified Lightning (or USB-C) to HDMI cable, let’s look at how to connect your Apple device to a projector:
- Plug the HDMI end of your Lightning-to-HDMI cable into your projector and turn it on.
- Plug the Lightning end of your cable into your iPhone or iPad. Your Apple device’s display should be projected on the screen.
- If you don’t see your iPhone or iPad’s screen from the projector, restart both the projector and your iPhone.
How to Use Your Mac Wirelessly With a Video Projector
Since Macs support AirPlay, this process is similar to the steps used for an iPhone or iPad. The main difference is that macOS puts Control Center on the top menu bar, with a different method to access it.
Here’s how to connect your Mac to an AirPlay-enabled projector:
- Connect your Mac and projector to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi network can connect to the Internet.
- Activate AirPlay on your projector. Consult your projector’s user manual or browse the menus for more information.
- Click on the Control Center icon on the top right of your Mac’s screen. Control Center appears.
- Click on the Screen Mirroring icon. A list of AirPlay-enabled devices appears.
- Click on the name of your projector in the list.
- If prompted to enter a 4-digit code, enter the code projected on the screen or wall.
That’s all you need to do to connect your Mac to a video projector. Of course, you may experience issues streaming from popular services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. You can easily stream these by connecting an inexpensive TV device (such as an Amazon Fire Stick) to your projector.
How to Connect Your iPhone or iPad to a Video Projector With an HDMI Cable
Since Mac models have fundamentally different form factors, the cables one uses to connect a Mac to a projector will vary. A Mac Mini has an HDMI port, which makes things very easy. If you have a MacBook, you’ll need to purchase a specialized USB-C Thunderbolt to HDMI cable. Make sure the cable is MFi-certified to ensure compatibility.
Assuming you have your MFi-certified cable and video projector, here’s how to connect your Mac:
- Plug the HDMI end of your Lightning-to-HDMI or Thunderbolt-to-HDMI cable into your projector and turn it on.
- Plug your cable’s Lightning or USB-C end into your Mac. Your Apple device’s display should be projected on the screen.
- If you don’t see your iPhone or iPad’s screen beamed from the projector, restart both the projector and your Mac.
Recommended Video Projectors
There are hundreds of different video projectors on the market. Some are amazing, and others are horrible. For the sake of brevity, we’ll list three options — low-cost, mid-range, and high-end.
Low-Cost Video Projector: Kodak Luma 150
Kodak makes one of the best low-cost projectors, and it’s portable too! The Kodak Luma 150 Ultra features easy wireless iPhone, iPad, and Mac integration. Instead of using AirPlay, you connect to this unit via Wi-Fi. It also features HDMI and USB ports.
One drawback to this unit is that it creates its own Wi-Fi network for wireless connectivity. Since your Apple device cannot connect to two Wi-Fi networks simultaneously, you can only wirelessly project downloaded content from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You’ll need to connect your Apple device to the projector with a cable if you want to stream video.
Mid-Range Video Projector: BenQ WXGA LED Business Projector LW500
BenQ is an unfamiliar brand to most, but if you follow video projector reviews, you’ll know it’s a reputable company. The main advantage of the BenQ LW500 is that it’s remarkably bright for the price. With 2000 lumens, you won’t need a pitch-dark room to enjoy this projector. If you pair it with an ambient-light-rejecting screen, you’ll achieve a fairly decent home theater experience.
One drawback to this device is that it doesn’t offer wireless connectivity. This is a forgivable oversight, given its remarkable brightness compared to other projectors in this price range. The BenQ LW500 comes with two HDMI ports, which is better than one.
High-End Video Projector: Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800
If you want a massive 100″ to 150″ screen, these don’t exist as all-in-one flat-screen televisions. The largest sizes for flat screens tend to be around 85″, and they’re quite expensive.
What if you could have a massive 150″ TV for less than $5000, with stunning picture quality? This is a reality, and you won’t need to darken the room to enjoy projectors of this caliber.
Epson, a trusted brand for decades, produces some of the best laser projectors on the market. I highly recommend purchasing an Epson video projector if cost isn’t an object. If you have the funds, the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 is one of the best projectors in its class.
The best thing about this projector is that it uses short-throw technology. You can place the projector close to the screen or wall, often on the same table or entertainment center that your previous flat-screen TV used. You don’t have to worry about people’s heads getting in the way with a short-throw projector. It also makes for a remarkably bright picture with stunning resolution and contrast.
Of course, if you’re going to spend a few thousand dollars on a projector, make sure to get an appropriate screen. Matched with the right ambient light-rejecting screen, your Epson projector will take you to new levels of audio-visual bliss.