science

Miracast

Miracast is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Miracast rather than just read about it. In short: Miracast is a wireless communications standard created by the Wi-Fi Alliance which is designed to transmit video and sound from devices (such as laptops or smartphones) to display receivers (such as TVs, monitors, or projectors). It uses Wi-Fi Direct to create an ad hoc encrypted Wi-Fi connection and can roughly be described as "HDMI over Wi-Fi", replacing cables in favor of radio waves.

Key takeaways

Miracast belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Miracast to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Miracast from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Miracast is a wireless communications standard created by the Wi-Fi Alliance which is designed to transmit video and sound from devices (such as laptops or smartphones) to display receivers (such as TVs, monitors, or projectors). It uses Wi-Fi Direct to create an ad hoc encrypted Wi-Fi connection and can roughly be described as "HDMI over Wi-Fi", replacing cables in favor of radio waves. Miracast is utilised in many devices and is used or branded under various names by different manufacturers, including Smart View (by Samsung), SmartShare (by LG), screen mirroring (by Sony), easy mirroring (by Panasonic), Cast (in Windows 11) and Connect (in Windows 10), wireless display and screen casting. A related enterprise protocol named Miracast over Infrastructure (MS-MICE) functions using a central local area network instead and is supported in Microsoft Windows.

Development The Wi-Fi Alliance launched the Miracast certification program at the end of 2012. Devices that are Miracast-certified can communicate with each other, regardless of manufacturer. Nvidia announced support in 2012 for their Tegra 3 platform, and Freescale Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Marvell Technology Group and other chip vendors have also announced their plans to support the Miracast standard. The Wi-Fi Alliance maintains a list of certified device models, which numbered over 13,200 as of 31 October 2024.

Technical details Miracast is based on the peer-to-peer Wi-Fi Direct standard. It allows sending up to 1080p HD video (H.264 codec) and 5.1 surround sound (AAC and AC3 are optional codecs, mandated codec is linear pulse-code modulation – 16 bits 48 kHz 2 channels). The connection is created via WPS and therefore is secured with WPA2. IPv4 is used on the Internet layer. On the transport layer, TCP or UDP are used. On the application layer, the stream is initiated and controlled via RTSP, RTP for the data transfer.

Version history

Functionality The technology was promoted to work across devices, regardless of brand. Miracast devices negotiate settings for each connection, which simplifies the process for the users. In particular, it obviates having to worry about format or codec details. Miracast is "effectively a wireless HDMI cable, copying everything from one screen to another using the H.264 codec and its own digital rights management (DRM) layer emulating the HDMI system". The Wi-Fi Alliance suggested that Miracast could also be used by a set-top box wanting to stream content to a TV or tablet. Both devices (the sender and the receiver) need to be Miracast certified for the technology to work. However, to stream music and movies to a non-certified device, Miracast adapters are available that plug into HDMI or USB ports. Certification does not mandate a maximum latency (i.e. the time between the display of pictures on the source and display of the mirrored image on the sync display). Even with certification, it is possible an underpowered device will be constrained in performance or bandwidth.

Types of media streamed Miracast can stream videos that are in 1080p, media with DRM such as DVDs, as well as protected premium content streaming, enabling devices to stream feature films and other copy-protected materials. This is accomplished by using a Wi-Fi version of the same trusted content mechanisms used on cable-based HDMI and DisplayPort connections.

Display resolution 27 Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) formats, from 640 × 480 up to 4096 × 2160 pixels, and from 24 to 60 frames per second (fps) 34 Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) formats, from 800 × 600 up to 2560 × 1600 pixels, and from 30 to 60 fps 12 handheld formats, from 640 × 360 up to 960 × 540 pixels, and from 30 to 60 fps Mandatory: 1280 × 720p30 (HD) Optional: 3840 × 2160p60 (4K Ultra HD)

Video Mandatory: ITU-T H.264 (Advanced Video Coding [AVC]) for HD and Ultra HD video; supports several profiles in transcoding and non-transcoding modes, including Constrained Baseline Profile (CBP), at levels ranging from 3.1 to 5.2 Optional: ITU-T H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding [HEVC]) for HD and Ultra HD video; supports several profiles in transcoding and non-transcoding modes, including Main Profile, Main 444, SCC-8 bit 444, Main 444 10, at levels ranging from 3.1 to 5.1

Audio Mandated audio codec: Linear Pulse-Code Modulation (LPCM) 16 bits, 48 kHz sampling, 2 channels Optional audio codecs, including:

LPCM mode 16 bits, 44.1 kHz sampling, 2 channels Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) modes Dolby Advanced Codec 3 (AC3) modes E-AC-3 Dolby TrueHD, Dolby MAT modes DTS-HD mode MPEG-4 AAC and MPEG-H 3D Audio modes AAC-ELDv2

Hardware and software support A device's wireless network adapter must support Wi-Fi Direct and Virtual Wi-Fi for it to work with Miracast; generally most adapters built since 2013 should meet the criteria. In Windows computers this can be checked by looking at the adapter's NDIS version which must be 6.3 or above. However Miracast support also depends on the software implementation by manufacturers. Most modern devices support Miracast, with notable exceptions being products from Google and Apple.

Windows and Linux PCs

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Miracast

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Miracast claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Miracast before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Miracast ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Miracast

In research: Miracast appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Miracast in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Miracast is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet Standards, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Miracast outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Miracast in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Miracast means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Miracast out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Miracast in simple terms?

Why does Miracast matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Miracast?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Miracast.